The Yellow Wallpaper

Birth Mystics

Stephanie leads a discussion on the powerful short story The Yellow Paper, a semi-autobiographical novella written at the turn of the century by Charlotte Perkins Gillman. This is a compelling, haunting story of a woman's rebirth that is tragically thwarted; she is prescribed the rest cure during her postpartum, separated from her baby and loved ones, and confined to an old nursery in a cottage house in the remote countryside. Stephanie walks you through the symptoms of her thwarted awakening as a tale of woe, giving us a crystal clear template of what not to do. This story couldn't be more pertinent today as our society faces an alarming rise of PMADs. We've been conditioned to fear postpartum and deeply misunderstand its healing potential. In this episode, postpartum is reclaimed and redefined, giving us a new paradigm to identify and support the too often overlooked symptoms of our own awakening.

To follow Stephanie's work, you can visit her website, bhavabirth.com, or follow her on IG: @bhava_birth.