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In this essay I want to discuss an invisible source of the creation and perpetuation of pelvic floor pain. It is the issue I’m calling pleasure anxiety. This is something we’ve discussed in our book A Headache in the Pelvis and it’s not something, to my knowledge, that has ever
When pelvic pain goes away, the sore pelvic tissue heals
There is a large and growing body of literature documenting how emotional arousal interferes with the body’s ability to heal. Wounds are typically slower to heal in the presence of anxiety; the area of medicine called psychoneuroimmunology has much literature to show how one’s troubled psychological state negatively affects the
Why Men Diagnosed with Prostatitis Tend to Be Intelligent, Successful, Ambitious, Conscientious, Accomplished, Type-A Worriers
Men who suffer from pelvic floor pain, whether it’s called prostatitis or pelvic floor dysfunction, tend to be intelligent, successful, ambitious, conscientious, and accomplished type-A personalities who worry. Pelvic floor dysfunction related to pelvic pain often occurs in men who work too much, care too much, want too much, desire
Different names for pelvic pain are given to describe the same problem
There’s an ancient parable about ten blind men who come upon an elephant. One touches the elephant’s leg and says, “Oh, this is a tree trunk.” Another finds himself under the elephant’s stomach, pushes up and says, “No, this is a soft ceiling.” A third one pulls the elephant’s tail
Why drugs don’t cure pelvic floor pain
I’d like to talk about the opioid epidemic that has been in the news the past several years in relationship to the inside job of healing pelvic pain that is outside the reach of all drugs. In recent years, there is what is now called an opioid epidemic has been
The healing of pelvic floor pain is easy to understand
Pelvic pain is invisible. It can’t be seen, it can’t be visualized with fancy technologies, there are no fluid tests for it; it’s a difficult phenomenon to understand if you’ve never had it. I want to use a metaphor here that I’m hoping is easy to understand, to understand the
Why all physical treatment for pelvic pain is not the same
The word commodity comes originally from the Latin commodus meaning ‘a useful or valuable thing’. By the early 15th century commodity was being used in English to refer to “an article of merchandise, anything movable of value that can be bought or sold.” Implicit in this definition is that a
When pelvic pain goes away, the sore pelvic tissue heals
There is a large and growing body of literature documenting how emotional arousal interferes with the body’s ability to heal. Wounds are typically slower to heal in the presence of anxiety; the area of medicine called psychoneuroimmunology has much literature to show how one’s troubled psychological state negatively affects the
MUSCLE SORENESS/TENSION AND URINARY FREQUENCY AND URGENCY
In our experience, and that reported by other centers and physicians who have worked in this field, it is quite common for both men and women who develop a chronic pelvic pain condition also exhibit urinary dysfunction. Urinary frequency and urgency is one of the most common symptoms of patients
Escaping the fight, flight, freeze cycle in the healing of pelvic pain
In the 1920s, a well-known physiologist at Harvard named Walter Cannon introduced the concept of fight, flight, freeze. Coincidentally, Walter Cannon was a teacher of my relaxation teacher, Edmund Jacobsen. Commonly, the term Cannon coined is called “fight or flight.” This means that in the presence of something threatening, you
Cause and Effect In Muscle Based Pelvic Pain
What makes a difference in the journey of healing pelvic pain is seeing when you are doing something that reliably helps your symptoms. When I was symptomatic, I tried all kinds of things: acupuncture, supplements, reflexology, medications, considered surgical procedures which I gratefully didn’t pursue. My symptoms waxed and waned,
Cause and Effect In Muscle Based Pelvic Pain
What makes a difference in the journey of healing pelvic pain is seeing when you are doing something that reliably helps your symptoms. When I was symptomatic, I tried all kinds of things: acupuncture, supplements, reflexology, medications, considered surgical procedures which I gratefully didn’t pursue. My symptoms waxed and waned,
A treatment to stop pelvic pain must cooperate with the body’s healing system
With all the discoveries of modern medicine, there remains a certain arrogance in the idea that medicine is the source of health and longevity. Yes, we live longer, and illnesses and conditions that killed our ancestors are cured by the remedies of modern treatments. But we also often forget that
Pelvic Floor Healing Occurs Within an Environment of Inner Quiet
There is a deep insight in a book called the Course in Miracles that says: “ In my defenselessness my safety lies”. This means that we only feel safe when we are not tightening up in self-defense and self-protection. Protective guarding typically reflects a state of fear, a state
Effortlessness as the Unlikely Medicine for Pelvic Floor Pain
In an earlier podcast I discussed ‘letting go’ as the medicine of the Wise-Anderson Protocol. By letting go, I mean the release of muscle tension inside and outside the body and daily reduction of nervous arousal enabling the healing of sore pelvic tissue. By letting go I mean ceasing
Reducing Anxiety to Heal Pelvic Pain: The Wise-Anderson Protocol
PART 1 – INTRODUCTION: PELVIC PAIN IS A PSYCHO-PHYSICAL EVENT TO REDUCE ANXIETY
Learn the importance to reduce Psycho-Physical events to help reduce Anxiety. During the writing of the fourth edition of our book, a physical therapy colleague of ours reported an important story that occurred with one of her patients.
