The Aha Moment
The word threshold causes me to dream of pretty doors, gates, and entrances into new spaces, all of which, in my imagination, are places of transition into new ‘wide open spaces’ to use biblical language.
My first PhD research in 2006-8, which I had to defer completing due to having my fourth child (and then was unable to finish as my tutor moved cities), was exploring a question about facilitating ‘the aha moment’ both in a psychotherapy context and a church context. I realised these ‘light bulb moments’ excited me more than other aspects of my senior church leader and psychotherapist roles. In both settings, the momentum for growth and change, accompanied by a sudden burst of excitement and energy, were the moments of ‘the light shining in the deep darkness’ and clarity being sudden and exhilarating. I spent those years wondering why we weren’t specifically aiming to facilitate these moments strategically because it seemed that they were the moments that fuelled or kickstarted transformation. In Gestalt psychotherapy, unlike other psychotherapy models, it is a core concept that uses the name ‘aha moment’. Hidden within a book called ‘Gestalt Psychotherapy’, it is described as [1]‘quite simply a moment of sudden insight. Often, it will be preceded by a period of stuckness, an impasse, and surface as the client begins to accept that impasse or makes an authentic movement away from it.’ Whilst the aha moment or the light bulb moment could be the actual few minutes of realisation and clarity, it is always followed by a process of application and transformation, which can bring the conflict of hope alongside destabilisation in some areas. A threshold concept is related in many ways, but rather than being an instant moment of realisation, it is an integrative process. Both are irreversible and become part of what we know, and both change how we view and interact with the world, both immediately and over time. An aha moment can occur when wrestling with understanding a threshold concept, but it is maybe less like a flash of light and, instead, maybe a small fire that flickers through the liminal space until it begins to burn brighter with understanding and clarity and subsequent transformation.
The peri-menopause powder that sits in my kitchen in a pink and white bag is what I add to my morning drink to attempt to keep me healthy, and it is called Liminal. It is named to give voice to that stage of life where women can feel somewhat suspended between the youth of our past and the older stage of our future. That suspended feeling of being in between is the sense of liminality that uncomfortable place many of us will continually feel in the active journey of embracing change. We can imagine the future where the dust has settled, and we are confident and can see clearly, but we are caught in the middle of being less sure than we were and not certain of what we think we may be grasping. It’s uncomfortable and stretching, and the world no longer feels the same as it did. I teach people about trauma and watch the process of their wrestling with the liminal space. As they become aware of trauma symptoms and coping mechanisms, they can find themselves immediately feeling the discomfort of suddenly being aware of the connection of their past with their present and how that has formed part of their way of interacting with the world. They are immersed into the liminal space where they cannot ‘un-know’ what they now know, but they are often frozen as they look forward and backward, reflecting, questioning and wrestling with how much trauma has been a theme that has been woven into the tapestry of their life.
This three-year study is part of my intentional decision to try and navigate my age-related liminal period of my life with focus and grace and as such I am hopeful for some aha moments to be a part of the transformation process. The ‘mess of the middle’ is a phrase that is applied to many aspects of transformation, whether it is the building of a house or a cake or recovery from a mistake or trauma, or being on the edge of a new understanding or concept, but it is also applicable to a period of growth, change and learning and it can be accompanied by feelings of insecurity, lack of confidence and feeling fear of potential failure. Acknowledging difficult feelings can be less overwhelming and less secretly destructive when we realise that every human wrestles with such feelings. Being within a liminal space where our thoughts are not ordered yet and our understanding is changing can be uncomfortable and irritating but the difficult feelings decrease as the uncertainty is embraced with humility and curiosity. The feeling of shame can accompany the fear of failure, but both can diminish when others who are on a similar path or have walked the path before us can empathise and offer encouragement that it is worth the effort of the discomfort to keep journeying towards growth and new understanding. My new goal is to master the ability to be a learner who is maturing in my learning approach, and so has become [2]‘more relaxed about the liminal zone and actually finds the tension stimulating and a necessary part of the learning trajectory.’
#DLGP, #Meyer
[1] Mann, Dave. Gestalt Therapy: 100 Key Points and Techniques. 1st ed. London: Routledge. 2010.
[2] Meyer, J., & Land, R. Flanagan. M. (2016). Threshold Concepts in Practice. Educational Futures: Rethinking Theory and Practice. Vol. 68. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers, 2016. 326.
About the Author
Betsy
8 responses to “The Aha Moment”
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Betsy –
It’s fascinating to see how your previous research integrates so well with our current studies. Of course, I’ve known these no-turning-back, “lightbulb” moments exist–I’ve seen and experienced them, but they have felt almost mystical and happenstance. As you shared, knowing there are ways we can help facilitate them almost demands the need to invest there–it’s the space of transformation!
