The Way Of Transition Embracing Life's Most Difficult Moments

by Bridges, William

• ISBN13: 9780738205298
• ISBN10: 073820529X
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-12-06
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books

Summary

William Bridges' lifelong work has been devoted to a deep understanding of transitions and to helping others through them. When his own wife of thirty-five years died of cancer, however, he was thrown head-first into the kind of painful and confusing abyss he had known before only in theory. An honest account of being in transition, this uncommonly wise and moving book is a richly textured map of the personal, professional, and emotional transformations that grow out of tragedy and crisis. Demonstrating how disillusionment, sorrow, or confusion can blossom into a time of incredible creativity and contentment, Bridges highlights the profound significance and value of endings in our lives.

Author Biography

Formerly a professor of English, William Bridges made a shift to the field of transitional management in the mid-1970s; out of his workshops has grown a long career of consulting, lecturing, and helping others through transitions. He lives with his wife in Mill Valley, California.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Prologue	xi
Change and Transition	1	(18)
How I Rediscovered Transition	19	(14)
Why We Go Through Transition	33	(20)
Letting Go of My Life	53	(20)
The Way of Transition	73	(22)
My Intensive Course in Love	95	(20)
The Archetype of the Journey	115	(18)
Discovering My Vocation	133	(22)
Finding Myself in the Neutral Zone	155	(24)
Transition and Elderhood	179	(22)
Beginning a New Life	201	(14)
An Epilogue	215	(8)
Notes	223