Through my more recent lived experience, alongside my commitment to continuous professional and personal development, I have found myself increasingly drawn towards Jung’s theory of The Shadow. The more I learn, the more I find myself wondering about the relationship between Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) and The Shadow.
With PMDD, the 7–14 days before menstruation can sometimes feel as though everything has been turned upside down. Things that felt manageable suddenly feel impossible. There is something in Wild Power that I think beautifully captures the inward movement associated with menstruation:
“As you enter into the height of menstruation, you go into the deep winter... The ‘outer lights’ of the world — that is, your attention to mundane or material life — have been dimmed and your ‘inner lights’ are now blazing.”
This idea of turning inward really resonates with me.
So then perhaps this sacred time can be an invitation to slow down, listen and pay attention.
“These inner lights are the awakening of your feelings, your needs — the calling of your soul.”
And this is where my thinking about PMDD begins.
Lets break it down
Premenstrual - Before menstruation.
Dysphoric - A profound state of unease, unhappiness, dissatisfaction or psychological discomfort — essentially the opposite of euphoric.
Disorder - A condition that can interfere significantly with everyday functioning and cause considerable distress.
Why?
Well it is currently understood as involving an altered sensitivity to the normal hormonal fluctuations of the menstrual cycle. The hormone levels themselves are generally not abnormal; rather, research suggests that the brain and nervous system respond differently to those normal hormonal changes. For people with PMDD, symptoms can affect a substantial portion of the menstrual cycle. And when you consider what it can mean to repeatedly experience intense emotional and physical symptoms month after month, the impact can be enormous.
So what can we do about it?
First, I want to be very clear: I am not claiming to be a PMDD expert. I am sharing an emerging line of thought based on my own lived experience, my ongoing professional development and the research I have been exploring. And if something here helps even one person feel a little less alone during their darker days, then it is worth sharing.
The shadow
Jung described the shadow as the hidden or unconscious aspects of ourselves — parts of our personality that the conscious ego may struggle to recognise, accept or integrate. The shadow isn't necessarily bad. It isn't evil. But it can contain some very useful information. The parts of ourselves we have learned to hide, suppress, reject or dismiss. So, I began wondering:
If PMDD involves an altered sensitivity to the normal hormonal fluctuations of the cycle, then might there also be something psychologically meaningful about what becomes more noticeable during that time? Could our heightened emotional sensitivity bring our unmet needs, boundaries, conflicts and previously suppressed feelings closer to the surface?
This is where, for me, Jung's concept of the shadow becomes an interesting lens through which to explore the experience.
So what if PMDD creates an increased sensitivity to what is happening beneath the surface?
What if the "inner lights" are blazing? What if the things we normally manage to hush become louder - the unmet need, the boundary we haven't set, the resentment we haven't acknowledged. The list goes on, and each list will of course vary.
I think the shadow isn't screaming from within because it wants to destroy us, to throw its heavy black cloak over us and keep us trapped until that precious bleed. No. I think the shadow just wants to be heard, acknowledged. Perhaps after sending us so many signals or invitations to come and listen, and those being ignored, feed its anger, its rage, and it gets stronger, ready and waiting for those outer lights to drop again, to have its opportunity to once again rise to the surface.
Perhaps the more it is rejected, the stronger it gets and the harder it is to contain.
Listening differently
I'm not suggesting that PMDD is simply psychological. It isn't. PMDD is a real, debilitating condition with biological mechanisms that deserve proper recognition, diagnosis and treatment. Nor am I suggesting that we can simply "heal" PMDD by doing shadow work, journalling or listening to our inner selves. We need evidence-based healthcare.
But in the meantime, perhaps there's room for another question alongside all of that:
What is my experience trying to tell me?
Could the luteal phase become an invitation to slow down rather than a period we simply endure?
Could we become curious about the feelings that surface?
Could we learn to distinguish between a symptom and a message?
Could we listen to our needs without automatically acting on every emotion?
Could we use the quieter, inward-facing parts of the cycle to understand ourselves more deeply?
Could we treat the shadows messages as data?
Maybe the anger might be pointing to real life situations or boundaries that need to change. Maybe. But we must remember that we do not have to believe the darkest lies the brain tells during this window. We can use this time to listen, to understand, to track. We can decide later if we want to do anything with what we´ve found.
This, I believe, could be just one of many tools that can support us during our dark times. Something to soften the edges of what can feel like you´re living in the upside down.
What helps you?