Chronic Pelvic Pain & Trauma: Breaking the Silence | Rachel Zar - Fempower Health: The Chronic Pelvic Pain Channel

Explore the connection between chronic pelvic pain and trauma with sex therapist Rachel Zar. Learn about trauma-informed care, interdisciplinary treatments, and how women can advocate for their health in this insightful Fempower Health episode.

Chronic Pelvic Pain and Trauma Episode Summary:

In this episode of Fempower Health, host Georgie Kovacs speaks with Rachel Zar, an AASECT certified sex therapist and Ph.D. in clinical sexology, about the complex relationship between chronic pelvic pain and trauma. Rachel shares her personal and professional insights into how trauma manifests physically and emotionally, particularly in relation to chronic pelvic pain. As someone with extensive experience working with patients at Northwestern Medicine’s Center for Sexual Medicine, Rachel emphasizes the importance of trauma-informed care, interdisciplinary treatments, and self-advocacy. This conversation is essential for women struggling to find answers about chronic pain and clinicians seeking to better serve their patients.

Key Discussion Points:

• What is the link between trauma and chronic pelvic pain?
• How does chronic pain manifest in both physical and emotional ways?
• What role does trauma play in conditions like vaginismus and vulvodynia?
• How can clinicians provide trauma-informed care for patients with chronic pelvic pain?
• What are the common misdiagnoses and challenges in the treatment of pelvic pain?
• How can women advocate for their health when facing dismissive or uninformed healthcare providers?
• What are the best resources for finding trauma-informed therapists and pelvic pain specialists?
• How can unresolved trauma impact physical sensations, including pain and pleasure?
• What does interdisciplinary treatment for chronic pelvic pain look like?

"The pain that they're experiencing is real, even if it started off as a psychological issue, our body adapts, and these are real physical things that are happening."

— Rachel Zar

Related to this episode:

• Learn more about Rachel Zar, PhD, LMFT, CST
• Follow Rachel Zar on Instagram and LinkedIn

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