In recent years, mental health has started to become less stigmatized. As a result, many have begun to feel comfortable sharing their personal stories in struggling with mental illness. The de-stigmatization has also allowed people to address their trauma. In fact, being vulnerable and honest about inner conflicts has saved and transformed countless lives.
Anna Parkman, the life coach, trained in a diverse array of psychology fields, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Sexology, Child and Family Psychology, and Integral Therapy plans to approach mental health in a unique way in her upcoming book, Apocalyptin.
However, Parkman originally began her career on a different path. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in PR from a Saint Petersburg based university, yet realized she wanted to go in a different direction. Now, she has worked as a life and health coach in the field of psychology in Miami for the past twelve years.
Back in her native country of Russia, Parkman is NLP Master Training certified in psychology and coaching. In the U.S., she is certified through the Health Institute USA, as well as through Tony Robbins Coaching. Yet, she is still determined to keep learning and helping others.
Parkman is currently extending her academic accolades with an additional degree at the Academy of Psychology in Moscow. She plans to research as many fields as possible. As Parkman researches more and more sectors, her belief in the power of combining several modes of psychology in order to heal trauma has only grown stronger. Combined with NLP, great results can be achieved. “They can and should complement each other by expanding and enriching the specialist’s toolkit,” she claims.
Parkman’s personal experience with childhood trauma is what originally inspired her interest in psychology. In fact, when asked if she would have chosen the same career path without these experiences, she said ‘no.’ When she was seven, her parents divorced; she grew up surrounded by constant conflict between the adults in her family. When Parkman was nine, she began to religiously read books about psychology, quickly reading her school library’s entire collection on the topic. She particularly remembers reading the works of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. As she grew up, she only dove deeper into psychology, eventually developing her own coping mechanisms for her poor mental health and trauma.
Now, Parkman wants to inspire others to do the same. Her upcoming book, Apocalyptin, the title of which comes from the word ‘apocalypse,’ presents the reader with a unique way to address their own trauma. It serves as a metaphor for the end of the painful world as one knows it and a new era, full of hope and possibilities, to begin. It also can help readers answer painful questions like ‘Why me?’ ‘Why am I unhappy?’ ‘Why can’t I get what I want?’
The book is written to address multiple common traumas in order to reach a wide variety of people, inspired by both her clients’ and her own personal struggles. This allows for a diverse audience to feel connected to the characters and find strength in the book.
Those who have been through devastating experiences often experience ‘retraumatization,’ through patterns of negative self-talk and thoughts. In fact, “It has long been confirmed by studies that 80% of stress arises from internal processes in the human psyche, and not from external influences,” Parkman says. She has seen complete transformations when working with her clients on changing the way they interpret events that occur in their lives. At the same time, she understands that the healing journey is easier said than done. “I make it clear that this is not an easy process for everyone and a traumatized person has all the reasons and rights to feel this way,” Parkman adds.
One of the reasons why Apocalyptin is so successful in uncovering and healing past scars is because it is able to bypass the judgemental, conscious mind. Due to the book being written as a fairytale, the reader doesn’t experience mental resistance towards the story. Throughout, the characters slowly go through all the stages of the healing process and eventually heal much of their trauma. “At the end of the day the reader will have the same translation impact that the main characters are,” Parkman promises.
She hopes many people will be able to find peace by reading the book. Parkman has spent her entire life trying to find coping mechanisms, many of which only granted her temporary relief. Through her years of research and trial and error, she has finally been able to find happiness. “If I had the opportunity to read a book like mine when I was in resentment and suffering, I would have been very grateful for the effect and the time saved,” she admits.