Allowing The Grief Process

Allowing the Grief Process 

 The issue of grief and loss is a major part of the migrant life experience.  Grief and loss are emotional states that need to be acknowledged and then adequately mourned.  The feelings cannot be ignored or shut away inside but must be consciously processed in order for the migrant to successfully adjust and adapt to life in the new country.  Mourning is not a sign of weakness--it is a normal and necessary process.  In order to get past the grief, one needs to go through it. 

 While most people would associate mourning with crying, emotional release can be accomplished through a variety of other ways such as talking, writing, meditating, engaging in art or dance and practicing meaningful rituals.  It is important that migrants take the time to process the grief they hold, in whatever manner that is appropriate for them. 

Grief might be on-going, especially in the initial post migration period.  In other cases, grief might appear only sporadically, as when a face on the street seems oddly familiar, or a fragrance or sound suddenly reminds one of something back home. Although grief and loss are normal emotions, if the feelings become too intense or obsessive, one may need to seek professional help to cope with them especially If feelings of grief interrupt one’s ability to stay focused and accomplish the tasks of everyday life.

Seeking Professional Help

 Depression, anxiety, grief/loss and isolation are normal emotions for migrants to experience, but when these conditions become overwhelming, migrants need to reach out and seek professional help.  Furthermore, should Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) be evident, migrants need to find help immediately. 

In most democratic Western countries, free services exist that offer mental health counseling to those who cannot afford to pay.  This may become complicated if asylum cases are pending, because various countries withhold health services until the cases are resolved.  However, should government services be denied, other types of non-state services do exist for migrants.  Run by fellow migrants or individuals sympathetic to their plight, these services can be highly effective, and in some cases, perhaps even more helpful than the formal state-sponsored services.  Migrants searching for non-government services can look for information and referrals at medical centers, telephone crisis lines, refugee organizations, Churches or by doing a local search on the Internet.

Many migrants with conditions such as PTSD may be afraid to ask for help, due to the stigma attached to mental illness.  Yet left untreated, PTSD does not cure itself and will often worsen over time.  Also, the longer it is left untreated, the harder it is to treat the disorder.  As a result, seeking help immediately can effectively prevent future complications from developing. 

In some cases, PTSD sufferers avoid seeking out psychiatrists due to fear of, or aversion to, taking drugs.  However, PTSD is typically treated without drugs, using psychotherapy (talk therapy) and other safe, classic healing techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

 Migrants would be in good stead to make use of it while they can.  By helping themselves recover from trauma, individual migrants are also inadvertently helping to rebuild the homeland.