Shows
Heal Your Chronic Pelvic PainThe Thoughts That Keep You Stuck vs. The Ones That Move You ForwardIn this episode, Rachel introduces a powerful framework:Stop Healing Thoughts vs. Keep Healing ThoughtsYou’ll learn how to identify the thoughts that pull you out of the process of healing, and how to gently shift into thoughts that help you stay in it long enough for healing to actually happen.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why your thoughts are not the problem, but how you relate to them isHow your nervous system state influences the thoughts you thinkWh...
2026-03-1915 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainWhy Time (Alone) Doesn’t Heal Chronic Pelvic PainMany people living with chronic pelvic pain hold onto the hope that if they just wait long enough, their pain will eventually just go away. You rest. You avoid certain activities. You give it time.But months pass. Sometimes years. And the pain is still there.In this episode, Rachel explains why time alone doesn’t heal chronic pelvic pain, and what actually creates healing.If you've been stuck in the frustrating cycle of waiting and hoping things will improve on their own, this conversation will help you understand what’s reall...
2026-03-1225 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainEverything You Weren't Told About Endometriosis (with Jill Mueller PT)This is a special episode. It's the first time I've had a guest on the podcast. I sat down with Jill Mueller, a pelvic health physiotherapist with over 20 years of experience, whose own journey with endometriosis, period pain, and fertility challenges led her to dedicate her career to this work. Jill brings together pain science, nervous system education, and deep clinical expertise in a way that I find genuinely rare in this space.If you have endometriosis, suspect you might, or have had a procedure and are still in p...
2026-03-051h 20Heal Your Chronic Pelvic PainThe Real Reason You’re Afraid to HopeHope can feel almost dangerous when you’ve been living with chronic pelvic pain for months, years, or even decades.If you’ve been dismissed.If you’ve been misdiagnosed.If you’ve been told your condition is “chronic” (and framed as permanent).Then…Of course hope feels naive. Of course it feels embarrassing.Of course your brain wants to protect you from getting your hopes up again (and potentially being disappointed or devastated…again). That makes sense. And a...
2026-02-1917 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainThe Tools that Actually Help You Heal Chronic Pelvic PainWhat’s the best tool for healing chronic pelvic pain?Is it journaling? Somatic tracking? Pelvic PT? Breathwork? Visualization?If you’ve spent any time in the mind-body healing world, you’ve probably heard someone confidently say:“This is what healed me.” “This is the thing.” “If it’s not working, you’re not doing it right.”And it’s confusing.In this episode, I’m breaking down the truth:All tools can work. And...
2026-02-1230 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainRadical Responsibility: What Changes When You Stop Outsourcing HealingThis episode covers one of the most important and most resisted concepts in healing chronic pelvic pain: radical responsibility.This is not about blame, fault, or doing everything on your own. It’s about what shifts when you stop waiting for someone or something outside of you to fix this, and take the lead in your own healing.If you’ve been holding out hope for the next doctor, test, medication, procedure, or protocol to finally be the thing that saves you, this episode gently but honestly explores why outs...
2026-02-0515 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainHow to Reclaim Your Power: What’s in Your Control vs. What Isn’tIf you’ve been feeling powerless or stuck on your healing journey, this episode is for you.In this episode of The Heal Your Chronic Pelvic Pain Podcast, Rachel talks about one of the most important shifts you can make when healing chronic pelvic pain: learning how to tell the difference between what is and isn’t in your control, especially in moments when symptoms are loud. When so much of your energy goes toward trying to change symptoms in the moment, it’s easy to feel exhausted, frustrated, and def...
2026-01-2913 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainUncertainty Tolerance: The Skill That Allows You to Move ForwardIn this episode, I’m talking about uncertainty tolerance, why your brain hates it so much, and why learning to tolerate uncertainty is actually one of the most important skills required to heal chronic pelvic pain.If you deal with anxiety, OCD tendencies, reassurance-seeking, flare fear, or constantly wondering “What if this doesn’t work?”, this episode is for you.We’ll talk about:Why anxiety and OCD are really attempts to create certaintyWhy your brain keeps searching for guarantees (and why th...
2026-01-2212 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainWhy Accepting a Neuroplastic Diagnosis Can Feel So Hard (Especially for Women)Accepting a neuroplastic or nervous system based explanation for chronic pelvic pain isn’t just intellectually challenging, it can be emotionally loaded, especially for women who have already experienced medical gaslighting, dismissal, or invalidation.In this episode, Rachel explores why resistance to a mind-body approach makes so much sense, and why difficulty accepting a neuroplastic diagnosis is often not about disbelief, but about self-protection.Rachel shares her own journey of initially feeling defeated and offended by the idea that her pain could be related to her nervous system, and un...
2026-01-1521 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainThis Is Part Of ItWhen you’re healing chronic pelvic pain, there are moments that feel terrifying, discouraging, and defeating, moments where it feels like you’re back at square one and nothing is working.In this episode, I share one simple phrase that carried me through countless moments of panic and despair on my own healing journey:“This is part of it.”This phrase helped me stop interpreting flares, fear, and doubt as signs of failure, and instead see them as a predictable part of the healing process...
