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Physical migration does not always mean psychological departure from home.

Cognitive immobility traps migrants in mental ties to their homeland, causing unresolved longing.

Returning home doesn't always heal emotional separation; it may deepen longing and sadness.

"I left, but my soul stayed here. In my free time, I could think of nothing but home. Even while caring for my baby, my thoughts were always on returning; everyone wondered why I came back. After all, I had it better there than many do here."

"I left, but my soul stayed here. In my free time, I could think of nothing but home. Even while caring for my baby, my thoughts were always on returning; everyone wondered why I came back. After all, I had it better there than many do here."

Those words were those of Antoanela Andonescu, also affectionately called "Coca." Coca is a geriatric nurse who left her little hometown of Bicaz in eastern Romania to live and work in Italy. She was featured in a DW documentary called "Homesick" that aired June 26, 2026.

Like thousands of other Romanians and millions of people around the world who have left their homeland because of circumstances beyond their control, some leave a part of themselves at home.

Coca’s words echo what a Syrian student interviewed in another study said: "I am still in Syria. My soul is there." That is the reality for many people on the move. According to Coca, during her free time, and whenever she could be by herself, her thoughts always returned to her hometown, Bicaz.

Such thoughts can make a person re-experience their hometown, including family, events, sounds, sights, and smells. Anyone who constantly engages in this mental exercise to find solace and relieve their sense of loss after leaving home and intense longing for it may become trapped in a condition called cognitive immobility. This could lead to sadness, crying, and other serious health issues.

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