Impostor Syndrome as an Expat in Spain: Signs and Treatment
You moved to Spain with a good résumé, real experience and a plan. Yet some days you feel like everyone is about to discover you don’t belong. That feeling has a name, impostor syndrome, and it is very common among people who start over in another country. It is not a flaw in your character. It is a pattern of thoughts that can be understood, challenged and changed, and in this guide we explain how it shows up for expats in Spain, what helps, and what psychological treatment looks like.
TL;DR
Impostor syndrome is the persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud despite real achievements. Moving abroad often switches it on.
It is not a formal psychiatric diagnosis, but it often travels with anxiety, burnout and low mood, and those do deserve treatment.
Community, honest feedback, and learning to separate “new” from “incapable” are the first practical steps.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has the strongest evidence behind it. We combine it with other methods, including RTT and EMDR, when the pattern runs deeper.
If it affects your sleep, work or relationships for weeks, talk to a licensed professional who can work with you in English.
Table of Contents
What impostor syndrome actually is
Researchers describe the impostor phenomenon as an intense feeling of intellectual and professional fraudulence. It is experienced by high-achieving people who doubt their abilities and fear being found out, even though their skills and results are recognized by others.
In daily life it sounds like this:
“I only got the job because the company needed someone English-speaking.”
“They haven’t noticed yet that I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
“If I’d been better, this wouldn’t feel so hard.”
The key feature is that evidence does not help much. A promotion, a good review or a positive client email gets filed as luck, timing or a mistake someone will correct soon. The relief never lasts, so you work harder, over-prepare and avoid speaking up, and the cycle feeds itself.
Why moving to Spain can trigger it
You might never have felt this at home. That is not a coincidence. Some researchers argue that impostor feelings should be understood in context: environments, and not only individual insecurities, can bring them out, including for people who are in a minority in their setting. An expat is, almost by definition, in that position.
In Madrid and other Spanish cities, we see the same triggers again and again.
You lose your reference points
Back home, you knew what a good performance looked like, who to ask, how to read a room. In Spain, the workplace rules are unwritten and different: how direct feedback is, how meetings run, what counts as being on time, when lunch happens. When every small interaction needs decoding, it is easy to conclude the problem is you. Our article on culture shock triggers expats face in Spain covers the most common ones.
Language turns you into a smaller version of yourself
You may be articulate and witty in English and hesitant in Spanish. Even people with advanced certificates describe feeling like frauds when they stumble in a meeting or at the town hall. If this is you, the steps in language anxiety: 6 exposure steps for expats are a practical place to start.
Your status changed overnight
Someone who led a team may now be learning the basics again, or working below their level while paperwork or language catch up. Your old achievements feel distant and unverifiable, because nobody around you saw them.
You have no audience for your history
In your home country, friends and colleagues reflected a stable picture of who you are. Abroad, that mirror is missing. Social identity researchers suggest that building meaningful group ties in a host country is a key protective factor against the psychological strain of migration, and that people also need a sense of continuity in who they are.
Signs you may be dealing with it
Impostor feelings tend to cluster. Ask yourself whether several of these sound familiar since you arrived:
You attribute your successes to luck, charm or timing, and your mistakes to your real self.
You over-prepare for ordinary tasks, or you procrastinate and then rush.
You avoid asking questions because you are afraid of revealing a gap.
You turn down opportunities, such as a visible project or a role in a Spanish-speaking team, before anyone can evaluate you.
You feel an outsider at work or socially, and you withdraw. One practitioner-oriented guide on moving abroad lists isolation as a common way these feelings show up, alongside the feeling of being an outsider.
You are exhausted, sleep badly, or your body reacts with tension, stomach trouble or headaches.
The last point matters. Chronic self-monitoring is tiring. Many of the expats who come to us describe it first as burnout or anxiety, and only later recognize the impostor pattern underneath.
Is it a diagnosis?
No. A recent narrative review notes that impostor phenomenon is not classified as a psychiatric disorder in the DSM-5 or ICD-10. It is better understood as a set of thoughts and behaviors: doubting accomplishments, crediting luck, fearing exposure. The same review says it is associated with anxiety and depression.
Two things follow from that:
You are not “sick” for feeling this way. It is a common, understandable reaction, and it can be changed.
You should not dismiss it as just a phase if it is wearing you down. When the pattern comes with persistent anxiety, low mood, panic or burnout, those conditions can be assessed and treated in their own right by a licensed clinician.
Only a professional who has met you can tell the difference. Self-diagnosis from articles, ours included, is not a substitute.
What you can do on your own
None of these will “cure” anything alone, but they interrupt the cycle.
Name the context, not just the feeling
Write down what is actually new: language, workplace culture, bureaucracy, no network. Then ask honestly how much of your struggle is explained by newness rather than by lack of ability. Most people find the answer is a lot.
Ask for feedback and collect evidence
In his work on self-initiated expatriates, Rosenberg recommends more feedback, supportive network groups and on-boarding training for international workers. You can do a version of this yourself. Ask your manager for specific feedback, not just “how am I doing?”, and keep a file of concrete results and comments. When the doubt arrives, read the file, not your feelings.
Build a community on purpose
Local groups, language exchanges, professional meetups and expat circles help, and not only for company. Hearing other capable people say “I feel like that too” is one of the fastest ways to shrink the shame. Local groups are also a route to finding English-speaking professionals when you want more support.
Change the way you talk to yourself
Try swapping “I don’t know how things work here” for “I haven’t learned how things work here yet.” It sounds small. Repeated over months, it changes what you expect from yourself.
Slow down the overworking
Over-preparing is a way to buy temporary safety. Pick one task a week where you deliberately do good-enough work and notice what happens. Usually, nothing bad.
