She is worried about what others might think. Psychic death and sterility are the result.

Only by allowing ourselves to feel our sadness can we reawaken to the new possibilities and pleasures offered by the next stage of our lives.

Any initiatory journey requires a guide,

the return, we will take a closer look at the psychological treasures to which we can hopefully lay claim when we resurface, including mature spirituality, renewed creativity, and an abiding sense of inner authority.

This is analogous to the hard work that one must undertake to recover from childhood trauma or emotional abuse. It may take us years to break the spell.

Running away—from children, commitments, places—appears as a magical solution when we have never fully consolidated a strong sense of self.

As women, we are especially prone to diminishing ourselves in an encounter with another person to communicate that we are not a threat.

it is indeed often the case that when our children—perhaps especially our daughters—reach a stage of development in which they confront a challenge in their lives that we never managed to resolve fully on our own, old issues are reawakened for us.

If you grew up experiencing emotional abandonment in childhood, it might make mothering more difficult.