We understand the concept of migration as the change of residence from one place to another. This has existed since the beginning of time. Recently, the media has shown that it has intensified due to political, economic, social, or environmental problems, such as the wildfires in California. There are different types of immigrants who find themselves in a situation where they are forced to leave their country.
For example: deportations, political asylum, relocation, work-related changes that require moving to another city or country, changing environments, or trying one’s “luck.” These migrations can be either permanent or temporary.
Immigrants may encounter serious internal obstacles in integrating into a new environment. They often exhibit mechanisms of dissociation and idealization toward the new environment they are experiencing, along with devaluation and persecutory anxieties related to the people, place, and belongings they have left behind.
Dissociation helps avoid grief, resentment, remorse, and especially depressive anxieties, which intensify in cases of voluntary migration. The motivations behind migration influence the internal conditions for coping with it, taking into account the individual’s prior personality and the stage of life they are in.
Migration is one of the most significant experiences that can provoke stress, anxiety, and depression, even dissociative or psychotic disorders due to the adaptation changes; it also brings feelings of excitement and hope. In any case, the individual experiences frustration, uncertainty, and even guilt. But why does this frustration occur? It may happen because if the migration is forced—for example, due to displacement from war-torn areas—it generates additional emotional problems. These people face such intense stress that they may feel fear, confusion, doubt, and emotional pain.
The individual migrant experiences a sense of unfamiliarity and feels guilty about the family and friends they left behind. This impact is influenced by age, gender, culture, and the culture of the country they leave.
For example, in children, the impact is particularly strong, creating feelings of insecurity, fear, and nostalgia for the people they have left behind. Leaving is a form of dying a little, and grief must be processed both by those who leave and by those who stay.
Migration is like death, which is why it must go through the same stages as grief:
a) Denial: At this stage, we are not yet convinced of what has happened and act as if nothing is occurring.
b) Anger or protest: We ask ourselves why we had to leave, “Why did this happen to me?” Anger may arise when adapting to the new place is difficult, due to differences that feel intimidating or frightening.
c) Negotiation and guilt: In this stage, we understand the pros and cons of our decision, and often feel guilty for leaving loved ones behind.
d) Depression and sadness: This occurs when we realize the full consequences of having migrated and enter the stage of adaptation and resignation. This depression can hinder functioning in the new environment, especially when language barriers and cultural differences exist.
e) Acceptance: Finally comes acceptance. This process is not linear, and each person experiences it differently depending on personality and circumstances. This is where gratitude comes into play, connecting with the good that one finds. You may begin to forgive if someone caused harm and prompted your departure.
There is a difference between normal and pathological processing of grief. There are two types of guilt: persecutory guilt, which can present with somatizations, melancholy, or even psychosis; and depressive guilt, which involves a genuine reparative tendency that allows proper grieving.
Melancholic identification toward those leaving is similar to grieving for the ambivalently loved or a place or home. Hypochondriac symptoms and somatizations can appear when someone very significant departs. This may stem from the desire to control the absent object within the body.
As we can imagine, this process closely resembles the experience of loss and the acquisition of new experiences. The way to face these stages is by talking about them and truly accepting how you feel.
When psychic pain is not tolerated as depressive suffering, it can transform into a persecutory feeling, making leaving feel like an “expulsion from home,” even if it was a personal decision. Subsequently, the pain of separation can manifest in manic ways with feelings of guilt, but there may also be feelings of success for leaving those behind.
On the other hand, those who stay experience feelings of abandonment and loss, often accompanied by anger toward the migrant. This can arise from various causes, from envy to feelings of abandonment.
The insecurity felt by newly arrived immigrants is determined not only by uncertainty and anxieties regarding the unknown but also by the inevitable regression these anxieties entail, making them feel helpless. Immigrants experience multiple losses, including important belongings, temporary loss of ego functions, and aspects of their identity due to the impact of migration.
It is crucial to have a reliable figure to help neutralize these anxieties and fears, similar to how a baby seeks their mother’s face when feeling alone. A reliable figure could be creating connections with others who have had similar experiences or forming a community, for example, of speakers of the same language. Without such connections, there is a risk of idleness, vices, or addictions to “justify” feelings—or lack thereof.
Bowlby (1960), studying attachment theory, observed that having reliable figures in a child’s life calms separation anxiety. When a person has internalized good objects, adapting to a new environment becomes easier, yet they still need to find people with whom they feel welcomed and protected.
Persecutory reactions are linked to these internal objects. Individuals may resort to defense mechanisms like dissociation to counteract depressive and persecutory anxieties and to avoid feelings of confusion between old and new. Another mechanism is idealizing the new place, which can provoke transient hypomanic states. This reflects depressive anxieties tied to the loss of what is left behind and manic adaptation achieved through rapid identification with the new place, trying to forget the old one.
Conversely, some do not want to leave behind their customs or language and seek relationships with people from the same origin. The mother tongue becomes highly invested when migrating to a place where a different language is spoken. The mother tongue is linked to childhood experiences, feelings related to early object relationships, and parents.
Another important circumstance is that migration can revive our Oedipal situation, as the two places may symbolize the parents, provoking ambivalent feelings and conflicts of loyalty.
Remember, if you need support or are in a similar situation, do not hesitate to seek help.
Dr. Regina Wohlmuth
WhatsApp: +52 5527 38 38 98
Instagram: @reginawohlmuth
Email: docreginaw@yahoo.com.mx
