Growth in affective awareness and critical thinking are wonderful gifts to be shared. Here is a newsletter from last week that struck a chord with me. This is a newsletter I subscribe to for about six month now, maybe longer, you can subscribe too at her site link below. She also has a substack which goes deeper and that link is at the end of this post.
Her site: http://dreshalovric.com/
Start of newsletter
Dear Readers,
This week’s Trio-of Thoughts:
- Aphorism or quote: In just a few short words, we are triggered to think deeply and philosophically about our lives.
- This week’s lesson.
- Activities for the week to improve your critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and free thinking power.
Liminal/Liminality Simple Definition: the in-between stage of life when you’ve left something behind—like a role, identity, or way of living—but haven’t yet fully stepped into what’s next. It’s the space where change happens, but things still feel uncertain or unclear.
Liminality is an important concept for you to learn about. It can help you explain some of the psychologically vulnerable periods you and those you love will go through and how that may impact your social experiences.
THOUGHT 1
AN APHORISM ABOUT THIS WEEK’S LESSON
“Liminality is a time and space of transformation. Individuals are betwixt and between, no longer who they were but not yet who they will become.” — Victor Turner
Turner was a British cultural anthropologist best known for his work on rituals, symbols, and the concept of liminality.
He studied tribal societies in Africa (notably the Ndembu people of Zambia) and used their rituals and ceremonies that mark transitions in life, like birth, adulthood, or death, to build his theories about how human beings experience change.
What this means in everyday terms for you:
Think of liminality like standing in a hallway between two rooms.
You’ve left one room behind, maybe a job, a relationship, an identity, or a stage of life, but you haven’t yet stepped fully into the next one. You’re in that strange, in-between space where nothing feels solid. You’re not sure what you believe anymore, or where you belong, or how things are going to turn out.
It can feel unsettling, like you’ve lost your footing.
But this is exactly where transformation can and will happen. It’s where old beliefs can be questioned, where new versions of yourself start to form. You’re in transition.
That’s what Victor Turner meant: you’re in the middle of the change. It’s uncomfortable, but it’s also powerful. It can also be risky if you do not move forward but remain stuck in old thinking when the start of liminality is s signal that a new version of you is required (or at least some new ways of thinking are required).
THOUGHT 2
RISKY THINKING IN LIMINAL SPACES
There are times in life when everything we once knew begins to shift. We feel unsure, we second-guess ourselves. These are the moments called transitional passages. And in these passages, your critical thinking is most at risk.
BUT the amazing part, these are also the very moments that offer you one of the greatest chances to change the way you think. Vulnerability often signifies a knowledge gap. You then need to draw on critical thinking to sift through information and find what you need to know. At the same time, our biases will try and fill the knowledge gaps without doing the critical cognitive work we might need.
Because it’s so psychologically raw, you are much more vulnerable to outside influence during these times.
This letter is a reminder for you to know that when your life is going through some sort of change, you will face:
- Emotional thinking and the risk of heightened self-pity due to feeling vulnerable
- The opportunity for high-level critical thinking and cognitive growth
Logically, thinking is at risk when you are going through some form of major change or even short-term change. Why? Well, naturally, when you do not know the information you require, then you will feel vulnerable. That is the entire reason for vulnerability, when you simply do not know yet. Usually, it doesn’t last. It is a stage.
For you to move through and out of liminality, you must seek or observe the correct knowledge at the right pace. As we receive the ideas we need, they can address the message your body is sending you (through the feeling of insecurity). We are especially at risk of being emotionally triggered during these phases, as well as adopting ideas that may not be right for us.
The Risk to Your Thinking
During liminal stages, our critical filters weaken. As we are mentally and emotionally vulnerable, it is cognitively harder to think clearly.
Subsequently, we might more easily rely on others to help think for us. It’s soothing and much easier on a vulnerable mind to be guided. Except that, because we are more likely to follow others, we are also at risk of following the wrong ideas or wrong people that may not be a good fit with where we need to be in our lives. Given our psychological fragility, we may become drawn to emotionally persuasive content and people even if it doesn’t truly reflect our own needs or experiences.
This is precisely why those who may be going through an exceptionally difficult period in their lives may end up making even worse decisions and spiral out of control. When we are vulnerable, anything that looks stable can feel like the answer.
What You Can Do
When we go through any period in life where we are vulnerable, whether that’s new parenthood, injury, illness, a new job, migration, or entering a new family, etc, there will be discomfort. This is not a flaw, it’s part of the process.
Don’t rush to find or accept new beliefs without reflexive and deep introspective thinking about meaning and relevance.
Here are the steps you can take during liminal passages or help those who may be going through one:
- Name the phase. Say to yourself: I’m in between. That’s why this feels unstable. It is not permanent, and it will end. Do not make any rash decisions in this period. It is not the time to jump to conclusions. When we are emotionally vulnerable, however, making decisions that may not be the right ones increases.
- Pause the noise. Reduce exposure to social media, ideological groups, or advice overload from too many people. As you are easily triggered during this period, it is not good to be overloaded with information that is not contextual. You can invite more information in as you feel more at ease.
- Ask curious questions. Think about why you are feeling vulnerable. What has changed? Try and find the source of your lack of footing. Also, ask yourself about new ideas that are around you that may feel right or good. Why does this idea feel comforting? Is it because it’s right for me, or is it because I like the person saying it? How can I trust this information? This is a critical reflection. There is no rush. Slow down.
- Stay close to trusted people. Let only a few honest, grounded people in during this phase. Too many voices will muddy the waters. When you’re especially at risk, you should keep social media access to a minimum.
- Trust that clarity will return. Your thinking will stabilise, and your new ideas and needs will slowly integrate—if you allow the process to unfold on your terms.
Final Thought
We all go through liminal phases. If you’re in one now, be gentle with yourself—but also be alert. It is in these fragile moments that both transformation and exploitation are possible. If we are particularly at risk emotionally, this is when a therapist or being close to people or a supportive network who can help us through is important.
This week on Substack, I go deeper into the concept of liminality, the role of identity politics, and how critical thinking can help protect your mind during these vulnerable periods. You can read it here, and please subscribe to my Substack for more sociologically based free thinking perspectives… if you haven’t already.
Until next time,
Esha
THOUGHT 3: ACTIVITIES
- Think about the stages you have been in liminality in your life. How did you get through it? What was good and what was not so good? Reflect on people you know. Maybe someone you know has recently gone through a big change. Think about what happened or what is happening for that person.
- Read up on liminality this week. Adding new concepts and information to your ongoing growth and knowledge acquisition is very important. The more you read about the more you have to draw on as you try and make sense of your world.
- The books I have referenced below are very dense and difficult to move through. I am not saying you should not tackle them, as hard things are often good things, but ease into it. I suggest beginning to learn about liminality by googling some articles as a start, or read my Substack first as an impression. I studied liminality for many years, and so I have developed a current perspective on it.
References
Van Gennep, A. (1960). The rites of passage (M. B. Vizedom & G. L. Caffee, Trans.). University of Chicago Press. (Original work published 1909)
Turner, V. (1969). The ritual process: Structure and anti-structure. Aldine Publishing.
Future Reference: Good resource, she is personally invested in sharing excellent strategies and tuned to helping all of us grow in our thinking qualities.