The Silence Between: The Role of Transitional Time and Space to Adjust to Key Life Events in the Orthodox Jewish Community

This article aims to present two vignettes that illustrate the impact on emotional and psychological adjustment when significant life events occur in a short space of time, at a young age, using the Orthodox Jewish Community as a vehicle. These are due to religious and cultural mores. There is often sparse opportunity to process transitions, navigate new identities and roles, and just “be” in the silent liminal space between. This often reveals itself floridly in the perinatal period when opportunities for personal expansion and self-actualisation may become considerably attenuated. The author examines transitional space, the liminal, quiet time separating life events that enable self-growth, reflection, and adjustment. The features of different life-stages, maturity, and development of the individual will also be considered. The clinical vignette and the semi-structured interview intend to stimulate thinking about the effect on the mental health of mothers of these rapid transitions and, in turn, the capacity to attach and attune to infants. It highlights the overlap between symptoms of perinatal mood disorders and adjustment disorder. This article invites discussion and further exploration of whether junctures exist where the pace could be decelerated, whilst honouring sacred beliefs and practices within the context of faith.