Mental Health
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Mental Health Therapy manages the mind of the brain-body connection when overcoming vaginismus. By identifying the thoughts and fears, we can work to manage them and overcome them to experience pleasure rather than fear and pain.
Cisgender female patient,
Age 33
"I want to be told I am not crazy"
Cisgender female patient,
Age 36
"Why am I not normal"
Cisgender female patient,
Age 28
"I cried every time we tried to have sex"
How Therapy Can Help?
Therapy can unpack negative thoughts and beliefs and replace them with positive ones.
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Key points we address in therapy sessions:
Managing Pain
We work to identify what activity causes the pain, and develop language to use to advocate for treatment.
Diminishing Fear
We focus on the strengths your body has and the courage we have to work through the treatment for change.
Decreasing Shame
We reorganize your thoughts and beliefs about your body, Reframing your negativity towards positivity and possibilities.
Finding Pleasure
We will learn that our body deserves pleasure and how to achieve that during and after treatment.
What To Expect In Therapy
You may have questions if you have never been to mental health therapy.
Watch the videos below to learn about mental health therapy and how it can help
When do patients come to mental health therapy?
What will therapy be like for a patient with vaginismus?
What happens in the first therapy session?
What will we work on in therapy?
Clinical Modalities &
Mental Health Interventions
There are many different therapy styles that can be helpful when treating vaginismus.
See some of the types of therapy interventions below:
Psycho-Sexual
Education
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Before we learn, we need to unlearn what we have been taught or have not been taught. Without accurate health and sexual education, patients will be disadvantaged in change.
Topics that could be focused on are general anatomy, the reproductive system, basic sexual education, and the sexual response cycle.
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Cognitive
Behavioral
Therapy
(CBT)
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a modality used to help reframe or challenge beliefs patients may have about how their body works.
Couples Therapy (EFT)
When a patient is partnered, vaginismus is never an individual problem one needs to solve. Vaginismus can be managed in the beginning of most relationships without issues. However, in time patients report increased fighting or distress when a pregnancy is not readily achievable.
Sex Therapy
Sex Therapy provides patients with a safe, non-judgmental environment to learn more about how their body responds and behaves with sexual behaviors—additionally, unpacking how religion, culture, and family norms have shaped their views about sex.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is used to help patients learn how to self-regulate and decrease anxiety symptoms they may be experiencing due to fear or exposure to painful penetration.
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Supportive Care
Many patients have not had the ability to share their experience with having vaginismus. They are embarrassed and full of shame. This modality helps them feel seen and heard while providing compassion for what they have been experiencing.
(Gehlert & Browne, 2011)