A New View of Boundaries, Frontiers, and Limits: Who am I and What are we? Boundaries are one of the primary elements that enable life as we know it. Boundaries function first to build a separate inner world from the outer, and then to allow exchange between them, as in the cell membrane. They allow the exchange of nutrition, waste, and building and repair materials to move in and out of the cell as needed. They say “yes” and “no” to what goes in and out, but they do it in a very precise and managed way. They have a very clear structure, and a discriminative capacity as to what is life supporting and what is not. One could say, they “feel” their way, and their feeling is the result of their biochemistry, as it attracts and repels appropriate molecules.

Boundaries manage these exchanges by changing their permeability – they can be very porous and become rigid and dense. They effectively change their form depending on the state of the inner and outer environment. In this framework, one could define limits as those extreme positions at which a boundary no longer has elastic capacity. When it reaches its limit, it can no longer move in the direction it was going, but can only stay there or retreat. In moving beyond its limit, the organism runs the risk of damaging itself or evoking emergency responses. Thus one must be able to differentiate a physiological or psychological limit from a self-imposed limitation, which can be modified.

Frontiers can be understood as boundaries that are relatively undefined, under-formed. Frontiers are perceivable and visualizable, yet still open-ended. They need to be explored and tested in order to take on a functional form and to become clear. Often, as in the exploration of the American frontier in its early days, they require taking risks and confronting the unknown.

These ideas will form the basis for this seminar, which engage participants in a conceptual and experiential exploration of the functions and roles of boundaries, limits and frontiers. The course will use lecture, demonstration, and a variety of exercises and experiences to both personalize our experience and to find ways to apply this material in practice.