Both in the Oz Factor and in a typical liminal space, a key element is unnatural silence. As a result, the environment seems frozen . The absence of sound and movement reinforces the impression that time has stood still. This removal from the ordinary flow of events is the essence of the feeling of liminality—of being "between" time and space.
A sense of isolation is another common denominator. The Oz Factor often involves a sense of being alone with an unexplained phenomenon, even if other people were present moments ago (the witnesses' consciousness seems to filter them out). Liminal spaces are, by definition, empty or abandoned, which generates a similar feeling of isolation. One is left alone with oneself—and possibly with an "other reality," whether in the form of one's own thoughts or something supernatural.
In the Oz Factor state, the witness experiences a different time and place, often experiencing a sense of surrealism (as in a dream). Liminal space also evokes surreal sensations—a familiar place becomes alien and unreal, the moment seems detached from the normal course of the day. One could say that both situations are characterized by unreality. The world appears "almost the same, but not quite"—this subtle dissonance generates anxiety and astonishment.
The Oz Factor is a transition—it often heralds a transition to a climactic event (such as a UFO or a ghostly manifestation). It's a gateway between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Liminal space is also a threshold—literally and metaphorically. We stand between significant points (entrance and exit, the starting and finishing point of a journey). At thresholds, we often feel uneasy, because our identity (traveler? household member? guest?) is suspended. It's a moment of potential—something can happen.
People who describe the Oz Factor often say, afterward, that although it was unsettling, they also felt a certain awe or curiosity during the event—as if they were participating in something unique, almost magical. Similarly, photographs and the experience of liminal spaces have a bipolar effect: they evoke fear and discomfort, but at the same time attract us, hypnotize us with their mysterious charm. This mixture of fear and attraction is typical of phenomena known in English as the uncanny . The term " uncanny valley" is sometimes used to refer to liminal places—we feel strange in them because they are simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar. The Oz Factor, in turn, is the uncanny itself: familiar surroundings suddenly become unfamiliar through the action of an invisible force.
So, can we say that the Oz Factor is a kind of liminal experience? Many researchers lean toward this conclusion. Ultimately, it's a state in which a person crosses a threshold of consciousness—passing from the ordinary world into the "Land of Oz," the extraordinary. It's a liminal state between normal and altered perception, between safety and unknown threat, between reality and the possibility of the supernatural. In this sense, the Oz Factor can be considered a mental "liminal space"—a space in the mind where, for a moment, different rules apply.
Physical liminal spaces, in turn, can act as a catalyst for such sensations. If someone is alone in an abandoned place and experiences something strange there, the Oz factor will likely be amplified. Even without the paranormal element, it's enough to spend a long time in the silence of an abandoned building to begin to experience certain changes in consciousness: a heightened sense of awareness at every slightest sound, slight illusions (is someone standing there in the distance? Has something moved?), and a distorted sense of time (hours in solitude can pass differently).
This demonstrates that our physical surroundings strongly influence our mental state. Liminal places can easily evoke sensations akin to paranormal experiences—it's no wonder that ghost and UFO stories arise in such settings.
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