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Midlife Shift & Menopause Insights
Explore midlife mental health, menopause transitions, and nervous system care. Insightful tools and stories for healing, identity, and embodied change.


Unexpected Journeys: Recognizing the Hidden Faces of Menopause This October
October is Menopause Awareness Month—a time to shine light on a transition that affects millions, yet remains shrouded in silence and misconception. While many conversations center on the "natural" menopause journey, there's a population whose experience often goes unrecognized: those who enter menopause through surgery, medical treatment, or unexpectedly early.
jcardozalmft
Oct 89 min read


Mental Health, Perimenopause, and the Mind-Body Connection
Menopause isn’t just about hot flashes — for many women, the first signs are burnout, anxiety, or brain fog. In this post, LMFT Julie Cardoza shares how trauma-informed therapy, EMDR, and a mind-body approach can support emotional health during midlife.
jcardozalmft
Aug 132 min read


Menopause, Trauma, ACE's and The Midlife Body
Why Healing at Midlife Requires a New Conversation By Julie Cardoza, MS, LMFT, RYT, EMDRIA Approved Consultant “Menopause is not just a...
jcardozalmft
Aug 56 min read


The Menopause-Brain Connection
If you’ve ever asked, “Why can’t I handle stress like I used to?” or “Why do I feel foggy, off-balance, or like someone else entirely?”—you’re not alone. And you’re not broken.
jcardozalmft
Jul 285 min read


Unmasking Midlife Why the FDA Hearings Signals a New Era in Menopause and Women’s Health
“ There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”— Maya Angelou One of the menopause I rarely get political, but...
jcardozalmft
Jul 215 min read


The Menopause-Brain Connection: Lifespan Insights on Hormones, Trauma, and Identity
I’m a trauma-informed therapist—and I’m unmasking midlife.You may not know it, but last Friday marked a transformative moment in women’s health—and I don’t just mean hormones. I’m talking about whole-body health: mind, body, and spirit.
For decades, women have been handed prescriptions, shame, or silence when it comes to midlife change. But on Friday, July 18, 2025, the FDA made a move that shifts the conversation.
jcardozalmft
Jul 212 min read


The Life Mandala as Nervous System Medicine: A Polyvagal Approach to Midlife Integration
By Julie Cardoza, LMFT, RYT, EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Do you remember the View-Master? Hello 80's! The View-Master of Memory: Finding...
jcardozalmft
Jul 810 min read


Burned Out or Lit From Within?
As the summer solstice approaches—the longest day of the year and a symbolic peak of the element of fire, illumination, and transformation—I find myself reflecting on a theme I hear often from clients and colleagues:
jcardozalmft
May 266 min read


How Can Natural Tools Complement Polyvagal-Informed EMDR Therapy for Anxiety Relief in Midlife (Perimenopause)?
Anxiety can emerge at any stage of life—but during midlife and perimenopause, it often arrives in unexpected waves. For many women, this chapter brings profound shifts—physiological, emotional, hormonal, and relational. If you're noticing increased anxiety, irritability, or overwhelm, you’re not alone—and you’re not broken.
jcardozalmft
Apr 164 min read


The Menopause Transition and Mental Health: Seeking Therapist Input on Holistic Approaches
The intersection of menopause, mental health, and trauma healing represents one of the most significant yet under-addressed areas in clinica
jcardozalmft
Mar 143 min read
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