What psychological treatment involves
When self-help is not enough, therapy can go to the source of the pattern rather than just managing symptoms.
CBT
The 2025 review mentioned above describes CBT as an approach that challenges distorted self-perceptions and changes behavior patterns, and notes that studies it cites report reductions in anxiety, depression and perfectionism after CBT-based interventions. In practice, you learn to catch the automatic thought (“I got lucky”), test it against evidence, and try behaviors you have been avoiding.
For the anxiety that often accompanies impostor feelings, Spain’s own clinical practice guideline is explicit. It recommends CBT as a treatment of choice for generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder, with techniques such as cognitive restructuring and exposure. For panic disorder it suggests, on average, 8 to 16 weekly sessions. That figure is for panic disorder, not for impostor syndrome, but it gives a realistic sense that structured therapy is measured in weeks and months, not years.
Counseling
Sometimes what you need first is a steady space to talk through the move, the identity shift and the pressure, in your own language. Counseling gives you that, and often clarifies whether you want to go further into deeper work.
RTT, hypnotherapy and EMDR
Impostor beliefs often have roots: a critical parent, a school environment where only results counted, a past humiliation. When the belief feels fixed no matter how much you reason with it, we use methods that work at a deeper level. Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) and clinical hypnotherapy address the origin of the belief and replace it with a new one. EMDR is useful when specific memories are still charged. We use these within an integrative plan alongside CBT, not instead of it, and we adapt the mix to you.
Practical points when choosing a therapist
Whoever you pick, verify the professional’s local license, make sure you can express yourself comfortably in English, and confirm insurance network coverage before starting. Our guides on how to choose a therapist in Spain and your real options for therapy in English go through this step by step. If you are in the capital, see 3 verified ways to find English therapy in Madrid.
Cost is a fair question too. Rules on reimbursement differ by insurer, so read what to check about therapy insurance before you buy a package and how reimbursement for psychotherapy works in Spain. If your coverage has ties to another country, it is also worth seeing how private plans structure mental health benefits, which is explained there for Germany. Benefits and rules vary widely between countries and insurers.
Our perspective
We see impostor feelings in almost every expat who comes to us, including senior managers, doctors, engineers and founders. The common thread is not a lack of ability. It is a nervous system that has been on high alert since the move, and a story about themselves that was never questioned.
What we have learned is this: reassurance rarely works. Telling a capable person “but you are great at your job” bounces off. What works is a structured, time-limited process: understand where the belief came from, test it, and give the mind a new, more accurate one. That is why we work in a defined window, with a three-month minimum commitment, so the change is built and not just discussed. We also pay attention to the cultural side, because “Why do I feel so out of place?” often has a very ordinary answer once you see what you are dealing with.
We offer sessions in English, Spanish and Dutch, in our Madrid office or online, because the language you think in should be the language you heal in.
— Heske
How we can work with you
If you recognize yourself here, you do not have to push through alone. We offer a free discovery call so you can describe what is going on and hear what a plan could look like, with no obligation.
Our main route is a three-month engagement, Create a Breakthrough in 3 Months, at €600 per month, with a personalized plan that can combine CBT, counseling, RTT, EMDR and hypnotherapy.
Other options depend on what you need:
The Classic RTT all-in Package is €750 one-off, and there is an online version at the same price.
The 21-day just RTT package in person or the online 21-day RTT package are €550 one-off each.
The pack of 4 counseling sessions in our office is €375 one-off, and you can also book a single counseling session in Madrid.
If you live outside Madrid or abroad, read our guide to choosing online therapy from abroad. Apply for a Discovery Call on our site and we will take it from there.
When to seek help sooner
Talk to a licensed psychologist or psychotherapist if any of these have lasted for several weeks:
You are sleeping badly, or waking at night with racing thoughts.
Anxiety, panic or low mood is affecting your work or relationships.
You are avoiding people, tasks or opportunities because of fear of being exposed.
You feel burned out, or your body is reacting with headaches, stomach problems or constant tension.
If you feel unsafe or in crisis, do not wait for an appointment. For a severe psychiatric emergency in Spain, call 112 or go to a public hospital emergency department. The 024 suicide prevention line runs around the clock, and English speakers can ask for “English” or “Inglés” when they answer to get telephone translation. Please also confirm these numbers on the official health authority pages.
If you want to learn more about the wider adjustment, our article on reducing culture shock anxiety in three months with psychoeducation is a good next step.
FAQ
Is impostor syndrome a mental illness?
No. It is not listed as a psychiatric disorder in the DSM-5 or ICD-10, so it is better seen as a pattern of thoughts and behaviors. It is, however, frequently associated with anxiety and depression, and those can be diagnosed and treated. A licensed professional can help you tell which is which.
Why do I feel like a fraud only since moving abroad?
Because your context changed. New language, new workplace norms, a lower or different status and the loss of people who knew your track record all remove the signals that used to keep your self-doubt quiet. Researchers argue that environments, not just personal insecurities, can elicit these feelings.
What is the best psychological treatment for impostor syndrome?
There is no single answer, but CBT has the most support. It targets distorted self-perceptions and avoidance behaviors, and studies cited in the literature report less anxiety, depression and perfectionism afterward. We build a personalized plan that can also include counseling, RTT, EMDR or hypnotherapy when the belief runs deeper.
Can I do therapy in English while living in Spain?
Yes. You can work with licensed professionals in English, in person or online. Check the therapist’s credentials, confirm you feel comfortable expressing emotions in English, and ask about insurance before starting. We work in English, Spanish and Dutch.
How long does it take to feel better?
It depends on how long the pattern has been in place and what sits beneath it. Many people notice a shift in the first weeks, but lasting change is built over time, which is why we work in a three-month structure. A discovery call is the easiest way to get an honest estimate for your situation.
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