Painful Intercourse

According to Ayurvedic medicine, a natural system of healing that began in India 3,000 years ago and is still heavily utilized in that country, the body is not just flesh and bones, but a complex electrical system. While most people in the U.S. may not be familiar with it, thankfully we have people like Deepak Chopra, who bring us a wealth of information from every corner of the wellness world. Deepak tells us that the human body has over 70,000 circuits. Sounds unbelievable, right? But think about it: when a person’s heart stops, the doctors apply electrodes to jumpstart it – that’s because the heart is electrical, just like the rest of the body. In my own clinical practice, I have discovered a few circuits that can be activated to prevent disturbances.

Occasionally, I discover an instant solution for a problem that often involves a lot of time and money. Once such quick answer is for painful intercourse.

Every once in a while, a female patient confides in me that she experiences painful sex. My first question for her is, “Have you ruled out any medical problems?” The most common reasons that women have discomfort during sex include:

infections
trauma or tissue injury
anatomic variations
hormonal imbalance
bladder irritation or interstitial cystitis
vulvodynia (chronic pain with an unknown cause)
cancer or pelvic mass
vaginal dryness

However, painful sex can also be rooted in the emotions, such as fear of pain or injury, feelings of guilt or shame, and fear of pregnancy. If the patient’s gynecologist has told her that there is no physiological reason for the discomfort, I offer my help. My approach is to release any underlying negative feeling associated with intercourse. There is “no talking it out” - just a pinpoint emotional adjustment. Usually, it takes just one session to eliminate any unpleasant sexual memory or feeling, including re-establishing the circuit.