It's All In Your Body: Episode 106 with Dr Sula Windgassen

Hello and Welcome! In today's episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with Dr Sula Windgassen, health psychologist, psychotherapist and author of one of my favourite new books, 'It's All In Your Body', which explores the conversation between mind, body and environment and how that can influence and sustain pain and poor healthIn today's conversation, we discussed lots of different threads, including the intersection of psychology and physiology in health care, particularly for pelvic pain and bladder/bowel conditions. We explored the Power Threat Meaning Framework, stress management, and goal-setting approaches, emphasising the importance of process goals rather than solely focusing on pain elimination. Sula shared her personal health journey and explained how health psychology differs from clinical psychology, and we both highlighted the need for integrated care between psychologists and physiotherapists. We discussed the complexities of stress, particularly how it relates to endometriosis and the challenges faced by those with persistent pelvic pain, and explored how stress can be a stressor, an automatic response, and an action, emphasising the need to differentiate between these concepts to avoid self-blame and stigma. Sula explained that stressors can be external or internal, and automatic stress responses can be psychological or physiological, highlighting the importance of understanding these distinctions to better support individuals experiencing stress-related issues.Sula's book explores the intersection of biology and psychology in pain management, particularly relevant to women's health issues, such as bladder dysfunction, IBS and persistent pelvic pain. For anyone who has ever worried that their pain neuroscience education has floundered, and the people that we are working with are left with the feeling 'they think this is all in my head' - this book will give you the tools to counteract that fear!We also discussed the upcoming release of Grainne Donnelly's new book, Sports Medicine & the Pelvic Floor, to which we've both contributed - a great time for book loving pelvic health nerds, for sure!If you'd like to learn more about Female Pelvic Pain Rehab, my online course is available, alongside all of my other online courses, at CelebrateMuliebrity.comUntil next time, Onwards & Upwards, Mx #celebratemuliebrity