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SUSAN'S NOMAD PSYCHOLOGIST BLOG

As the name of my blog is nomad psychologist, here I will write about my personal experiences, adventures, insights and struggles when it comes to my life and the identifications with what I do.

So in whatever it involves to be human…

My journey as a psychologist started in 2008, the nomad journey in march 2016.

I often wonder if it’s possible to be a psychologist and truly “No-MAD.” When I think about the spectrum of sanity and madness, I’m not quite sure where I’d place myself. What we consider mad, crazy, or disordered seems deeply dependent on the context we’re in. It’s shaped by the group or culture we belong to, the psychological framework we use (like the DSM), the time period we live in, prevailing social norms and values, and even laws and regulations.

In many ways, the psychological symptoms we develop are reflections of our coping strategies—strategies we’ve mostly learned through our environment. These behaviors are shaped by what’s deemed acceptable in our context, whether that’s within our family or society as a whole. For instance, if your parents cope with stress by overeating, chances are you’ve learned to do the same. This is especially striking with men, where the suppression of vulnerability—like showing anxiety or sadness—often leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance abuse, excessive drinking, or even aggression.

What’s fascinating is how something as complex as schizophrenia might be seen as a disorder in one culture but revered in another—perhaps as the mark of a shaman. It all depends on the “box” you’re placed in or, metaphorically speaking, the “software” you’ve downloaded.

These boxes—whether they’re diagnostic labels or cultural norms—can provide a framework for understanding life. But they’re often oversimplified generalizations that fail to capture the dynamic, ever-changing nature of being alive. After all, we’re not computers; we created them. Just as we’ve created our identities and societal constructs, life itself is not fixed—it’s a fluid experience, constantly shifting in real time.

This is why I love to travel. Traveling allows me to challenge these boxes, to explore and question the frameworks I’ve been living in. I’d love to share this journey with anyone curious enough to join me. To start, I’ll introduce you to my idea of “Nomads” and “Yesmads.” Check out my first post for more!


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