If you’re approaching or experiencing perimenopause or menopause, you might be focusing solely on physical treatments to manage hormonal imbalances and alleviate symptoms such as hot flashes, brain fog, mood swings, anxiety, depression, body aches, and sleep disturbances.
Emotional Root Cause of Perimenopause Symptoms
These symptoms are more than just hormonal fluctuations, they are a signal, a call to address the emotional root cause – unresolved emotional wounds and traumas that are hindering your journey into this powerful new phase of life.
In the book “Wise Power,” Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer offer a profound perspective on menopause, framing it not as a decline, but as an initiation—a time for deep introspection, healing, and rebirth.
This perspective aligns beautifully with the Core Emotional Healing (CEH) process. The initial step of CEH, “Listen to Your Symptoms,” teaches you to interpret your body’s signals, cultivate a nurturing relationship with your body, and shift your focus from merely treating symptoms to actively listening and addressing their emotional root causes.
By understanding and healing the emotional root cause of perimenopausal symptoms, you can create a smoother, more empowered transition into this new phase of life.
Mood Swings and Emotional Changes
Perimenopause can impact your mood, similar to PMS, you may experience irritability, low energy, tearfulness, mood swings, and difficulty concentrating. However, unlike PMS, these symptoms might not be tied to your menstrual cycle and can persist for years without a clear pattern. This is known as perimenopausal mood instability.
Additionally, depression is common during perimenopause, with many studies indicating an increased risk during this transitional phase. Symptoms of depression include frequent crying, feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness, numbness, and a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed.
Emotional Root Cause of Perimenopause Symptoms:
If you’re experiencing emotional symptoms during perimenopause, remember that there may be more to it than hormonal fluctuations. Don’t simply dismiss them as a normal part of the process and seek a quick fix from your doctor. Consider this: treating perimenopausal emotional symptoms solely with medication is like treating recurring yeast infections with a pill, while overlooking the potential emotional root causes, such as feelings of childhood neglect, repressed anger and grief, and codependency. The hormonal shifts of perimenopause can act as a catalyst, bringing unresolved emotional experiences from your past to the surface.
These unprocessed emotions, often rooted in trauma, can manifest as physical symptoms.
If your body has been holding onto grief, anger, or fear for years, the hormonal shifts of perimenopause can amplify these emotions, creating physical and emotional discomfort.
This explains why some women experience more intense perimenopause symptoms than others. It’s not simply about hormone levels; it’s about the emotional terrain you are navigating.
Through my own two-decade journey of emotional healing, addressing the emotional root causes of various chronic physical, emotional, and relationship challenges, I personally experienced minimal emotional and physical symptoms during perimenopause. The slight dip in energy has actually been beneficial, supporting a period of rest and introspection as I transition into menopause.
Core Emotional Healing: A Path to Inner Harmony
My Core Emotional Healing process offers a structured way to address these underlying emotional wounds. It includes:
- Identifying your core emotions: Learning how to reconnect to specific emotions associated with past traumas.
- Connecting with your body: Paying attention to physical symptoms and sensations related to these emotions.
- Processing and healing your trauma: Gently revisiting your traumatic experiences in a safe and supportive environment, allowing for emotional release and integration.
- Creating supportive relationships: Reconnecting with your feelings helps you to support yourself emotionally and be able to ask for what you need with others.
By engaging in this process before or during the onset of significant perimenopause symptoms, you can proactively address any emotional disconnection, repression and overwhelm – to prepare yourself for a more graceful transition.
Address Your Emotional Wounds To Prepare For Perimenopause and Menopause
- Prevention of intensified symptoms: By processing past traumas, you can lessen the likelihood of these emotions manifesting as exacerbated perimenopause symptoms.
- Preparation for the inward journey: Menopause is a natural time for withdrawal, rest, and reflection. By clearing emotional repression, reconnecting to your feelings and healing codependent behaviors that keep you from making time for yourself, you create space for deeper introspection and self-discovery.
- Embracing the power of menopause: As Pope and Wurlitzer suggest, menopause is an initiation into a new phase of wisdom and power. By healing your past, you can fully embrace this transformative journey.
- Creating a foundation for rebirth: Menopause marks the end of our reproductive years, but it’s also a beginning—a rebirth into a new phase of life. By healing past traumas, we create a solid foundation for this new chapter.
Conventional Approaches to Balance Hormones and Managing Perimenopause Symptoms:
While addressing the emotional roots is crucial, many women also find relief through conventional approaches to balancing hormones to manage perimenopause symptoms.
These include:
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- Diet: Focusing on a whole-foods diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can support hormonal balance. Some women find relief by reducing or eliminating caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods. Specific dietary approaches like the Mediterranean diet or focusing on phytoestrogens (plant-based compounds that mimic estrogen) may also be helpful.
- Supplements: Certain supplements may help alleviate specific symptoms. These include:
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- Black cohosh: May help reduce hot flashes.
- Evening primrose oil: May help with breast tenderness and hot flashes.
- Magnesium: May improve sleep, mood, and muscle aches.
- Vitamin D: Important for bone health and overall well-being.
- It’s crucial to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplements to ensure they are safe and appropriate for you.
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- Exercise: Regular physical activity, including cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and yoga, can help improve mood, sleep, bone health, and overall well-being.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT): HRT involves taking estrogen and sometimes progesterone to replace the hormones the body is no longer producing. HRT can be effective in relieving hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness, but it also carries potential risks. It’s essential to discuss the risks and benefits of HRT with your doctor to determine if it’s the right choice for you.
- Wild Yam Cream: Some herbalists recommend wild yam cream as a natural alternative. Oestrogen-like compounds in wild yam may help ease menopausal symptoms. Yam creams may contain natural progesterone or increase the body’s progesterone levels.
Practical Steps
- Explore Core Emotional Healing: Free Class: What it takes to heal the emotional root cause of symptoms and more.
- Journaling: Regularly writing about your emotions and experiences can help you identify patterns and triggers.
- Mindfulness and meditation: Practices like meditation and mindfulness can help you connect with your body and become more aware of your emotional state.
- Connect with other women: Sharing experiences with other women going through similar transitions can provide valuable support and validation.
- Read “Wise Power”: This book provides invaluable insights into the emotional and spiritual meaning of menopause.
- Consult with healthcare practitioners: Discuss your symptoms and treatment options with your doctor, a registered dietitian, herbalist, or other qualified healthcare professionals.
Perimenopause isn’t something to be feared or dreaded. By understanding the emotional and spiritual meanings and utilizing appropriate physical support, you can transform this transition into a powerful and transformative experience, embracing the wisdom and power that awaits you on the other side. By preparing emotionally and physically, you can truly embrace the inward journey of menopause, allowing for the rest, reflection, and ultimately, the rebirth that awaits.