Vulvodynia Treated Successfully with Breathing Biofeedback and Integrated Stress Reduction: A Case Report

Millions of women experience substantial pain and suffering from vulvodynia, which is pain around the entrance to the vagina (vulva). A common treatment is surgical removal of the tissue (vestibulectomy). This case report describes the detailed process of a holistic biofeedback-based intervention that successfully resolved the vulvodynia in a 23-year-old woman. The four-session treatment interventions included teaching diaphragmatic breathing to transform shallow thoracic breathing into slower diaphragmatic breathing. Treatment transformed her feeling of powerlessness, a belief that there was nothing she could do, into empowerment and a hope that she could reduce her symptoms and optimize her health. She also practiced self-healing imagery and learned to change her posture from collapsed to erect/empowered. Each time she felt discomfort or was fearful, her lower abdomen tended to tighten. After treatment, she used this sensation as a reminder to breathe lower and slower and sit or stand erect. After 6 weeks, she once again could initiate and enjoy intercourse and has been symptom free during the 8 month follow-up.