Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes, Revised 25th Anniversary Edition

This is a great book, however, I must admit that when I first came across it I was wary "Oh no, another self-help book". But this is a thoughtful, well-grounded and well-written book with many fine insights. Clearly, William Bridges knows something about life, that is real life. So, the book is interspersed with practical examples of a range of people wrestling with change. And here is the rub. The issue is not change or changes, as they happen all the time, the real issue is the work of transition. Changes include everything from leaving home, changing jobs or ending a relationship. We cannot avoid them. In fact, they often threaten to swamp us. The key issue is what is happening inside of us. This is about who we are. This is about identity. This is the work of transition. A change may take 5 months, but a transition may take 5 years. It is how we deal with the interior work of transition that can make or break us. In turn, the work of transition can help us deal with change, present and future. As a counterexample, we all know people who run from one disaster to another, because they have not done the deeper work of transition. In this light, his work on endings is very helpful. In short, I would recommend this book to anyone grappling with change and what's happening to them in the process. Though the themes are familiar to psychologists, counselors, social workers, teachers and clergy, professionals would find this a refreshing approach.

It is now almost fifteen years since I entered into the challenging world of retirement. In no time at all, I found myself emulating the comment of another retiree to the effect that he was busier in retirement than he ever had been! At one of my retirement dinner ceremonies, a young lady came up to me and said, "Thank you for all that you have done and I think that you will find this book quite interesting!" I read the book in the next few days and its wisdom and humor have been with me ever since. It has so much to give to us beyond retirement! Since that time I would say that I have easily given away to my "retiring friends" at least forty copies of this book. Each time I have echoed the words of the original giver with the additional request to let me know what their reactions were. The unanimous sentiment was that the book provided so many helpful insights and now they are giving it away as well. I would only emphasize one point that is made in the book, we need to plan ahead for this event of retirement. It is not something we just step into having closed the door to our office. Rick Wheeler

I am no novice to psychology and self-actualization, yet this book offered information I neither thought of nor encountered elsewhere. I think particularly for Westerners, but for all, it will bring a shift in the way you view relationships and experiences. The shift is a freeing and kind one. Reading this book has bolstered and added new ways to navigate living and love for my beingness. The writing is convoluted. Bridges is a cerebral, analytical thinker. He often writes in the "subjective abstract". It took an effort to follow his trail, but he adds some good illustration to flesh out what he means. It is very well worth the effort to understand him. The wisdom in this book applies to so many stages of life and situations, it is in effect a handbook for living. It fits well with any spiritual path. It is a book that I plan to consult from time to time, because life and I do not stand still.

As I'm typing this review, it's been more than a year that she left me. Every word in this powerful book still resonates strongly in me. Beyond the separation, the mess and the sleepless nights and gray-blue days spent trying to make sense of what clearly doesn't have an ounce of reason, there is the transition: that's the sole message of this short book. This book was suggested by my therapist. Initially treated as support material, it quickly became an eye-opener. I would lie if I said it did not help me "move on". Or at least, it helped me realize the need to do so. What you do, afterward, is entirely up to you. Of course, one single book, in light of the hard turns life can make you take, cannot seriously pretend to show you the light (and if so, is there really a light?). But it helped, in a kind and gentle way. There is no recipe, or secret that you can only get if pay the fee. No, you have to look beyond and figure out that strange, mucky zone where some of us can stay stuck in for a long, long time. I would recommend this reading to anyone who feels like somehow, they let the ropes loose but never really set sail. It's ok to be adrift, to let oneself go if you accept that sometimes, it's the only way. Consider this Step 1 in your quest to "Making Sense of Life's Changes". There are too many steps, too many twists and one read can't change much. But it's one hell of a great start.

The book content itself is great for processing changes/transitions. Easy to read and understand, as well as apply the mindset to transitions in life. The physical book itself: Three out of the 15 books I ordered, for a book discussion, had pages 51-82 backwards and upside down. Funny as it is a change book, though difficult for reader to read. (Initially one of my participants thought it was a planned error to see how they handle change.) :)

I'm currently in between employers, taking some time to review, reflect, and assess before moving on to my next job. A good friend of mine, when asked if he had any suggestions to help guide me through my current employment lacuna, recommended this book and it was great advice. Unlike many "self-help" books, it doesn't attempt to be a "how-to" guide for navigating life events. Rather, the author sets out a specific model for understanding the circumstances and experiences of those transitions, inverting the usual chronology of "beginning-stasis-ending" into one of "ending-chaos-beginning", and identifies the underlying aspects that accompany each stage of the transition. The concepts and examples seemed to align clearly with my own situation; nearly every page contained some bit of content that matched my experiences. In particular, it's provided me valuable insight into navigating my current "in-between" state, where I'm trying to understand the circumstances that got me here and open myself to possibility. I still have a good amount of practical work ahead, but I can now approach it with an honest and clear mindset, and be prepared for whatever comes next.

A masterful mix of real world examples and lessons of antiquity and Greek tragedies to outline the difficult process of life transitions. In short, you must face the music and deal with your fears in order to truly move from A to B in life. Having it handed to you will not make you happy and fulfilled in the long term, only delay dissatisfaction. And the book won’t do it for you either, but may set your mind in motion to make meaningful change in your own life.

Although this has been out for a while, it is everlasting. Bridges' approach to the various transitions we all inevitably go through is a well thought out process that addresses the stages of change in our lives. Whether you are leaving home for the first time, getting married, having a child, getting divorced, taking a new job or losing one, he helps you understand why you feel the way you do. His explanation of "ending" the previous life or relationship before beginning a new one is spot on. I meet many people who have never let go and don't realize that is what is holding them back. As a mid-life transition coach I strongly recommend this book to anyone experiencing empty nests, loss of careers or spouses or relocations. This book is an excellent read for folks of all ages and a must have for coaches and counselors.

A simple no fuss book on the subject of transitions that occur in all our lives. A must read for every human.

Recommended by one of my biz school professors, this book comes as great help to understand the transition process that I am undergoing, and to accept the complicate to live "neutral zone". Bridges scans myths and legends through the modern psychological lense and reinterpretates the profound meanings in simple yet elegant terms. A must read.

Un libro estremamente utile, con moltissimi spunti interessanti. Ti fa pensare a tutta una serie di aspetti in modo diverso.

After a long, long military career I was really struggling with the changes in my life that leaving had brought about. I tried a few things but nothing really seemed to make sense - a sort of 'lost' feeling - and then, as so often happens, the right thing came along. In this case, a friend recommended this book (and I have bought him beer to thank him!). This is neither a book of techniques for finding your way nor a self-help manual in the typical sense, but as I read it I kept recognising the emotions the author described, and much of what he has written resonated at a very personal level. I'm not suggesting that all my confusion magically went away, but it certainly helped me understand and thus feel better about what I was/am experiencing. I read Bridges as making 2 main points: (1) Change happens to everyone, all the time, but that's just logistics - we move house, change cars and so forth. Transition, however, is psychological, and that's why it's hard, and that's what this book is about. (2) Before a new beginning there has to be an ending. Bridges' model is: ending, neutral zone, new beginning, and his proposition is that people in a transition need to recognise and accept the endings before we can make a good new beginning. He talks about 5 'D's - disengagement, disorientation, dismantling, dis-identification, and disenchantment, which seemed to me be various facets of letting go, and essential for good endings. If you are struggling with changes in your life and finding it confusing then I empathise - we are fellow travellers - and want to understand (as opposed to being told what to do) then you might find this book useful and interesting: I certainly did, which is why I've just bought another of his books.

Un libro de "must read" colleccion