May 08, 2023

268: "Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts" with Karen Kleiman

41 minutes

We continue in the month of May, Mental Health Awareness Month! We always need more awareness and advocacy for mental health in general, but for far too long, maternal mental health has been underrecognized and underdiagnosed. So many people have suffered without good resources and the proper support in place. Today’s guest has vast experience with perinatal mental health, and it allows her to see the long view of how far we’ve come and how far we still need to go. Join us to learn more!

Karen Kleiman is a well-known international maternal mental health expert with over 35 years of experience in the field. She is a strong advocate and the author of several groundbreaking books on postpartum depression and anxiety. Her work has been featured online and in the mental health community for decades. In 1998, Karen founded The Postpartum Stress Center, and in 2022, she founded The Karen Kleiman Training Center, which is dedicated to the advancement of clinical expertise and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. All of her advanced trainings are heavily influenced by The Art of Holding Perinatal in Distress™ model of intervention, created by Karen. In this conversation, we take a close look at intrusive thoughts and identify those that are normal and those that need an increased level of intervention. Karen’s latest book is Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers. Her other books include The Postpartum Partner, What About Us?, This Isn’t What I Expected, The Art of Holding in Therapy, and Dropping the Baby and Other Scary Thoughts.

Show Highlights:

Why Karen writes books as a unique avenue to empower moms

How the pandemic doubled and tripled exponentially the anxiety and fears for new moms

How the “scary thought” range can vary from mild to very awful–and they don’t always come with thoughts of hurting your baby or yourself

Why postpartum depression doesn’t always feel like symptoms–but like the mom is broken

How to know if scary thoughts are “too scary” by measuring a mom’s distress:

How much is it interfering with her ability to get through the day?

How much is it interfering with who she is and how she functions?

How women are built to function well with very high levels of distress

Why Karen hopes her book can help moms ask for help when they need it

What the statistics show around intrusive thoughts about harm to a mother’s baby

How every new mom experiences some obsessions and compulsions around their baby’s safety

Why the core of Karen’s work has become holding space for the authentic suffering of moms when they think they are “fine”

Why relationship problems have to be addressed along with postpartum depression and anxiety

Why connection to a partner is the #1 most important way to help a suffering mom

Resources:

Connect with Karen: Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Book: Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts, and LinkedIn

Check out Karen Kleiman’s other books: Website and Amazon

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!

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By Katayune Kaeni, Psy.D., PMH-C

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