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.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Summer 2015
other|
June 01 2015
Vulvodynia Treated Successfully with Breathing Biofeedback and Integrated Stress Reduction: A Case Report
Erik Peper, PhD, BCB;
Erik Peper, PhD, BCB
1Institute for Holistic Health Studies, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA;
Search for other works by this author on:
Pamela Martinez Aranda;
Pamela Martinez Aranda
1Institute for Holistic Health Studies, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA;
Search for other works by this author on:
Donald Moss, PhD, BCB, BCN
Donald Moss, PhD, BCB, BCN
2Saybrook University, San Francisco, CA
Search for other works by this author on:
Biofeedback (2015) 43 (2): 94–100.
Citation
Erik Peper, Pamela Martinez Aranda, Donald Moss; Vulvodynia Treated Successfully with Breathing Biofeedback and Integrated Stress Reduction: A Case Report. Biofeedback 1 June 2015; 43 (2): 94–100. doi: https://doi.org/10.5298/1081-5937-43.2.04
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your Institution
0
Views
0
Citations
Citing articles via
Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: Level 4—Efficacious
Sarah Prinsloo, PhD LMFT, LPC
Abdominal Nausea and Gastrointestinal Discomfort: A Biofeedback Assessment Model to Create a Rationale for Training
Erik Peper, PhD, BCB, Richard Harvey, PhD
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Level 4 – Efficacious
Donald Moss, PhD, BCB BCB-HRV, BCN, Fredric Shaffer, PhD, BCB, BCB-HRV, Matthew Watkins, MS
Introducing a Special Issue of Biofeedback Magazine
Inna Khazan, PhD, BCB, BCB-HRV, Donald Moss, PhD, BCB BCB-HRV
Regarding Mari Swingle's Editorial on Neurofeedback Practice
Eric K. Willmarth, PhD, Cynthia Kerson, (PhD), QEEGD, BCN, BCB Senior Fellow, BCB-HRV, Richard A. Sherman, PhD, Jerry R. DeVore, PhD, ABPP, BCB, BCN