Aigerim Alpysbekova

Why We Are Afraid to Love Fully and How It Shapes Us Personal Perspective: Why avoiding pain keeps us half-alive in love, and how embracing vulnerability can transform your relationships and personal growth.

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The Adulthood Dilemma of Staying True to Yourself Personal Perspective: Sometimes the quiet we create to keep others comfortable costs us our own truth. This is what it takes to find yourself again without walking away from love.

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The Science of Affecting Others Without Words Your silent presence shapes others’ emotions, influences relationships, and becomes one of your most powerful human skills.

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Escaping the Safety of Distraction Ever wonder why we binge-watch, scroll endlessly, or cheer for teams we don’t know? Discover what our love of entertainment reveals about who we really are.

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The Hard Part of Parenting Is Seeing Yourself in the Mirror Personal Perspective: Raising a teen challenged everything I believed about parenting—until I realized I wasn’t just guiding her, I was healing the girl I used to be.

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How Ego Tricks You Into Believing It's You What if the things you spend most of your time on don’t actually matter in the end? This is a wake-up call to rethink what you’re nurturing—your ego or your core self.

Originally titled “If You Died Tomorrow, Would Your Soul Be Light or Heavy?” — it got REJECTED.

This version made it through, and it still resonates.

An essential read in Psychology Today.

Give it a moment. You might need it.

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Am I Being Toxic in My Relationship Without Realizing It? Ever wonder why you swing between feeling deeply connected and shutting down in relationships? Discover how trauma shapes these patterns—and how to heal.

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Alpysbekova et al., 2025. Anticipatory grief and perseverative worry: Psychological impacts on Ukrainian migrants from the 2022 Russian invasion. Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy, 10.1037/tra0002024. Advance online publication. doi.org/10.1037/tra0...

Anticipatory grief and perseverative worry: Psychological impacts on Ukrainian migrants from the 2022 Russian invasion - PubMed Ukrainian migrants face a complex spectrum of trauma and emotional distress, influenced by their ongoing connection to a conflict zone and by constant worry for their families' safety. (PsycInfo Datab...

Our new study (Alpysbekova et al., 2024) explores anticipatory grief and perseverative worry in crisis migrants displaced by the war in Ukraine — and why naming them matters.
#wartrauma #mentalhealth

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40839463/

Who Are You Without the Job, the Culture, or the Passport? What if your mind isn’t in your brain, but in the quiet awareness beneath all roles, labels, and noise? This piece explores who you are when all identities fall away.

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Does Having More Friends Mean You're More Loved or Lost? Personal Perspective: Are your friendships feeding your soul—or just filling space? The quiet truth about outgrowing people and why fewer, deeper connections may matter most.

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How Far Should Compassion Go—Even Toward the Abusive? What if the people we label as “too much” are really just wounded souls in disguise? This post explores how love, presence, and boundaries can reach even the hardest hearts.

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The Science of Intuition What if your gut feeling wasn’t just emotion, but real intelligence? Discover how intuition works through your body and mind.

Why Your Gut May Know the Truth Before Your Mind Does. My new piece :)

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Presented at IAIR & IACCP 2025 Conference (Brisbane, Australia). Grateful to contribute to global dialogue on trauma & migration!

Spiritual Rituals and Coercive Relationships When love feels heavy, confusing, or controlled by rituals, it may not be love at all. This is the hidden trauma behind spiritual manipulation.

The original title was “This Isn’t a Love Spell. It’s Trauma,” but it got changed. We need more research on how spiritual practices show up in relationships. There’s often no proof—just a feeling. Maybe we need new language or frameworks to talk about them.

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(1/2) Can acts of kindness be things that we already planned to do, and still be effective? 🤲🏼🧐

Acts of kindness are most effective if we don't already have to do them (for example, if one already agreed to take a family member to an appointment).

Thank you!!!

Love Thrives When We're Open to Pain Avoiding pain might feel like protection—but it could be the reason you’re not feeling love fully. Here’s how pain can be the key to deeper connection and healing.

My new piece just went up on Psychology Today. I originally titled it "Love Thrives in Pain", but they always tweak the titles—part of the editorial process, I guess. Still, the heart of it remains.

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/trau...

Can We Trust Experts Who Are Still Learning? Personal Perspective: What if healing isn’t about being perfect—but about noticing the small, quiet moments when you choose honesty over ego and presence over performance?

My piece, "Can We Trust Experts Who Are Still Learning?", is now featured as an Essential Read
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/trau...

Our new article: “Navigating Cultural Stress and Mental Health: A Longitudinal Study of Parent-Adolescent Dynamics Among Former Soviet Union Families” has now been published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology!

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AI Is Replacing Our Jobs—But What If It’s Also Replacing Us? What if AI isn’t just replacing our jobs, but replacing what it means to be human? This post explores identity, purpose, and how we prepare for what’s coming next.

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Modern Cheating: It's Just a Chat, Until It's Not What if that casual chat is really a clue? How modern intimacy begins with attention, not touch—and what it means about your relationship with yourself.

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Is Your Relationship Built on Healing or Hiding? When relief feels like love, it’s easy to mistake safety for connection. Trauma can shape our choices, and healing requires more than just a fresh start.

Feeling calm isn't always a green flag—it can sometimes be your body avoiding past chaos.

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Why ‘No’ Feels Like a Bad Word—and What That Says About You Feeling drained by constant socializing or pressure to say yes? Explore the quiet power of choosing yourself—and why alone time might be exactly what you need.

My latest piece on Psychology Today has just been featured as an Essential Read in Authenticity and Self-Help.
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/trau...

How Living Authentically Can Transform You Stuck in a rut or just going through the motions? Embracing your true passion can unlock unexpected opportunities and transform your life for the better.

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If It Feels Off, It Probably Is: What Is Your Real Purpose? A Personal Perspective: How small shifts can lead to a life filled with passion, purpose, and real joy. It’s time to ask the tough questions—and find your truth.

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Because Sometimes You Just Need a Break From the Deep Stuff Personal Perspective: Sometimes, we take life too seriously. Here’s a peek into how funny childhood moments shaped me—and why letting go of old baggage can make life a lot lighter.

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When Pain Becomes Purpose What if your past pain could lead to stronger relationships and a deeper sense of purpose? Discover how childhood trauma can fuel growth, empathy, and healing in your life.

www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/trau...