Treating gynecological pain: the experiences of bachelor students in physiotherapy performing somatocognitive therapy

Abstract

Contrary to expectations, the students experienced the application of this combined approach (SCT) as an interesting and rewarding way of working with patients, and that they had achieved skills and a sufficient set of tools to cope with the challenges that patients with longstanding gynecological pain represent.

Women with vulvodynia: awareness and knowledge of its care among student healthcare staff

“…In a care situation, a calm, frank discussion between a vulvodynia patient and a healthcare professional about this intimate problem has been found to foster a sense of trust in women patients. In turn, this sense of trust facilitates a more detailed description of her vulvodynia symptoms and intimate problems (1,55). It is also found that women with newly diagnosed vulvodynia are open to counselling to address the psychosexual aspects of their vulvar pain, and they report that it has helped them to cope with intimacy problems (56).…”

“…Moreover, good, experienced‐based skills in discussing intimate issues naturally were associated with the abovementioned dimensions of awareness. Possibly due to the naturalness of these conversations, healthcare professionals' awareness increased through patient‐oriented communication . In a care situation, a calm, frank discussion between a vulvodynia patient and a healthcare professional about this intimate problem has been found to foster a sense of trust in women patients.…”

“…Another reason that younger participants may be more informed may be related to the fact that they are the same age as their potential patients with vulvodynia. They may have experience with this syndrome through their circle of acquaintances, or they may be interested in intimacy problems that may affect women's lives at their age . Likewise, participants with fewer than 15 or more than 27 years of work experience in health care were more aware of treatments for vulvodynia than their colleagues with 15–27 years of work experience.…”

Recovering from provoked vestibulodynia: Experiences from encounters with somatocognitive therapy

“…This involved experiencing the different sensations elicited by warm and cold cloths and showers, as well as gently exploring the vulva with their fingers, self-massaging, and alternating between tensing and relaxing the muscles of the pelvic floor. Patients were encouraged to use tampons of gradually increasing size (Fougner and Haugstad, 2015). In SCT, an important goal for the patient is to develop body awareness, gain new bodily experiences, and develop coping strategies and a sense of mastery of one's own life (see a further description in (Haugstad et al, 2011).…”

Body awareness in acting – a case study of TRE as a supporting tool for drama students’ personal and professional development

“…Marit Fougner, this paper's second author, is a physiotherapist with 28 years of experience as a preclinical teacher for an educational programme in physiotherapy. Personal experiences with TRE and a study of body-mindfulness techniques in chronic pain management (Fougner & Killi Haugstad 2015) became an incentive to explore acting students' experiences for possible stress regulatory strategies promoting self-knowledge and self-care among students in different programmes.…”