Homecoming in Liminal Times: Depth Psychological Perspectives on the Experience of Immigration

Abstract

The purpose of this inquiry was to develop a depth psychological understanding of immigration as a liminal experience. The Free Association Narrative Interview (FANI) method derived meaning from the lived experiences of five recent immigrants from both Western and Eastern cultures. Emergent themes referenced the expanded understanding of immigration as a process of homecoming, perceived psychoanalytically as a transitional phenomenon; in Jungian terms, a transcendent one. Homecoming represented both a process of transformation and an area of experiencing as the individual came to terms with the liminal experience of immigration by integrating self-experience and bridging differences and similarities. Results offered a new view of a depth psychological approach to the phenomenon of immigration, suggesting an association between trauma and the loss of a sense of home, and the function of symbolization in the process of bridging differences and similarities, enabling psychic growth. Clinical implications included understanding the nature of the sense of loss of home, coping strategies for immigrants who see themselves as being in between worlds or homeless, and integrating immigrant clients into the new culture. Future research emphasized methodological considerations.