Understanding life transitions and navigating the In between

Life transitions entail a fundamental shift in how you relate to yourself and the world. Whether you are navigating a career shift, a change in relationship status, an evolving identity, or a significant loss, these "in between" spaces often leave us feeling untethered and uncertain.

Major life changes, whether chosen or not, are a significant disruption to your nervous system’s sense of predictability. From a somatic perspective, any significant shift in your environment or identity requires your brain to "re-map" its understanding of safety.

This period of transition often manifests as:

• Disorientation: When your familiar roles or routines change, your nervous system may lose its primary anchors. This can lead to a state of chronic sympathetic activation (anxiety) as your brain scans for a new way to orient itself.

• Loss of relational and internal orientation: A shift in your career, relationship status, or stage of life can break the internal model you’ve used to navigate the world. This can lead to a sense of being untethered, where even small decisions feel overwhelming.

• The shutdown response to change: The effort required to integrate a major life shift is physiologically taxing. You may experience periods of emotional numbness, fatigue, or a lack of motivation, as your system tries to protect itself from the cognitive and emotional load of the transition.

• Identity conflict: As you move away from old roles, there is often a period of friction. Your system may cling to old, familiar patterns even if they are no longer helpful, simply because they are known and therefore feel safer than the unknown.