Mothermorphosis 

One week prior to commencing the Journey, we will meet online for a preliminary session to meet each other and establish our communication channels.  Before commencing, each participant will fill out some personalised questionnaires (including a brief medical history)  and create their “Wish List “- this is a list of things you most want to improve about your health & wellbeing in order of importance.  Collectively and individually, we will set our intentions for the journey ahead.

In the first module - Understanding Motherhood, we will learn about Matrescence, the becoming of a Mother. Each mother will have the chance to share her own unique story and be witnessed by others, this is a crucial step towards healing. We will look at sacred rituals and built in supports for Mothers that are commonly seen in other cultures but are mostly missing in the West. We will learn about the Maternal Brain and dive into the research on what is known about the neurological upgrade of Motherhood.  We will learn about Postnatal Depletion and become clear on the Mother-centric model of postnatal recovery that is championed by Dr Oscar, which will provide the framework for our journey together.

In the second module, we will be spending some time getting to know the Nervous System and why it is so important for Maternal Wellbeing.  We will also spend time looking at how to improve our sleep – here we encounter one of the many paradoxes of Motherhood: when we need it the most, it can seem the most elusive!  We will explore what are the common barriers to a healthy nervous system and good sleep, and how to overcome them. Finally in this module, we will explore Flow States, Polyvagal Theory and Co-Regulation.

Now that our Mothers are established in their journey of recovery and are starting to sleep better and already feeling clearer and more energised, we are ready to start exploring the principles of healing the body through nutrition, starting with an understanding of Micronutrients - namely Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Zinc, Copper, Trace elements, Vit B12 and Vit D, and then moving onto Macronutrients - fats, carbohydrates & proteins.  Dr Oscar will be sharing the extensive wisdom he has built over many years seeing patients in the clinical setting.  We will also be sharing knowledge about how to individualise your diet in a way that will be simple to apply in daily life. We will be having expert guests providing fun and inspiring sessions on how to make food less of a chore and how to find your mojo in the meals department. 

In this next module, we will be spending time understanding our Hormones, learning some very specialised information about how pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding will alter the landscape of our hormones for ever, and important info for how we can return to a new balance.  We’re going to be looking at libido, and exploring what we need to know about menopause, which for many of us is not that far away. We will explore the Adrenal Glands and our Circadian Rhythm, as well as looking at the Metabolic Hormones: Thyroid and Leptin.  We will also explore the Mother’s Menstrual Cycle, and why it is typically not the same as a Maiden’s Cycle.  We will also explore why Motherhood is good for your long term health!   By the end of this module, we want for every Mother to have acquired a much clearer understanding of her own hormones and how to recognise and address symptoms of imbalance.

In module 5 we will be learning how to exercise like a Mother.  And by this, we mean reframing things in the context of Motherhood and under-standing the new laneway of what is too little and what is too much!  We will be discussing the physical changes that occur in a Mother’s body, including a special focus on the Pelvic Floor, with a session with a Physiotherapist who will deliver some specialised info for Mothers. We will be understanding the effects of stress on our energy and adding resources into the tool box for managing it.  We will also explore emotional wellbeing and its relationship to energy, we’ll be looking especially at how to create healthy boundaries and touching in again on nervous system techniques such as tapping, breathwork, Somatic Experience practices and Havening.

By now, we expect that our participants will be feeling a new level of wellbeing in themselves and will be ready for a deeper understanding about the world around us and how this world impacts on our ability to truly shine and prosper, especially looking at toxic patterns we may have inherited both from our culture and our own Maternal lineage.  We will be considering the challenges of Mothering and Matrescense in a Patriarchal Society, inquiring into The Mother Wound and steps to healing it, we will explore the Myth of the Super Mum, as well as Mother Guilt and “Mother vs Matryr.” We will shine a light of awareness on these complex subconscious programs which sometimes “keep us small” and together we will take the first steps towards releasing these old patterns.  We will start to understand the true meaning of what self care looks like on a deeper level. Finally in this module, we will look at the Working Mother, the Patriarchy and the need for social change - and we will dream this world together!

The next stage of the journey is about lasting change and making sure that our participants are truly equipped for the final evolutionary transformation into a state of being that is beyond anything they have been before.  We will be asking the Big Question: “Who Am I?,”and exploring role conflict, values and alignment challenges.  We will be exploring Overwhelm as a topic, as well as examining common mental health challenges and learning tools for how to manage these and stay grounded.  We’ll be discussing how to create long lasting support networks in our lives, looking at Mother Mentoring, the concept whereby newer Mothers can go to more experienced Mothers for deep support and non-judgement (what Dr Oscar feels is the long term solution to the Mother Crisis). Finally, we’ll be looking at Gratitude and Purpose and exploring how they are interlinked.

In this module, we’ll start to look at how a Mother can be empowered in her immediate environment, looking specifically at healthy relationships and the healthy home. We will discuss parenting, in particular asking whether or not our parenting is aligned with our values. Together we will explore some resources from recognised parenting experts like Steve Biddulph and Dr Shefali.  We will also be exploring tools for effective communication (such as Non-Violent Communication).  We have a special (juicy!) session planned with a couple’s therapist. Finally, we will have an important session on the Healthy Home, which is all about being informed about the potential for environmental toxins in our homes, and how to make safe choices for our families.

No transformational course would be complete without considering the journey in the context of our shared Spirituality (or self-actualisation, according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs), and what it means to be connected with our higher selves on this life journey.   We will be exploring the “Dark Night of the Soul” and how struggle and crisis can open doors to deeper meaning and a higher sense of purpose.  We will be looking at the spiritual tools of Motherhood such as intuition, compassion and empathy.  We’ll explore how Mothers are the teachers of love, as well as asking how we can step up for our Mother Earth, and in what ways can we be more active in our guardianship of the planet? Finally, we will have a lot of fun exploring the Goddess in the Modern Age!