285: Perinatal Mental Health Symptoms and Healing with Yoga with Ruthie Ayzenberg

Today’s episode features another personal account of struggle through postpartum issues and a journey to healing. Join us to learn more from Ruthie’s story! I’m joined by Ruthie Ayzenberg, LMFT, LPCC, PMH-C, CYT, a dedicated California-licensed psychotherapist with over a decade of experience specializing in maternal and perinatal mental health. She provides therapy, postpartum CBT/DBT skills coaching, and support groups through her private practice, Mental Fitness Therapy. She explains how her transition into motherhood helped propel her into the perinatal mental health field, and she highlights signs and symptoms, also known as “orange flags,” that are often missed in new moms. Ruthie shares how she incorporates yoga into therapy and how new moms can use yoga practices to manage daily stress and optimize their parenting. Despite being a therapist, Ruthie was caught off guard by the challenges of new motherhood and the juggle of parenting demands. This inspired her to pursue her certification from PSI and gain experience working with El Camino Hospital’s MOM program, creating groups and providing care for struggling perinatal moms and their families. In her practice and her work, Ruthie draws from a variety of therapy modalities, including Experiential, IFS, Brainspotting, EFT-Tapping, Expressive Arts, Mindfulness, Yoga, and CBT/DBT skills. Ruthie’s experience living in Russia, Israel, and the US has instilled in her a deep respect for cultural uniqueness, and she incorporates cultural strengths, creativity, and spirituality into her therapy work. Ruthie strongly believes that the best gift for a child is a parent who is striving for health, regardless of their imperfections.  Show Highlights: How Ruthie struggled with the “two sides of motherhood” How the birth experiences with her daughter and son were totally different for Ruthie How the guilt-driven decision to return to work at 6 weeks postpartum created the perfect storm of stress, guilt, shame, and irritability How Ruthie obtained the perfect job at the MOMS program at El Camino–and relished the healing environment there Why so many therapists and medical professionals miss the signs and symptoms of perinatal mental health issues How Ruthie found help and healing through yoga and psychedelic-assisted therapy Signs and symptoms of postpartum issues that are commonly missed in physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral categories How Ruthie helps others find healing and recovery through the 5 S’s: sleep, sunshine, social support, self-care, skills, and spirituality How yoga helps connect the body and mind to bring healing How yoga nidra (a practice that can be done at home and for free) can help new moms who struggle with sleep deprivation Ruthie’s takeaways: “I want to give hope to listeners that you are capable, competent, and skillful. There are many different paths to healing, and they can be simple and small.” Resources: Connect with Ruthie and Mental Fitness Therapy: Website, LinkedIn, and Na'aleh Yoga Podcast (try Yoga Nidra with Ruthie!) Visit www.postpartum.net for resources and support!  Visit www.postpartum.net/professionals/certificate-trainings/ for information on the grief course.   Visit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!