“Breaking the Cycle contrasts the two basic ways societies can function: the optimal approach, which most human societies through time have followed, is the Cycle of Cooperative Companionship where children’s basic needs are met; they grow into well-functioning, cooperative community members (from neurobiology and on up); and as healthy adults, they maintain the cooperative system. Currently in the …
“Perhaps you’re one of many who feel a sense of dread and grief as Mother’s Day nears. These feelings may be related to the attachment injury Kelly McDaniel, LPC has termed “Mother Hunger.” It’s a term that helps women name the unspeakable pain that emerges from early childhood trauma and its lasting impact. Kelly McDaniel, …
Connectfulness Practice Podcast: Mother Hunger with Kelly McDaniel Read More »
“A recent book, “Power Moms,” asserts that “working-mother guilt persists in American society today because gender-role expectations haven’t evolved enough.” Here’s another perspective: If you feel guilty, it’s because you know your children need you. Maternal guilt, within reason, isn’t a bad feeling to be ditched. It’s a signal feeling—one that helps us to focus …
April brings the anniversary of so much loss and grief. After a year of family and self-preservation, life is quickening again. This is challenging for many of us who aren’t sure we want to return to anything that resembles pre-pandemic “normal”. With Mother Hunger publication nearing (July 20th) so much is happening that isn’t “normal.” I want to be …
Monique Koven and I discuss Mother Hunger on The Healing Trauma Podcast.
It’s been a while since my last note to you. Somehow, we have made it to February. Writing about mothers and mothering during a global health crisis brings unimaginable challenges and opportunities for education. Covid-19 is threatening every fiber of maternal mental health. Recently, the New York Times article How Society Has Turned Its Back on …
Listen to my conversation with Rebecca Wong on the Connectfulness® Practice Podcast!
Sharing this excellent article by Meg Conley, America Doesn’t Care About Mothers. It’s a powerful testament to the existing, systemic struggle mothers navigate every day, and how an enduring pandemic is creating toxic stress for women and children. I love the way she wraps it up in a nutshell saying: “If we can’t fix our culture, can …
Like many of you, I’m a bit out of sorts and somewhat disoriented right now. Our collective mental health is deteriorating during Covid-19. Recent stats report an increase from 20-40% of adults struggling with mental illness since the advent of the pandemic. Maternal mental health is particularly at risk. Helping children with distance learning, navigating …
Maternal Mental Health and the COVID-19 Pandemic Read More »
I love Erica Komisar’s words from her wonderful book Being There; Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters. “I often hear working mothers say how great it is for young women to see their mothers in high-powered careers. That may be true, but when it comes to babies and toddlers, they don’t care …