Book Recommendation: "Women Who Run With the Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

For women in midlife, I often suggest "Women Who Run With the Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. I recently revisited it in my 40s and found it resonates much deeper than when I first read it in my early 30s.

This book speaks directly to reclaiming your authentic nature after years of putting everyone else first. Using myths and folktales, Estés illuminates how we've muffled our instinctual wisdom to fit external expectations—and shows us the path back to ourselves.

The concept of the "Wild Woman" isn't about being chaotic but about reconnecting with your innate knowing and power. It's about remembering who you were before the world told you who you should be.

I've found particular meaning in what Estés calls "homing"—the necessary practice of returning to ourselves. In midlife, when we're stretched thin between caring for aging parents, launching children, and managing careers, creating space to come home to ourselves isn't a luxury but a necessity.

While our culture often makes midlife women feel invisible, this book honors the wisdom that comes with age. It helps us see that rather than diminishing, our potential for authentic expression actually expands in this stage of life.

If you're feeling called to reclaim aspects of yourself that have been set aside or to trust your intuition more deeply, let's explore how these concepts might support your journey. This path of reconnection isn't one you have to walk alone.

Julia Stephenson

Julia Stephenson, LCPC, is a trained Internal Family Systems mental health counselor. She offers individual and group psychotherapy services, both online and in-person, to Maryland residents. Her experience includes working with individuals struggling with unresolved past experiences, anxiety, depression, and stress related to work, school, family, and relationships. She has also worked in inpatient settings, treating the more painful symptoms of addiction, eating disorders, and Complex-PTSD.

https://www.juliastephensonlcpc.com/
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Book Recommendation: "The Wild Edge of Sorrow" by Francis Weller

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Book Review: "It's Not You" by Dr. Ramani Durvasula - When Binary Thinking Meets Complex Systems