Leaving Italy and living abroad: A Puzzle!
This page is about my personal experience as expat and my practice as psychologist for Italians experiencing difficulties in their integration process in The Netherlands
Like many of you, I left Italy long time ago, having had a wide range of experiences of life and work abroad (India, Greece and The Netherlands).
We have all emigrated for different reasons and conditions: because we were looking for something new, because we felt that Italy was too tight, because there was a job opportunity, because our partner was already abroad, because we wanted new stimuli, a more open education etc.
Each of us at some point wanted to experience something different and, why not, adventurous. And it is in this way that we started a process of de-conditioning, of de-programming, from the imprinting we have received in Italy. Something within ourselves has emerged and has given us the push to leave the safety of “Mamma-Italia” and try our own way abroad.
But often change inevitably brings with it fear, anxiety, difficulties in adapting and loneliness. We find ourselves facing numerous unforeseen and unexpected situations that we do not know how to handle.
Maybe we came for a new job and we found ourselves doing another one; we had a partner but then the story ended; we adapted to the new context, but we feel that something continues to be missing; we ran away from painful situations but we find ourselves experiencing them even in the new country; after finishing our studies we don’t know whether to return to Italy or stay etc.
In short, we have moved, we have done a lot and maybe we still feel as stuck as before, or we do not know which direction to give to our life, or we start to feel bad (anxiety, depression, fears, etc.) …
There are many ways in which we get signals that something needs to be done, that things are not going well, and that they can be better. And this is when therapy comes into play: a “separate” context in which we can immerse in our depth to bring awareness and understand what needs to be done to unblock the situation.
If you are experiencing a difficult situation and need support, call me 06-34222153 or contact me.
