PMDD

PMDD is a severe negative reaction to the normal fluctuation of hormones throughout the menstrual cycle. Often, people with PMDD experience a heightened level of reactivity, low energy, or an increased difficulty focusing. Because PMDD is directly tied to the menstrual cycle, elevated symptoms can occur during the week leading up to and the week following menstruation.

Sometimes, underlying psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder become worse after ovulation and before bleeding. For example, a person with major depressive disorder may experience increased symptoms around the time of menstruation. This is called Premenstrual Exacerbation, or PME.

How to treat PMDD

Most people seeking counseling for PMDD are well acquainted with their menstrual cycle and the relationship between their body and their moods. Many people with PMDD chronically experience dysphoria, fatigue, tearfulness, rejection sensitivity, shame, and depletion. These symptoms can make people with PMDD feel unwelcome or burdensome in their relationships with others. They may report feeling unsafe, having thoughts of self-harm, or an impulse to make major, irreversible life changes.

Even with PMDD, nervous system dysregulation doesn’t happen overnight.

Though PMDD is a physiological response to the normal fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle, it interacts with life traumas and other patterns of stress. A lifetime of experiences, especially early ones, inform how well people cope with the challenge of PMDD. Psychotherapy works with the different parts of the self that become inflamed throughout the menstrual cycle. Practitioners can help clients look at the various parts of themselves that can be jealous, insecure, or rejection sensitive with a strong consideration for their interaction with developmental or other personal traumas and histories.

Self and Other is a safe space to for those with PMDD to process the intense thoughts and feelings that accompany the experience. Our clinicians know that healing can be found through holistically strengthening responses to stress, and we work alongside clients to develop effective strategies tailored to each individual’s unique circumstances. For many, this includes building skills to effectively navigate the vulnerability, emotionality, and reactivity that often accompany experiences of PMDD.