The Unspoken Journey: Exploring the Deep Psychology of Immigration

karinacysne
4 days ago
3 min read

For many, immigration is viewed as a logistical event—a change of address, a new job, or a leap toward better opportunities. However, as clinicians and those who have lived the experience know, moving from a long-term home to a new country is a profound "trauma of geographical dislocation" that destabilizes the very foundations of the mind.

At Karina Godwin Psychotherapy, we believe that acknowledging the internal dimensions of this journey—the losses, the adaptations, and the evolving identity—is the first step toward true healing and belonging.

Beyond People: The Loss of Our "Waking Screen"

When we move, we often focus on the grief of leaving friends and family. However, the sources suggest that we also lose our relationship with the nonhuman environment. This major environmental change lacerates foundational psychological structures such as "reality constancy" and the "waking screen"—the primal sensory mold we use to filter the world.

The loss of a familiar landscape, climate, and even the small tools of daily living can threaten our basic "safety feeling". This is why many immigrants feel a persistent awareness of "living in someplace" rather than just "living," a state that is narcissistically taxing and can lead to vague, pervasive anxiety.

Mourning and the Trap of Nostalgia

Migration inevitably activates a deep "ache of mourning". To manage this pain, the mind often employs defensive strategies. One common response is nostalgia, viewed by psychoanalysts as a "bittersweet pleasure". While comforting, persistent nostalgia can keep the memory of the original land in a "psychic limbo," preventing the individual from completing the mourning process and fully engaging with their new reality.

Others may engage in "counterphobic assimilation," rapidly adopting the new culture's ways to deny any internal sense of discontinuity or loss. In therapy, we work to create a space where these losses can be safely named and felt, moving beyond "psychic limbo" toward a grounded presence.

The "Next Generation" and the Bicultural Burden

Children of immigrants—the "next generation"—face their own unique set of psychological tasks. They are often "straddling between cultures" from birth, experiencing a bifurcated identity that becomes particularly strained during adolescence.

These youth often carry a "double burden": the universal task of separating from their parents and the added weight of being their parents' "cultural translators" or teachers. Seeing parents in a linguistically or socially compromised position can be detrimental to a child’s self-esteem and complicates the healthy process of individuation.

Finding Your "Third Reality"

The goal of psychotherapy for immigrant and bicultural clients is not simply to "adjust," but to undergo a "slow and painful identity transformation" that eventually yields a "third reality". This new identity is a unique synthesis—neither solely defined by the homeland nor the host country, but a coherent blend of both.

In our practice, we emphasize "cultural neutrality," remaining equidistant from the values of both cultures to help you explore your true self. Whether you are dealing with the "trauma of dislocation," the complexities of bicultural identity, or the invisible "glass ceiling" that limits your professional success, therapy offers a "holding environment" to mend these psychological ruptures.

Moving is a physical act; belonging is a psychological one. We are here to help you find your way home.

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To learn more about how we support the immigrant and bicultural community, visit us at Karina Godwin Psychotherapy.