Ep. #15: Patriarchy Stress Disorder, with Dr. Valerie Rein
I interviewed Dr. Valerie Rein, who’s the author of the bestselling book “Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The Invisible Barrier to Women’s Happiness and Fulfillment.” If you’ve ever wondered why you feel dissatisfied, even if you’ve achieved a lot or have everything that “should” make you happy, you'll gain a lot from this episode. Dr. Valerie explains Patriarchy Stress Disorder - or PSD for short - and why it keeps us on a constant treadmill of achievement, despite the paradox of those achievements never really bringing us true and lasting fulfillment. We explore how PSD affects women at the critical intersection of work and motherhood, when women are wondering how can they have the careers they want and be the mother they want to be at the same time. Dr. Valerie believes that women can have both...but not until they get in touch with their truest desires and begin to heal the generations of stress put upon women by the patriarchy. If you’re a woman listening to this today, having an understanding of PSD will help you better understand how we have evolved to function in this patriarchal world around us...and how we can best heal ourselves and step into our true power and fulfillment.
1:1 COACHING
If you’re finding the topics and concepts discussed in this podcast helpful and you want to apply them to your own life and career in a deeper and more personalized way, then please don’t hesitate to reach out to me for a free discovery call. I work with women who are interested in finding their right balance between work and motherhood. My coaching is personalized to the individual based on your wants and needs. It all starts with a (fun!) conversation. Send me a note via the link below and I’ll be in touch soon to schedule!
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
How Dr. Valerie defines PSD
The achievement paradox: the more a woman achieves, the more her subconscious programming activates her stress adaptations, thus leading to burnout.
The #1 symptom of PSD and why it’s so easy to ignore.
Dr. Valerie’s personal story of what led her down this path of discovering and defining PSD.
Why many women feel guilty because they don’t have a right to feel dissatisfied when their lives are so “good”.
How “trauma” is at the heart of PSD, and how you can have “trauma” even if you’ve never experienced a major life-altering traumatic event.
How we develop “trauma adaptations” - or what Dr. Valerie calls “prison guards” - as ways to deal with moments that make us feel unsafe.
How the prison guards make everything conditional and keep us on a treadmill of trying to achieve our way to feeling better.
The core wound of “worth(less)ness”
MORE ABOUT DR. VALERIE REIN:
Dr. Valerie Rein discovered Patriarchy Stress Disorder (PSD) and created the only science-backed system for helping women achieve their ultimate success, happiness, and fulfillment by healing the intergenerational trauma of oppression. She holds an EdM in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University and a PhD in Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Her bestselling book, “Patriarchy Stress Disorder: The Invisible Inner Barrier to Women’s Happiness and Fulfillment” has been heralded by Amazon reviewers as "the most important body of literary work of our modern times" and "perhaps the most important book of the century for women." Her cutting-edge programs have helped thousands of women shift from survival to thriving and master the game of "How good can it get?" in their work and personal lives.
Connect with Dr. Valerie:
Subscribe to Dr. Valerie's Thriving Notes when you download the first chapter of her book or book resources
Follow her on Instagram -- or on Facebook - feel free to tag and DM her! She love tags and hashtags, hers are #patriarchystressdisorder and #thethrivingexperience -- follow them for updates.
Come out and play with us live at her free virtual retreat, The Thriving Experience! Learn more and register here.
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About Me
Catherine Ferguson is a Life Coach for working moms. She helps high-achieving, high-vibe women create careers they truly care about, using simple concepts and tools she explores on her podcast and in her personalized coaching program.
She believes that doing work you love as a mother doesn’t have to be complicated or overwhelming, and that there are simple shifts you can make right now to help you find your right balance between work and home by applying universal principles that you’re probably already teaching your children. She is the host of the One Badass (Working) Mother podcast and a mom of two cute but psycho kids.