Painful Sex Therapy
Therapy for Painful Sex, Provoked Vestibulodynia, Lichen Sclerosis, Dyspareunia, Pelvic Floor Dysfunction and More
Painful Sex Impacts 8-14% of Women
Painful sex hurts! And it disrupts the sex lives of many women (and their partners), leaving them feeling broken or alone. But it doesn’t have to be this way!
A multidisciplinary approach that includes psychotherapy has been shown to help women move past genital pain and achieve the pleasure they deserve.
Links
Cassie Dionne at Innova Physiotherapy in Kingston
Kingston Pelvic Health (Cindy Auchincloss, Sarah Wattam, Brittany Church)
What is Painful Sex?
Painful sex, also known as provoked vestibulodynia (PVD), vulvodynia, or dyspareunia, is defined as a consistent or recurring genital pain that occurs right before, during, or after intercourse.
There are many potential causes of painful sex, ranging from lack of lubrication to scarring from pelvic surgery, stress, trauma, and certain illnesses like endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, uterine prolapse, interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel syndrome, pelvic floor dysfunction, adenomyosis, hemorrhoids, and ovarian cysts. Conditions like lichens sclerosis can also cause painful sex if the skin becomes too thin and is irritated or painful.
The good news is that with the right treatment plan, painful sex can become a thing of the past.
Painful Sex Doesn’t Have to Be a Permanent Experience
Painful sex can be a truly unsettling and alienating experience. It can strain intimacy and disrupt a woman’s confidence and sense of self.
If you are struggling with painful sex, you’re not alone. Many women experience pain and discomfort during intercourse, leading to a lack of sexual satisfaction and even relationship issues.
But you do not need to accept that painful sex is your new normal.
Through holistic treatment options, you can address the reasons for your pain and restore your confidence, comfort, and pleasure in the bedroom.
Here’s How Tri Health Clinic Can Help Painful Sex
- We can help you identify the potential reasons for painful sex, helping you work past it in a comforting and judgment-free environment.
- We approach all issues from a position of strength, identifying your unique attributes and using them to help you address areas where you feel less confident so that you can work through the issue.
- We can work with you and your partner to address any concerns about the relationship that may impact your sexual experiences.
- We can help you identify and address past trauma, belief systems, or attitudes that may no longer serve you.
Tri Health Clinic Painful Sex Services
Painful sex is no one’s fault, especially not yours, but getting past it requires understanding who you are and how you think and feel about life, sex, your relationships, and the world around you.
At Tri Health Clinic, we understand that painful sex may be more than a physical condition which is why we take a holistic approach to sex therapy, addressing any mental, emotional, and relationship factors that can be disrupting your sexual health, pleasure, and well-being.
All our treatments are grounded on four principles of education, self-knowledge, changing behaviours, and tracking changes. Through education, we focus on identifying and working through sexual myths that may hold you back from enjoying your sex life again without worry or pain.
There are many reasons why painful sex may occur, and we approach each therapy session based on your needs. It may be that a mental block is holding you back or something physical with a partner that is hard to address. We may also be able to provide a diagnosis, which will help you better understand what is happening and lead you on the path to happier sex.
Through our progress tracking, you’ll be able to see how far you’ve come and feel hope for more progress in the future without being derailed. Resolving painful sex doesn’t happen overnight. With a psychotherapy partner here at Tri Health Clinic, you’ll feel better knowing you have strong support staff and a sexual health professional working alongside you.
Learn More About Painful Sex
Painful Sex Resources
Videos
Online Resources
Mindfulness Sex Therapy – free mindfulness exercises to help you live your best sex life.
National Vulvodynia Association (NVA)
Coral App- We help couples & individuals deepen their connection with science backed methodology.
Book Recommendations
Come as You Are: The Surprising New Science that Will Transform Your Sex Life:
An essential exploration of why and how women’s sexuality works—based on groundbreaking research and brain science—that will radically transform your sex life into one filled with confidence and joy.
Researchers have spent the last decade trying to develop a “pink pill” for women to function like Viagra does for men. So where is it? Well, for reasons this book makes crystal clear, that pill will never be the answer—but as a result of the research that’s gone into it, scientists in the last few years have learned more about how women’s sexuality works than we ever thought possible, and Come as You Are explains it all.
Guide To Getting It On
“You’ve never read a manual as warm, friendly, liberating, thorough, and potentially sex-life-changing as the Guide To Getting It On! Neither had anyone in our office―which may be why our copies keep disappearing.” ― Oprah Magazine
“Finally. A book about sex you’ll actually want to read!” ― Playboy
Better Sex through Mindfulness: How Women Can Cultivate Desire
Find out how mindfulness is the key to cultivating desire, increasing sexual pleasure, and finding joy in intimacy.
Studies show that approximately half of all women experience some kind of sexual difficulty at one point in their lives, with lack of interest in sex being by far the most common?and the most distressing. And when sex suffers, so do all other areas of life.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. In Better Sex through Mindfulness, acclaimed psychologist and sex researcher Lori A. Brotto offers a revolutionary approach to improving desire, arousal, and satisfaction inside?and outside of?the bedroom. A pioneer in the use of mindfulness for treating sexual difficulties, Brotto has helped hundreds of women cultivate more exciting, fulfilling sexual experiences.
In this accessible, relatable book, she explores the various reasons for sexual problems, such as stress and incessant multitasking, and tells the stories of many of the women she has treated over the years. She also provides easy, effective exercises that readers can do on their own to increase desire and sexual enjoyment, whether their goal is to overcome a sexual difficulty or simply give their love life a boost.
Sensate focus in sex therapy
Sensate Focus in Sex Therapy: The Illustrated Manual is an illustrated manual that provides health professionals with specific information on the use of the structured touching opportunities used regularly by Sexologists to address their clients’ sexual difficulties (Sensate Focus 1) and enhance intimate relationships (Sensate Focus 2). This book is the only one to: vividly describe and illustrate the specific steps of, activities involved in, and positions associated with Sensate Focus; emphasize the purpose of Sensate Focus as a mindfulness-based practice; and distinguish between the purposes of Sensate Focus 1 and Sensate Focus 2.
Through the use of artful drawings and descriptive text, this manual engages mental health and medical professionals and their clients by appealing to both the visual and the analytical. It discusses how modifications to Sensate Focus can be applied to diverse populations, such as LGBTQ clients, the elderly, the disabled, trauma survivors, and those with challenges such as Autism Spectrum, anxiety, and depression. The book also offers suggestions for dealing with common client difficulties such as avoidance, confusion, and goal directed attitudes. This comprehensive approach to Sensate Focus will remind readers of the beauty and power of touch while offering suggestions for moving from avoidance to sensory transcendence.
These resources are intended as a compliment to therapy under the guidance of a trained sex therapist.
Start Your Journey to Better Sexual Health With Tri Health Clinic
Don’t let painful sex hold you back any longer! Contact us today for a free consultation and discover how we can help make enjoyable sex possible again.