When I look back at my upbringing and childhood, I have mostly loving and happy memories. So, when I kept getting asked about past sexual trauma or childhood trauma’s in every doctor’s appointment for my chronic pelvic pain AND having to fill out an The Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) Study survey (multiple times from 2018 onward), I became a bit angry and frustrated. The anger stemmed from the idea that they were going to tell me my pain is all because of anything they unreasonably deem as a past trauma.
Luckily, it was my pelvic floor physical therapist, after listening empathetically to my entire journey, switched my idea and knowledge of what trauma is and how my long, painful health and medical journey IS trauma all in itself. The dismissal and misdiagnosis that I experienced for years and suffering in silence due to the taboo, all have had an impact on my nervous system. I learned that not all trauma is the same and we all can experience it differently.
Early 2022, I had the pleasure of connecting with Kathleen Pratt who is a social worker and certified yoga instructor from Kingston, Ontario. She specializes in yoga for grief, pelvic wellness, and persistent pain.
In this blog post, Kathleen is going to walk us through trauma and what you need to know about trauma sensitive mindfulness and yoga
Pelvic pain and trauma
What’s traumatic to one person is not necessarily traumatic to another, or to the same extent.
For example, hospitalization in childhood, a car accident, death of a loved one, assault, or surviving a natural disaster or war, can have very different effects on two different people, even if they’re siblings. The Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) Study established that certain events experienced in childhood can have a negative and lasting impact on mental and physical health, life opportunities and relationships.3 Multiple research studies have found that experiencing abuse in childhood is a significant risk factor for developing a pelvic pain condition.4 In addition, the trauma of discrimination, oppression or exclusion combined with childhood trauma and persistent pain can compound and magnify its effects.
When we are faced with a threat, our nervous system automatically responds with a ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response. This built-in reaction is designed to help us survive and bypasses the thinking brain. A small number of people who experience trauma will be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some will move on without any lasting psychological effects. Other people will develop a sense of not feeling safe in the world, with others and in their own body. Trauma can sensitize the nervous system to be in a constant state of alarm, which can cause anxiety, depression, difficulties in social functioning and a wide range of physical symptoms. Research has established that trauma can over-sensitize the nervous system, predisposing many people to chronic pain5.
Consider some common experiences of people with pelvic pain:
- Feeling misunderstood or dismissed by a healthcare provider
- Feeling unable to pursue your hopes or dreams for a career, relationship, or family
- Feeling broken
- Going from one health care provider to another, being told there’s nothing wrong with you
- Being misdiagnosed
- Being asked if you think the problem is ‘in your head’ or suggesting that it’s in your head
- Being subjected to invasive tests, painful procedures or surgery, and your symptoms are not better or worse
- Believing that you can’t have a relationship that involves sexual intimacy
- Believing that there’s no remedy or hope
Any of these events would be at the very least stressful, and possibly traumatic. They can leave us feeling helpless and overwhelmed. Persistent pain and feelings of not having control or being at the mercy of our pain, can create chronic traumatic stress. The brain perceives a threat and goes on guard, which can create a lot of tension in the pelvic region, increasing pain and anxiety. Anxiety increases tension, which increases pain; creating a vicious cycle. This is described as a state of ‘hyperarousal’. Another possible response in the face of threat is a state of freeze or collapse, which can result in depression, numbing or disconnection or ‘hypoarousal’. In between these two states is a place where we can feel at ease, able to exercise our ability to think deeply, feel a wide range of emotions, and connect with others. This comfort zone is called our ‘window of tolerance’. Trauma therapy and mind-body practices can help people widen their window of tolerance by noticing when they are out of their comfort zone, developing strategies to come back into, and for staying inside their window6.
A feeling of safety is necessary to be in our window of tolerance. Trauma and persistent pain can cause us to feel vulnerable and vigilant. Tension, anxiety, and pain will not subside unless the body and the brain feel safe.
When it comes to pelvic pain and trauma, yoga and mindfulness meditation are two ways to cultivate feelings of safety.
A trauma-sensitive approach normalizes the experience of trauma, and everyone can benefit.
About the Author:
Kathleen Pratt
Social Worker + yoga instructor
Kathleen Pratt (“Yoga 4 the Rest of Us with Kathleen”) is a social worker and certified yoga instructor specializing in yoga for grief, pelvic wellness, and persistent pain. She works with people in person in Kingston, Ontario, and online across Canada and the U.S.A.
References
- Ogden, P. & Fisher, J. (2015). Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment. W.W. Norton.
- Kilpatrick DG, Resnick HS, Milanak ME, Miller MW, Keyes KM, Friedman MJ. National estimates of exposure to traumatic events and PTSD prevalence using DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria. J Trauma Stress. 2013 Oct;26(5):537-47. doi: 10.1002/jts.21848. PMID: 24151000; PMCID: PMC4096796.
- A 2019 study found that women with chronic pelvic pain had a significantly higher number of ACEs.
- One of the largest, long-term studies published in 2018, found an association between endometriosis and childhood abuse. The discussion section of the journal article cites previous studies with similar findings about chronic pelvic pain. Study: Childhood abuse linked to greater risk of endometriosis
- Neblett, R. (2018). The central sensitization inventory: A user’s manual. Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research, 23. https://doi.org/10.1111/jabr.12123
- I highly recommend Elizabeth Stanley’s book Widen the window: Training your brain and body to thrive during stress and recover from trauma for further reading on this topic!
- Link to a video of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explaining the role of interoception in yoga and feeling safe in the body.
- Link to a video of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explaining the role of interoception in yoga and feeling safe in the body.
- Note: ‘trauma-sensitive’ and ‘trauma-informed’ are often used interchangeably. One key difference is that trauma-sensitive yoga uses evidence -based strategies to help people with trauma.
- West J, Liang B, Spinazzola J. Trauma Sensitive Yoga as a complementary treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: A Qualitative Descriptive analysis. Int J Stress Manag. 2017 May;24(2):173-195. doi: 10.1037/str0000040.
- Video: Biopsychosocial Model of Chronic Pain