Menopause Myths Debunked: Susan Willson on Trauma, Healing, and Empowerment

Compassionate Conversations with Esther Kane, MSW

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Are you afraid of menopause because you've heard horror stories from older women? In this episode, Esther Kane, women's psychotherapist (25+yrs), interviews Susan Willson, Nurse Midwife & author of Making Sense of Menopause. They discuss how this stage of a woman's life can be a higher calling to heal unfinished business & explore our innate wisdom & creativity.
00:00:00 Compassionate Conversations Introduction
00:00:24 Introducing Susan Willson
00:01:52 Esther explains why "Making Sense of Menopause" is one of her favourite books
00:02:37 Reframing menopause as a transformational journey
00:03:50 Spirituality and the aging process
00:06:19 Why menopause is so hard & why do we fear it?
00:07:37 The 'deification of youth' in western culture
00:08:25 Facing loss of our younger selves is essential
00:08:42 Most books about menopause focus on diet/exercise
00:11:35 How women are creating healthy narratives re: aging/menopause
00:12:00 Importance of working through unresolved trauma
00:12:44 How the medical model has led women to not trusting their bodies
00:15:14 Three kinds of estrogen in women's bodies
00:15:25 Estridiol- makes us want to take care of others
00:16:30 Estriol- triggers creative centres in the brain
00:18:08 Easy fix for vaginal atrophy
00:19:27 Menopause as a "crossroads"
00:20:51 Why it's important for women to tell their stories
00:24:16 What Esther wishes she had known while going through perimenopause
00:26:42 Create a community of women in this transition
00:28:29 Empowering rituals to mark this rite of passage
00:45:11 Esther's healing- finding & using her voice
00:54:20 Lifestyle adjustments to ease the transition into menopause
01:02:14 The powerful effects of inviting JOY into your life
Where to find Susan and her book:

Links
www.estherkane.com
Instagram:
@estherkanemsw
Facebook:
Esther Kane, MSW, RCC