The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to develop and implement a participative unitary appreciative inquiry group for women who wished to explore their experience of midlife transition, and (2) to develop a profile that expressed the life patterning of women, both individually and collectively, that emerged from the process. Cowling's (2010) method of inquiry, participative unitary appreciative inquiry (PAUI), derived out of the conceptual foundation of Rogers' Science of Unitary Human Beings, provided the orientation, the process for exploration, and a way for viewing and making sense of the results called synopsis. Ten (10) women ranging in ages 50 to 66 years participated in the study. Eight were Euro-American and two were African American. The average years of education of the group were 14 years. Eight of the ten were employed full-time. Patterning was manifested uniquely by each woman though underlying themes emerged that were common across the cases. Most predominate was that the transition of midlife is a crossroads in life's journey where one comes face to face with her relative past, present and future. Transition is the point where transformation may be experienced through realization of one's ability to willingly participate and direct the changes that are occurring.
