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Life Transitions · Assessment

Transition Map (Bridges)

Ending, neutral zone, new beginning

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William Bridges' model: every transition has three phases — ending, neutral zone (the messy middle), and new beginning. Most suffering comes from expecting to skip the middle.

What's ending
The neutral zone I'm in
What feels unformed, ambiguous, in-between
Signs of a new beginning starting to form
Small — energy for something, a new interest, an opening

The middle is not stuck

The neutral zone is where the actual reorganization happens. Rushing out of it means starting the next thing before you were ready.

References & further reading

Conceptual background and further reading, not validation of this handout. Named instruments and methods belong to their original authors; custom prompts and trackers are not validated versions of those instruments.

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