Exploring Your Feminine Ground
Written by Kim Deschamps, MPT, BKin, PYT, BDN | May 22, 2021
Information shared from The Wild Feminine by Tami Lynn Kent, MSPT
In this blog I will summarize a very powerful and healing self-care treatment to empower women and teach them how to read the physical patterns held in the pelvic muscles and alleviate patterns that inhibit energy flow.
Modern women are carrying chronic tension in the pelvis that interferes with physical and energetic flow in the whole female body. By learning to pay attention to her own root patterns, a woman can enhance the flow in her core (pelvis/her root). Though vaginal self-massage may be intimidating, all women benefit from learning this and other tools that encourage them to take true care of their bodies (Kent, 2011).
As a holistic pelvic floor physiotherapist, I am incredibly curious about the female brain & body. Why are so many women struggling with painful periods and pelvic pain conditions? Why has society ‘normalized’ pain and premenstrual symptoms and expect women to ‘just live with it’- ‘that’s just what menstruation is all about’, *insert rolling eyes*. Heck NO, you shouldn’t be experiencing debilitating pain with your periods! That deserves an explanation point, because this thought pattern has to stop!
I believe in assessing and treating the whole person. I believe that health professionals should slow down and listen to their patients’ whole story. I believe that we need to educate ourselves to feel comfortable with having uncomfortable and challenging conversations with our patients. This may be staying silent, absorbing and listening intently when a patient shares about a painful life event, whether that be a physical or an emotional event (ie. loss, abuse or sexual trauma). It is important to extend empathy not sympathy in this moment. There is a huge difference. Brene Brown explains this beautifully in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw.
Connection is necessary for true patient-care. Sitting with a patient in the muck and feeling uncomfortable is true patient-care. Leaning into vulnerability and the uncomfortable is true patient-care. I believe in these very empowering and important messages that Brene Brown has found in her research in Shame, Guilt, and Vulnerability. Doesn’t it make perfect sense though? When a person is in pain, struggling with fertility, experiencing incredible disruption in day-to-day function, or feeling disconnection (physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, socially), don’t you think we would all feel some form of shame, guilt or vulnerability? Mmmhmm. So, you can see how incredibly important it is in women’s health particularly and with pelvic health, that we as health professionals need to assess and treat the whole person.
“The female body deserves more care; in order to receive more care, women must understand the language of the body.”
Let’s lean into understanding the female body in regard to pelvic pain.
A woman’s body always tells the truth for her. When a woman is angry, for example, the muscles around her vagina are hot to the touch. If a woman is lonely and afraid, the root will convey what is required to let down her guard. Grief and sadness can be felt in the coolness of a woman’s womb. Alternatively, when a woman is resting and eating well, her root (pelvis/pelvic floor) will be different than when she is under stress (Kent, 2011). Understanding emotional responses in the body has helped my practice tremendously. Extending my warm hand on the outside of a woman’s womb can provide incredible support and healing. Sitting with women as they explore their emotions through physical movement, touch, and connection extends added healing and care as we explore the cause of their pelvic pain. There is truth and tenderness in the sacred doorway that lies in every woman’s womb.
An erect and open posture indicates comfort with meeting others. A flexed posture shows a preference for the internal realm. Postures can provide insight on personalities, comfort, and tension patterns in muscles and connective tissue of the body (Kent, 2011). As a physiotherapist I have been taught how to read and interpret physical patterns. I assess the physical structure to determine what may be inhibiting vitality and require adjustment. In regard to the female pelvis (her root), patterns of pain (physical and/or emotional), disconnection, and congestion are determined through an internal pelvic assessment. I ‘map’ the female pelvic bowl and gain insight on the cause of pelvic pain, urinary/bowel incontinence, constipation, pelvic organ prolapses (POP), and other conditions that involve or reside in the pelvis.
The patterns of her root, the shape of a woman’s wild feminine range, can be changed and expanded. Using tools such as vaginal massage, she restores vitality to the root muscles (her pelvic floor), the strongest and most integral muscles supporting the female body. By working with the root, a woman’s awareness for more subtle sensations is refined. She will begin to feel the warmth of her own creative energy and recognize how she holds this energy in her pelvic bowl. She will find the connection between the state of her root and her creative capacity (Kent, 2011).
Caring for the root of her body is a way for a woman to begin speaking with her divine feminine voice. It is important to hold space and have support from mental health practitioners, as this dialogue will also remind her of any pain associated with her womanhood and/or past trauma. Providing a sense of safety, connection, and support is important when treating pelvic pain and the womb. It is also important to have patience, compassion, and gratitude when working with and reconnecting with the female body and her root.
“The state of her body and the way a woman has learned inhabit her physical form are revealed by the way she moves in the world.”
Self-care for the pelvic bowl: her root place.
To begin your pelvic self-care, it is helpful to visualize and bring awareness to your pelvic bowl. This can be done through guided meditation with body scans and interoception, ‘the perception of sensations from inside the body and includes the perception of physical sensations related to internal organ function such as heartbeat, respiration, satiety, as well as the autonomic nervous system activity related to emotions’ (Vaitl, 1996).
I send my patients guided imagery, visualization, body scans, and pelvic awareness practices to encourage connection to their pelvic bowl. Learning how to visualize your pelvic bowl and landmark areas of pain provides insight to your experience and perception of your pain. This is very powerful and incredibly important in treating pain. Below is an image to help guide you with becoming aware of your pelvic anatomy.
(This diagram is the pelvic floor of a person with a vulva (female reproductive organs)—they are lying down.)- Magamama
It is important to honor your pelvic bowl. Both joyful and challenging pelvic associations have value in restoring pelvic vitality, and each new awareness for your pelvic space increases your connection with this part of your body. Each sense of wounding or pain offers guidance for your healing. Your pelvis is a powerful base of support; honoring this space will increase its capacity to support you physically, emotionally, and spiritually (Kent, 2011).
