Introduction
The inspiration for this blog post comes from a new exhibition at the Freud Museum in London, The Place I Am Not, featuring the work of Cypriot artist Maria Loizidou. This evocative exhibition, co-hosted with the Hellenic Centre, delves into themes of identity, belonging, and the immigrant experience. Using Freud’s life in London as a focal point—a city where he sought refuge yet never truly felt at home—the exhibition explores the fragmented realities of the diasporic experience. Loizidou’s art engages with the idea of hybrid identities and the psychological challenges of migration, reflecting on the elusive nature of “home.”
Freud’s experience of displacement resonates with me on a personal level. As someone who has navigated multiple migrations and career transitions, I find myself drawn to the themes of this exhibition, which mirror my own journey. Born in Greece, I left home to study in Switzerland, then moved to the UK for work, before ultimately settling in France. Each transition brought with it a redefinition of identity and belonging—questions that Freud himself grappled with during his time in London.
In this blog post, I’ll explore the interplay between migration, identity, and belonging, using Freud’s life and the themes of this exhibition as a starting point. Drawing on my own experiences of moving between countries and careers, I will reflect on how immigrants, like Freud, construct a sense of self in unfamiliar territories and what it means to feel at home in a world that often feels foreign.
Migration is as old as human civilisation. Whether forced by circumstance or chosen as a path of opportunity, it is an experience that fundamentally reshapes one’s identity. To move from one place to another is not just a geographic change but a profound psychological shift that forces us to reimagine who we are in the context of a new environment. Sigmund Freud’s migration to London in 1938, fleeing the horrors of Nazi persecution in Vienna, is a poignant example of this process. As a man who spent much of his life exploring the human psyche, his own experience of displacement offers a deep lens through which to examine identity, belonging, and the immigrant experience.
Freud’s final years in London were marked by both physical and emotional exile. Though he found safety in the UK, the city never truly became a “home” for him. His famous study—filled with familiar objects, books, and artifacts from his life in Vienna—was a sanctuary of sorts, but it could never fully replicate the sense of belonging that comes with a true home. In many ways, Freud’s experience in London mirrors the reality faced by many immigrants who, despite integrating into new societies, never feel completely rooted in the places they come to inhabit. The tension between the desire for security and the yearning for familiarity is central to the immigrant experience.
This theme resonates with my own life journey, which has been marked by moves across countries, careers, and identities. Born in Greece in 1967, I left my home country in 1984 to pursue an engineering degree in Switzerland. Switzerland was a country rich in opportunities, but it was also a place where I never fully felt I belonged. After nearly a decade there, I moved to the UK in 1996 to work in the electronics and semiconductors industry. In the UK, the challenges of starting anew were tempered by the thrill of new experiences. Yet, the undercurrent of dislocation remained—a feeling I would only later begin to understand more fully in my work as a psychotherapist.
The 2008 financial crisis marked another major shift in my life. The economic collapse affected many industries, including the one I was working in, prompting me to reconsider my career path. In the midst of this uncertainty, I found myself drawn towards psychotherapy, a field where I could explore not only my own experiences of transition and identity but also help others navigate theirs. This shift was both personal and professional, requiring me to reframe my sense of self and embrace a new way of understanding human experience. Like Freud, who in his later years continued to develop his theories while navigating the complexities of displacement, I too found new meaning in the liminal space between past and present identities.
Since 2014, I have been providing psychotherapeutic services to a diverse clientele, working from my private practice in central London. However, when COVID-19 hit in 2020, my practice, like many others, was forced to go online. This transition was both a challenge and an opportunity, as it allowed me to extend my services beyond London, working with clients across the UK, Greece, France, and other parts of Europe. Each new client brought with them their own stories of migration, transition, and identity, offering me a unique window into the shared and divergent experiences of those who, like Freud and myself, had left their homelands in search of something new.
Today, I live in the Southwest of France, having moved there in September 2022. Like Freud, who carried fragments of Vienna with him to London, I carry with me the cultures and experiences of the places I have lived—Greece, Switzerland, the UK. But the question of what constitutes “home” remains elusive. Is it a physical place, a psychological state, or a combination of both? For many immigrants, home is a fluid concept, shaped as much by memory and emotion as it is by geography.
Freud’s Diaspora Experience: A Mirror for the Immigrant
Freud’s life in exile can be viewed as a case study for the broader psychological impact of migration. Forced to flee Vienna after the Nazi occupation, Freud found refuge in London, a city that was both foreign and familiar. On the one hand, it offered him safety and the possibility of continuing his work. On the other hand, it represented a loss of the stability and security he had enjoyed in Austria. His famous study in Maresfield Gardens became a sanctuary, filled with familiar objects—antiquities, books, furniture—that provided him with a sense of continuity amidst the chaos of displacement.
