Our body’s response to normal hormonal changes is influenced by our genetics but also by the sum of our physical and emotional life experiences combined with present circumstances. This combination of factors dictates how we navigate our own Rite of Passage. Many women will appear to sail through this period in their lives. For others, the symptoms can feel impossibly hard to cope with.
Prolonged stress and trauma, suffered at various stages in our lives, if left unresolved, can influence how our bodies respond to the hormonal shifts we go through from midlife onwards.
Our Endocrine System manages both the production and secretion of various hormones. The most well-known are:
- Adrenalin and Cortisol, both secreted in varying amounts throughout the day, as a normal process
- Melatonin, the sleep hormone
- Insulin, the presence of which can lead to weight gain in later life
- Oxytocin, the feel-good hormone
- Oestrogen, Testosterone and Progesterone, which decline throughout Peri-Menopause
Our Endocrine System can become stressed and overwhelmed, just like any of the other systems in the body. The difference is that this particular system, if already overworked, can react a little like a dysfunctional roller coaster.
The added complication of Menopause, with all its fluctuations and idiosyncrasies, being thrown into the mix alongside trauma, can result in us becoming completely out of balance both physically and emotionally.
Everyday life can become a stress in itself. Emotions can become difficult to manage. Our nervous system, possibly already full to the brim from difficult early childhood experiences, may feel constantly overwhelmed. We could be experiencing debilitating physical symptoms. We may feel we are no longer able to cope.
Peter Levine, the founder and creator of the Somatic Experiencing® approach, says that events that happen “too much, too fast, too soon or for too long” can push us to the point of overwhelm.
What does this mean for Menopause?
If our life circumstances have taken us to the point where we are constantly living in a state of being overwhelmed, then any changes to our delicate hormone balance can tip the scale even further in the wrong direction. We may find ourselves unable to cope with our constant mood swings and the emotional fluctuations of everyday life, in addition to the discomfort of our changing bodies.
Many women I work with require support and strategies to move through and reduce the effects of these changes. For example, I can suggest a breathing technique which can reduce anxiety, a mindful way of bringing down a hot flush as it begins to creep up your body or even a simple trick to stop palpitations, amongst other things. We work on reducing stress and anxiety to help restore balance to the Endocrine System.
We can look at lifestyle changes and, if required, can discuss accessing Nutritional or Hormonal support. With over 30 years of experience working with movement, including training as both a Pilates teacher and Scaravelli-inspired yoga teacher, I can access a vast range of exercises and stretches that can help tired muscles and stiff joints and weight-bearing exercises to help maintain bone density and pelvic floor tone.
Using skills from Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy and Somatic Experiencing® I can help clients resolve some of their early life traumas.
The result of a truly holistic approach is that a client’s passage through Menopause can be smoothed, leading to a calmer and more comfortable way of being.
Both Somatic Experiencing® and Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy are, by definition, trauma-attuned modalities. Used together, either online or in person, they can facilitate the resolution of embodied trauma in a very profound but gentle way, honouring the unique wishes and needs of each client.
If you think you could benefit from working with me, please get in touch. Email sarah@ytenehealing.co.uk or call 07747 111040.
Please remember to contact your medical practitioner in the first instance if you have any concerns regarding your health.