Mid Life Transition — Kathy Crabbe

The midlife-crisis phenomenon has taken on almost mythic proportions in the American psyche over the past century. The term was first coined by the Canadian psychoanalyst Elliott Jaques, who noticed a pattern in the lives of “great men” in history: Many of them lost productivity—and even died—in their mid-to-late-30s, which was midlife in past cent

Of the various crises to which human beings are prone, mid-life crisis would appear to be the best-known as a juncture in which we lose our bearings. Our priorities lose their impetus, and our sense of what is significant goes awry.

During the so-called afternoon of life, we often shift our focus from what has been called the “résumé” qualities of our youth (what we do) to “eulogy” qualities (who we are), said Chip Conley, author of “Learning to Love Midlife.” But making that shift isn’t always automatic, so Conley suggested an exercise.

**List old identities that no longer ref

In a blessed atmosphere of salvation and redemption, individuals who reach these states of rebirth have a profound sense of heightened vitality, awakening, and the disappearance of physical and emotional symptoms. These are accompanied by feelings of deep forgiveness and brotherly and sisterly feelings toward all humanity. Grof found that people wh