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Aussie Insights: Unravelling the Mystery of Cognitive Immobility
Recently, various media and blogs have discussed the phenomenon known as cognitive immobility and the frameworks used to understand this experience. Two notable mentions include an article in German by Günther Lanier, ‘Vor- und nachher: Migration im Kopf’ (translated as ‘Before and after: Migration in
Uprooted Minds: the Emotional Tides of Migration
Awareness is key in addressing the emotional hurdles of migration. Uncover the importance of recognizing cognitive immobility and fostering a balanced and fulfilling transnational life. During a presentation I delivered last year, specifically for the Science Society, on my research concerning Cognitive Immobility, I virtually
Cognitive Immobility – Getting Trapped in the Past
By Joanne Toller Change is hard. We sometimes long for the feelings of memories, safety, or belonging experienced in another place or time in our lives. This connection to the past can cause cognitive immobility, a stressful mental entrapment that leads to conscious or unconscious
Feeling stuck in the past? Experts are starting to explore how this mindset could affect your health.
By Emily Swaim Have you ever felt as though your body and your mind were divided between two different places? Perhaps you keep turning the wrong way toward the grocery store, because in your old town the shop was on the left instead of the
Supporting refugees by addressing cognitive immobility
Continually remembering past episodes, favourable or unpleasant, can lead to cognitive immobility. For some people, recreating pleasant memories is a defence mechanism or solace, and a way of coping with current circumstances, which may not be as nice as the previous ones. Doing this at
Stuck in the Past: The Awareness
At feasts, remember that you are entertaining two guests, body and soul. What you give to the body, you presently lose; what you give to the soul, you keep for ever. Epictetus
About Ezenwa Olumba
I’m a doctoral researcher who researches and writes about issues at the intersection of memory, migration, and politics. I’m particularly interested in how violence, culture, atrocities on people and other life experiences influence people’s emotions, collective actions, (im)mobility aspirations, and identities. My outstanding research on ‘Cognitive Immobility’ has been well received, and the blog post emanating from it has been read by over 500k people worldwide and translated into other languages. I have published a research article on conflicts and blog posts on drones, eco-violence, and relief funding.