Ahead of our upcoming live webinar Unsilencing the Menopause in Psychotherapy we wanted to share three reasons as to why it’s important to explore this long-neglected area:
As a major existential transition, the menopause presents an opportunity for growth and healing
For some clients, this may mean processing what is personal and individual. For example, grieving hopes and dreams that have not come to fruition, and looking ahead to a new stage of life. For others, the menopause may mean a greater sense of a connection to what is shared. For example, tuning into collective anger at the impact of being a woman or non-binary person in a society still largely designed for men. Whilst the transition may carry deep emotional discomfort, the menopause can also open new perspectives and insight into what really matters in life. An attuned therapeutic relationship can act as a vital vessel for healing and growth.
Trauma can have an impact on female hormones and emotional dysregulation
Research demonstrates that for those who have experienced trauma, such as childhood neglect, abusive relationships and PTSD, the hormonal shift at perimenopause and menopause can be an unsettling time which brings up old or unresolved wounds, leading to heightened emotional dysregulation.1,2 This can lead to feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, and make menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats, more severe. Therapy can help clients to process unresolved trauma as well as support with cognitive strategies to manage psychological symptoms.
Menopause is an intersectional issue
Gender, sexuality, race, class, religion ageism, ableism, language and education among other factors can have an intersectional impact on how perimenopause and menopause may be experienced, surfacing issues of oppression and inequality. For example, research shows women may experience a double jeopardy of discrimination at work based on the intersection of age and gender.3 And a growing body of evidence is emerging to suggest black women may start menopause earlier, and experience a longer transition with worse symptoms but may struggle to access medical services and care.4 Being mindful of the unique intersectional identity of each client can help us to recognise and work relationally with their unique set of perspectives, obstacles and experiences.
If you are keen to learn more about how to work with the menopause in psychotherapy, register for our event here, we’d love to see people of all ages, genders and backgrounds there.
References
1. Nishimi, K, Thurston, R., Chibnik, L. et al (2022) Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and timing of menopause and gynecological surgery in the Nurses' Health Study II, Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 159, 110947. DOI: 10.1016.2022.110947
2. A. K. Shea, B. N. Frey, N. Gervais, A. Lopez & L. Minuzzi (2022) Depression in midlife women attending a menopause clinic is associated with a history of childhood maltreatment, Climacteric, 25:2, 203-207, DOI: 10.1080/13697137.2021.1915270
3. Riach K, Jack G. (2021) Women's Health in/and Work: Menopause as an Intersectional Experience. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 14;18(20):10793. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182010793.
4. Gold, E.., Crawford, S. ., Avis, N. et al (2013). Factors related to age at natural menopause: longitudinal analyses from SWAN. American journal of epidemiology, 178(1), 70–83. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kws421