Publication Date

Spring 5-6-2026

Document Type

Senior Integrative Project

Abstract

Forced migration along the Spain–Morocco route represents one of the most visible humanitarian crises of the twenty-first century, yet its neurological dimensions remain insufficiently examined. This paper investigates how prolonged displacement and trauma reshape neural systems involved in stress regulation, memory, and emotional processing. It introduces the concept of neurological endangerment, defined as a condition of prolonged and inescapable threat exposure during forced migration in which stress-response systems remain chronically activated, opportunities for recovery are structurally constrained, and cumulative neurobiological risk persists beyond the period of immediate danger.

To address the gap between biological measurement and lived experience, this paper integrates trauma neuroscience with Edwin Shneidman’s construct of psychache, or unbearable psychological pain. It proposes a migration-specific adaptation of the Psychache Scale as a tool for capturing the phenomenological dimension of neurological burden in displaced populations. The central question guiding this work is: What does it mean for the brain to remember displacement? By linking subjective reports of suffering with measurable neurobiological indices—and situating these within the broader somatic processes—this framework offers a more comprehensive approach to understanding the cost of survival in forced migration.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.