The Before And After Moment
The Before and After Moment - Photo: Amanda Linette Meder, book Passages among broken pots outside
Updated 2022.11.28. This page contains affiliate links and this site earns from qualifying purchases made through these sponsored links.
In storytelling theory, there is an idea that our life is divided up into seven or eight segments.
Between each, is an event or turning point that pivots our entire life view.
After the turning point, a person experiences changes in their views of relationships, their philosophy on life, and how they view themselves.
These segments of change typically represent phases of our life. They can be separated by simple things like the change of a decade, the move to a new state or a new career unfolding.
Pivot points can also be crises, where everything that we once knew falls away. As a result, we are forced to look at the world in a new way, and we find ourselves in a situation where a new way of looking at the world is looking back at us.
These events are called the before and after moments and are defined as a moment in your life that before which, everything is different and after which everything is different.
These before and after moments in our lives are often marked by a change event, such as
Any type of loss, chosen by you or for you
Any type of new beginning, chosen by you or for you
A near-death experience
Crossing a major life threshold
They can launch our entire lives into a new direction - we can become the victor of our circumstances.
They can also bring us into an entirely new journey of discovery about the nature of the self, about who we are, and about what matters in life.
They can initiate growth
Because they are often marked by trauma, before and after moments usually have the opportunity to initiate positive growth and have the potential to stimulate healing.
Before and after moments can also launch someone into a state of Dharmata, which is a Sanskrit word meaning the intrinsic essence of everything, the true nature of reality.
The state of Dharmata is a mental mindset, and it can be very relaxing, feel like a haze, and give you a new perspective on the meaning of life. This mental state doesn’t last forever, but it can feel like you are waking up from a dream.
One of the biggest things that people experience when they go through a before and after moment is a test of faith.
This usually stems from the idea that whatever higher source they were connected to, wasn’t protecting them at the moment where everything changed. It’s normal to feel this way, so if you do, know that that feeling is par for the course.
They can return us to center
Sometimes these moments show up to stretch and grow us outside our bubble, teach us about our own resiliency, or give us empathy into a situation that we never had before.
Many times, these before and after moments can be powerful stimulates for self-love and they can return us to a place of balance within ourselves.
It's also normal to feel that life before was a sort of dream being lived, and that in life after, you are stepping into a new dream.
According to some metaphysicians, life is nothing but a series of dream states that we are continually waking up from, so this feeling wouldn’t be too far from the truth.
Before and after moments can bring about positive life changes, not only for us but for the people around us. So sometimes, they are essential catalysts that spark a different direction in our lives. For some people, before and after moments become the very inspirational stories that motivate others.
Do you have a moment in your life where everything before was different?
As painful as these moments can be, they can also bring about a more mindful, peaceful state of being as soon as recovery and reintegration begins.
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