You Are Not Alone

One of the most empowering feelings is knowing you’re not alone.

After living abroad and returning to my home culture, there were moments when I found myself thinking, “No one else feels the way I do; no one understands me.”

However, after undergoing debriefing—processing my experiences, recognizing how I had changed and grown, and understanding the dynamics of reverse culture shock and transition—I realized I was not alone. Many people had experienced what I was feeling.

So, I became a debriefer. My role is to assist people in processing their time abroad, helping them identify and normalize their experiences. I guide them through understanding the dynamics of transition, reverse culture shock, and re-entry, enabling them to derive meaning from their experiences and how they’ve changed.

Most of the time, I conduct these debriefings in a group, either in person or online. It’s remarkable to witness participants quickly realizing—perhaps for the first time—that they are not alone in their feelings, and that others have had similar experiences, even when they’ve lived in entirely different cultures. They start to have hope that they can navigate this transition in a healthy way, and that the changes they’ve undergone can actually serve as their superpowers.

Debriefing, especially with others, helps you recognize that you are not alone, and that what you’re experiencing is, in fact, normal.

If you’ve lived abroad and returned to your home culture, how did you process your experiences?