Back to a thesis…with a spring

For most people, when we finish our PhD thesis we have spent so long on that last phase of the process. We’ve been so immersed in writing, re-writing, editing and adjusting the words that we really have had enough of it.

I completed my thesis in 2004, went through my viva voce without a hitch and graduated with a doctorate in Organisational Psychology. Since then, the work that I did has heavily informed my work in the NHS and my ongoing work as a coach. But I have not really jumped back into the themes with a view to picking up the “scope for further research” topics that I identified at the time.

So… here I am, nearly 16 years later, finally getting back to the work. The desk I work on is heaving under the weight of piles of books that I am picking back through as I explore the ideas that propelled me through a 7 year process of study and creation. I’m really excited, both by the ideas that are emerging, and also by what I am finding as I research online in the field.

New proposals are swirling around in my head and I can see a whole new set of ideas emerging around those core themes of archetype, alchemy and individuation. It’s early days still – I’m in the stasis that happens before clarity comes through. I will share some of it here. At the moment, there are ideas for case studies, a novel, poetry sequences, visual art projects, collaborations on various levels, methods papers, blog posts, blog dialogue and thought pieces. I’m awash with ideas – looking for the first area to focus in on.

It’s like a spring has emerged after such a long winter…