Oscillating imbalances: responding to the existentials in major life transitions

This paper presents a novel conceptual frame for understanding and talking about the existential aspects of life transitions, such as marital separations, undertaking a recovery process and major losses. The first key concept, finitude, refers to the many ways we as individuals are bounded and constrained by life circumstances. The second concept, transcendence, refers to those activities we engage in that take us beyond our finite, constrained existence. The third concept, equilibrium, refers to the ongoing state of balance we seek to maintain between the conflicting forces of finitude and transcendence. The lives of three composite characters are used to illustrate how major transitions disrupt this equilibrium and, in some cases, trigger oscillating imbalances that are very difficult to step away from. Their situations are presented in a style which highlight the inner dilemmas faced in major life transitions. What practitioners can do in helping to restore and maintain a re-established equilibrium is also discussed.