Holding Space: Stories of Maternal Mental Health

“Holding space” is a term used often in the therapy community. A quick Google search and a chat with a therapist friend tell us that it means all good things — being physically, mentally, and emotionally present for someone; putting your focus on someone to support them as they feel their feelings; being with someone without judgment, but with empathy and compassion.

“There are a lot of myths about motherhood,” says Perri Shaw Borish, psychotherapist, founder of Whole Heart Maternal Mental Health and project advisor to this series. “So, when your expectations don’t match reality, there’s a lot of anxiety in that. And that’s often the case when someone has a baby. Right? Because your life is turned upside down. It’s not at all what you imagined because who could imagine that?

And, if you don’t meet your own expectation or your own sort of fantasy of or projection of what you thought you were going to be like as a mother or what motherhood would be like, there can be a lot of guilt and shame in that.

“What we hear over and over again is that they feel isolated, they feel alone, they think they’re the only person that’s having this experience.”

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🌀 "Holding Space: Maternal Mental Health" is a short documentary film series presenting five individuals who tell of touching, challenging journeys with #postpartum #depression and perinatal anxiety and mood disorders (#PMADS).

🎬 We hope you share these #maternalmentalhealth stories widely:
https://oc87recoverydiaries.org/pmads/

🔗 https://wholeheartmaternalmentalhealt... — Special thanks go to Perri Shaw Borish, psychotherapist, founder of Whole Heart Maternal Mental Health and project advisor to this series.

✅ For more #MENTALHEALTH recovery films, subscribe to our channel:
   / oc87recoverydiaries