October 11, 2025

Mrs Deshpande, a 45-year-old homemaker from Pune now living in the US, stood at a tough crossroad. "I've lost my daughter," she told her psychiatrist, despairing over her 16-year-old who embraced “selfish American values” of personal freedom—so different from Mrs Deshpande’s "Maharashtrian values." This family clash pushed her into a moderate depression. But then, magic came in her mother tongue. Dr Shaunak Ajinkya, a consultant psychiatrist at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, comforted her in Marathi: "Tumche prem he chukiche nahi (Your love is not wrong). Ti prem vyakt karnyachi padhhat badlaichi ahe (it’s the way you express that love which needs to change)." These simple words melted the hardness of despair into hope. Mrs Deshpande began to see her illness as 'ajar' (condition) not 'vikar' (flaw), and understood her daughter's behavior as a cultural change rather than rebellion. With guidance, "tumhala ek changli 'margadarshak' banayche ahe, 'niyantran karnari' nahi (you need to be a good guide — a mentor — not a controller)," she regained control, and stopped medication within a year. This story mirrors a rising trend: many NRIs now ask for therapy in their own languages—Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi, Malayalam, Telugu—to find comfort in familiar words. Dr Dhara Ghuntla, psychologist from Mumbai, notes, "The shift signals a deeper longing to feel understood in one’s own emotional syntax." When you speak your heart in your mother tongue, it flows without needing translation. Therapy then feels natural and easy. Scientific studies back this: Viktoriya Zipper-Weber’s 2025 research found therapy twice as effective in clients’ native languages than English. A 2023 study from Technical University of Munich said mother tongue therapy offers "a piece of home and security" especially for trauma survivors. Dr Ajinkya explains, "Language is inseparable from culture. The native language connects to the familial self, while a second language links to the professional self." Switching languages can be a defense: for example, a Hindi-speaking woman hid her real worries about her mother’s affair until she switched from English to Hindi. Doctors also observe that tough emotions—grief, shame, family duty—hide behind language barriers. Dr Maitri Thakker shares, "Certain emotions, particularly shame, guilt, or familial duty, ‘don’t quite translate.’" But mother tongue therapy allows natural "code-switching," showing true feelings comfortably. Sudarshan Hegde from the online platform Manospandana recalls a Kannada-speaking US couple who found healing by using their mother tongue. Warm reflections like, "Preetiyannu pratiyobbaru arthamaadukolluva… Shall we try to understand each other’s language of love?" helped break emotional walls and reconnect. For NRIs, therapy in native languages works wonders for depression, anxiety, grief, and clashes between generations. Parents often use phrases like ‘gharachi abru’ (family honour) or ‘kutumbache naav’ (family pride) that lose power when translated. Dr Thakker says, "Therapy that brings the heart language down helps reunite fragments of identity." But the challenge remains: few therapists are truly fluent in multiple Indian languages. Online platforms are growing but face issues of cost, privacy, and legal licenses. Experts call for better training, certification, and government support. Dr Ajinkya’s heartfelt advice: "Your struggle is real and it deserves to be heard in your own voice." Dr Ghuntla adds, "Don’t settle for words that feel distant. Vulnerability is universal, and the language of your roots may carry the key to your most authentic self."

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Tags: Mother tongue therapy, Nri mental health, Cultural adaptation, Bilingual therapy, Emotional healing, Indian languages,