Mother Becoming: Reflections and Scholarship on Matrescence

“The term matrescence has entered popular conversation, and this remarkable book demonstrates just how deep, broad, and transformative the concept truly is. With an impressive roster of scholars, clinicians, poets, and activists, Mother Becoming bridges psychological, philosophical, and feminist paradigms into a coherent collection. Each chapter contributes to a rich tapestry of maternal thought, theoretical and practical, reflective and action-oriented. Both the content and format of this book shows us the complexity, creativity, and power of matrescence and why it still has so much more to teach us.”

- Helena Vissing, PsyD, Associate Professor at California Institute of Integral Studies, author of Somatic Maternal Healing

"This beautifully written collection helps mothers feel seen and validated and offers practitioners clear frameworks and resources to support mothers through this transition. Matrescence is positioned as both personal and political: a site of meaning-making, resistance and possibility. This powerful contribution reimagines mothering not as a loss of self but as a generative force for mothers and society."

- Dr Caroline Boyd, perinatal clinical psychologist and author

“Mother Becoming is a beautifully crafted exploration of the transition into motherhood, blending expert insight with first-hand experience to capture the depth and complexity of this profound life stage. It gives language to what so many mothers feel but struggle to express, validating their lived realities and inviting the thoughtful inquiry and conversation they deserve in a culture that too often dismisses or pathologizes them.”

- Erin Spahr, therapist and founder, Feminist Mom Therapist

"Mother Becoming is a landmark collection: powerful, wide-ranging, fascinating, beautifully assembled, and deeply quenching."

- Lucy Jones, author of Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Birth and Motherhood