Prioritising yourself with Talking Therapy.

Are you:

• Feeling angry and irritated most of the time
• Not being able to sleep
• Experiencing Hot flushes
• Having Low self-esteem
• Feeling Fear
• Exhausted most of the time
• With Low libido
• Feeling unable to voice your needs

These are just some of the symptoms of menopause.

Days ago, the Guardian posted an article (Link) based on research from UCL (University College London) on how talking therapy can help women through menopause.

Professor Aimee Spector from University College London found there is a clear link between the physical and psychological symptoms of menopause; hot flushes are one of these symptoms. She said that when women have hot flushes, they get very anxious about having them, which can cause more hot flushes. The study found (Link) that CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), which is cost-effective as it is available on the NHS, can help overcome the negative thoughts that women have over anxiety and fear. But, it has minimal effects on anxiety and depression.

The research found Mindfulness to have limited effects on depression but more significant for anxiety, and the research team believes that this may be due to the interventions employed for Mindfulness being longer in duration than CBT. They concluded that more research is needed on whether CBT can help women manage cognitive problems like brain fog in menopause.

I wanted to comment because my reaction was right there when I read it!

Empowering women in ways that can have benefits beyond HRT (hormone replacement therapy) is essential at midlife in the perimenopause menopause transition, a natural part of life, the beginning of a new phase to be embraced instead of feared or ashamed of.

HRT works wonders for many women and others not, and there are many alternatives, too. Doing your research and finding what fits your body is essential. This, I believe, includes prioritising yourself and talking to the right therapist who is menopause informed.

I had been doing this for years.

Relational therapy works with the mind, the heart, the body, breath and energy. I believe that your empowerment doesn’t come just through thinking positive thoughts to change your mood but that your lifestyle, the food you eat, the people you spend time with, your beliefs about yourself and your relationship with your body are all necessary to address.
I offer this because menopause is not the end of the road; it’s the beginning of a new journey!

I know that Mindfulness alone is not really effective. I know that being in the here and now with mindful awareness and ‘heartful’ awareness of your body and spirit with another or others in a co-regulated space is where your transformation and healing can happen. When you take the time to understand what you need in integration with the words of your body in a safe and solid therapeutic relationship, you can change!

Often, menopause is a time when stored traumas and grief can emerge like a wild beast in the form of hot flushes, for example, which can be nature’s way of screaming to pay attention to the emotions held inside and an opportunity to update your life and heal the anger, pain and grief you have pushed away, hoping to forget about it.

Working with me, we will consider how you are experiencing yourself in the here and now, how you were as a child, your ways of interacting with others and your behaviour (which includes body language, tone of voice, gestures, breathing, etc.)

In menopause, more than ever, it is essential that you are:

• Listening to your body by acknowledging its stored emotions which is vital in menopause.
• Moving your body daily, eating wisely, and connecting with the earth, your dreams, and the people who nourish you.
• Prioritising yourself and learning to live with an open heart.

How does this process work in therapy?

• Through listening to our stories and challenging the maladaptive decisions that have been made that have blocked our awareness, intimacy and spontaneity
• By inviting healthy contact through the therapeutic relationship
• In challenging discounts and offering new frames of reference to empower women in menopause to think for themselves
• By making contact with the wounded inner child
• By challenging abusive internal inner voices and by
• Encouraging the integration of new ways of thinking and feeling

If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, I can help you. Book an appointment, and remember, the first consultation is free.