06/10/2021
Transitions
From one place to another
As a year changes into those that follow
A transition from role to role
Or from lives together to a life without
Transitions are the times ‘in between’
They are ‘no longer’ and ‘not yet’
While also being both at once.
As we es**rt our clients through the chapters of their lives, it is important that we linger exactly there –
In this brimming space between that which exists and that which is in the process of becoming
Where eyes are tired or sparkling
And feet search for their next step (even if slowly, with the tips of their toes…).
In the midst of this constantly shifting continuum of places
It is important we stop. And observe this moment embracing longing and hope:
It is important we approach the pain of our clients with care as they take farewell of all that was, of all that they were,
Helping them take in all that which can help them in the future,
And letting go of that which weighs them down.
Observing the fear together, with eyes that seek well
Hence, when a client uses projective cards to describe a series of periods in their life to tell us of the meaningful events and people that were part of their journey, we first invite them to observe what emerges from each card: the feelings, thoughts, deeds and stories behind each place and time they share with us.
Once we have made these observations, however, we would benefit from looking at the transitions as well – at the point in which each card touches the one beside it. It is vital that we linger there, in that space connecting the images, asking questions such as:
- Where on the initial card has the transition to the next card begun?
- Did the River or its environment change first?
- What was the pace of the river’s flow during the process of transition? Which feelings accompanied the change?
- Is there a card that can describe this transition period in depth?
- How would the river describe this part of its own flow?
- How would people from the client’s environment describe this phase?
It is important to linger at that point. To observe the images. To ask and to listen with curiosity.
For each transition is not only the passage from a path to another upon the map that our client lays before us. Each transition is the space of change, constantly being refined, between the hand and the compass it holds.
Visit our website to learn various ways of using projective cards in therapy: https://www.storyandtherapy.com
