The Liminal Space: Why the in-between Is where real transformation happens
There is a space most people rush through.
They label it uncomfortable. Unclear. Unproductive.
And they do everything they can to escape it.
But this space ~ the liminal ~ is where transformation actually happens.
What is the liminal space?
The liminal space is the threshold.
The in-between.
The moment after an old identity no longer fits, but before the new one has fully formed.
It’s the pause between:
Who you were and who you’re becoming
What ended and what hasn’t yet begun
Certainty and surrender
The word liminal comes from the Latin limen, meaning threshold.
A threshold is a boundary, a starting point, or level where a change occurs. And thresholds are not meant to be rushed.
Why the liminal feels so uncomfortable
In the liminal space, familiar structures dissolve.
Old coping mechanisms stop working.
Productivity loses its grip.
The nervous system doesn’t know what to reach for, and of course that can feel unsettling.
This is why so many people panic and start to overwork themselves, or overthink EVERYTHING. Quick to jump into the next thing, or force clarity before it’s ready. But forcing movement or faking momentum here doesn’t create growth. It creates repetition and maybe even burnout. .
The nervous system shift that happens in the pause
When you allow yourself to stay in the liminal:
Old patterns loosen
Stories begin to rewrite themselves
The nervous system releases its grip on control
Listening becomes more powerful than striving and pushing. Presence becomes more transformative than action.
This is not stagnation.
This is recalibration.
Anthropology, psychology, and somatic theory all recognize liminal states as initiation points; moments where identity reorganizes itself at a deeper level.
Why we’ve been taught to skip this part
We live in a culture that worships momentum, being the most efficient, doing more, pushing and striving constantly. But constant motion is often avoidance dressed as ambition.
The truth is: Transformation doesn’t happen in the leap. It happens in the pause.
In the space where nothing is certain and everything is possible.
This is the space I write from
Letters from the Liminal was born from this exact threshold.
It’s not content meant to motivate you. It’s writing meant to meet you.
This is where I get really personal and explore:
Identity death and rebirth
Nervous system wisdom
The unseen transitions that reshape our lives
The quiet moments where truth surfaces
It’s a slower rhythm.
A counterbalance to the noise.
A place to let integration happen.
You can read Letters from the Liminal here.
If you’re in between versions of yourself…If the old life doesn’t quite fit…If clarity feels distant…it’s ok. You’re not failing. You’re becoming.
The liminal doesn’t ask you to figure it out. It asks you to stay. To listen. To soften. To trust that something is reorganizing beneath the surface. This threshold isn’t something to escape. It’s something to cross, slowly, consciously, and on your own terms.