My name is James, and this page exists because I am trying to do something deeply meaningful:

to formally study how language, emotion, and the human nervous system interact, and to build upon work that already exists to help people better understand themselves and one another.

This journey has not followed a straight or conventional path, but it has been intentional, deeply considered, and shaped by real life.

Who I Am & How I Got Here

I began my career in Engineering, working in highly technical and safety-critical environments including defence, nuclear power, aerospace, acoustic sensing, communication and advanced weapon systems. I worked hands-on with testing, installation, and commissioning of equipment before progressing into Systems Engineering, where I was responsible for verification, requirements analysis, signal integrity, environmental and EMC testing, and supervising junior engineers.

While the work was intellectually demanding, I found myself increasingly drawn to something just as complex:

human systems, emotion, communication, regulation, and meaning.

Around this time, I was diagnosed as an adult with Bipolar type II, Autism, and ADHD. These diagnoses were challenging, but they also became a catalyst. They pushed me to deeply explore psychology, emotional regulation, language, trauma, and how meaning is embodied, not just thought.

My Academic Path (and Barriers I’ve Faced)

I had completed an honours degree in 2011 and later began postgraduate study in psychology, I successfully completed my first Master’s-level module. Unfortunately, due to health challenges and later financial restrictions imposed by the UK student funding system, I was unable to complete a full Master’s degree despite academic acceptance onto a second programme.

Rather than stop, I adapted.

I continued studying independently, using full Master’s module carriculum content, through textbooks, academic research, and accredited courses in mental health, coaching, counselling skills, and mindfulness. I applied what I learned in real life, testing ideas through lived experience rather than theory alone.

I was later offered a role as a community mental health worker, where I was set to manage and deliver a structured emotional development programme. Sadly, this project was cancelled due to COVID-related funding cuts before it could begin.

Again, I didn’t stop.

What I’ve Already Created

Over time, everything I had studied, through engineering, psychology, linguistics, emotional regulation, and systems thinking, came together into a growing body of work called

This Place Called Earth.

This is a public, freely accessible project where I explore:

mental health and emotional regulation

language and meaning

identity, perception, and healing

nervous system awareness

human connection in a complex world

Alongside this, I’ve developed two connected frameworks:

the Mirror-Linguistic Hypothesis (MLH)

Nervous System Language (NSL)

At their core is a simple but powerful idea:

That language, especially tone, prosody, and emotional context, acts directly on the nervous system, shaping how we feel, interpret reality, and relate to others.

You can explore this work right now at:

This Place Called Earth

www.this-place-called-earth.com

While my community is small, the response to this work has been thoughtful, supportive, and meaningful, something I’m deeply grateful for.

Why Sweden

Over the past three years, I’ve spent time in Sweden on multiple occasions. It’s a place where I feel grounded, safe, and able to think clearly. Sweden represents stability, social values aligned with wellbeing, and an academic culture that genuinely supports interdisciplinary thinking.

My aim is to pursue either:

a funded research PhD, or

if that route is unavailable, a Master’s degree at a Swedish University.

Formal academic training would allow me to:

ground this work in scientific rigor

access appropriate research facilities

collaborate with experts in psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics

and continue developing tools and ideas that people can benefit from in real-world contexts

Why I’m Asking for Support

I’m creating this GoFundMe to help cover tuition, living costs and for transportation between the UK and Sweden and in return I'll provide full updates for the Journey, my progression, the research will where allowed me made public.

my ethos is, A Journey of Self-Discovery for all.

if I pursue a Master’s degree in Sweden. This funding would allow me to focus fully on learning and research rather than survival.

I’ve done everything I can independently, self-education, career changes, entrepreneurship, and building projects from the ground up, but higher education, especially internationally, comes with real financial barriers, tuition is a large lump sum and living cost will be required, I prefer the PhD route as its paid employment and I'd be able to manage, although any support is more than welcome, even non financial of not required. I have invested quite a large sum into the production cost of what I've created so far, so any donations will help to reinvest to create further and future content.

This isn’t a quick decision or a temporary ambition and I very seldom ask for help, but now I feel the genuine need to. It’s something I’ve worked toward for years.

How Your Support Helps

Your support helps to:

make formal study possible

support living costs while studying

turn years of self-directed work into accredited research.

expand This Place Called Earth so more people can benefit

support research into mental health, emotional regulation, and human connection

If you choose to support this journey, you’re supporting not just me, but the continuation of work already helping people reflect, heal, and feel less alone.

Thank You

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for your support, financial, emotional, or simply through sharing.

And thank you for believing in a more humane way of understanding the human mind.

James