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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nMcDonald invites us to examine what the huge moods of midlife are really telling us. She offers an explanation of what is actually going on with our hormones, offering the facts behind our feelings from the internalized patriarchal messages that lead us to mistrust and mistreat our bodies and minds. The map she draws for our journey is one of shadow work and soul retrieval, a hero’s journey in which we stop trying to “fix” ourselves and rediscover the person we were supposed to be. The greatest prize is to finally get to meet the wise, experienced, and unapologetically authentic soul we were always meant to become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep going to read an excerpt of\u00a0Mary McDonald’s\u00a0<\/em>The Perimenopause Journey<\/a>!\u00a0Available now through our site, or via your favorite independent Microcosm peddler \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Does it ever feel like your body is fighting against you? Like you are trying to do everything \u201cright\u201d for your health but you still lie awake at night, forget words you should know, and can\u2019t fit into those old jeans? When hormones begin to shift and act sporadically in perimenopause, many of us try to use willpower to solve the \u201cproblem.\u201d There are industries that encourage this, selling us anti-aging treatments and expensive supplements or programs that treat our age like it\u2019s a major issue. Rather than offering thorough research and education on perimenopause and menopause, the medical model often pathologizes us, reducing a natural reproductive life stage to a list of symptoms. This is our conditioning: to fight the transition, rather than to learn about and embrace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ancient wisdom teaches that life\u2019s great transitions are rites of passage\u2014sacred opportunities for spiritual expansion. The Perimenopause Journey reclaims this perspective, honoring perimenopause as a powerful portal to an authentic sense of self while also making space to grieve what needs to be let go in the second half of our life. This book is a guide to learning how to listen to your body\u2019s voice with compassion, equipping you with the tools to transition joyfully into postmenopause years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drawing from the deep wells of mythology, poetry, psychotherapy, and ancient knowledge, this book is here to guide you towards cultivating tolerance of the uncertainty that arises during perimenopause and reverence for the life stage. In the process, you might disconnect from shame and negative views on aging and, instead, find a deeper connection with yourself, your relationships, and nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like many others, I have a history of feeling uncomfortable and at times unsafe in my body. I spent years trapped in patriarchal thought loops. Much of my young adult life was spent trying to dominate my bodily experience, which left me disconnected from my sensory relationship both with the world and with myself. Through my own participation in somatic psychotherapy, along with becoming educated on the womb\u2019s reproductive system, I rebuilt a deep sense of respect and admiration for my body. My experience and getting to know the experience of other menstruators has motivated me to participate in healing the inner feminine that is wounded, repressed, and often denigrated within our culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a psychotherapist working with clients who harbor shame in their bodies and feel caged by perfectionism, I see that the personal struggle I once faced is nearly universal. In the stories of countless others, I\u2019ve seen the same pattern: a body that is treated not as a home but as an enemy or a machine. Rather than the body being a sanctuary, it becomes an easy target for blame and punishment. Can you imagine all the time, energy, and joy that could be reclaimed if we finally learned to make peace with our bodies rather than relentlessly fighting against them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n My work with clients, along with my own research and schooling, is rooted in the framework of depth psychology. This orientation is inspired by the teachings of Carl Jung, who drew from psychology, anthropology, mythology, and spiritual practices to better understand the human psyche. Jung focused on the unconscious\u2014 the parts of ourselves we aren\u2019t aware of that powerfully influence our emotions and behavior. He discovered that the unconscious often communicates through physical symptoms, the choices we make in our relationships, and what occurs in our dreams and fantasies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my most admired teachers of the Jungian tradition is Marion Woodman, who integrated Jung\u2019s work with feminist psychology. She illuminated how modern culture can disconnect us from our emotions, creativity, and bodily wisdom. Influenced by Jung and Woodman, I am trained to listen for the stories hidden under the surface of physical suffering. The frustrations we experience during perimenopause may carry a message from the soul. They may represent an unconscious request to stop fighting our physiology and trying to fit into a linear, patriarchally influenced lifestyle. I seek to encourage you to view perimenopause not as a problem with it or yourself but as a friction against patriarchal thinking. By reframing these hormonal shifts as an intrinsic part of our nature, we can reconnect with the greater cycles of life\u2014the death of the old self and the rebirth of the new\u2014that we have been taught to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The journey through perimenopause creates vast opportunities to care for the soul. Depth psychotherapist Thomas Moore defined the soul as the inner part of us that gives life meaning and richness. It is the essence of who we are, revealed when we are vulnerable, authentically creative, or experiencing uninhibited joy or sadness. He theorized that the soul needs intentional care through feeling emotions and allowing our imaginations to find the sacredness in our everyday experiences. Carl Jung called this same concept of the soul the Self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I will use the terms soul and Self interchangeably throughout the book. The soul often speaks loudest during emotionally intense periods, such as perimenopause. Caring for the soul in these times is not about eradicating problems or striving for a quick cure. Instead, these challenges are viewed as a necessary and rich stage in the soul\u2019s expression. By tending to the sacred dimension of your inner life, you will likely find that your physical health is naturally and holistically tended to in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perimenopause is the space between two chapters of life: reproductive years and postmenopause, student and mentor, wild and wise. It is sometimes called the menopause transition. The first sign that you are beginning the transition might be a change in the length of your menstrual cycle. The moment the reproductive cycle ceases is called menopause. It is the signal that perimenopause has ended and postmenopause has begun. The transition is more than a physical change; it is a psychological one too. The medical community calls perimenopause \u201cthe zone of hormonal chaos\u201d or \u201cthe window of vulnerability.\u201d \u201cChaos\u201d and \u201cvulnerability\u201d don\u2019t make perimenopause sound very alluring, I know. In this book, we\u2019ll work to reframe perimenopause as a window of transformation. The process of letting go of menstruation is a final lesson from the womb calling you to practice the art of surrender and the art of becoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to continue your perimenopause journey with Mary McDonald’s expert guidance? Pick up your copy of <\/em>The Perimenopause Journey<\/a> now through our site, or find it on an indie retailer’s shelf near you!<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rediscover the person you were supposed to be Perimenopause is a time when our souls long for change. The mood swings and physical discomfort as our reproductive system\u00a0winds down can make it feel like our bodies and brains are betraying and victimizing us.\u00a0Our Sacred Cycle\u00a0author Mary McDonald, a therapist who works with people with PMS, PMDD,… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[14,248,232,377,261,364],"class_list":["post-6910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogifesto","tag-books","tag-excerpt","tag-feminism","tag-healthcare","tag-out-now","tag-spring-2026"],"my_excerpt":"\n Perimenopause is a time when our souls long for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mood swings and physical discomfort as our reproductive system\u00a0winds down can make it feel like our bodies and brains are betraying and victimizing us.\u00a0Our Sacred Cycle<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>author Mary McDonald<\/a>, a therapist who works with people with PMS, PMDD, trauma, and other\u00a0reproductive health issues, reframes that betrayal as an intervention and opportunity. With inclusive language and\u00a0compassionate, practical understanding, she\u00a0brings affirmation, insight, and science to help us navigate\u00a0our out-of-control emotions, let go of what no longer serves us, and step fully into our power and wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McDonald invites us to examine what the huge moods of midlife are really telling us. She offers an explanation of what is actually going on with our hormones, offering the facts behind our feelings from the internalized patriarchal messages that lead us to mistrust and mistreat our bodies and minds. The map she draws for our journey is one of shadow work and soul retrieval, a hero's journey in which we stop trying to \"fix\" ourselves and rediscover the person we were supposed to be. The greatest prize is to finally get to meet the wise, experienced, and unapologetically authentic soul we were always meant to become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep going to read an excerpt of\u00a0Mary McDonald's\u00a0<\/em>The Perimenopause Journey<\/a>!\u00a0Available now through our site, or via your favorite independent Microcosm peddler :)<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n","my_excerpt_rendered":"\n Perimenopause is a time when our souls long for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mood swings and physical discomfort as our reproductive system\u00a0winds down can make it feel like our bodies and brains are betraying and victimizing us.\u00a0Our Sacred Cycle<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>author Mary McDonald<\/a>, a therapist who works with people with PMS, PMDD, trauma, and other\u00a0reproductive health issues, reframes that betrayal as an intervention and opportunity. With inclusive language and\u00a0compassionate, practical understanding, she\u00a0brings affirmation, insight, and science to help us navigate\u00a0our out-of-control emotions, let go of what no longer serves us, and step fully into our power and wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\nWhy I’m Writing This Book<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Is Soul Care?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Is Perimenopause?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Rediscover the person you were supposed to be<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRediscover the person you were supposed to be<\/h2>\n\n\n\n