The Menopause Map
Online Circle
6 weeks of community, connection and time to rest into the holding of the Menopause Map
Despite menopause being talked about more and more, there is still a great deal of fear and confusion around this phase of life.
The conditioning we get from our patriarchal consumerist society tells us to do all we can to stay looking youthful and carry on as normal, or risk being consigned to the scrap heap, seen as past it, over the hill, no longer of value.
If you are reading this you may be deep in your menopause process and feeling the need for some holding and support.
Or perhaps you’ve come through menopause but something feels incomplete, you’re not quite 'done' yet.
Or maybe you're not in menopause yet but you know it’s on the horizon.
You may find yourself:
- feeling fear or denial about what's ahead
- experiencing difficult symptoms; physical, mental and emotional
- experiencing a roller coaster of emotions, or emotions that feel ‘too big’ for everyday life, including grief, rage and resentment
- questioning everything; who you are, your relationships, your work and your purpose
- struggling to keep up with the demands and responsibilities of your life
- feeling confused and overwhelmed by the huge range of conflicting advice that's out there about how you should be 'doing menopause'
- and you may be feeling alone in it all, worried that no one will understand what you're going through
'The Menopause Map' gives you the tools to view this period of upheaval for what it is; not a decline but a powerful initiation & rebirth
The Menopause Map is a facilitated online circle for those in or approaching perimenopause / menopause.
We will journey together, with time for sharing, self reflection and simple self care exercises, all held by the Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a framework which represents both a map of the cyclical nature of life and a model of wholeness.
As a map, The Five Elements gives us a way of looking at and understanding the menopause journey as a process so we can see the bigger picture of what we’re going through, while showing us how we can be in alignment with what's happening as it's happening so we can understand how to meet our needs at each stage of menopause.
As a model of wholeness it also lets us see where our strengths and weaknesses lie, and where we are being called into growth. Attending to each of the phases in turn ensures we’re not unconsciously missing anything.
In this programme you will experience the same cycle that we go through in menopause, journeying with each element in turn -
Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire.
In spending time with each element you can affirm and anchor in everything that is already working for you, and be guided to where there is potential for healing.
When you're navigating unknown territory it can be helpful to have a map. And companions for the journey!
My menopausal years began 7 years ago when I was 42. For a while it was hugely disorientating, with turbulent emotions ranging from inexplicable grief and rage, symptoms such as brain fog, sleeplessness and exhaustion.
However, after a time of being in denial, it was like something suddenly switched on inside me. I started reading all I could on the subject, listening to stories of others' experiences of menopause, attending workshops, and doing my best to listen to what my body and soul were asking for.
I was surprised and deeply grateful to learn that rather than merely being a set of symptoms to be put up with or medicated away, menopause can be a rite of passage, a powerful opportunity for healing, growth and transformation.
I learned that menopause is not a decline but a cycle that we journey through; a death followed by a rebirth, a period of inner autumn and winter followed by the new growth of spring.
I found that the Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a model of the continuous cycles in nature, which I have been using for almost 20 years in my work as a shiatsu practitioner, provided the perfect map for the menopause process - a model of change that can help us prepare and navigate, as well as a model of wholeness that can help us see what aspects of our self-care may be lacking and what may be calling out for healing.
I am emerging out the other side of my menopause process now and am passionate about sharing this map with others going through menopause, so that as many of us as possible can experience menopause as opportunity for growth and healing and come out the other side feeling more empowered, more alive and aligned with their purpose.
'The Menopause Map' is for you if:
You are in or approaching menopause, have come out the other side of menopause or are any where in between!
You may be deep in your menopause process or perhaps you’re post menopausal but something feels incomplete, you’re not quite 'done' yet.
Or maybe you're not in menopause yet but you know it’s on the horizon. Perhaps you’re noticing the first subtle changes in your monthly cycle, and know that something is shifting. You may even be in denial that menopause is coming but deep down you know that facing some of your fears, educating yourself, getting some support and putting some solid self care routines in place could be really helpful in the long run.
You may be experiencing difficult perimenopause/menopause symptoms; physical, mental and emotional.
You may have a range of self-care tools at your disposal and know what you ‘should’ be doing to look after yourself but something’s getting in the way of you really getting what you need. Or maybe the things that used to work for you just aren’t working any more.
