Trauma, Transitions, and Thriving, by David Hartman,

Transitional experiences, what happens between states when someone changes
developmentally, are special windows of opportunity for growth. They can be viewed in the
microcosm of one’s moments or in the macrocosm of an individual’s life. We explore
varieties of transitions, such as incremental or abrupt (intentional/ revelatory), transcendent
or immanent, the ecstatic “aha experience” or trauma. The potential for growth increases
with the “seismic” proportions of the precipitating event, shaking the foundations of the
individual’s assumptions about life, and perhaps shattering them. Our reactions to
transitions range from avoidance and denial, delay and ambivalence, to “comfortableness at
the edge of the unknown abyss.” Choosing the path of traumatic growth leads to thriving in
one’s life. We explore common impediments to navigating these transitional windows and
also the best known methods for facilitating transitions. We present a model for
understanding these methods of facilitation, namely that they provide anchors (transitional
objects) to help navigate the transition, and include, for example, rites of passage,
pilgrimage, rituals, initiations, symbols, connectedness to the environment, remembering
“how not to,” staying conscious, mindful, and transcending complacency. The anchor is
always connected to staying true to one’s “true self,” being intentional about what part of
myself I choose to identify with, and thus with integrity, morals, values, and priorities. We
review the necessity of unlearning, deintegration, and unintegration in any growth process,
for example in meditation, near-death experience, pre-conception experience, the lucid
dream state, and the shamanic journey state.
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