Mindful Midlife Medicine

POLYVAGAL TOOLS FOR THE MENOPAUSE TRANSITION

There is a moment in many women’s lives when the body begins to speak more loudly. Sleep changes. Anxiety arrives without warning. Old griefs resurface. This group offers a reframe rooted in current science: it is not weakness, it is biology — and there are skills for this.

Who this is for:  Women in pre-menopause, perimenopause, post-menopause, or simply meno-curious. All bodies welcome.

The Group – Practical Details:

• Format: Virtual via Zoom
• Duration: 8 weekly sessions, 2 hours each
• Size: Small group, 6–10 women
• Investment: $350 for the full series
• Intake: Brief virtual intake required prior to Week 1
• Dates: Tuesdays 6-8pm EST October – November 2026. Reach out to reserve your seat or to join the waiting list for the next cohort.

What you will learn and practice:

• Talking Circle Check-Ins — a non-fixing, non-advising practice of being heard and witnessed by other women in the same season of life.
• Soft Belly Breathing & Polyvagal Tools — the five-step regulation sequence: orient, breath, gentle movement, vagus toning, ground.
• The Biology of Trauma & Menopause — the estrogen-fear extinction connection, HPA-axis shifts, neurosteroids and the anxiety surge.
• The Vasomotor-Trauma Loop — why hot flashes and panic share circuitry, and how to interrupt the sleep-inflammation cascade.
• Guided Imagery & Inner Wisdom — meeting your Wise Body, Inner Elder, or other source of inner guidance.
• The Gut-Brain-Hormone Axis — mindful eating and nervous-system support beyond moralized diet talk.
• Dialogue with the Body — written conversation with a symptom, a body part, or with Menopause herself.
• Movement & Release — shaking, dancing, and rhythmic movement to complete incomplete stress cycles.
• Closing Ceremony — a second initiation: marking the threshold into the second half of life.

A sliding fee scale with limited scholarships is available, please inquire. Two full scholarships for Indigenous women are also available.

Note: An important exception to this confidentiality rule is if any individual expresses an intent to harm themselves or others, in which case, CMBM would be required to take immediate, additional action in support of the situation.