Maternal Excess: Pathways through Overwhelm to Transformation in the Perinatal Period

This paper explores matrescence as an overwhelming time for the new mother, specifically describing where that overwhelm can be potentially traumatic or transformative. Considerations of altered states of consciousness have examined where these states hinge on being traumatic or generative, yet scarce attention has been given to maternal experience within these studies. Conversely, within maternal mental health, much attention has been given to minimizing overwhelm in the perinatal period, particularly for the child’s sake, such as through mentalization and strengthening a mother’s capacity for reflective functioning to differentiate between self and other. Building on the strengths and limitations of these historical trends, this article uses examples from contemporary literature and clinical experience to discuss the ways in which the perinatal mother experiences altered states of consciousness toward her potential transformation. Matrescence is discussed as similar to other altered states of consciousness where material and metaphysical planes collide, but different in that the maternal experience is also, of necessity, grounded in relationality. I introduce the term matrescent epistemology to describe the unique, relational psychological opportunities a new mother has to access information about themselves, their lineage, and the unseen world in excess of what is typically known.