The meaning of Menopause

A woman's journey through life is marked by many phases. The term woman refers to any person identifying with the developmental path of a woman.

If not adversely affected, her development begins with the care-free, innocent phase of early childhood. During the first 7-year cycle her heart may be wide open to receive love from her parents and ideally the young child is raised in an environment where she is treasured by her parents.

The parents represent her first contact with the ideal of superior beings, the parents reflect her identity as right, good and beautiful back to her. Parents ideally demonstrate love and care on a daily basis, having the child's best interests at heart.

The parents represent the mediators between the child and the spiritual world from which the child came. The active and interested parents sense that the young child is not only a product of biological elements but has her origin in a Higher place.

In a sense, the Divine world entrusts the care of children with parents, who are the child's first teachers.

Ideally parents strive to develop their relationship with the Divine in service of the child and to improve their understanding of their own needs and the early developmental needs of the child. The child's daily life is imbued with a sense of wonder and beauty.

The second 7-year phase is marked by the development of the hormones, puberty, early sexuality and an enquiring mind.

At this time the young girl's body may seems strange or foreign to her and she experiences many new sensations, including the onset of menses.

The school environment plays a big role in her development and her experiences inform her development and her perception of herself and the world around her.

During this phase it is important that the child experiences a sense of truth and right justice in the world.

To the pubescent girl the adults in her life have to make sense , provide safety and be trustworthy and fair, in order for her to continue to respect them. Adults have to be worthy of imitation, if the young girl is to truly learn from them.

Between 21-28 years of age the young woman develops a wider relationship with the wide-world, if her development was healthy she may experience the world as a good place to live and explore in, trusting that things happen for a reason. She may feel an inner sense of safety and confidence. This is a time filled with discovery of her inner and outer world and what keeps her safe even when all external safety-nets fall away.

She learns from mentors instead of parents and teachers and develops her capacity to understand her unique role, service and passions in life.

In the ideal situation, the young woman learns to listen to her intuition, she feels connected to a sense of inner guidance, she makes mistakes, takes responsibility for her own choises, learns and grows and makes deep resolutions regarding her path in life.

She may experience a deeper personal connection to the Divine or be filled with a certain despair, doubt or anxiety.

At this time the young woman looks into her inner dynamics and she is less dependend on social groups for support. A sense of independent thinking, action and will emerge.

The young woman may feel a deep desire for motherhood, creating a home, marriage or desire to explore, take on new adventures and make new friends or new discoveries in her life, before settling down to raise a family and carry the responsibilities of childcare, housekeeper and career-woman.

Ideally the young woman has forged a career path, which she enjoys and aligns with, by age 30 and owns her talents and expertise by age 35. This is usually a very exciting time in a woman's life and she may feel more comfortable in her body than during her 20's.

This may also be a time in a woman's life when she understands her sexuality much better and feels safer to express her sensuous nature.

In many cases most young women are married and have children by age 35 and they also desire to be successful at their careers and be financially independent, according to their internal and societal dictates.

Yet, many women become successful at the cost of their womanhood, their health and wellbeing and their connection with their children and husbands. Some women may or may not feel supported by their partners during this phase.

This is also true for most men as men are also subject to life's challenges.

Unfortunately, most girls do not grow up in the ideal family situations as portrayed above.

Iideal communities, without external detrimental influences are hard to come by and life presents us with minor or major life challenges. At one or at many developmental phases a girl's development may be interrupted.

Each developmental phase is foundational for the next phase.

When we take into account the many cases of adolescent anxieties, depression, insomnia and medicated cases of ADD and ADHD we get a developmental picture that is far removed from the ideal, or a state reflecting harmonious development with natural cycles.

Yet, throughout life, there is hope and opportunities to experience the many wonders of the world, present at the same time.

It is when despair meets hope that a new understanding and meaning is formed and a woman keeps growing.

Combined with her desire to experience a healthy relationship, be a good partner, be a caring mother, attain success, serve her community and remain fit and healthy, one can see that a woman may expect much of herself. Society and societal imagery expects much from women too. Yet, the path and work of motherhood is not often appreciated as a sacred service.

Between the ages of 35-42 , a woman has ideally attained relative success in her field of interest, internal harmony, family stability, lives in a stable home environment and raised children, which blessed her life with ttremendous memories of great joy.

If, for some reason, this is not the case, Menopause may present some form of inner turmoil.

Some unmet needs that now demand her attention. it may be the need for more time in nature, to connect with family, to take care of her health, to write, paint or dance or any activity left on the backburner of life while she attended to the needs of her loved ones.

At this time her focus shifts to what she can pour back into her community, from her rich store of life-experiences, but if her love-cup feels empty or dry she will not know from where to give back. Peri-Menopause is a time to fill up the love-cup in order to give from a full place again.

The tell-tale signs of Peri-Menopause may be marked by irregular periods, hormonal imbalances, removal of cysts, fibroids, ovaries, hot flashes and insomnia, mood changes, vaginal dryness, bladder problems, decreasing fertility, decreasing levels of estrogen, changes in sexual functioning, loss of bone density, changing cholesterol levels, night sweats, joint and muscle aches, PMS-like symptoms, weight gain, headaches and general weakness.

Why is it that just at this time, when a woman may have accomplished so much, her body begins to ache with the weight of her life-experiences?