Symptoms and Treatments in Pelvic Pain: Using Modern Terms to Explain Nervous System Arousal
Pelvic Pain Symptoms and Treatments: Using Modern Terms to Explain Nervous System Arousal
Airplane mode, in fact, is an excellent metaphor in terms of describing the pelvic pain symptoms and treatments of the pelvic pain sufferer.
Using the term “airplane mode” to explain the nervous system of the pelvic pain sufferer.
“Airplane mode”
Chronic Pelvic Pain: Reduce Medication Use With Internal Trigger Point Wand
Abstract
Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback DOI 10.1007/s10484-015-9273-1
February 2015
Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: Reduction of Medication Use After Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy with an Internal Myofascial Trigger Point Wand
R. U. Anderson Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA e-mail: rua@stanford.edu: R. H. Harvey Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, San
Successfully Treating the Stress Dimension of Pelvic Pain Syndromes
There are a growing number of scientific articles on stress and pelvic pain syndromes.
There have been a growing number of articles appearing in the major journals like the Journal of Urology and World Urology that point out the significant association between stress and prostatitis and related pelvic pain syndromes. This
Taking Hot Baths to Alleviate Chronic Pain in the Pelvis
Symptoms of prostatitis and pain in the pelvis typically don’t respond to conventional medical treatment.
Traditionally, when men have complained to their doctor about pain in the pelvis, anus or genitals, urinary frequency and urgency, post-ejaculatory discomfort, or sitting pain or the sensation of a ‘golf ball’ in the rectum, they
Treating Chronic Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain: The Meeting of Mind and Body in the Pelvic Floor
Treating chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain: their relationship to mind and body
We are often asked whether the physical or behavioral parts of the Wise-Anderson Protocol for treating chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain is more important for its connection to the relationship to the Mind and body. This is
Ischemic Pressure Followed by Sustained Stretch for Treatment of Myofascial Trigger Points
In an article in 2000 in Physical Therapy, investigators found that teaching patients to do ischemic compression (pressure on Myofascial trigger points) in the neck and upper back was effective in reducing pain and sensitivity. We are gratified to see some studies showing the efficacy of physical therapy self-treatment for myofascial pain. We
Paradoxical Relaxation and the Treatment of Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
Paradoxical Relaxation and the Treatment of Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
In a recent New York Times article (see excerpt below), the usefulness of concentration as an integral part of a discussion of mindfulness is discussed. The ability to concentrate is not a subject that is often discussed in the psychological literature
The Invisible Patient: The Symptoms of Chronic Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Patients
Pain Blog – The Invisible Patient: The Symptoms of Chronic Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Patients
Our Pain Blog covers research on chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain.
A recent article in the Korean Journal of Urology (see below) documented that men diagnosed with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (chronic prostatitis, chronic
New Findings About Emotional Brain Changes in Prostatitis: What to do About it
New Findings About Emotional Brain Changes in Prostatitis: What to do About it
Swiss researchers looking into brain activity in men with prostatitis, chronic pelvic pain syndrome report that in a small group of men there is a reduction in relative gray matter volume in a part of the cortex.
A new
Reflections on Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Treatment
Reflections on The Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Treatment and the path to Recovery
By David Wise, PhD
This paper is about sharing my observations about healing my own pelvic pain and my road to recovery.
