Dr. Saliha Afridi - Psychology

Dr. Saliha Afridi - Psychology Supporting you on your healing journey, so you can define life on your terms.
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🇦🇪 Dubai, UAE

Country leaders or governments can function as a symbolic secure base when people feel: • Protection: “If something goes...
06/03/2026

Country leaders or governments can function as a symbolic secure base when people feel:
• Protection: “If something goes wrong, the system will protect us.”
• Predictability: rules and responses are consistent
• Containment: crises are managed competently
• Belonging: the leader represents and includes the population

In that sense, the state or leadership system becomes psychologically similar to a secure base.

You are no longer who you werebut not yet who you will be.And learning to stay present in that space,without rushing to ...
20/02/2026

You are no longer who you were
but not yet who you will be.

And learning to stay present in that space,

without rushing to fill it,

is part of the midlife transformation itself.

Because our culture doesn’t recognize this grief, we are left to carry it in silence, as if it were ours alone. People c...
23/10/2025

Because our culture doesn’t recognize this grief, we are left to carry it in silence, as if it were ours alone. People can also feel very guilt acknowledging this pain and longing, bc their parents are alive and they should “just be grateful”...

Emotional Orphanhood can feel like a lifetime of:

* Sitting across from parents, but feeling invisible.

* Deep sense of loneliness in your parents presence - the kind that cuts deeper than being alone.

* Confusion bc you are grieving someone you is alive and well.

* A bottomless longing - always waiting for a moment of fulfilling love that never comes.

And you can be grateful AND acknowledge the pain to yourself or a trusted other.

Acknowledging it can help transform it:

* Naming and honoring the orphan-feeling instead of burying it under guilt, busyness or denial.

* Truly grieving the childhood you never had, the tenderness you longed for, and the presence that was missing. This is so hard.

* Re-parenting yourself daily, not just as an idea but really showing up for yourself. This can be giving yourself sleep, nourishment, protection, gentleness, and encouragement.

* Learning to self-soothe without shaming yourself. Calming your nervous system when panic or abandonment fears rise…

* Choosing relationships that see you and honor you, instead of chasing the familiarity of neglect.

* Building community and chosen family, finding spaces where you feel welcomed and safe.

* Letting go of magical hope that your parents will finally become who you need them to be, and instead allowing your heart to see what they can give. People can only give what they have.

* Turning your grief into depth, so your wound becomes a source of empathy, compassion, and clarity rather than endless hunger. This is the work of alchemy.

* Allow joy and love to enter your life now- even if they arrived later than you hoped. You’re still allowed to receive them. They are still yours to claim.

We live in a time where the word trauma is everywhere, and while that’s helped bring awareness, it’s also blurred lines....
21/10/2025

We live in a time where the word trauma is everywhere, and while that’s helped bring awareness, it’s also blurred lines. 
Not every hurt, frustration, or disappointment is trauma. 

Some experiences overwhelm the nervous system and leave lasting imprints in our mind and body.

Others, while painful, are part of the hard edges of being human… they stretch us, build tolerance, and can even deepen us.

In the early stages, turning inward and being self-oriented is essential. You need boundaries, rest, self-awareness, and...
15/10/2025

In the early stages, turning inward and being self-oriented is essential. You need boundaries, rest, self-awareness, and protection. That’s the “containment phase” of healing.

But over time, the goal is reconnection… with life, people, purpose, and the world.
You are more connected, not more defended. 

Real healing allows for porousness again…. the ability to be changed by love, life, and relationship.

In the early stages, turning inward and being self-oriented is essential. You need boundaries, rest, self-awareness, and...
15/10/2025

In the early stages, turning inward and being self-oriented is essential. You need boundaries, rest, self-awareness, and protection. That’s the “containment phase” of healing.

But over time, the goal is reconnection… with life, people, purpose, and the world.
You are more connected, not more defended. 

Real healing allows for porousness again…. the ability to be changed by love, life, and relationship.

Motherhood is where the yes and no, stay and go, hold on and let go live together. Motherhood is bootcamp for living wit...
14/10/2025

Motherhood is where the yes and no, stay and go, hold on and let go live together.

Motherhood is bootcamp for living with paradox.
Nothing has stretched me more than learning to live the tension of opposites.

It’s a thousand contradictions that break your heart wide open as you learn to live both.

It cannot be any other way… it is archetypal, a pattern woven into the life of every human being’s life and it is this: ...
13/10/2025

It cannot be any other way… it is archetypal, a pattern woven into the life of every human being’s life and it is this: 

*At some point, each of us will arrive at a stretch of the journey where we must walk alone.*

Don’t worry you won’t walk alone the whole journey–we always have helpers along the way- that is also archetypal-….but its one particular stretch… that must be walked alone. 

Think back through your own life. Can you think of the times when the usual supports -friends, family, mentors- were not there for a period. When you found yourself alone, face-to-face with your own soul, unsure where to turn next.

That was when you were being initiated. 

What would you say to your younger self?’ - I am asked this often and I was asked this question by recently- and this h...
09/03/2025

What would you say to your younger self?’ - I am asked this often and I was asked this question by recently- and this has always been my answer.

Anyone who knew me when I was younger would agree that I wouldn’t have listened to (or definitely been suspicious of) an adult telling me something!

The truth is- I am who I am because of her…my younger self. She showed up each day.
She was curious.
She was brave.
She was kind.
She was a warrior in every sense of the word bc she was scared and insecure but she showed up fiercely nevertheless.

