Themes of Liminality

Abstract

Cancer family caregivers dwell in an evolving landscape of ambiguity and in-betweenness, as “betwixt and between,” in a space of unknowing. This space of unknowing exists within a transformational threshold of liminality, between what was known prior to the cancer and what will be known and embodied in the future. Theoretically grounded in Unitary Caring Science, this study used narrative inquiry alongside photo elicitation to cocreate cancer caregiver narratives and identify themes of liminality. Four thematic threads of liminality were identified as woven within and across the cancer caregiver narratives; stories of paradox, time warp, life disruption, and waiting in silence.