Why is it that at this age, when her experiences ideally should liberate her and set her energy free to develop herself for the new phase known as her "wisdom-years", she may feel her body letting her down?

This period in a woman's life should be a time for her to express her sexuality without fear of pregnancy and to enjoy her physical expression in a safe relationship, where she may access deep states of bliss. Yet, most women find sexuality painful and uncomfortable instead of deeply pleasurably at this stage.

Not all women go through the Menopause cylce with the same degree of discomfort, but the Menopause phase is meaningful for every woman's development.

Why is Menopause meaningful?

Menopause marks a time in a woman's life when she is involved in a deep review of her life.

Every level of her being, every previous experience, physical, emotional and spiritual is going through a review and a sort of sifting, digesting and cleansing.

Buried trauma patterns may reveal themselves, especially if no time was given to digesting such experiences during earlier developmental phases.

Every moon cylce represent a mini-cleansing for a woman.

A time of reflection where she comes to terms with smaller monthly challenges and finds ways to meet her needs.

If a woman did not experience her monthly cycles is this reflective way, due to life's pressures, her Menopause cycle may become especially uncomfortable.

Some women may have attained much material success, but the ladder they climbed came at such a high toll to their wellbeing that their sexual fire and energy burned out.

Sexual energy is creative energy and can be put to good using during the "wise-woman-years". Therefore it is vital to rekindle this fire.

Some women may not have experience the ideal childhood or ideal loving relationships and they now re-evaluate their worthiness and place in the world.

Yet other women may have gone through many challenges with an inner sense of equilibrium and spiritual support and are at peace with the course of their lives and experience Menopause differently, even with grace.

The effects of trauma or abusive relationships become visible during Menopause. The scars of such trauma is placed upon the screen of life for review and healing.

Much of our life experiences, whether as children, young women, women in relationships, mothering women, career women, artists, teachers, nurses, career women and so many more expressions of womanhood, affect our development and culminate in the experience of Menopause.

Each and every woman experience Menopause in her own individual manner.

Menopause indicates the spirit's longing for a pause from the rat race of life.

A pause in order to take stock and find meaning, healing and renewed energy for our path ahead.

The very best indication during this time is to listen deeply to the body, to nurture the body, to connect with our intuition, to do the things our soul longs to do, connect to our deepest joy, to paint, dance or sing, travel or connect with friends, to be in integrity with ourselves and most of all, to express ourselves authentically.

But what does it mean to be authentic?

Authenticity means to be honest, honest with oneself in order to be honest, trustworthy and reliable in a bigger sense.

Menopause is a big call to action..but not in the usual way the world demands of us.

It is a call to pay attention to the promptings of our soul and to nurture our true path in order to bring forth the wisdom of our age, in service of the younger women who look to us for guidance.

Menopause requires acts of responsibility, acting responsibly towards our deepest truth and honouring that truth courageously.

Trusting in the wisdom of life is very difficult, especially when life was wrought with challenges. Yet, life keeps offering us new possibilties in so many varied forms.

Menopause represents the well of inner resourcing and a new power, which can be tapped into as it lights up anew during Menopause. Menopause offers us a fresh opportunity to meet life with renewed wisdom.

During Menopause a new light may be lit from within and untapped resources empathy with oneself and a sense of empowerment, which may anchor a woman during this time.

It is indicated for women experiencing Menopausal symptoms to digest their life experiences through Counselling/Coaching, receiving counsel from a trusted wise woman or women. This kind of heartful support, may reduce physical symptoms tremendously.

Experiencing novel and exciting things will also help to alleviate old tension patterns.

Mother nature is so rich with support and Natural remedies, which assist women during Menopause.

Good, quality sleep and regular sleep rhythms are essential,during Menopause.

The body loves regularity and rhythm, soft fabric, beautiful fragrances and soothing tones and... quality dark chocolate.

Nurturing experiences, like spa days with friends, help us reconnect in loving ways to our bodies.

Participating in a fitness program and some ligh weight training can not be underestimated.

Yoga, tai-chi, qi-qong, swimming or dancing, exercise which release feel-good hormones, endorphis, seratonin and oxytocin, as opposed to exercises which produce a stress-reaction and cortisol stress-hormones, are indicated.

Maintaining moderate weight will serve a woman well as she grows into her wise woman years.

Healthy eating habits, which consist of fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds like flax seed, nuts and fish, like salmon and mackarell and edamame beans are strengthening.

Reducing the intake of wheat, sugar, alcohol and red meat is beneficial. Regular exercise and good nutrition will go a long way to alleviate Menopausal syptoms.

In my practice I offer Laser Light bio-stimulation to bring the endocrine system into balance and to regulate hormone production in the body's way.

Foods that are high in phytoestrogens and keep the blood clean and oxygen rich are recommended.

Greens, red-clover and adaptogenic herbs support and strengthen women during this phase.

Ideally parents strive to develop their nship with the Divine in service of the child and to improve their understanding of their own needs and the early developmental child. The child's daily life is eimbued with a sense of wonder and beauty.

Best natural support for Menopause include:

Ashwagandha

Rhodiola

Flax seed

Raw cacao

Maca

Vitamin D3

DHEA

Dong quai

Yellow dock

Stinging nettle

Black cohosh

Arjuna bark

Sage

L-Glutathione

For more information and tailor-made treatment programs contact Charissa.