Dialectics and transformations in liminality: the use of narrative therapy groups with terminal cancer patients in Hong Kong

The rich literature about death and dying, the use of narrative analysis, and the extensive study of liminality in the field of medicine and the social sciences provide valuable insights into the experience of end-of-life care. However, the study of the transformation(s) in liminality, especially with regard to people suffering from terminal cancer, is still limited. Based on use of a narrative therapy group with people suffering from terminal cancer, this paper explores how the use of double-listening technique in narrative therapy groups, through the seeking of the dialectical experiences of the group members, facilitates transformations in liminality. The facilitation of the 'transformative power' of liminality is important because entering into the 'transformative space' of the liminality of patients with terminal cancer not only helps the social workers and other helping professions better understand the ambiguous experience of ‘knowing and not knowing’ and ‘acting and not acting’, but also extends the possibilities and alternatives in making sense of the dialectics (e.g., so weak and yet so strong, so little and yet so great, etc.) of the patients' narratives.Department of Applied Social Science