The Hustler's Digest StaffAt a certain point in life, we all need professional advice rather than our family or friends telling us to feel better. Nearly every successful person we know has worked closely with a life coach or a mentor to achieve their goals and live a fulfilling life. It also takes a professional to help you learn how to have a relationship with yourself and heal from emotional wounds. Although many people believe that reframing your negative thoughts is enough to heal, mental health expert Dr. Hamdan disagrees.
Dr. Hamdan is a licensed therapist and educator who unifies her knowledge of brain science, psychology, leadership, and spirituality to help people transform into higher versions of themselves. She wears multiple hats. She runs her private practice, where she works closely with many influential leaders on their inner journey. She is also the co-founder and Managing Director of Annisa’s Mental Health, a non-profit organization that works with Muslims in crisis.
Early Life and Background
Dr. Hamdan grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has Middle-Eastern roots with a Lebanese mother and Palestinian father. Growing up in two cultures at home and being exposed to the third as an American, she feels blessed to extract the best from all.
As a daughter of immigrant parents, speaking openly about feelings or problems was a foreign concept. She was taught spiritual strategies to solve her emotional issues. For example, if her mother noticed she was sad, she was told, “go pray, and you will be okay.” She witnessed many family members struggle with different mental health issues such as anxiety or depression, but she never knew what to do about it other than turn to God.
While sharing her life story, Dr. Hamdan says her relationship struggles led her to question who she was and why she was attracted to toxic partners. She excelled academically and graduated with honors, which helped her land a prestigious international consulting position. Yet, she still felt empty and spent a lot of time worrying about existential questions. Like what really makes you happy? What is the meaning of life? And What is its purpose? Her inquisitive nature and relentless curiosity set the wheels in motion to further understand the human psyche.
After getting her Masters’ degree from Columbia University, she moved to Dubai to bridge her east and western heritage. She worked as a corporate brand strategist for a leading government organization. Her position enabled her to influence leaders to aim higher and help the community. During that point in time, she recognized her ability to talk to leaders and guide them through the process of self-awareness and consciousness.
While in Dubai, she began training leaders and youngsters in transformation development. The mere aspect of helping people change their perceptions and aiding a significant life transformation became her passion. It opened new doors for her, and she continued to work western learning from thought leaders worldwide. She also completed another Masters’ degree at Harvard University. And ultimately, she completed her Ph.D. in Psychology.
Finding the answer where spirituality and psychology intersect
Today, Dr. Hamdan refers to herself as the Brain Health Doc. She believes using the phrase “brain” health instead of “mental” health helps affirm these disorders are valid and not just symptoms in one’s head. Her personal struggles and frustration with traditional therapy inspired her to learn more effective healing strategies. Dr. Hamdan is on a mission to educate and demystify the healing process through Brain Health. Using science and evidence-based strategies, she connects the three neural pathways of the head, heart, and body to help clients grow. She believes that the answers to the chaos in your head lay in the body as unresolved wounds and in the heart, where spirituality and psychology intersect.
Watch her space on Instagram, as the Brain Health Doc, as she paves her way to impact thousands of her followers, transforming lives and educating minds through her unorthodox therapy approach.
