PH +1 410 212 3950
balancing act therapies - Bowen Therapy on Block Island
  • Home
  • About
  • Therapies
    • Bowen Therapy >
      • FAQs
    • Bowen Therapy for Dogs
    • Medical Intuitive
    • Sessions & pricing
  • Other offerings
    • The Ocean Oracle
    • Shop
  • balance blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
  • Therapies
    • Bowen Therapy >
      • FAQs
    • Bowen Therapy for Dogs
    • Medical Intuitive
    • Sessions & pricing
  • Other offerings
    • The Ocean Oracle
    • Shop
  • balance blog
  • Contact

balance blog

Liminal

5/9/2012

3 Comments

 
I learned the word liminal recently. It was the perfect word, at the perfect time. Like most words, it can have a few definitions, but what resonated with me was its reference to the space between; a transitional time; a threshold. Between what was and what is. Or what is and what will be. The space where we are neither one thing nor another.

I think why I fell in love with this word recently is because it described, in one word no less, where I've been. And as difficult as that space was at times, it was also incredibly joyful.

Most everything in life is a process and often we are unaware of these transitional times. We move seamlessly from one thing to another. Like breathing. We inhale and we exhale, not often aware of the space between breathing in and breathing out. If we focus on that space, the experience becomes something new. Something else.

That leaving of the old to start something new. The space in between is liminal space. And that space can be all manner of things. It can be overwhelming because we are essentially in 'no man's land'. We are not our usual self. We are no longer connected to what was, nor yet present in what is to come. And that is the beauty of transition; of being on a threshold; of liminal space.

In that space, though, we can feel vulnerable, lost, anxious, depressed - it's not a space we are used to hanging out in. We go through transitions all the time, every day. Between sleep and wakefulness; between daily activities; between wakefulness and sleep. We are often not aware of them. And some of the transitions are easier than others. But what about the bigger transitions - changing jobs, partners, homes, towns? Those are all major changes. Do we give ourselves enough time to transition? To be present in liminal space? What would happen if we did?

I have recently been gifted 2 months of, essentially, liminal space. While I was in this space, I was uncomfortable. I couldn't understand what was going on. I was in incredible flow. Highly creative and happy. Yet giving my self such a hard time because I wasn't making money. It was such a fight between what I love doing versus mainstream money making employment. I feel like the space was a gift because it was a special time. And although the transition hasn't been something tangible, I feel like a completely different person; slightly askew from where I was. But totally taken with where I stand and the view around me. I feel like I have crossed a threshold.

I didn't know I was in transition - I just knew I was no longer where I was, yet not arrived at where I was going. Liminal space describes exactly where I was, the whole time. Who knew?! I am ever grateful and ready to step forward.
3 Comments
Lisa
5/9/2012 05:27:34 pm

There you go again - touching my life for the briefest moment, yet leaving such a huge impression - I'm glad I paid attention tonight or I might have missed this...

Reply
Lisa (a different one) link
6/9/2012 02:48:11 am

Thank you for so eloquently reminding me of this word. You are spot-on accurately giving me access to a place that I've been inhabiting for many, many months. You are right; it is exquisitely uncomfortable - yet not awful by any means. (Well, OK, sometimes it is awful. And sometimes it is awe-ful. Ha ha...there may be a blog post for one or the other of us in that insight!)
I am glad that you have apparently walked through the threshold and can now "see" that place "in between" where you've been cooling your heels and garnering power.
Sending you love, my friend. Thank you for this post!

Reply
Lisa Gervais
5/12/2012 12:03:03 am

Sometimes it is just empowering putting a word to an emotion...or a lack of an emotion...or the never-never or the ever-ever.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2023
    March 2021
    March 2017
    April 2016
    March 2016
    July 2014
    January 2014
    July 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012

    Categories

    All
    Alignment
    Anxiety
    App
    Appreciation
    Autumn
    Back Pain
    Balancing Act Therapies
    Beliefs
    Blog
    Bowen Technique
    Bowen Therapy
    Bowtech
    Breakdown
    Caregiving
    Catastrophising
    Challenges
    Chronic Pain
    Coffs Harbour
    Complementary Therapy
    Connection
    Dementia
    Diary
    Dislocation
    Driftwood
    Effective
    End Of Life
    Energy
    Facilitate
    Feminine
    Fog
    Frog
    Gentle
    Gratitude
    Grief
    Growth
    Head Space
    Healing
    Holistic
    Home
    Homesick
    Integrity
    Intuition
    Journey
    Knees
    Liminal
    Masculine
    Mayim Bialik
    Mental Health
    Mindfulness
    Moving Forward
    Myth
    Natural Therapy
    Nature
    New England
    Ocean Oracle
    Parasympathetic Nervous System
    Process
    Protection
    Rain
    Relocating
    Rosa Rugusa
    Seasons
    Stroke
    Susan Marte
    Sympathetic Nervous System
    Tears
    Threshold
    Tom Bowen
    Transition
    Trust
    Turtle
    Walking
    Well Being
    Wellness
    Whole Body Therapy
    Wholistic

    RSS Feed

because life is a balancing act