How to overcome the MIGRATORY DUEL?

It is increasingly common to emigrate to another country. This, in addition to the impact that it implies when adapting to the new culture, the isolation that exists at the beginning by not having relationships in the new country, the language barrier and the unknown, implies the loss of the person's home and the separation of many beings dear.

All this makes it a process of great impact on people's lives in which they suffer a lot. In the person who suffers it, the grief systems are awakened, due to the losses, so that the emotions and feelings are similar to those experienced when suffering the death of a loved one. For this reason, in Psychology-Online below, we will explain in more detail what migratory grief is, the stages it has and the different ways of dealing with it. In addition, we will provide suggestions for books that address this topic in greater depth so that they can help you in the process. Let's see how to overcome migratory grief.

Index

1. What is the migratory grief?
2. Phases of migratory grief
3. How to face the migratory grief?

It is common to emigrate to another country due to economic, social, physical or mental health factors or when developing a professional career. This decision is made in order to improve the quality of life. However, although this improves, it does not imply that there is no important process in person and make it a difficult time for people. In fact, emigration is considered a psychopathological risk factor, especially if due to change of culture and customs, the personality of the person can be affected.

Due to all the personal losses that the process implies, when you emigrate you go through a grieving process - known as migratory mourning - which, in many occasions, continues until the next generation in the new country. This grieving process includes poor appetite, trouble sleeping, feelings of sadness or anger.

Know the types of grief and their characteristics.

Are defined four stages main, although not everyone goes through all of them:

1. Honeymoon stage. In the first phase of migratory grief, there are high expectations regarding the improvement of the quality of life.
2. Depressive stage. In this stage, depressive processes are activated due to the resignation of parts of their own culture to adapt to the new one. In addition, by lowering social status when changing countries, self-esteem and self-image can also be affected.
3. Adaptation stage. In the third phase of migratory grief, the person has already adopted the new culture and is integrated into society.
4. Stage of rejection of the original culture. It is the least common, but there may be a situation in which the person ends up rejecting her culture of origin.

On the other hand, we must bear in mind that this duel in turn implies several duels, since the The loss is not of one person, but of many, in addition to the loss of home, culture, customs...

There are exercises, techniques and books that will help you overcome the migratory grief. Next, we will see how to work with the migratory grief and how are some of the parts of the psychological intervention in the migratory grief.

1. Interpret the experience as an opportunity. The way we value things creates a huge impact on us. We can see that the loss we have will also allow us new gains.
2. Generate a realistic idea of ​​what the new country will be and what your country will be like if you return to it in the future. Ask residents, read books, so that you do not idealize neither one country nor the other since, if you do, at the moment If something is not exactly how you imagined it, it can be very disappointing and cause great discomfort.
3. Allow yourself to feel afraid, nostalgia, sadness during the situation. To cope with the migratory grief, accept your emotions. The fact that emigration is common does not imply that it is a less difficult situation. Therefore, do not feel guilty if you miss things from the past or if you often feel sad or angry. It is part of the process.
4. Seek social support. Sign up for activities to meet people and let them teach you the country, the customs and help you integrate. Also, if they also immigrated, they can understand how you are feeling and give you advice on how to cope.
5. Give yourself time to adjust to the new situation. Understand that it is an important change and that it is logical that at the beginning everything is difficult. Be patient and take your time to feel good and be integrated into the new home.
6. Find out and read about it. Another strategy that can help you cope with the immigration grief is to read some books. "Migratory intelligence" is an excellent book by Joseba Achotegui - an expert psychiatrist in the field - in which exposes different ways of dealing with the different processes that can go through during the process of emigrate. On the other hand, the same author did not find the work entitled "12 specific characteristics of stress and migratory grief." With both works, you will be able to delve into the subject and feel accompanied during the process.

Above all, remember that it is temporary, that over time you can adapt and that this adaptation depends in part on you. Assuming the new situation, opening up to the experience and showing interest in being part of the new culture are keys to feeling comfortable in the place where you are and overcoming the migratory grief.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to overcome the migratory grief, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

• Calvo, V. G. (2005). The migratory duel. Social work, (7), 77-97.
• Official College of Psychologists of Madrid (2016). Guide for psychological intervention with immigrants and refugees. Recovered from https://www. ucm. en / data / cont / docs / 315-2016-06-02-g. refugees_PDF. pdf.
• Salvador Sánchez, Isabel. (2002). Emigration as a grieving process: Brief psychotherapy protocol focused on its elaboration. Journal of the Spanish Association of Neuropsychiatry, (82), 57-64. Retrieved on October 27, 2020, from http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php? script = sci_arttext & pid = S0211-57352002000200005 & lng = es & tlng = es.