Ever had that eerie feeling when you step into a place that's both familiar and foreign? That's the magic of liminal spaces. These are the spots that give you a sense of "I'm not sure where I am, but I'm definitely somewhere."
Liminal spaces often give people a sense of being in a surreal moment, and they've become a popular subject for online communities who appreciate their unique and sometimes eerie atmosphere. Thanks to the r/LiminalSpace subreddit, boasting 661k members, we've got a treasure trove of these uncanny pics to admire. From empty waiting rooms to desolate hallways, there's something inexplicably intriguing about these in-between places.
So, let's explore the spaces that are on the border between reality and dreams. So, let's explore the spaces that are on the border between reality and dreams. And don't forget to upvote the most peculiar places below!
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Train Station In Denmark
In their teens Thomas, James and Gordon went through a brief Satanic phase.
Proof It's Not Flat
"AI! AI!" says someone who just knows that vaccines are made out of dead babies and contain a microchip that lets Bill Gates track one to the end of the Earth (the flat earth, obviously). 😉
Old Water Reservoir
If you’re not familiar with the concept, liminal spaces can be described as places or moments where you feel like you're in between two different things, neither here nor there. It's like that strange feeling you get when you're in an empty parking lot at night or in a quiet, empty hallway.
To get to know more about why liminal spaces can feel so unsettling and intriguing, Bored Panda spoke with Francis McAndrew, Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology at Knox College. Keep scrolling to learn more about the psychology behind these eerie but fascinating experiences and what makes them so captivating.
Starting To Look Like Christmas
I Made It To The Very End Of My Neighborhood, What's Next ?
Does This Count? I’m Currently Here. Airport. Alone
“By definition, a liminal space represents a transition from something familiar and safe to something new and uncertain. It can be an actual physical space that one moves through or a more abstract period of time during which a significant life change is taking place. In either case, it is unsettling and is often experienced as unpleasant,” McAndrew told us. But why do these places make us feel this way?
According to the professor, creepiness is entirely about uncertainty. “We are uncomfortable with ambiguity and unpredictability. A place that is hard to figure out is troubling to us because we are unsure about whether there is something to fear from it or not. This feeling of getting ‘creeped out’ marshals our resources and keeps us paying attention in order to resolve the uncertainty.”
This Makes It Feel So Much Worse
Who Loves Nature?
An Apartment Building In My City
Liminal spaces can be fascinating and a bit eerie at the same time. They grab our attention, but they can also make us feel uncomfortable. So, why do we find them both creepy and captivating? McAndrew shared that liminal spaces capture our curiosity - “we don't usually like them, but we can't look away. Liminal spaces violate our expectations; empty places that are usually crowded or places with features that seem out of context are fascinating because we feel compelled to try and make sense of them.”
Seattle Public Library - Love The Red Floor
Everything Looks So Perfect And Beautiful, Which Is Not Normal
Found On A Camera Phone From 2009
So, the next time you find yourself in a quiet, empty space that's neither here nor there, remember that you're experiencing a liminal space. What are your thoughts on these pictures? Did you find them eerie and unsettling? Share your experiences in the comments!
My Sister Took This Picture, I Don't Like This
I Got To Pull An All Nigther In A Mall And This Was So Eery
End Of Life Care?
A "Green Space" Being Built In A Hospital
My Hotel Room Feels Like It’s Straight Out Of The Backrooms
Garden
I Have A Liminal Space Outside My Window
We have plenty of this here. And plenty a******s that try to go under my truck because they don t know how to take a roundabout. Recently I ripped all the front part of a car with my rear part of my truck because a young lady decide she fits in left side while I was turning.....the cops laughed because she said she was right .
Was Told This Would Fit Here. A Pic I Took From Our Hotel Balcony In Turkey On A Family Holiday
The End Of Time
If You Wander Through A Khazakstani Exclusion Zone, You'll Eventually Be Surrounded By Irradiated Alien-Like Metal Structures. These Are Known As The Geese And Sit On The Site Of The Most Nuclear-Bombed Site In The World. Semipalatinsk
Is It Just Me, Or Does Barbieland Feel Liminal To You Too?
Visited My Childhood Mall, It Always Had So Many People. I Can Still Hear Them But... I Don't See Anybody
Think I Captured The Liminal Feeling
A Hotel My Mom Worked In Growing Up, Closed In 2013ish
My Workplace Is Looking A Little Like A Liminal Space-
Bedroom With A Pool
My Local Indoor Playground Is Really Creepy In My Opinion
Went To The Therapist. Greeted By This
Note: this post originally had 70 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Backrooms nerd here, I went through and commented a level number on all the pictures I thought looked like certain levels. Feel free to look them up to read more about them!
I know nothing abt the backrooms tell me more pls
Load More Replies...
I absolutely love these and want to go to them all. Just to be there. Breaks my heart to think they are probably just going to be vandalized or destroyed.
Backrooms nerd here, I went through and commented a level number on all the pictures I thought looked like certain levels. Feel free to look them up to read more about them!
I know nothing abt the backrooms tell me more pls
Load More Replies... I absolutely love these and want to go to them all. Just to be there. Breaks my heart to think they are probably just going to be vandalized or destroyed.
