Unburdening Motherhood: A Guide to Breaking Cycles, Healing Trauma, and Becoming a Self-Led Mom

Practical tools to help mothers heal so they can approach motherhood with more self-trust, compassion, and joy.

When clinical psychologist and mindfulness meditation teacher Dr. Angele Close started a family, she assumed she would have the skills, maturity, and all the love to create a harmonious, joy-filled home. But past trauma and the heavy weight of cultural myths about what makes ＂a good mother＂ turned parenting into a minefield of triggers. To truly break the cycle of generational pain, she realized she still had inner work to do while also navigating the relentless demands of modern-day motherhood.

Close’s experience is all too familiar to many mothers. A recent US Surgeon General advisory confirmed that 33% of parents experience high levels of stress, with nearly half feeling overwhelmed. Studies show that mothers, more than fathers, find parenting stressful and feel judged, often leading to isolating, burnout, and depression. Add to that, many feel the burden of cultural myths like:

• A good mom loves all aspects of motherhood.
• A good mom sacrifices her needs for her family.
• A good mom raises ＂good＂ kids.

The pressure to be the perfect mom often leads to guilt, shame, and silence--creating unnecessary pain that affects both mothers and their children. But instead of ignoring her mounting triggers, Close turned them into profound opportunities for healing which she shares in Unburdening Motherhood.

Unburdening Motherhood explores ＂matrescence,＂ the profound and often unspoken identity transformation women undergo when they become mothers. Matrescence encapsulates how cultural expectations, internalized beliefs, and resurfaced childhood wounds collide during this transition. These can send already stressed moms spiraling into feelings of shame, unprocessed grief, and often isolation and self-blame. Drawing on the tenets of Internal Family Systems, an evidence-based model for trauma healing, Close offers mothers a hopeful path to understand their inner ＂parts＂ so they can heal and thrive in motherhood.

Mothers want to enjoy mothering but feel weighed down by these unrealistic expectations. They worry about passing on their wounds to their children, but therapy often feels inaccessible. This is where Unburdening Motherhood steps in--teaching mothers how to address their inner struggles, transforming confusion into clarity, and becoming the mothers they aspire to be.

Dr. Angele Close is a clinical psychologist, motherhood coach, and certified mindfulness teacher who helps mothers navigate the challenges of matrescence and parenting.

With nearly twenty years of experience working with adults and couples, she shifted her focus to maternal mental health after her own motherhood journey revealed the urgent need for more support, education, and healing resources for moms.

After experiencing profound personal healing through Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, Dr. Close pursued extensive clinical training and is on track toward certification as an IFS Therapist and Consultant. She now blends her personal experience and professional expertise to guide mothers in healing intergenerational wounds, breaking unhealthy patterns, and feeling more compassion, confidence, and joy in motherhood.

Dr. Close offers one-on-one psychotherapy and coaching, as well as workshops, courses, and group sessions, both online and in-person in Lake Forest, IL, where she lives with her husband, three children, and their Goldendoodle, Fozzy Bear.