At times, a person begins to notice that time no longer feels like a continuous flow. The past does not release its grip, the future fails to take shape, and the present is experienced as a suspended state. According to Daniel Reinhardt, such experiences are often linked not to a single crisis, but to a disruption of inner temporal structure – when the psyche loses its ability to connect lived experiences into a coherent life narrative. In the clinical practice of MindCareCenter, we regularly encounter states in which a person lives “in between” – no longer in the past, yet unable to move toward the future.
The disintegration of subjective time develops gradually. A person may remain emotionally attached to past events that were never fully processed – losses, traumatic experiences, unrealized expectations, or important decisions that were never made. At the same time, the future stops being perceived as a space of possibility and begins to feel either empty or threatening. At MindCareCenter, we observe how this leads to a sense of stagnation, persistent inner tension, and the loss of a felt sense of movement.
Our psychologists note that being stuck in time is rarely caused by a lack of goals or motivation. More often, the issue lies in the psyche’s inability to safely rely on past experience, making it impossible to use that experience as a foundation for the future. The past remains emotionally unfinished, and any forward movement is perceived as a risk of repeating pain. In this state, the present loses its substance and is experienced more as waiting than as living.
At MindCareCenter, therapeutic work with the disintegration of subjective time begins by restoring contact with the present moment. We do not attempt to immediately “let go of the past” or force the creation of a clear future vision. Instead, the focus is on rebuilding a sense of presence – the ability to notice what is happening here and now without immediately retreating into memories or anxious projections. This forms the basis for the gradual restoration of temporal coherence.
Over time, therapy makes it possible to approach past experience safely. Our specialists help identify which events remain emotionally unfinished and continue to hold the client’s attention. This work is not about analyzing facts, but about processing what could not be emotionally processed at the time. When the past ceases to be a constant source of inner tension, the psyche gains the capacity to imagine the future.
At MindCareCenter, particular attention is given to working with the image of the future. For many clients, its absence is not due to a lack of desire, but to an imagination blocked by fear. We help gently restore the ability to fantasize, to imagine, and to tolerate uncertainty without immediate self-control. The future stops being an obligation and becomes a space for exploration and choice.
Gradually, a sense of temporal continuity is restored. A person begins to feel the connection between what was, what is, and what may be. The present gains depth, and life no longer feels like a prolonged waiting period or a repetition of the past. At MindCareCenter, we see how this process brings back a sense of inner movement and reduces existential anxiety.
The disintegration of subjective time is not an irreversible condition. It signals that the psyche needs support in processing experience and restoring inner reference points. At Mind Care Center, we accompany this process with care – helping, step by step, to rebuild the integrity of time and the experience of life as an unfolding path.
Previously, we wrote about how hatred can remain an unacknowledged emotion and how MindCareCenter specialists help process destructive feelings without self-destruction