Muslim American Psychologists

01/22/2019

So many people start their day by being grumpy and pessimistic. They complain about themselves, their family and the work they need to do. Then they wonder why they feel down.

Start each day with optimism by seeing the best in yourself and the best in others. Then smile big from ear to ear regardless of what you’re going through or how you’re feeling and I guarantee you will feel exponentially better!

The science behind it is that your muscles send a message to your brain when you’re smiling indicating that you’re happy and since your brain can’t distinguish between what’s real and what’s not you feel better. Simple as that! Try it!

- Haleh Banani

02/20/2018

If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.
- Daniel Goleman

08/14/2016

08/14/2016

06/02/2016

Alhamdulillah glad to be able to have the opportunity to join the Muslims Thrive: A Conversation on Mental Health & Wellness today to discuss stigmas against Mental Health challenges in the Muslim community along with Dr. Raymond Brock Murray, Sarah AlSaidi & Imam Talib 'Abdur-Rashid. Proud of the team. Keep up the great work!

Here are 4 of the FALSE Myths about Mental Health we have in the Muslim Community:

1. Mental Illness is not a thing...It does not really exist...It's not a real illness. Personality weakness or character flaws cause mental illness and substance use disorders. People struggling with these issues can snap out of it if they try hard enough.

2. The psychological issues are caused by Evil Eye (Ayn) and Envy (Hasad) or Jinn or Sihr (Black Magic)...All you have to do is go to a Shaykh and read Qur'an.

3. If you are having Depression, Anxiety or any other Mental Illnesses, you must have some weakness in your Eemaan or Allah is punishing you. You need to increase your Eemaan so make more Dua, pray more, make istigfar (Repent) and have Tawaqqul (Trust in Allah).

4. There is no real treatment for Mental Illnesses. Therapy is waste of time. The more you talk about it, the worse it will get. Just try to ignore it and focus on something else. The Prophet SAWS or Sahaba (Companions of the Prophets) never took Depression Pills or go talk to someone about their problem. All they needed to do was turn to Allah.

06/02/2016

I don't think I will ever forget one of American Psychological Association (APA) conferences that took place in 2007. One of the sessions was designated to cover the topic of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, unlike other sessions which were led by psychologists and researchers, that session was led by photographers. It was primarily professional photographers who worked in war-torn countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, etc, and were clinically diagnosed with PTSD. They had suffered for years despite clinical session, group therapy, and even medications. While they were not involved necessarily in any party or side of the conflict but rather tried to capture the facts on the ground for the world to see, the images left a psychological impact on them beyond healing in some cases. Research comes to back that up as well.

We easily post and share pictures of destruction, death of innocent men, women and children, injured and mutilated bodies of civilians, handicapped and disabled people due to war etc. Many of us do so with the right intentions to place important humanitarian issues under the light. While some become proactive in following those images with action and supporting in every legal and humanitarian way, others are desensitized due to the frequency, hopelessness, helplessness and conditioning of such images. But without a doubt, another group often forgotten are those who are susceptible to various levels of PTSD when overwhelmed with traumatic images. I have met different people including community leaders who were exposed to such images and struggled with insomnia, nightmares if they were able to sleep, flashbacks, lack of concentration, emotional instability, negative thoughts, anti social tendencies, etc. Their own communities noticed a difference in those leaders' character and interactions that couldn't be explained.

I am not here to address the religious ruling on the matter of spreading such images as that is left to experts in that area, but I urge you all to realize the power of images in spreading awareness about a cause but also in impacting the mental wellbeing and emotional stability of many people. Do your best to utilize the tool, but be conscious of the positive and negative consequences. Find other innovative ways that strike the balance of benefiting the humanitarian cause as well as people's mental well being.

05/02/2016

Stop waiting for it to be the right time, for you to be in the right mood, or for pigs to fly. It’s not happening. Just go pursue it! Sometimes, the only thing stopping you…is, well, you. -Mohammad Hasan

12/26/2015

"When you make your kids feel accepted you will increase their self-esteem, improve your relationship with them and make them feel empowered!" - Haleh Banani

11/27/2014

Allah says: "If you are thankful, I will increase you." Let us constantly say Alhamdulelah with our tongues, hearts and minds, so that discontentment disappears and abundance appears. -Mohammed Almathil

09/09/2014

Psychology is much bigger than just medicine, or fixing unhealthy things. It's about education, work, marriage - it's even about sports. What I want to do is see psychologists working to help people build strengths in all these domains.
Martin Seligman

08/04/2014

"Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol or morphine or idealism." -Carl Jung

06/29/2014

Ramadhan Kareem. May it fuel your soul, and bring peace to your mind.