Exploring Iranian political refugees’ experiences in Britain - phoenix rises from the ashes - an existential-phenomenological study

The refugee issue is as old as human history. Today the spiralling crisis for host countries and for the refugees themselves needs to be addressed psychologically, as well as politically and sociologically. This study focuses on the lived experience of nine Iranian political refugees in the UK. My main sampling criterion is the willingness of participants to discuss in depth their lived experiences. I chose Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to carry out the investigation. My literature review developed as themes emerged from the participants’ data, which I collected through semi-structured interviewing. Following IPA criteria, five super-ordinate themes developed: Violation of human rights as a threat to the self; their value system and commitment; Taking risks to create possibilities ; psychological rebirth and overcoming obstacles ; and finally their sense of self and cultural adaptation. Within these super-ordinate themes were twenty-five sub-themes. Recognising the value of reflexivity, I asked an IPA researcher to interview me twice: once before commencing my research and again after completing the data analysis.
My research showed my nine participants’ capacity to overcome extreme crisis. Through a challenging and painful process, they created a new life in the UK. This research enabled me to recommend a therapeutic model for working with political refugees in particular, and with all others who face traumatic upheaval.