Make a Pelvic Map
After evaluating the initial strength, coordination and relaxation ability in a woman’s pelvic floor muscles (ie, a Kegel), I make a visual pelvic map within my mind and then transcribe it afterwards with the woman and we design a treatment plan from there. I keep it simple by drawing a circle as seen below and outline the four quadrants, by placing an ‘X’ in the center of the circle. The top is the anterior or front pelvic floor (ie. near the urethra, at a 12 o’clock position). The bottom is the posterior or back pelvic floor (ie. near the rectum, at a 6 o’clock position). And then we have the Right and Left sides (your right and my left, if I were facing your pelvic clock and vice versa for the opposite side).
I then outline painful or trigger point areas starting at the 12 o’clock and move clockwise around the pelvic bowl. I place a small ‘x’ to represent areas of tension, and a large ‘X’ to indicate areas of trigger points or pain. I also make note of areas with reduced sensation or awareness by marking an ‘O’ to this location in the pelvic bowl. Sometimes, I will also draw the outline of a patient’s scar if they have experienced a vaginal tear from childbirth for example. Birthing scars can hold pain and sensitivity (emotionally & physically) or reduced sensory awareness (unable to notice touch to this area).
Here is an example of what a pelvic map looks like when I document in a patient’s chart. You will notice the position of a vaginal scar and the pain points surrounding it.
In another example, as shown here, the pelvic pain is driven from sensory inhibition (reduced awareness, dissociation) and is stemming from an emotional response (ie. fear and/or sadness) and past pelvic trauma.
Both pelvic maps represent different patterns of pain (emotionally or physically driven) with different reported symptoms. Both women demonstrated initially with poor kegel coordination- irregularity in mobility, reduced strength & endurance of the pelvic floor muscle activation and experienced reduced ability to relax their pelvic floor muscles following the Kegel. The key to both of these above pelvic map examples are the women’s story. Both women had experienced pelvic trauma. One woman had experience birth trauma and the other had experienced sexual and physical pelvic trauma. The purpose of showing these two pelvic map examples is to demonstrate how individual pelvic pain is and that a person’s pain experience is intimate, vulnerable, and deserves respect, honor, and support. The woman’s story is key to understanding their pattern of pain shown in their pelvic map and to determine an individualized treatment plan to assist in their healing journey.
Vaginal Massage: The Way to a Vibrant Root
Vaginal massage is a nonsexual internal massage that soothes and invigorates a woman’s core pelvic muscles. Vaginal massage is a vital tool for women’s health (pelvic floor) physiotherapists in alleviating pelvic symptoms, and it is an essential part of restoring physical and energetic balance to the pelvic bowl. By applying general massage techniques to the internal vagina, this kind of massage reaches the core pelvic muscles commonly holding pelvic tension (Kent, 2011).
As a pelvic floor physiotherapist, I often teach my patients how to relax, soften, and reduce pelvic tension through self-vaginal massage. I teach them about their pelvic map and encourage them to draw out their own pelvic map from their perspective and experience. Most women have only associated the root of their body with sex, or possibly childbirth, and some have never even touched their own vagina or internal pelvic space. The root of the female body is a precious and a sacred space; self-care is meant to be joyful and honoring. If a woman finds that she is hesitant to do vaginal massage or otherwise apply pelvic self-care, working through this resistance is part of her healing process (Kent, 2011). I educate women on addressing pelvic tension through relaxation techniques, visualization, and trigger point release. Trigger point release can be done through self-massage by use of their own finger or with a vaginal wand, depending on their comfort.
Vaginal massage addresses pelvic imbalances (ie. reduced sensory awareness &/or trigger point pain, reduced pelvic floor engagement &/or relaxation), which can contribute to painful periods, bladder pain, pain with intercourse, urinary urgency and increased urinary frequency, constipation, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, bladder pain, UTI-type pain, etc.). Vaginal massage can also be used to prevent pelvic imbalances before symptoms arise and should be a part of every woman’s self-care. Learning how to check in with your root (pelvic bowl), learning how to assess if there are pelvic imbalances, and having tools or strategies to fix these imbalances is incredibly empowering, which is the end goal for me as a pelvic floor physiotherapist.
Empowering women to understand, become aware, and notice the subtleties can ultimately change a woman’s pain experience. To guide a woman through their journey of healing from their persistent pain is a true gift that I honor and give thanks to this opportunity daily.
“May you laugh and live from your root.”
Final Comments
Please reach out if you have any questions or are experiencing pelvic pain. You do not need, nor deserve to suffer in silence. I will hold space for you to share your story and your experience. I will continue to explore and learn with you during your healing journey. I am blessed to have a fantastic team of women’s health professionals at Holistic Physiotherapy & Wellness. As a team we lean on each other to provide the utmost care for our patients. We value collaborative care, and we strive to empower women to thrive in their lives.
“It takes compassion, connection, patience, and gratitude when exploring pain experience and overcoming persistent pain. Be kind to yourself. Your body carries you through your life’s journey. She deserves love and compassion. She is worth your time to reconnect to your feminine power.”
Kim Deschamps
Physiotherapist, Pelvic Health Therapist & Yoga Therapist
Clinic Owner - Holistic Physio Wellness
References:
Kent, T. (2011). 1: Exploring Your Feminine Ground. Wild Feminine, 2, 29-82.
Brene Brown. Empathy. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw.
Vaitl D. (1996). Interoception. Biol. Psychol. 42 1–27. 10.1016/0301-0511(95)05144-9 [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
