This is the numbness you feel right after a breakup.
Its the frozen terror you feel when you receive bad news.
Its the shock that hasnt worn off a tragedy.
The liminal space is the unprocessed aftermath of trauma.
It is emotional limbo.
A liminal space is a transitional or transformative space a state between two clearly defined boundaries.
The word liminal is derived from the Latin word limens which means threshold.
When you are in a liminal space, youre floating in between, in an ambiguous purgatory of sorts.
You may be en route to a new life path but still have a foothold in your old one.
Psychologically, liminal spaces often occur after the ending of a significant relationship or a loss of some kind.
Yet your psyche is still reeling.
It is still in purgatory.
It is still caught in self-doubt, terror, grief.
This is the numbness you feel right after a breakup.
Its the frozen terror you feel when you receive bad news.
Its the shock that hasnt worn off a tragedy.
The liminal space is the unprocessed aftermath of trauma.
It is emotional limbo.
Its the pause between pain and progress, between epiphany and evolution.
It demands some sort of movement, yet to move forward feels achingly wrong.
Theres no way around it.
You cannot heal without grieving.
Cry if you gotta.
Rage if you want to (safely and non-destructively).
Breathe through the pain.
Give yourself permission to question everything.
Forget what youre supposed to feel.
Acknowledge that this is a loss, even if you want to feel like it is anything but.
Validate your emotions, even if they are mixed.
You have every right to all of them.
Your heart will break wide open, yes, but in its brokenness is where the light can enter.
Curb the urge to blame yourself, especially for the things that are not your fault.
Avoid triggers that might escalate your emotional state.
Speak to yourself gently as if you were someone you dearly loved.
If you are in limbo, let yourself be in limbo.
Accept wherever it is you are right now and accept that this is okay.
Pay attention to your body and restore your physical state.
When were in a psychological liminal space, we tend to lose awareness of our body.
We may even dissociate.
Get reconnected to your surroundings and your physical state.
How tired are you feeling?
What small thing right now could you do physically that would help to soothe you?
Process whats happened with a validating person or group of people.
Processing what has happened often means telling our story, again and again.
But its helpful to do so with someone who genuinely cares such as a trusted friend or a counselor.
Explain what youve been through.
You deserve to be listened to.
You deserve caring feedback and validation.
You deserve to have your pain acknowledged.
Take small, proactive steps back to your sense of agency.
When were stuck in emotional limbo, we often feel paralyzed and helpless.
What can you do right now that would help you reclaim your sense of power?
Who can you reach out to?
What self-care tools do you have at your disposal?
Can you watch something funny or write to express your feelings?
Do anything and everything possible to regain a sense of emotional balance.
Even if you dont feel quite ready, have the courage to embody your new state.
Have the bravery to step forward, even if you have to crawl out of purgatory and into resurrection.
Consider this a rebirth.
