The author of this month's essay, Dr. Christiane Northrup,
is a rare soul in the medical world. A holistic gynecologist,
she believes that PMS, hysterectomies, breast cancer,
fibroids, etc. are "physical metaphors for the wounding
of women." Several women at this month's discussion
added a historical dimension by connecting women's wounds to
5,000 years of unmitigated misogyny.
One woman said the essay
made her cry, explaining that it invoked in her own body the
cumulative suffering of her grandmothers, her great
grandmothers, and her great-great grandmothers. Some women
felt that our bodies map an inner, subconscious pain that
parallels the rape and battering of Mother Earth. As Northrup
writes, "since the earth is often considered feminine in
gender," women in particular are "culturally and
biologically very sensitive" to the violence against
nature.
Several women rejected this "essentialist"
viewpoint that women are closer to nature (see Nature as Female), adding that both
males and females are raised to disassociate emotions from
physical illnesses.
Regardless of whether it's social or
innate, other women argued that by and large in Western
society women do respond more frequently on an
emotional level than most men. Another woman countered that
the issue has less to do with stereotyped gender roles
(females express pain; males do not) than with Western
culture's perverse severance of mind from body.
In seeking to
understand why patients' feelings are devalued and often
ridiculed, one woman insisted that we can't overlook the
reality that healing is today a male-controlled industry.
This woman once consulted with Dr. Northrup and was impressed
by her patient intake form. Along with the de rigueur history
of family ailments, Northrup asks over 65 questions relating
to stress: Do you live in a dangerous neighborhood? Are you
overwhelmed by work responsibilities? Do you spend too much
time alone at home? To most of us it seemed absurdly
irresponsible that mainstream doctors refuse to factor into
their diagnoses the emotional content of our daily lives.
A few women, however, were concerned that a submersion
into the realm of feelings and therapy may result in
political action being put on the back burner. For example,
one woman stated that thousands of people may
"recover" through 12-Step programs or therapy, but
do personal transformations really destabilize systems of
oppression?
Although many "dysfunctional"
individuals often become "functional," she
declared, the global state of patriarchy remains
unchallenged, primarily because therapeutic approaches are
stubbornly apolitical. Most women vigorously disagreed. One
woman responded that whenever deep feelings are examined,
patriarchy is unquestionably undermined since taking care of
oneself is an intensely political activityespecially
for women.
As the late Audre Lorde wrote, "Caring for
myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and
that is an act of political warfare." Another woman
asserted that radical politics evolve because of one's
feelings, evidenced by the deep compassion of so many
grassroots activists. This calls to mind Che Guevara's words,
"The true revolutionary is guided by strong feelings of
love."
We all appreciated Northrup's non-dualistic emphasis on
balancing the personal and the political. Several of us,
though, felt overwhelmed by the constraints a balanced life
seemingly demands. How does one find time for physical
exercise, political activism, preparing nutritious meals,
self-introspection, wage-earning work, time with nature, long
reading lists, spiritual growth, housework, and quality
leisure time with family and friends?
Having been taught
"if you can't do something right, don't do it at
all," one woman lamented she always feels like a
failure. Several women immediately recognized that old
bugaboo perfectionism, and counseled her to abandon the
notion that one's full range of activities must always be
faultlessly performed. Another woman maintained that
perfection does not exist in nature.
Perfection is
anti-nature, a manmade standard that runs counter to
ecofeminism and leads to self-defeat. It seemed obvious to
several women that the key to a balanced, healthy life is to
act in moderation and lovingly accept wherever you are on the
continuum of your goals.
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