You may find you’re getting ‘triggered’ more often and that things that used to be easy in the past feel so much harder now (or that you just have no interest in doing them!)
You may know very little about menopause, or you may have done a lot of reading and know a lot on a head level but still need somewhere to be held, to drop, and to do the inner work.
You will likely have already done some work on yourself; maybe you’ve had counselling or therapy, you’ve explored, you know yourself and you’ve changed a lot. You’ve spent your life so far following your passions, or doing your best to. You’re willing to be courageous, to explore and to dive deep. Above all you want your menopause process to mean something, to be more than just a set of symptoms to be fixed, to be an opportunity for transformation. You want to find whatever healing and gifts might be in the process for you.
This course is open to you whatever age you are as you travel through menopause; whether you are going through natural menopause or have experienced / are experiencing medically induced menopause. You are welcome whether or not you have a womb. You are welcome if you are on HRT, or not, or if you are undecided on the matter.
You are welcomed on this programme whatever your gender identity, sex, sexuality, race, ethnicity and background.
(I am a cisgendered, heterosexual, white woman. I aim to be inclusive to everyone and I am committed to learning. I am open to conversations and to being told when I’ve made mistakes and, in such instances, will do my best to put things right. My aim with all my clients is not to tell them what to do or to put my own beliefs and agendas on them, but to support each individual to find what is right for them.)
This programme is not for you if:
- you are looking for someone to tell you exactly what to do, what supplements to take, or what HRT to take or not take. (I may sometimes give recommendations but my focus is on helping you to listen to your body and access your wisdom to enable you to navigate your way through this highly personal time of transition.)
- you are looking for a quick fix.
(On 'The Menopause Map' you can learn a huge amount in a short space of time which can revolutionise the way you see and experience your menopause, but conscious menopause is a process that requires your engagement, your commitment and, above all, time.)
- you want to avoid the inner work.
('The Menopause Map' is rooted in self-care, gentleness and self-compassion, but in order to get the most from the programme you will need to be willing to step out of your comfort zone from time to time!)
-you want a private, confidential space with individualised support; for this see my Menopause Journey One-to-One programme
(Please note that this group online circle is not a substitute for one-to-one therapy, crisis support or medical care. If you have any questions about its suitability please contact me to discuss your needs.)
Discover your Self-Care Superpowers for each stage of the menopause journey
Programme outline:
Session 1 - The Map
Introduction to the Five Elements Menopause Map
Creating safety in the group
Evaluating where you are in the menopause process, and getting clear on your priorities and what you want to have happen over the course of the group
Session 2 - Earth - 'Finding Solid Ground'
Including:
Introduction to the Five Elements Menopause Map
Creating solid foundations for a healing journey
Exploring self-care and receiving support,
nurturing the body,
healing through pleasure and nourishment
Session 3 - Metal - 'Holding Ourselves as Precious'
Including:
Working with grief and letting go
Setting boundaries and saying no
How we can creating the necessary space and solitude for menopause
Tools for connecting with and working with the breath as a means of release and increasing vitality
Session 4 - Water - 'Resting in the In between'
Including:
Being with the unknown
The gift of rest
Exercises and practices to support the nervous system and adrenals
Session 5 - Wood - 'Finding A Way Through'
Including:
Movement and voice, expressing our life force
Releasing emotions
Freeing up stuck energy
Session 6 - Fire - 'Trusting the Process'
Including:
Opening to a sense of the sacred and self-compassion
Connecting with our hearts, blessing ourselves and each other
Review - looking back over the journey
and exploring and setting intentions for what's next
Why work with me:
As a qualified Shiatsu practitioner and a certified Shadow Work coach and group facilitator, I have almost 20 years' experience working with clients to support them to connect with their bodies, gently release traumas and heal old patterns.
As a woman emerging out the other side of her menopausal years, I have walked the journey you are on myself and, although I know that each person's menopause experience is unique, I know what it's like to struggle, to find a way through and to emerge on the other side feeling stronger, full of passion, and more aligned than before.
What's included:
6 x 90 minute weekly sessions via Zoom
Follow up email after each session with recommendations, resources and homework
'The Menopause Map' ebook to support you through each stage of the process
Investment:
Fees are charged on a sliding scale from £60 - £120 for the 6 session
Please pay what is affordable to you within the scale
To get started with your guide to the Menopause Map and hear about the next course join my mailing list:
