2015. I was a busy GP, dealing with some personal pain and fatigue, with a teenager going off the rails. And then menopause hit! Hot flushes, up-and-down moods, worsening pain and poor sleep was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I am a big proponent of HRT, however I had medical reasons for being unable to use it, so I wanted something non-pharmaceutical – and maybe something that would help in the long term.
I’d come across some recent evidence supporting Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for managing menopausal symptoms. A key study by Carmody et al. (2011)* found that an MBSR course led to significant improvements in quality of life and symptom bother in peri- and postmenopausal women.
So I gave it a go. I thought Mindfulness sounded like A Really Good Thing. I mean who wouldn’t want to feel more relaxed and at ease in the world?! However MBSR was so much more than that. Yes, as promised my sleep, my pain and my hot flushes improved and (thank goodness) the moodiness settled down. But MBSR gave me a whole new way of looking at the world, of being in the world. I could actually turn towards my struggles, and ironically this reduced them. My relationships improved. My pain improved. My energy levels improved. I had the capacity to look beyond my own small self into the bigger world around me.
I wanted others to experience the benefits, so I thought I would do the Teacher training. (Perhaps a weekend away I thought?! Well, no.) Openground MBSR teacher training involves very intense training, supervision, and attendance at yearly weekly silent retreats. I continue to learn as well as teach, and I suspect I always will. Teaching MBSR is one of the most fulfilling things in my life.
If you have a partner, a sister, a mother, a friend going through menopause, please consider sending this blog on to them.
Perhaps if you are in Sydney or the Illawarra, I might meet you at one of my face-to-face courses.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Mindful Self Compassion (MSC)
Pain to Peace (MBSR for Pain live online)
Mindful Self Compassion (MSC)
Pain to Peace (MBSR for Pain live online)
*Carmody JF, Crawford S, Salmoirago-Blotcher E, Leung K, Churchill L, Olendzki N. Mindfulness training for coping with hot flashes: results of a randomized trial. Menopause. 2011 Jun;18(6):611-20. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e318204a05c. PMID: 21372745; PMCID: PMC3123409