Yet, despite these familiar surroundings, Freud never truly felt at home in London. His letters and conversations during this time often reflected a deep sense of longing for the world he had left behind, even as he adapted to his new circumstances. This sense of being “in between”—of existing in a space that is neither entirely foreign nor entirely familiar—is central to the immigrant experience. Freud’s concept of the “uncanny” (das Unheimliche) may offer a useful framework for understanding this sensation. The uncanny, as Freud described it, is the feeling of something that is both strange and familiar at the same time—a perfect metaphor for the experience of migration.
For many immigrants, this sense of being caught between worlds is a constant reality. The new country offers opportunities and security, but it also requires the immigrant to navigate unfamiliar customs, languages, and social norms. At the same time, the old country remains a source of identity and comfort, but it is often distant and inaccessible. This duality—being physically present in one place but emotionally connected to another—creates a fragmented sense of self that can be difficult to reconcile.
In my own experience, this fragmentation became particularly apparent during my time in Switzerland. Though I was surrounded by opportunity and had the privilege of pursuing my studies, I often felt like an outsider, caught between the world I had left behind in Greece and the new world I was trying to integrate into. Even after moving to the UK and starting a new career, the sense of being “in between” persisted. It was only later, when I began working as a psychotherapist, that I began to fully understand the psychological toll of this constant negotiation between identities.
Belonging and the Immigrant Experience: Freud’s Legacy
One of the most profound aspects of the immigrant experience is the search for belonging. This search is not only external—finding a place to live, a community to connect with—but also internal. Immigrants must constantly negotiate between the culture they come from and the culture they are now part of, creating a hybrid identity that is neither fully one nor fully the other. This hybridity can be both enriching and disorienting, offering new perspectives but also challenging long-held assumptions about who we are.
Freud’s life in London offers a poignant example of this tension. Though he was physically safe and able to continue his work, he never fully integrated into British society. His letters reveal a man who remained emotionally tied to the world he had left behind, even as he tried to adapt to his new surroundings. This tension between belonging and exclusion is a central theme in the immigrant experience. Many immigrants, despite their best efforts to integrate, find themselves constantly negotiating between the desire to belong and the reality of feeling like an outsider.
In my own journey, this tension has been a constant presence. Each move—from Greece to Switzerland, from Switzerland to the UK, and finally to France—has required me to rebuild my sense of self, to adapt to new environments while holding on to the aspects of my identity that are rooted in my past. As a psychotherapist, I have seen this tension play out in the lives of many of my clients. Whether they are immigrants themselves or dealing with other forms of transition, the search for belonging is a universal theme that touches us all.
One of the ways immigrants attempt to create a sense of belonging is by constructing “safe spaces” for themselves. For Freud, this space was his study, filled with familiar objects that reminded him of his life in Vienna. For others, it might be a community of fellow immigrants, a language, or even a set of rituals and customs that help create a sense of continuity. In my own life, I have found these safe spaces in the relationships I have built with others who have also experienced migration. These connections offer a sense of shared understanding, a reminder that we are not alone in our search for belonging.
Fragmented Identities and Hybridity: Living Between Worlds
The concept of fragmented identities is central to both Freud’s work and the immigrant experience. In his psychoanalytic theories, Freud often spoke of the internal conflicts that arise when different parts of the self are in tension with one another. For immigrants, this tension is often externalised in the form of cultural hybridity. Moving to a new country forces individuals to adopt new cultural norms and behaviours, while still holding on to the values and customs of their home country. This creates a hybrid identity that is constantly evolving and adapting to new circumstances.
For Freud, the experience of living in exile undoubtedly contributed to his understanding of the fragmented self. His work during his final years in London continued to explore the ways in which the unconscious mind is shaped by experiences of trauma and displacement. In many ways, his own life was a reflection of these themes. The trauma of leaving Vienna, coupled with the challenge of adapting to a new life in London, mirrored the internal conflicts that many immigrants face as they navigate between different worlds.
In my own life, the experience of fragmentation has been a constant companion. Each move—from Greece to Switzerland, from Switzerland to the UK, and finally to France—has required me to reimagine my identity
Our online therapy clinic offers psychotherapeutic services, including CBT and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, to clients in the UK, Greece, France, and across Europe. We specialise in supporting individuals navigating complex life transitions, identity formation, and the emotional challenges of migration.
By Ari Sotiriou M.A. psychodynamic psychotherapist co-founder Online Therapy Clinic