Millions of men suffer from urinary frequency, urgency, pain with sitting, pain after sex, genital pain and pelvic
Effective Prostatitis Treatment and its Impact on the Quality of Life: Assessing a New Study
Effective Prostatitis Treatment and its Impact on the Quality of Life
Assessing a New Study
First, it should be noted that it is not the symptoms of chronic prostatitis that can destroy one’s quality of life, but the thought that the symptoms will never go away. A group of European urologists reported in
Is There a Cure for Chronic Prostatitis?
Is There a Cure for Chronic Prostatitis?
The question as to whether there is a cure for chronic prostatitis does not offer a simple answer. When prostatitis is bacterial, antibiotics can cure the problem and eradicate the bacteria. However, in most cases of men diagnosed with prostatitis, the prostate is not the source
What to Know About Antibiotics and Alpha Blockers for Prostatitis
What to Know About Antibiotics and Alpha Blockers for Prostatitis
Despite the almost universal use of antibiotics for prostatitis symptoms diagnosed as chronic prostatitis, credible and highly regarded studies over the past years have shown that antibiotics, alpha blockers, and anti-inflammatory drugs are usually no better than placebos.
Traditionally, those suffering from prostatitis
Chronic Prostatitis and Surgery: Is There a Better Way?
About Chronic Prostatitis and Surgery
To begin, there is no credible evidence to show that surgery helps prostatitis. While there is sporadic experimentation with prostate surgery and pelvic surgery, it has been our clinical experience that surgery typically complicates or worsens someone’s situation. We never recommend surgery for prostatitis or chronic pelvic
Quick Facts about Chronic Prostatitis and Diet
About Chronic Prostatitis and Diet
Many men we have seen diagnosed with symptoms of chronic prostatitis report no benefit from diet modification. In fact, some men report that their symptoms temporarily improve with alcohol.
When it comes to pelvic pain syndromes and chronic prostatitis, when the pain or discomfort does not go away, there
Discomfort During or After Ejaculation – Symptoms of Chronic Prostatitis
About Ejaculation Discomfort in Chronic Prostatitis
Many men who see a urologist for chronic prostatitis will be given the advice to increase ejaculation. In fact, it is very common for men with prostatitis/ chronic pelvic pain syndrome to experience discomfort during and/ or after ejaculation.
There is often an increase in discomfort
What to Know About Prostatodynia
What to Know About Prostatodynia
Read below to discover facts about Prostatodynia:
Prostatodynia is a chronic and painful disease in which patients experience prostate pain.
Prostatodynia is synonymous with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis, chronic abacterial prostatitis, chronic pelvic pain syndrome, and pelvic floor dysfunction.
When left untreated, this disorder is likely to lead to pain in
What is Levator Ani Syndrome, and What are the Symptoms?
What to Know About Levator Ani Syndrome and its Association with Rectal Pain.
Levator Ani Syndrome is a condition of chronic muscle-based pelvic pain up inside the muscles of the pelvic floor commonly associated with rectal pain . If you are experiencing chronic rectal and/or anal pain, there is a chance
What You Should Know About Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
What You Should Know About Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
People suffering from Dysfunction in their pelvic pain are often given a variety of diagnoses and treatments depending on the specialist they see. This can be confusing both to patients and to doctors.
Pelvic Floor Dysfunction is used to describe the inability
Facts About Chronic Prostatitis and Pelvic Pain Syndrome
Facts About Chronic Prostatitis and Pelvic Pain Syndrome
While prostatitis* means an inflammation or infection of the prostate gland, most men diagnosed with prostatitis do not have a prostate infection or inflammation.
Prostatitis is a condition that can confuse both doctors and patients.
Approximately ninety-five percent (95%) of what is called prostatitis is
The Issue of Healing and the Resolution of Symptoms of Prostatitis and CPPS
Chronic Prostatitis Symptoms
In this essay I want to address the issue of the validity of many speculative theories on the internet about chronic prostatitis symptoms and CPPS symptoms and our view of the issue of the healing of the pelvic floor and the resolution of symptoms of prostatitis and chronic
Prostatitis as a Tension Disorder
(AN EARLY DISCUSSION OF THE WISE ANDERSON PROTOCOL)
1999 Selected Abstracts from American Urological Association annual meeting
Anyone with prostatitis should be aware of the disagreement among professionals about the cause of prostatitis.
