How therapy can help reconnect what feels lost
By: Maria Guasone, RCMHI
Depression is a wound you cannot see, and yet it colors everything. It makes mornings heavy, evenings lonely, and joy feel out of reach. For immigrants, this heaviness can feel even more complicated: not just sadness, but nostalgia, homesickness, and the quiet grief of starting over in a new place.
My Personal Experience
When I first moved to South Florida, I thought adjusting would be easy. There are so many Spanish speakers here, and I could get by with limited English. But it wasn’t as easy as I expected. I found myself feeling sad, disconnected, and alone.
I hid behind my work. I closed my office door, kept myself busy, and hoped no one would notice how heavy everything felt. Even when I smiled, inside I was exhausted. It felt like depression was stealing pieces of me day by day.
Eventually, I realized that what I was feeling wasn’t just a phase or “culture shock.” It was depression — and I needed more than busyness to get through it.
Depression Looks Different Across Cultures
In South America, we often use phrases like “tener el alma cansada” (having a tired soul) or “estar decaído” (feeling down). Depression is often wrapped in nostalgia, poetry, music, and family conversations — but sometimes, we still don’t talk about it openly. We push through. We work harder. We hide it.
Moving to South Florida may seem like it should be easy because there are large immigrant communities, but that doesn’t mean the sadness of starting over simply disappears. Depression is common among immigrants — and normalizing it is the first step toward getting help.
How Therapy Can Help
Therapy goes beyond coping skills like “taking a walk” or “calling a friend.” Those things may bring temporary relief, but they don’t get to the root of the pain. Psychotherapy can help uncover the meaning behind your sadness so you can experience real and lasting change.
Therapists often begin by helping you explore the deeper meaning of your symptoms. Depression can sometimes be a form of grief for the home you left behind, anger about being uprooted, or even an unconscious way of staying loyal to the family you miss.
Your therapist might ask:
– What does your sadness remind you of?
– If your depression could speak, what would it say about your life right now?
– When did you first feel this heavy?
They may also explore the family and cultural messages you carry about strength and suffering. Many South American families value endurance and self-sacrifice, teaching us not to burden others with our pain. Reflecting on these lessons can free you from rules that no longer serve you.
Your therapist might ask:
– What did your parents teach you about asking for help?
– How did your family respond to sadness when you were growing up?
– What role do you play in your family now that you live far away?
Finally, therapy can help you untangle questions of identity and belonging. Immigration can split your sense of self — who you were back home and who you are now might feel like two different people. Talking about this openly can help you integrate both sides.
Your therapist might ask:
– Who are you here compared to who you were before you moved?
– What traditions do you miss most, and how do you keep them alive here?
– Do you feel caught between two cultures, and what would it take to feel whole?
A Path Toward Healing
Therapy allowed me to understand what my depression was trying to tell me. It helped me move beyond just hiding behind work and pretending to be okay. Instead, I could begin to rebuild a life that felt meaningful and connected, even while carrying the pieces of my culture and identity that I love.
For many South Americans, therapy that allows for deep exploration — such as psychodynamic or integrative approaches — feels familiar and culturally comfortable. These therapies don’t just treat symptoms; they explore the grief, guilt, and longings beneath the sadness.
An Invitation
If you are feeling disconnected or discouraged after moving here, know that you are not weak and you are not alone. Your sadness may be pointing you toward something that needs care and attention.
Even the smallest step — reaching out to a Spanish-speaking therapist, sharing your story, or giving yourself permission to feel — can be the start of finding your joy again.
Because even the longest night ends with a sunrise.
