Everyone has a unique journey and won’t follow the same roadmap, but there are some patterns that we all pass through. The exact names are one of those things people will argue about, so don’t get too stuck in terminology.
This guide/video is a good rough idea, just remember your exact path might vary a little:
Again, don’t get too hung up on the names and terminology. Those who don’t understand where their focus is supposed to be, you’re not studying for an exam here. Look at the stages as concepts not terms.
Most of us start with yearning/searching (before you even meet), recognition and awakening (when you first meet and that intense feeling of knowing each other hits), falling in love/honeymoon phase, then crisis/testing where everything gets really intense and problems start surfacing.
Again, some people won’t go through this and they won’t be physical at the beginning either.
After that usually comes the runner/chaser dynamic and we have separation, which is probably the most painful part for most people. One twin gets overwhelmed and pulls away while the other one is desperate to reconnect. This is also when ‘soul shock’ tends to happen - neither of you was actually prepared for this level of connection, even though you thought you wanted it.
Then there’s surrender (when you both stop fighting the connection and let go of the ego stuff), reunion, and finally union. Some people list 7, some say 8, some even say 12 - the exact number doesn’t matter that much. The stages aren’t linear. You can be in multiple at once or seem to go backwards. The lines blur and you might skip things or backtrack completely. Most people spend the longest time in the runner/chaser phase because that’s where the most inner work needs to happen (and most people are not doing it).
Also worth knowing - not every twin flame couple goes through a separation stage, though most do.