In nearly 20 years of seeing clients, I’ve worked with hundreds of women between the ages of about 40 and 60 who reported similar symptoms: increased anxiety and worrying, panic attacks for the first time, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, low mood, increased irritability with partners, family, friends and co-workers, having less ability to cope with stress, and generally feeling “not like” themselves. My training taught me to explore these symptoms through a psychology lens, focusing on the emotions, relationship dynamics, current life stressors and past traumas that may be causing distress, and provide treatment to help reduce suffering.

As a somatic trauma therapist offering EMDR and Somatic Experiencing, I knew my clients were doing deep work to reduce their symptoms and increase a sense of regulation in their bodies and minds. Yet some women still struggled, or could not maintain the gains we made early in our work. Over the years I wondered: “What else might I be missing?” “What is taking place with my female clients who are doing deep healing work week to week, but are still really struggling?”

It wasn’t until I began my own menopause journey and experienced many of the symptoms listed above that I began to be curious about a biological origin for the distress I and other women were experiencing. The last few years I’ve done a deep dive into learning about menopause and its impacts on my own health and well being, and the health and well being of my female clients. If we live long enough, all women will have large fluctuations and eventual cessation of reproductive hormones. These hormonal changes can affect mental health. For some women, the impact of menopause is minimal. For other women, the impact can be personally, professionally, emotionally, physically and mentally destabilizing.

I am not a medical doctor and it is outside the scope of my practice to offer medical advice. What I do offer is support for the intensity of this time of hormonal change, resources to deepen knowledge of the biological factors that may be contributing to psychological distress, and referrals to medical professionals specializing in menopause care.

The average age of menopause is 51 in our country, and so it’s very likely women can live 30 years or longer in menopause. I’m passionate about helping women live fully during the later years of their lives, and toward that end, I’m now a member of The Menopause Society, and currently studying to become a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner.

Since I began this journey a few years ago, my clinical work has deepened and changed: I’m more and more clear that our bodies, minds and emotions are intricately linked, and that physical health is a crucial component of mental health, especially for women as they transition to menopause. My experience is that once the physical resources are in place, the emotional, relational, and trauma resolution work gains traction too. It’s my honor to support women during this time.

Resources:

The Greene Scale. The Greene Scale is a simple screening tool to assess current symptoms associated with hormonal change. It’s common for symptomatic women to have scores in the 20-50 range. With treatment, many women reduce their score to 10 or less.

Not Feeling Like Myself Abstract. A recent (2024) study by The Menopause Society exploring symptoms related to “Not Feeling Like Myself”.

Stanford Medicine Article, May 2024: Mental health and menopause: There are connections and solutions.

The Menopause Society’s Patient Education Webpage