Pelvic Resilience

01/13/2026

This experience reminded me how easy it is to shrink ourselves in healthcare spaces — and how much harder it can be for our clients.

Informed consent isn’t about a signature or checklist.
It’s a relational process rooted in safety, collaboration, and co-regulation.
When we slow down enough to explain, check in, and invite choice, we help clients reclaim a sense of agency and trust in their care.

This is especially important in pelvic health, where the vulnerability is often amplified.

As providers, we MUST be sure to create space for curiosity instead of compliance. This is trauma-informed care.

Join our next cohort of the Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification Program to deepen your attunement and level up your practice. Doors open January 26th! (link in linktree)💜

01/07/2026

Join us for our 2026 winter cohort of the Trauma Informed Pelvic Heath Certification!

🚨 Enrollment Opens January 26th!
Become a Certified Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Practitioner

If you’ve ever felt unprepared, overwhelmed, or unsure how to navigate emotional responses in pelvic health sessions....you’re not alone. The Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification is the first and only program designed to give you clear, confident skills for when trauma surfaces during treatment.

Enrollment opens January 26–30, 2026
Join the interest list now so you don’t miss out:
👉 https://www.functionalpelvis.com/trauma

This 3.5-month certification includes:

-A 9-part self-paced online course (starting Feb 2nd)
-Live coaching calls with expert instructors
-AOTA-approved CEUs (3.2 CEUs, advanced level)
-Step-by-step training to handle dissociation, emotional reactions, and trauma responses with confidence and compassion

You will learn how to:

-Stay grounded when emotions surface
-Communicate with clarity and empathy
-Create deep safety and trust in your sessions
-Integrate nervous system & somatic work into your care
-Protect yourself from burnout while supporting healing

This is the training pelvic health providers have been waiting for.
Join hundreds of OTs and PTs who are transforming their practice with trauma-informed care.

Get all the details + join the interest list:
👉 https://www.functionalpelvis.com/trauma

- Lindsey x Lara D

01/06/2026

Bladder irritation doesn’t always mean elimination. ☕💧

Sometimes, it just takes a bit of detective work to find a small tweak that has the potential to make a big difference.
Curiosity > restriction, every time.

12/22/2025

🎙️ Loved this conversation SO much.

I had the joy of joining Lindsey Vestal on the mic with two brilliant humans — my fellow Canadian, psychologist Dr. Lauren Walker 🇨🇦 and trauma-informed pelvic health leader Dr. Krystyna Holland 🇺🇸 .holland

We talk about what trauma-informed care actually means (no buzzwords), why it’s essential in pelvic health & gynecological care, and how this research came to life — plus the real change we’re hoping to see as it reaches everyday clinical practice.

Also… can we talk about how good a Canada–US research collab is?! When we bridge borders and disciplines, care gets better. Period.

✨ If you care about pelvic health that centres safety, consent, and humanity — this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen via the OTs in Pelvic Health podcast
PelvicHealthOT PelvicHealthPT TraumaInformedPelvicHealth PelvicHealthEducation

12/16/2025

Sometimes, the fix isn’t the fix.

This week, I caught myself jumping straight to “fix-it mode” with my daughter when she was overwhelmed.

Logic. Reassurance. Problem-solving.

All the ‘right’ things — but not what she needed in that moment.

When I paused, asked for a “do-over,” and simply said “That’s hard, I’m sorry,” she exhaled.
I was reminded — when we prioritize connection first, solutions emerge more smoothly later.

We do this in health care, too.
When we feel rushed or pressured, we often skip connection, moving straight to our solution-focused agenda.

Yet empathy is not optional — it’s necessary and a scientifically sound strategy.
It creates the neurochemistry for co-regulation and safety - a prerequisite for meaningful change.

As .ca teaches, we need to Match, Mirror, and Move.
And sometimes, we have to circle back for a do-over to Match and Mirror before the “Move” can really happen.

💜 Drop a purple heart if you’ve ever humbly and bravely asked a client for a do-over when you’ve realized that you jumped too quickly to offering reassurance or solutions. 🙋‍♀️

12/09/2025

🗣️ “What do I do when a client chats with me as a way to avoid their anxiety during exposure?”

In exposure work, even small behaviors can function as avoidance. The goal isn’t to stop the talking — it’s to notice it together, explore the function it serves, and gently co-create strategies to anchor the client back to being with their anxiety and has an opportunity to manage it in a way that build self-efficacy.

That’s where the therapeutic value of exposure really grows — not by eliminating anxiety, but by helping clients practice staying with it.

12/02/2025

🌦️ “How do I manage my pain when I can’t control the weather?”

Weather shifts can be a powerful trigger for symptoms like pain, dysautonomia, and fatigue. You can’t change the forecast — but you can prepare with a weather survival plan.

Some helpful elements might include:
✨ Nervous system care — grounding, gentle breathwork, calming inputs.
✨ Energy budgeting — pacing, lowering demands, and softening expectations on high-trigger days.
✨ Comfort strategies — layering, heat, cold, or soothing sensory inputs.
✨ Recovery supports — hydration, nourishing food, movement, rest.

You can’t stop the storm — but you can make it easier to weather.

11/25/2025

🗣️ “What do you do when clients resist practicing self-compassion?”

For many, gentle self-compassion feels out of reach — too soft, too foreign, or even unsafe. That’s where fierce self-compassion can be a more accessible entry point.

Fierce self-compassion asks: What action can I take that honors my needs and boundaries, even if I don’t fully feel deserving yet?

Some experiments to try with clients:
✨ Saying “no” to one extra demand this week
✨ Scheduling rest as a non-negotiable appointment
✨ Advocating for themselves in a small but meaningful way
✨ Choosing food, movement, or routines that nourish rather than deplete

Sometimes acting “as if” can open the door to truly feeling deserving over time.

11/18/2025

🗣️ “How do you respond to shame and self-criticism?”

As clinicians, it helps to remember that shame and self-criticism aren’t things we fix for clients — they’re experiences we can meet with compassion and curiosity.

One powerful approach? Offer a menu of options and explore what resonates:
✨ Gently noticing the self-critical voice without fusing to it
✨ Naming shame as a common human experience
✨ Practicing kinder, more compassionate self-talk
✨ Asking about workability — does this way of relating move you toward what matters, or keep you stuck?

The goal isn’t to eliminate shame, but to help clients find different ways of holding it — and support flexibility in how they respond.

11/11/2025

🗣️ “What happened to the term compassion fatigue?”

Many are moving toward the term empathic strain. Because it’s not compassion that drains us — it’s empathy without boundaries.

Research from Dr. Kristin Neff shows that practicing compassion and self-compassion can actually expand our capacity, protect against burnout, and buffer us from empathic strain.

What if compassion is a renewable resource when intentionally practiced?

11/04/2025

🗣️ “Should I keep coming to see you, even though my pain has really settled down?”

Yes — because this is often the best time to do proactive work. With pain less overwhelming, we can focus on:
✨ Moving toward meaningful (but sometimes triggering) activities
✨ Applying pain management skills to deeper emotional discomfort

It’s not just about reducing pain — it’s about building flexibility and confidence for what comes next.