She was unapologetically herself when her whole world misunderstood and misjudged her (And I am not exaggerating as I say this).
Bc I was not an “easy” kid to raise - (God bless my parents and I will forever be in service of them for not dropping me off somewhere in the wilderness!)
I questioned everything, and forty some years ago that was not a good look for a girl. Especially a Phatan-Pakistani girl.
On a daily basis I said things like ‘but I can also do (fill in the blank)’ or ‘why can’t I do (fill in the blank) like the boys?’

So yeah, I got no advice for my younger self-
I am so proud of her. You go girl! Keep doing you. Keep staying true. Even the “stupid, impulsive” things you did… you never did them without learning from them, or reflecting on them, or integrating them. How do you think wisdom is made? Hint: A whole lot of ‘stupid, impulsive’ stuff + reflection.

And this is what I would say to my girls- on matters of the heart and your life: take our guidance- but in the end don’t listen to me or any adult- listen to you.
Own ‘your’ life- this is very scary btw which is why most people would rather have someone else make their decisions for them.
Spend time with ‘you’.
Know ‘you’ - which isn’t easy to do in this noisey world.
Consult your heart, mind, and values as you make ‘your’ decisions.
Make ‘your’ mistakes and spend a lot of time with your mistakes, they are a greater teacher than any adult could ever be.

‘What would you say to your younger self?’ - I am asked this often and I was asked this question by recently- and this ...
09/03/2025

‘What would you say to your younger self?’ - I am asked this often and I was asked this question by recently- and this has always been my answer.

Anyone who knew me when I was younger would agree that I wouldn’t have listened to (or definitely been suspicious of) an adult telling me something!

The truth is- I am who I am because of her…my younger self. She showed up each day.
She was curious.
She was brave.
She was kind.
She was a warrior in every sense of the word bc she was scared and insecure but she showed up fiercely nevertheless.

She was unapologetically herself when her whole world misunderstood and misjudged her (And I am not exaggerating as I say this).
Bc I was not an “easy” kid to raise - (God bless my parents and I will forever be in service of them for not dropping me off somewhere in the wilderness!)
I questioned everything, and forty some years ago that was not a good look for a girl. Especially a Phatan-Pakistani girl.
On a daily basis I said things like ‘but I can also do (fill in the blank)’ or ‘why can’t I do (fill in the blank) like the boys?’

So yeah, I got no advice for my younger self-
I am so proud of her. You go girl! Keep doing you. Keep staying true. Even the “stupid, impulsive” things you did… you never did them without learning from them, or reflecting on them, or integrating them. How do you think wisdom is made? Hint: A whole lot of ‘stupid, impulsive’ stuff + reflection.

And this is what I would say to my girls- on matters of the heart and your life: take our guidance- but in the end don’t listen to me or any adult- listen to you.
Own ‘your’ life- this is very scary btw which is why most people would rather have someone else make their decisions for them.
Spend time with ‘you’.
Know ‘you’ - which isn’t easy to do in this noisey world.
Consult your heart, mind, and values as you make ‘your’ decisions.
Make ‘your’ mistakes and spend a lot of time with your mistakes, they are a greater teacher than any adult could ever be.

Happy birthday to one of my favorite humans. A few things Liyenna taught me- She taught me that treasure is in the eye o...
25/11/2024

Happy birthday to one of my favorite humans.

A few things Liyenna taught me

- She taught me that treasure is in the eye of the beholder. When she was young she would point to the most random things like rocks, broken glass, algae and say ‘look mama! Treasure! Now I see treasure everywhere bc of her.

- She taught me you don’t have to shout to fight for yourself. She has always had a quiet, self-assured of living her truth as if to say ‘I have no need to convince you of me.’ I am learning to be like her.

- She taught me that adults need to slow down. Life doesn’t have to move so fast. She would always ask why is everyone rushing? She is one of those who is always on time and never rushed. She moves at her own pace-and absolutely rejects the modern pace of life. I think she’s onto something.

- And while she didn’t teach me this directly, being my first born our relationship taught me how hard it is to be a mother. How much this love gets tested. How painful it is when hurt happens. How long the nights were when I felt like she didn’t recognize my love… maybe even rejected it…how confusing it felt when we both felt misunderstood, how sad it felt when we both felt unseen. All these things happen in all relationships… but in a mother-child dynamic they rock your world. She rocked my world. I am sure I rocked hers also. And the next day we would forgive. The next day we would show up with love again.

Happy birthday. I miss you near me Liyenna. May it be a happy day every day. May you always have adventure. May you always have shade and sunny days. May you always have companions that make the journey more exciting. May there always be a bookstore nearby. May you always feel the presence of strong Force watching over you and protecting you. May you seek your truth, know your truth, and live your truth always❤️

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Begin.

Beginnings start with setting an intention. So many people struggle with a mental illness silently because they are either unaware of their condition or they are ashamed to admit that they are struggling.

For these very reasons I have spent the last 10 years on a mission to raise awareness and reduce stigma on topics related to mental health. It is also for the same reasons, we started @lighthousearabia in 2011, and it is what continues to drive us forward as a collective, to continue to serve and educate the community.

Over the last decade my team and I have spent thousands of hours delivering talks, free of charge, on the topics of mental health, wellness and parenting to schools, companies, healthcare professionals, government institutions and community centers.

We have also worked with print media, online media, radio and television to raise awareness and destigmatize mental health. In doing so, I feel we have been playing our part in normalizing human suffering, and mental health care.