How to Keep Going When Healing Takes Longer Than You Want (with Sarah)
Heal Your Chronic Pelvic PainShow Notes
What do you do when healing is taking longer than you want? When you're doing the work, showing up consistently, making progress... and you're still not where you want to be yet? In today's episode, I'm joined by my client Sarah, who shares her experience healing her chronic pelvic pain through a mind-body approach. Sarah lived with pelvic pain for over 20 years. Along the way, she received multiple diagnoses, tried countless treatments, was prescribed medications, and was even told she should consider a hysterectomy. When she found this work, she wasn't looking for just another treatment. She was looking for a different way to move forward not only in her healing, but in her life. In this conversation, Sarah shares what has helped her stay in the process, continue expanding her life, and keep moving forward even when healing hasn't happened on the timeline she would have preferred. We discuss: Sarah's 20-year journey with chronic pelvic pain Why she decided not to move forward with a recommended hysterectomy What initially resonated with a mind-body approach The challenge of letting go of timelines, control, and perfectionism Why tracking small wins became such an important part of her recovery How she gradually returned to biking, swimming, exercise, and other activities she had stopped doing because of symptoms Building genuine self-compassion and learning to support herself through fear What she's still working through today The mindset shifts that helped her stay committed to the process One of my favorite parts of this conversation is that Sarah isn't sharing from the finish line. She's sharing from the middle. She's still healing. She's still learning. She's still working through challenges. And she's also living a bigger, fuller life than she was when she started. If healing is taking longer than you want, I hope Sarah's story reminds you that progress is still progress. Sometimes the most important work isn't learning how to heal faster. It's learning how to keep going.
Connect with Rachel: Get on the waitlist for Beyond Chronic Pelvic Pain (doors opening again this summer) Get Your Free Pain Flare Plan Book A Pelvic Pain Strategy Session IG: thepelvicpaincoach
Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
More from Heal Your Chronic Pelvic Pain
What can you do when a pain flare is loud, uncomfortable, and not something you can make stop in the moment? A building fire alarm kept going off for two weeks, sometimes during coaching calls and sometimes in the middle of the night. The experience reminded me of what it was like to live with chronic pelvic pain: knowing what was happening didn’t make the sensations disappear, and I couldn’t always change the situation right away. In this episode, I share how I supported myself through those moments, from putting in earbuds so I could keep coaching to noticing the comfort of my bed while I waited for the alarm to turn off. We talk about acknowledging discomfort without pretending it isn’t there, choosing what might support you, and considering whether you want to take a values-aligned action or rest. There’s no right or wrong choice. For me, showing up for the things I cared about, even when my symptoms were intense, supported my sense of agency. Your choice may look different. The invitation is to ask what you need and how you want to spend the time while you wait for the flare to pass. In this episode: Why knowing a symptom is a false alarm doesn’t always make the discomfort go away
If you've ever frozen on the exam table, or spent the drive home replaying everything you wish you'd said, this episode is for you. For so many of us with chronic pelvic pain, gynecologist visits are part of the recovery journey. And they can be really hard, both physically and emotionally. Many providers aren't trained in trauma-informed care or familiar with conditions like vaginismus and vulvodynia, which means it often falls on us to speak up for what we need. In this episode, I'm sharing the things I didn't know I could ask for when I was healing, so you can walk into your next appointment feeling more prepared and a little more in control. In this episode: Why telling your provider about pain with penetration out loud matters (even if it's already on your intake form)
When I was living with chronic pelvic pain, I believed that if I had symptoms, I was suffering. It felt impossible to enjoy my life or loosen my urgency to heal while pain was still there. Because I felt like I was always suffering.
Do you have to quit your job, leave your relationship, move, or completely restructure your life in order to heal?
Even though no one can do the healing work for you, that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.