Somatic Therapy for Chronic Pelvic Pain in Los Angeles: A Nervous System Approach

4 days ago
2 min read

Updated: 23 hours ago

If you live with chronic pelvic pain, you may have asked yourself quietly:

Why won’t my body relax?

Why does my pelvic floor tighten when I’m stressed?

Is this connected to trauma?

Is there a therapist in Los Angeles who understands pelvic pain from a nervous system perspective?

Chronic pelvic pain is real. It is physiological. And it is often deeply influenced by the autonomic nervous system.

As a somatic therapist specializing in chronic pelvic pain and trauma-informed care, I work at the intersection of neuroscience, attachment, and body-based psychotherapy. My clinical focus includes Somatic Experiencing (SE), nervous system regulation, and chronic pain conditions.

The Nervous System and Pelvic Pain

Research has shown that many chronic pain conditions involve central sensitization — a state in which the brain and spinal cord amplify pain signals (Woolf, 2011). This is not imagined pain. It is an adaptive nervous system that has become overprotective.

A large systematic review in BMJ also found strong associations between trauma history and chronic pelvic pain (Latthe et al., 2006). Trauma may include sexual trauma, medical trauma, relational stress, or chronic invalidation.

When the body perceives threat, muscles contract. The pelvic floor is part of this survival response. Over time, bracing becomes habitual. Guarding becomes pain.

The body is not broken. It is protecting.

What Is Somatic Therapy for Chronic Pelvic Pain?

Somatic therapy is a body-based psychotherapy that helps regulate the autonomic nervous system.

In sessions, we may gently explore:

Subtle pelvic or abdominal tension
Breath and micro-movements
Fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown patterns
The body’s capacity for safety

Somatic Experiencing, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, is grounded in research on trauma physiology. Emerging literature suggests that improving interoceptive awareness and autonomic regulation may reduce chronic pain symptoms (Payne, Levine & Crane-Godreau, 2015).

Rather than forcing release, we allow softening to happen organically.

Why Pelvic Pain Flares During Stress

Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system. Cortisol rises. Muscles prepare. In a sensitized system, even small stressors can intensify pelvic pain.

This cycle often looks like:

Why does somatic therapy work for chronic pelvic pain? Stress causes pelvic floor contraction which causes pain and fear of pain which causes more contraction

Somatic therapy interrupts this loop by increasing nervous system flexibility and restoring safety.

If you’re looking for somatic therapy for chronic pelvic pain in Los Angeles, know that healing often begins with listening — not forcing.

Your body may not need to be fixed.It may need to feel safe.

About the Author

Sarah Bibbo, ASW, E-RYT is a Los Angeles-based somatic therapist specializing in chronic pelvic pain, trauma recovery, and nervous system regulation. She integrates Somatic Experiencing (SE), mindfulness-based approaches, and body-centered psychotherapy. Her work focuses on helping clients move from chronic bracing into embodied safety.

References

Latthe, P. et al. (2006). BMJ, 332(7544), 749–755.
Woolf, C. J. (2011). Pain, 152(3 Suppl), S2–S15.
Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2015). Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 93.