Menstrual therapy with a holistic approach: acceptance of change and understanding the power of cycles
When hearing “Menstrual Therapy” many may associate it with menstrual cramps, infertility, mood swings, ovarian cysts, urinary tract infections or any other illness that affects women.
From a holistic perspective these are also manifestations or symptoms of a lack of recognition, an unresolved conflict with women’s own life or with their own mother or ancestors. It is a need for the recognition of their inner child. It is a wound that is calling for attention that needs to be addressed.
The hormonal cycle presents synchronicities. They are simple to observe in the cycles of crops, plants, seasons, the moon and it is exactly what happens with the cycles of menstruating beings.
It is important to understand the importance of the manifestations of the body. Menstrual pain, for example, should not be attacked, but accepted as a message from the universe to whom it is linked. Understanding it will be part of the body’s self-healing process.
What is menstrual therapy?
We interviewed Greta Castro Nuñez, also known as Planeta, certified in Mother Earth® Menstrual Therapy, who under her project Udaka Terapia Menstrual, shares the importance of recognising the feminine cyclicity.
Greta explains: “The Madretierra® Menstrual Therapy system is a method based on the female hormonal cycle that looks at the portal wounds of all stages of a woman’s life”. Under this approach the portal wounds are a kind of threshold that invites transformation. The wounds are not necessarily a physical manifestation such as a cut on the skin, but deep wounds that surface depending on the time of the cycle, and if addressed can be life transforming.
Social stigmas can contribute to rejection, denial and difficulty in healing these portal wounds. So, this system of Menstrual Therapy invites to recognize this social oppression in a woman’s life and to accept her own nature.
The main objective of menstrual therapy is: “to guide women through their cyclicity to recover their natural calendar, while rescuing the importance of rites of passage to connect one stage of life with another, allowing them to capitalise on their energies and recover the autonomy of their body. It is a holistic medicine that brings wellness to your physical, mental and spiritual body,” reveals Greta.
You will give birth in pain
The biggest stigma attached to women is that society imposes their suffering to show their love.
Menstruation is about a woman’s whole body, not just her ovaries or uterus. Menstruation is directly related to her emotions, to her history, to her needs, to her longings, to her lineage, but also to everything that surrounds her, such as the climate, the temperature and her own context.
Being a woman is not synonymous with suffering, being a woman does not imply accepting pain. Menstruation is a messenger, a constant visitor who invites us to look inwards and outwards in order to transform.
The visualization of patterns – archetypes – is a tool for self-knowledge.
Every month, week and day a woman is in a certain part of her cycle. Menstrual Therapy identifies these moments to use them as a tool for her understanding and growth.
Greta clarifies that “The archetypes of the cyclical woman represent the phases of a woman’s life, the phases of the female hormonal cycle, the phases of the moon, the seasons of the year and other cyclical expressions abundant in nature that can be observed in the oscillating female psyche. These women express behaviours, emotions and ways of thinking intrinsic to the feminine nature and serve to make visible and validate the constant and natural fluctuations of the cyclical being”.
By understanding what is going on in the body, one can better understand what is being felt and better meet the need at any given time of the month.
Archetypes of the menstrual cycle:
-The Maiden – Follicular or pre-ovulatory phase. Moment of very high creative energy, there is a lot of vitality, clarity. It is the ideal time to undertake.
-The Mother – Ovulation. Moment of great connection with Mother Earth, with birthing of life, not necessarily human, but of manifesting all kinds of projects.
-The Magician – Luteal or premenstrual phase: introspection and connection with the unconscious. There is a lot of internal dialogue.
-The Wise Woman – Menstruation phase: Renewal in every sense of the body, physically and spiritually through the blood. It is a time of stillness; this energy can be used to connect with the deepest part of self and to sort out desires for the next cycle ahead.
This is a basic and generalised description. Greta warns us that the subject of archetypes is much more complex. She makes use of a paragraph by Jean Shinoda Bolen’s book: Artemis. The Indomitable Spirit in Everywoman. “An archetype is a pattern, and each goddess archetype has recognisable characteristics that fit that pattern. However, a woman is much more than her archetypes. She is unique, like her footprints. She may have similarities with others who start out with the same configuration of archetypes, but family, culture and the time in which she lives greatly influence her choices.”
Actions to begin cultivating your relationship with your cycle
“Journaling is an excellent way to recognise oneself through cyclicity. Self-observation is a scientific method that can lead to an understanding of emotional fluctuations and their possible triggers. Observing and studying the moon and its phases, the phases of plants, the seasons, the tides, the cycles of breathing. All reflect the naturalness and necessity of change, while showing us that no cycle is ever the same as the previous one. The ritual connects the woman to her body and feminine intuition; planting her blood and watching the garden blossom is highly dignifying and revealing.”
Healing is Self-healing.
Nothing is more impossible than the ´one pill that solves everything. It requires the use of various holistic tools, and in this sense, Mother Earth Menstrual Therapy® comes as a very powerful and personal alternative. After going through her process, Greta tells us that it can bring many benefits such as self-knowledge, psycho-emotional sovereignty, understanding and appreciation of personal and ancestral history, autonomy of your own territory, self-management, as well as a clear empowerment.
PEMF goes hand in hand with any alternative therapy
The pulsed electromagnetic field therapies of MyMat are an excellent complement to any holistic therapy.
PEMF MyMat is used not only to treat physical but also emotional aspects. It can work for each of the stages of the female cycle and you can adjust the programmes for each of the above-mentioned archetypes of the menstrual cycle.
MyMat PEMF® has different programmes for conditions affecting women, such as:
- Female hormonal imbalance
- Fertility
- Polycystic Ovaries
- Sexual organs
- Fibroids in the uterus
- Menstrual disorders such as dysmenorrhoea, heavy flow, irregular cycle
- Menopause
It also includes other programmes that support on an emotional and spiritual level.
Learn more about MyMat PEMF here.