Dr. Rahimeh Andalibian

Rahimeh Andalibian was born in Mashhad, Iran, where her father owned The Rose Hotel, near the sacred mosque, the Haram Reza. At age 4, Rahimeh’s idyllic childhood was shattered in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. The effect of this trauma devastated her family as her parents attempted to hide the harsh realities from their children. Her father was forced to abandon The Rose Hotel and, in the midst of the Iran-Iraq war, her family fled—first to Tehran, then London, and finally settled in the United States. Rahimeh obtained her Doctorate in Psychology in California at age 24 and became a successful psychologist, specializing in intergenerational family therapy, trauma and spectrum issues. Her work supports her clients, enabling them to gain freedom from their past and thrive after understanding and integrating the emotional, physical, and neural symptoms of traumatic experiences. Dr. Andalibian also works actively with schools and organizations in helping teams to deepen their understanding of trauma and how trauma impacts performance and learning, and how to implement body-informed approaches to increase healing. Dr. Andalibian’s practice is at the forefront of combining advanced and effective techniques in her work with families, couples, groups, children and adolescents.

In her debut memoir, “The Rose Hotel,” Rahimeh reveals the impact of trauma and family secrets. The Andalibian family combated the symptoms of unprocessed traumas in the form of addiction and mood disregulation as they simultaneously tried to adapt to the culture shock of living in Los Angeles. Rahimeh’s revelations of her Muslim family life offer important insights for our current violent and divisive times. Rahimeh’s memoir has been featured on the “Leonard Lopate Show,” “Martha Stewart Living Radio,” and in print media, where the book was awarded two starred reviews by Publisher’s Weekly: “A brave, beautifully written memoir...skillfully crafts into an insightful, passionate immigrant’s story with cross-cultural resonance.” – Publishers Weekly 2015