Education & Resources | Transform Chronic Pain

Chronic Pelvic Pain Education

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is pain in the pelvic region that persists for 3–6 months or more. Causes can be structural, hormonal, or more nuanced. Many women experience overlapping contributors, including pelvic floor dysfunction, neuroplastic pain, anxiety, and trauma, just to name a few.
Why CPP can be hard to treat:
- Delays in diagnosis (e.g., endometriosis often takes 4–8 years to diagnose)
- Multifactorial causes require Multi-dimensional treatments that most medical systems don't have the capacity to address (despite their sometimes best efforts!)

Neuroplastic Pain

Neuroplastic pain occurs when the brain continues to generate pain signals even after an injury has healed—or sometimes without any injury at all. The pain you feel is real, but it’s caused by how the brain interprets signals from the body.

How it works:

Normally, pain signals alert the body to injury to protect it.
With neuroplastic pain, the brain misinterprets safe signals as threats, creating real pain sensations.
Structural issues may or may not exist, but neuroplastic mechanisms can amplify or maintain the pain.

Why it matters:

Chronic pain shifts from sensory regions in the brain to areas involved in learning, emotion, and meaning—the same regions connected to anxiety and PTSD.
The great news: the brain can be retrained to interpret signals correctly through techniques like Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT™).

Anxiety and Trauma

Anxiety, suppressed emotions, and unresolved trauma can contribute to, amplify, or maintain pain.

How it shows up in the body:

Trauma and stress can sensitize the nervous system, making it more likely to interpret safe signals as threats.
The pelvic floor can become hypertonic or contracted, which can worsen pain.
Fear, hypervigilance, and anxiety create a pain-fear loop:

Fear → Pain → More Fear → More Pain

What the research shows:

Women with a history of childhood trauma have a 2x higher risk of developing chronic pain.
In CPP clinics, up to 50% of women report sexual or physical abuse, and 31% screen positive for PTSD.
Trauma can heighten fear responses, making it harder for the nervous system to relax and for the body to feel safe.

Key takeaway: Anxiety and trauma are not separate from pain—they’re part of it. Addressing them is essential for breaking the cycle and creating lasting relief.