Thank you for inviting us into how you’re processing your own liminal space; I’m glad we get to be on the journey together.
In your learning and experience, what are the things you’ve discovered we do that can impede these moments in ourselves or for others? I’m especially curious about the things we might naturally think are helpful but actually hinder those ‘light bulb’ moments.
Jeremiah- I’m glad you have experienced those ‘lightbulb’ moments. I think there are patterns around them which can help us recognise the ingredients to help facilitate them. However, I spent two years interviewing people and doing the groundwork, so sadly, I didn’t have the privilege of spending time synthesising the findings. The themes that began to emerge were that the people who experienced them had a hunger for something more and were almost looking for something to make sense. There was a sense of unrest where they may not have cognitively or consciously recognised their search for meaning, but their behaviour evidenced they were seeking either a resolution of an experience through understanding a different angle or perspective, grasping neurobiology, or just gaining further understanding of the complexity of being a human.
I also noted that there was a pattern when people had experiences, and they were able to do the hard work of noticing and acknowledging their thinking that occurred at the time of those moments; they could see the stuck-ness, and that created a desperation for change that could lead to a sudden realisation due to understanding. The pro-active activity of seeking answers to the unspoken, I guess.
Thank you, Betsy!
It’s interesting that you note how some of the people experiencing unrest may not even have been cognizant of their own unrest. I would like to imagine that this is where the Church at its best is well positioned to be part of this journey–if I am in healthy community, even when I’m not aware of my unrest, those around me probably are, and they can offer support and guidance. My experiences can attune me to the patterns present in the lives of others, allowing me to support and guide them, too. I wonder if that kind of commnuity could also help us “see the stuck-ness” as you noted above.
Thanks again!
‘The mess in the middle.’ I’m with you on that last paragraph.
I’m finishing the interior of my barn and called for my first ever plumbing inspection yesterday, which was in your words, “… accompanied by feelings of insecurity, lack of confidence and feeling fear of potential failure.” (No, I’m not a plumber nor do I have aspirations!). It isn’t fun to have my errors and misunderstandings pointed out, but that is a necessary step in acquiring a new ability.
In the words of Brene Brown; “Humility is openness to new learning combined with a balanced and accurate assessment of our contributions, including our strengths, imperfections, and opportunities for growth.’ I also share no interest in acquiring skills for plumbing, but I wonder what fascinating new knowledge could be easier to grasp if we did deeply apply ourselves to develop skills that seem unrelated to our natural interests. Skills that are learnt with ‘hands-on’ application can stimulate the parietal lobe because of the sensory input, and that enables knowledge to be integrated! I think your academic background leans more to plumbing than mine though so i won’t compete!
Beautiful post, Betsy. I appreciate how it handles the conceptual topics we are studying with intelligence and then connects them to the issues of life.
What has been an experience in your practice where your thinking has changed drastically as a result of an integrative “aha” moment? When have you busted through the liminal state into a new “gestalt”?
Thanks, Joff, for your kind words.
Actually, I think I have had a pattern of having a few significant aha moments but not realising it fully until I explain it to others. At this point, as I explain my new not- entirely- fully -formed insight, I notice the faces of shock, and I realise it is quite revolutionary. That’s how some of my theories have been formed, which are now used in the helping of hurting people within the psychotherapy world. I believe Jesus entrusted me with some keys, which started as a gentle aha insight that progressed to be a lightbulb moment that changed how I viewed the world. It became apparent that they were a revelation from heaven to bring transformation to God’s people. Does that make sense? I guess my liminal period was more about self-doubt and curiosity that others had not thought of before and found helpful. That wrestle was a combination of confusion, shock, delight, surprise and a need to grow in confidence in the fact that whilst ‘there is nothing new under the sun’, there is also so little we understand of the complexity of being a human.
Betsy,
You described this beautifully and it is a deeply thoughtful response, filled with rich insights about the transformative power of liminality. I can feel the careful thought you’ve given to the connection between your previous research, personal experiences, and your current learning journey. It’s amazing how one word can cause something in you that creates excitement and the need to dive in deeper and for some of us, causes the reaction to want to run. The way you describe “threshold” as a gateway to “wide open spaces” appeals to a wide range of possibilities. The metaphor of a door, gate, or entrance sets a positive, hopeful tone, that I would have never imagined. It highlights the idea of liminality as a space of transition and growth. The connection you make to biblical language also deepens the metaphor, adding spiritual and existential dimensions to the concept of liminality. Great job! I really enjoyed reading your blog—it was a pleasure to see such a scholarly and thoughtful approach to understanding these concepts.