How To Deal With Infertility And Depression

I'm excited to welcome Dr. Rebecca Hern to the podcast.

We’re digging into depression and the link to infertility.

Dr. Hern is a licensed, clinical psychologist who works in private practice in St. Paul, Minnesota. She completed her doctorate in clinical psychology in 2014 at the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology, after having completed a 2,000-hour APA-accredited internship at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. She went on to complete her Postdoctoral Residency at Hazelden Betty Ford and has continued to work in the field of addiction since that time. Given the high rates of co-occurring disorders with addiction, and the relational impact of addictive disorders, Dr. Hern has gained expertise in treating and educating others about a wide spectrum of experiences. In particular, the high correlation between addiction and trauma has led her to become specially trained in EMDR therapy, which has been demonstrated to effectively and rapidly address trauma, depression, anxiety, and numerous other mental health concerns.

She has come to appreciate the importance of understanding presenting concerns from a functional perspective, and not just treating symptoms, but understanding and addressing the underlying roots. This often involves assisting people with compassionately looking at the evolution of their symptoms over time, and the role of cultural, relational, trauma, medical, nutritional, and spiritual factors. Clients often share that they appreciate being able to dig deeply in understanding themselves in their work with Dr. Hern. You can connect with Dr. Hern on instagram at @dr.rebeccalynn, where she shares some of her key insights and knowledge acquired through her work as a clinical psychologist. Visit in person at www.ardenwoodspsych.com

Going through infertility can be devastating. It can impact every aspect of your life.

I wanted to bring today's topic to the podcast as I see this quite frequently with my 1:1 clients.

Depression.

Depression can happen 90 days after a triggering event - such as an infertility diagnosis.

Also we see many people who have dealt with depression for years...before they were struggling with infertility.

If you are struggling please know that you are not alone.

Similar to our approach - we don't focus on the infertility diagnosis - it is equally as important not to focus solely on the mental health diagnosis.

Looking at the whole person instead of the diagnosis gives us clues as to WHY we are struggling in the first place....helping us get to the root cause.

In this episode you'll learn:

1) What the statistics tell us. Plus what about anti-depressants? (We discuss the benefits/risks, informed consent and the side effects).

2) The difference between situational and clinical depression. (Hint - situational depression can be triggered 90 days after an event - such as an infertility diagnosis). Plus specific steps to take to deal with both types of depression.

3) Why focusing on the mental health diagnosis does not serve the patient/client. Why digging into our life story, exploring what gives us meaning/purpose and how to develop coping skills can provide a better path forward.

4) Looking for the root cause of depression. Why diet, sleep, stress management matter. We discuss the impact of trauma (childhood and more), plus mind body therapies to help you right now.

Reference:

Resources: How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across A Lifetime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ovIJ3dsNk

Childhood Disrupted - Donna Jackson Nakzawa - https://donnajacksonnakazawa.com/childhood-disrupted/

Book your free Supercharge Your Fertility Discovery call. We’ll come up with a simple plan to help you move forward…towards your dream of having your baby. Don't forget to check out my Resources page for more information and products that will help you on your fertility journey.