This is especially true if he currently has pain or discomfort:
in the penis
in the testicles
above the pubic bone
in the low
Rectal Pain, Anal Fissures, Hemorrhoids, Constipation and Other Manifestations of Headaches in the Pelvis
Are you experiencing the symptoms of rectal pain, anal fissures, hemorrhoids, or constipation?
It is important to have a clear understanding on symptoms for hemorrhoids, rectal pain, anal fissures and constipation. At some time or another, many people find a little blood in their stool usually after a particularly hard bowel
Facts About Prostatitis and CPPS: How Prostatitis is Often Misdiagnosed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWNPuQfcEbA
CPPS
Many men diagnosed with prostatitis and CPPS are confused about what the doctor is saying is wrong with them. As we have written about extensively on our website, in our book, A Headache in the Pelvis and in our published research, most men diagnosed with prostatitis and CPPS have no
The Wise-Anderson Protocol Helps a Large Majority of Men with Prostatitis
Most of the symptoms of pelvic pain or discomfort, urinary frequency and urgency, and pain related to sitting or sexual activity in cases diagnosed as prostatitis are not related to infection. They can be caused by chronically tightened muscles in and around the pelvis. Our natural protective instincts can tighten
Essays on Pelvic Pain
Essays on Pelvic Pain
WHY INTRAPELVIC BIOFEEDBACK MEASUREMENT IS NOT A RELIABLE INDICATOR OF THE USEFULNESS OF THE STANFORD PROTOCOL AND THE ISSUE OF THE THERAPEUTIC USEFULNESS OF PELVIC FLOOR BIOFEEDBACK
David Wise, PhD
I am responding to a request for a comment about the usefulness of INTRAPELVIC biofeedback measurements in determining
The Latest CPPS and Wise-Anderson Protocol Research
The Latest CPPS and Wise-Anderson Protocol Research
The following are excerpts and abstracts of publications regarding the latest CPPS and Wise-Anderson Protocol research:
The following is an abridged version. For the full version, see the link at the bottom.
Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
PURPOSE: A combination of manual
Pelvic Pain Syndrome: An Address to the National Institute of Health
The following is an address by Dr. Wise to the National Institutes of Health
(NOTE: Portions of this transcript have been edited for clarification.)
The goal of the Wise-Anderson Protocol is to enable the patients to reduce and/or resolve symptoms without dependency on drugs or others to do so for them.
David Wise,
Paradoxical Relaxation: Relieving a Painful Pelvic Floor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBnu9Hl0B1A
Paradoxical Relaxation relaxes the tension and shortened muscles within a painful pelvic floor.
This involves a daily practice of the cultivation of effortlessness in the presence of pain, anxiety, and tension.
Paradoxical Relaxation has two components: The first is a breathing technique used at the beginning of relaxation, a coordination of heart rate
The History of the Stanford Protocol and Wise-Anderson Protocol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCw9LCHKsys
The History of the Wise-Anderson Protocol & Prostatitis Symptoms
The Wise-Anderson Protocol began with David Wise, PhD, a psychologist in California who had suffered from Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome for many years. He contacted several urologists, including Dr. Rodney Anderson, a professor of Urology at Stanford University School of Medicine and leading practitioner
Excerpt From A Headache in the Pelvis
The following is an excerpt from “A Headache in the Pelvis”
We have identified a group of chronic pelvic pain syndromes that we believe is caused by the overuse of the human instinct to protect the genitals, rectum, and contents of the pelvis from injury or pain by contracting the pelvic
Why Stress Triggers and Perpetuates Pelvic Pain Symptoms
Even slight amounts of stress can trigger pelvic pain symptoms.
Studies have shown that myofascial trigger points that are found in sore and painful muscles inside the pelvic floor are strongly affected by stress. Gevirtz and Hubbard did electromyographic monitored studies of the electrical activity of trigger points and their relationship
Why is there Confusion about Prostatitis Symptoms?
Why is there Confusion about Prostatitis Symptoms?
Most cases diagnosed as prostatitis are actually problems of chronically tightened muscles of the pelvis – not problems of the prostate gland.
While Pelvic Pain Help treats both men and women with pelvic pain, a large majority of men are diagnosed with prostatitis. Unfortunately, most