{"id":125950,"date":"2022-08-16T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=125950"},"modified":"2023-03-03T16:29:29","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T16:29:29","slug":"reverse-culture-shock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/reverse-culture-shock.htm","title":{"rendered":"Reverse Culture Shock – What Happens When You Go Home?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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photo by Kipras Streimikis for Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

by Liz Szalai <\/span><\/p>\n

Living abroad<\/a> for an extended period is more common than ever before, whether it is for studying, working, volunteering<\/a>, or exploring. Not to mention the expanding groups of digital nomads in various parts of the world. But what happens when we pack our bags and return (for whatever reason) to our initial home country? Can we end up with ‘reverse culture shock’?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is culture shock?<\/span><\/h2>\n

According to the website of the UK Council for International Student Affairs<\/a>, culture shock<\/span> can affect anyone. The cause of culture shock can be the new environment, climate, culture, people, and language. It can also arise from contributing factors like being away from our family<\/a>, friends<\/a> and familiar surroundings.<\/span>The Council speaks about a U-curve model of 5 stages.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Honeymoon:<\/b><\/span> excitement with the new place, enjoying the differences.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Distress<\/b><\/span>: feelings of confusion and isolation or inadequateness, as we are getting more familiar with the culture, and realise our safety net is not so close.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Reintegration:<\/b><\/span> feelings of anger<\/a> and frustration, up to hostile feelings towards the new culture, this is a healthy stage of re-owning and reconnecting to our original values<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Autonomy:<\/b><\/span> as our experiences of the new culture expands, we feel more comfortable, and we have more skills to cope<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Independence<\/b><\/span>: we can value the differences and similarities, and we can reach our full potential<\/a> dealing with most situations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    And what is reverse culture shock?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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    \"reverse

    photo by Megan Nixon for Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

    Reverse culture shock is feeling a similar pattern of emotions when we return to our home country after an extended time abroad.\u00a0 Suddenly, it is what we used to know that feels foreign and leaves us feeling out of place. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    You adapted to another culture, now you have to re-adapt to the old one.<\/strong> <\/span>According to a book on reverse culture shock,\u00a0The Art of Coming Home\u00a0<\/em>by Craig Storti<\/a>, you might also experience four different stages than you see in regular culture shock. These are:<\/p>\n