Nancy Weinbeck
#Viktor Frankl has my attention. Frankl was an esteemed psychologist, founder of logotherapy, and holocaust survivor who wrote Man’s Search for Meaning.
#I was recently reintroduced to his concept of “the space between” and immediately recognized parallels to liminality, a concept I believe is key to transformative aging that I’ve written about in prior columns.
#Readers may recall that liminality is that threshold in-between space, imbued with opportunity and freedom. Older adulthood inhabits this liminal space, holding huge potential as we enter our later years.
#In Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl explores the space between stimulus and response. If we allow ourselves to automatically respond to a stimulus, whatever it might be, good news, bad news, good stressor, bad stressor, we eliminate control over our reactions. Zero space between stimulus and response means zero control over our outcomes. We become captive to all that is going on around us.
#Conversely, if we expand the space between stimulus and response, we can take a breath or two and explore our thoughts and emotions. This gives us the opportunity to respond in a way that is more productive and more helpful, and most importantly we can gain autonomy over our thinking and feelings.
#Liminality is also the space between. The lack of guardrails and expectations that used to be present in our younger years can be overwhelming and frightening as we age. But it is also a time of expansion and freedom if we can embrace this transformative space. Rather than rush through uncomfortable in-between times, we can use these times as an opportunity for growth. Likewise, we can gain freedom over the patterns of thought that would otherwise trap us.
#The in-between moments of our lives, no matter what part of life’s journey we’re on, can benefit from taking a step back, soaking in the landscape, breathing it in, and treasuring the neither-here-nor-there “now.” We get to choose how to respond. It’s our choice to turn moments into something meaningful.
#By fully inhabiting our threshold spaces we might do just that. Positive and healthy aging, yes please! So keep taking those deep breaths, soak in that pause, and make a difference to yourself and to those you love. Happy Spring everyone and see you next month for Part II.
#Nancy Weinbeck is the CEO of Bayview in Queen Anne.