Healing Chronic Pelvic Pain with the Mind-Body Approach: Rachel’s Story
When Rachel first came to me, she felt completely defeated. She’d spent years chasing answers for chronic pelvic pain, including bladder pain, vaginal burning and tension that no test could explain.
Her symptoms mirrored what many people with pelvic floor dysfunction experience.But none of the typical treatments helped.
After the antibiotics, the pain didn’t go away. Instead, it snowballed into months (and then years) of bladder pressure, vaginal burning, tension, fear, and confusion. But the many doctors’ appointments and tests results came back as “normal”.
Rachel was stuck in a loop that made her body feel like an unsafe place to live.
And then something shifted.
The Moment Everything Changed
One day, deep in a Google rabbit hole, Rachel stumbled across an article on mind-body approaches to chronic pain. It was a lightbulb moment. The connection between the nervous system and pelvic pain made perfect sense.
She read about how a sensitized nervous system can confuse normal sensations as danger and alert the body through pain.
She recognized herself in every line. And wondered: what if her oversensitized brain caused her pain? That’s when she found me.
What We Did Together
When Rachel reached out, she was ready to try something radically different.
Together, we used somatic therapy techniques to ease her pain. Our goal was to help her regulate her nervous system and feel safe in her body.
Here’s what we focused on:
1. Safety First
We started exploring what safety meant to Rachel. Sometimes, it was placing one hand on her heart, and sometimes, it was just noticing her breath without trying to change it.
2. Somatic Tools
We used gentle breathwork and somatic tracking to bring awareness to her body without fear. Rather than focusing on relaxation, we focused on creating a feeling of spaciousness.
3. Evidence Journal
Rachel began tracking her symptoms, thoughts, emotions, and environment. Slowly, she started seeing patterns:
Her pain eased after a walk in nature
The burning flared up during stress
Laughter softened everything
4. Nervous System Relearning
Week by week, we gathered proof that her pain wasn’t random nor permanent.
Her body had been responding to a story she had told herself over and over again.
Now, we were rewriting that story.
Where She Is Now
Rachel isn’t “perfectly healed”, because that’s not the goal.
But today, she lives with a sense of physical freedom she once thought was impossible.
She laughs easily. Moves freely. She goes on hikes again. She’s painting again. She trusts her body and herself.
And perhaps most importantly, she no longer feels like her pain defines her.
If You See Yourself in Rachel…
You don’t have to wait for rock bottom to try something new. If you're dealing with pelvic pain and anxiety, you're not alone — and you don't have to navigate this without support.
Here are a few ways to begin your own shift:
Try my audio breathwork collection.
Listen to Rachel’s full story on the Beyond the Pelvis Podcast.
Learn more about the Pelvic Healing Circle, where I share the same techniques I taught Rachel to help reconnect with your body.
Your Body Is Not the Enemy
If you’re in pain right now, I want you to know this:
Your body is not broken.
Your symptoms are not your fault.
And healing doesn’t mean doing more. It often begins with softening, listening, and learning to trust your body again.
Rachel’s story isn’t an exception. I see transformations like these every day with my clients. I share this to remind you of what’s possible.
