Ep 010: Healing Pelvic Pain with Pleasure
In this episode Dee Hartmann shares the value of incorporating pleasure into treatment for pelvic pain. Many people with vulvodynia, vaginismus and pelvic pain are unable to experience pleasurable sex. Pain-free intercourse is an excellent long-term goal, but our patients usually want to experience pleasure during intimate moments with their partners and themselves.
Moving the brain from a pain to pleasure-focused state requires a graded approach from attuning to pleasurable sensations in our environment to exploring safe and pleasurable touch with ourselves. Calming the brain, feeling embodied, and safe in communication to receive pleasurable touch are incredibly important for physical, emotional, and relational healing.
Whether you are a person who is experiencing pelvic pain and feel like your sensuality and/or sexuality is diminishing, or a pelvic rehab practitioner...this episode is for you. Dee talks us through the anatomy of the clitoris, physiology of arousal, and female sexual function. She shares about how to explore safe and pleasurable self-touch, and how to relay this to your partner for shared play and intimacy.
Listen to the interview on the Your Core PT Podcast or watch here on YouTube!
If you would like to learn more, Dee Hartmann, PT, DPT, IF and Elizabeth Wood, MSW, CSSE, CTE, BE have written a book called 'The Pleasure Prescription; A Surprising Approach to Healing Sexual Pain.' It includes case studies, diagrams, and the latest scientific research. Each chapter ends with “prescriptions” designed to guide readers through the healing process.
Other resources mentioned in this podcast include:
Thanks for listening and please feel free to leave comments below.