Hope can feel almost dangerous when you’ve been living with chronic pelvic pain for months, years, or even decades.

If you’ve been dismissed.If you’ve been misdiagnosed.If you’ve been told your condition is “chronic” (and framed as permanent).

Then…

Of course hope feels naive. Of course it feels embarrassing.Of course your brain wants to protect you from getting your hopes up again (and potentially being disappointed or devastated…again).

That makes sense.

And also, we need some hope in order to do the work of healing.

So, in this episode of The Heal Your Chronic Pelvic Pain Podcast, I’m breaking down:

Why your resistance to hope makes sense

How hopelessness becomes a nervous system protection strategy

The real reason your brain avoids hope (hint: it’s not about symptoms)

What’s actually required to allow hope back in

Why hope isn’t magical thinking or forced positivity

How hope directs your brain toward safety and possibility

Because the truth is:

Hope isn’t being delusional. It’s being directional.

What part of you isn’t allowing you to take your next step?

What is that part afraid will happen? • What is it trying to protect you from?

What would it need to know in order to soften, even slightly?

Can you promise yourself self-compassion no matter how this goes?

Because here’s what I truly believe:

It is safer to allow hope and try, than to deny yourself hope and the possibility of change.

If you’re listening and thinking:

“This makes sense… but how do I actually live this?”

This is exactly why I created Beyond Chronic Pelvic Pain.

Inside the program, you’ll learn how to:

Understand your pain through a pain science lens

Partner with your nervous system

Build emotional capacity

Stop symptom spirals

Reclaim movement, pleasure, rest, and your LIFE.

This isn’t about enduring pain. It’s about teaching your nervous system that you no longer need it.

You don’t have to navigate this alone.

👉 Learn more here

Reflection Questions from This Episode Want Support Applying This?

Healing is possible for you. You’ve got this. And I’m rooting for you, always

What’s the best tool for healing chronic pelvic pain?

Is it journaling? Somatic tracking? Pelvic PT? Breathwork? Visualization?

If you’ve spent any time in the mind-body healing world, you’ve probably heard someone confidently say:

“This is what healed me.” “This is the thing.” “If it’s not working, you’re not doing it right.”

And it’s confusing.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the truth:

All tools can work. And none of them are magic. Because it’s not about the tool. It’s about the intention behind the tool and the level of safety you’re building in your nervous system.

When chronic pelvic pain is neuroplastic, it’s not about damaged tissue. It’s about a nervous system stuck in protection mode. The practices themselves don’t heal you. What heals is the shift in meaning, fear, and internal safety that those practices create.

In this episode, we explore:

Why the healing industry often markets one tool as the answer
The real reason tools “work” for some people and not others
The difference between urgency-driven practice and safety-driven practice

The 3 categories of safety required for lasting symptom resolution
How to do a “Threat Audit” to identify where your real work is

When I look at healing chronic pelvic pain through a mind-body lens, I see three core areas that must be addressed.

✨ Safety in your body Understanding pain science. Reappraising symptoms. Learning that pain does not automatically mean damage. Teaching your nervous system that you are physically safe and your body isn’t broken.

✨ Safety with yourself Building self-trust. Allowing emotions instead of suppressing them. Practicing uncertainty tolerance. No longer abandoning yourself when symptoms spike. Reducing perfectionism and internal pressure.

✨ Safety in your life Looking honestly at boundaries, stress, relationships, work, routines, and alignment. Making your life feel authentically safe to live.

You likely don’t need more tools. You likely need a framework that helps you systematically build safety in all three areas.

If you’re ready to stop piecing this together on your own, I’d love to support you inside my four month coaching container:

Beyond Chronic Pelvic Pain Healing Program

👉 Learn more here

Healing is possible for you. You’ve got this.

Rooting for you, always 💜 Rachel

This episode covers one of the most important and most resisted concepts in healing chronic pelvic pain: radical responsibility.

This is not about blame, fault, or doing everything on your own. It’s about what shifts when you stop waiting for someone or something outside of you to fix this, and take the lead in your own healing.

If you’ve been holding out hope for the next doctor, test, medication, procedure, or protocol to finally be the thing that saves you, this episode gently but honestly explores why outsourcing can keep you stuck, and what becomes possible when you claim radical responsibility for your healing.

Please note: This episode may feel activating. If you’re not in the place to hear this message yet, that’s okay. You can come back to it when you’re ready.

In this episode, we cover:

What radical responsibility actually means (and what it does not)

Why outsourcing healing reinforces waiting and helplessness

How the Western medical model conditions us to look outside ourselves

The grief that comes with accepting no one else can do this work for you

Why healing must happen inside your own nervous system

Reflection questions to help you apply this shift to your own healing

Reflection Questions from the Episode

Where am I still waiting for someone or something to fix this for me?

What am I afraid will happen if I fully stop outsourcing my healing?

What feels unfair about having to do this work?

What grief have I not yet allowed myself to acknowledge?

If I stopped waiting today, what would I do differently today, this week or this month?

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

Even though no one can do this work for you, you don’t have to do it alone.

If you want guidance, structure, and support applying this work to your specific symptoms and your life, Rachel offers a coaching program designed specifically for healing chronic pelvic pain.

✨ Beyond Chronic Pelvic Pain includes:

A self-paced curriculum grounded in modern pain neuroscience

Weekly live group coaching calls for support and clarity

A grounded, compassionate space to stop waiting and start healing

👉 Learn more about the program here

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.