Crisis in My Life Referencing Hopsons Model of Change

In 1976 Hopson and Adams presented a model of the seven stages people go through when experiencing a major change in their lives and the profound effect it can have. It was devised to help people understand what was happening to them, to recognise that the stages were normal and therefore manage their process better.

The transitions may be planned and positive such as the birth of a child, a marriage or a career move. Or unplanned and unwelcome as in a loss of some description. These seven stages may take a long time to work through particularly if it is a negative event and not of our choosing, and it is acknowledged that some stages may be missed altogether or be re-visited many times and not in any particular sequence. There is also a danger that some people may become "stuck" at a certain point and struggle to move forward in life.

This is all part of the process of our emotional growth (or not) caused by the upheaval we are experiencing. Hopsons model also serves to point out that you will have gained something from the experience even if it was unwelcome and you would rather have never gone through it.

Crisis in my Life.

I can pinpoint the exact date and time when my crisis began. It was saturday 20th August 2011 at 4.40pm.

From that moment on nothing was and ever will be the same again. My husband who I had adored for twenty five years, came in from work and destroyed me and our lovely family with 2 words, "I`m leaving" Until the moment of this revelation I had been deeply in love and believed him to be too. Had you asked me a moment before to describe my marriage, I would have melted and told you how amazing we were together... the envy of everyone that knew us.

There had honestly been no signs to the contrary, we had just returned from an Oxford break with our closest friends, also married. I had bought him a new "token" wedding ring while we were there which he helped me choose. This was inconceivable. He was brutal in his dismissal of me. I kept...