The objective of this study is to describe the experience of displaced women in Medellín, Colombia, and how this circumstance has an impact on the roles and perceptions of health/illness. This was a qualitative study using symbolic interactionism. Instruments from the Grounded Theory methodology were used. The study population was composed of adult women who have been displaced for at least 1 year and who live in 3 settlements in the city of Medellín. The instruments for data collection were 15 semi-structured interviews, 6 focus groups, and 6 in-depth interviews. Coding, categorization and interpretation, and, lastly, theorizing were used for analysis. What women go through displacement affects the roles they play both in relation to their family - one of the most significant components of their lives -, and in the social/community and health/illness processes, turning them into people with high degrees of vulnerability and social marginalization. Women who have been displaced face multiple obstacles, losses, and transformations, leading to a decline in their physical and mental health.