Our Approach
Women's Mental Health
Dr. Aday specializes in the perimenopause and menopause-trauma intersection, the neurological transition that alters the brain's stress response architecture and can surface previously managed trauma with new intensity. SOMA's approach treats you as a whole person, not a symptom cluster.
This content is educational and informational. It is not psychotherapy, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it is not a substitute for care from a licensed professional. Reading this page does not create a therapist-client relationship with SOMA. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or call 911.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Women's Mental Health
Is what I am feeling perimenopause, or is something wrong with me?
For many women, perimenopause arrives as mood changes, anxiety, and a sense of not recognizing yourself, long before periods stop. This is not a character failure or a separate mental health crisis. Perimenopause is a neurological transition that changes the brain's stress response and reduces estrogen's buffering of the amygdala. So the emotional shifts you feel have a real biological basis. SOMA treats this as a bio-psychosocial transition, looking at hormones, nervous system, and life stage together, rather than handing you a diagnosis that ignores what your body is actually doing. You are not alone in this.
Why is old trauma coming back now, during perimenopause?
This is a pattern Dr. Aday specializes in. Estrogen helps buffer the amygdala, the brain's alarm center. As estrogen declines during perimenopause and menopause, that buffering fades, and trauma you once had managed can surface with new intensity. It can feel like you are going backward, but you are not. Your nervous system is simply losing some of the protection it used to have. At SOMA we integrate trauma reprocessing with an understanding of the hormonal context, so we treat the whole picture instead of the resurfacing symptoms alone.
My doctor says it is just hormones. Why do I still feel unseen?
Because hormones are only part of the story. Many women feel dismissed when everything is blamed on hormones, or when wellness advice offers supplements and breathing exercises while ignoring the neurological and psychological reality. Both extremes leave you managing this alone. SOMA's approach is integrated. We address the hormonal shifts, the nervous system changes, and the identity questions together, treating you as a whole person rather than a symptom cluster. Feeling unseen is not proof that nothing is wrong. It often means no one has looked at the full picture yet.
Do I need a trauma history for this guide and this work to apply to me?
No. The perimenopause and menopause transition changes mood, stress tolerance, and your relationship to your own body whether or not you carry past trauma. This guide explains the neurological shift for any woman who feels destabilized by it. For women who do have a trauma history, the hormonal changes can intensify old material, and SOMA addresses that intersection directly. Either way, you do not need a diagnosis or the right clinical words to begin. If your inner world feels different and harder to steady, that is enough reason to seek support. You are not alone in this.
How does SOMA support women's mental health, and is it available virtually in Florida?
SOMA offers culturally responsive, bio-psychosocial care grounded in Dr. Aday's work at the perimenopause and menopause-trauma intersection. We combine neuro-endocrine psychoeducation, somatic regulation, identity transition work, and trauma reprocessing within the hormonal context. SOMA sees adult clients in person at our Coral Gables office and virtually by telehealth for residents of the states where we are licensed, including Florida. SOMA is private pay and out of network. We can provide a superbill for possible out-of-network reimbursement, and HSA and FSA funds are often eligible. Rates are shared during your consultation.