2026-01-0810 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainHow To Stop Starting Over (A New Year, New Approach to Healing)If New Year’s feels more devastating than hopeful, this episode is for you.For many people living with chronic pelvic pain, January 1st doesn’t feel like a fresh start. It can feel like a painful marker of how long you’ve been in pain and how much you wish things were different.In this episode, I talk about why arbitrary time points like New Year’s often work against your nervous system, and how to reflect on your healing journey without turning it into proof that you’re behind...
2026-01-0115 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainWhy Healing Can Feel Unsafe at FirstIf you’ve ever started healing work and felt more anxious, activated, or symptomatic, this episode will help you make sense of that experience.We’re talking about why healing can feel unsafe at first — and why an increase in symptoms or discomfort doesn’t automatically mean something has gone wrong. In fact, it’s often a sign that your nervous system is changing. You’ll learn the five phases of nervous system rewiring, why awareness can initially amplify symptoms, and how rest, joy, and pleasure can feel threatening when you’ve b...
2025-12-1119 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainWhy Pelvic PT Didn’t Work (And why you can still heal)Rachel explains why pelvic PT often calms symptoms for a short period, but rarely resolves chronic pelvic pain long term, because most treatment focuses on the physical response rather than the nervous system state driving the patterns. This episode validates why relief fades, helps you make sense of the gap, and reinforces that healing is still absolutely possible.In this episode you’ll hear:Why pelvic PT isn’t trained to address nervous system driversWhy tight muscles are a re...
2025-11-2819 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainWhy Chronic Pelvic Pain Is Different (and Why It’s Not)In this episode, Rachel talks about a belief that keeps so many people stuck. The idea that pelvic pain is different from every other type of chronic pain. She shares why pelvic pain really does feel uniquely heavy for many people, and also why it is not different in the ways that determine your ability to heal.Rachel explores the shame, isolation, fear of infection, medical dismissal, and impact on identity and relationships that often come with chronic pelvic pain. She also explains why the nervous system works the...
2025-11-2027 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainWhen Healing Feels Urgent (and What to Do About It)If you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “I should be further along by now” or “I just need this pain to go away,” this episode is for you.Rachel dives into one of the most common emotional hurdles in mind-body healing: the urgency to heal. That deep, desperate feeling that you need to be better now. You’ll explore where that urgency really comes from—the fear that this might never go away, the grief for time and experiences lost, and the belief that your life can’t move forward until th...
2025-11-0620 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainWhen You’re Scared It’s an Infection (and How to Move Through It)Have you ever felt that sudden spike of fear — what if this time it’s a real infection? If you’ve been on a mind-body healing journey and experienced this worry, this episode is for you.Rachel shares her personal experience navigating infection fears (especially around UTIs) and the framework she now teaches clients for handling those moments with clarity and self-trust instead of panic. You’ll learn how to tell when to seek medical care, how to support your nervous system (no matter what’s g...
2025-10-3020 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainHow to Keep Going When You’re Struggling To Believe You Can Heal (Belief Series Part 2)What if belief itself feels like the barrier?In this part two of the belief mini series, Rachel shares how to move forward even when you’re filled with doubt. You’ll learn how to take action without certainty, work through fears that something was missed medically, and make peace with not being “100% certain” — while still healing.In this episode:The two layers of belief: symptoms vs. selfWhy waiting for 100% certainty keeps you stuck
2025-10-1630 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainBelieving You Can Heal (Part 1 — Why Belief Matters and How to Build It)If you’ve ever struggled to believe that healing is possible for you, this episode is for you.In Part 1 of this two-part series, we’re talking about why belief matters in the process of healing chronic pelvic pain — and how to start building it, even when you don’t feel anywhere close to believing right now.We’ll explore the neuroscience behind belief (and how your brain literally filters your world through what you already believe), how doubt and skepticism are actually signs of protection — not failure — and why belief isn...
2025-10-0922 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainYour Pain Flare Pep TalkIf you’ve ever found yourself in the middle of a pain flare—overwhelmed, distressed, and just wishing someone could remind you that you’re okay—this episode is for you.In today’s episode of The Heal Your Chronic Pelvic Pain Podcast,I’m offering you a short pep talk you can come back to again and again. These are the reminders I wish I’d had in my own hardest momentsThis pep talk is designed to support you when you need it most:
2025-10-0207 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainHow to Navigate Pain Flares: Stop Fixing, Start SoothingIf you’ve ever been in the middle of a pain flare, you know how fast the fear, urgency, and “I need to fix this right now” thoughts can take over.But here’s the truth: Flares don’t mean you’re failing, and they don’t mean you’re going backwards. They’re actually a normal part of the healing process.In this episode, I’ll invite you to consider a new way to approach flares — one that doesn’t rely on scrambling to urgently fix your sym...
2025-09-2525 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainOutcome Independence Explained (and How to Actually Practice It)One of the most requested topics I get when it comes to healing chronic pelvic pain is outcome independence.In this episode, I share:What outcome independence is and why it matters for healingWhy it feels so hard to practice (and why that’s completely normal)How radical acceptance and self-compassion are the essential tools that make outcome independence possibleYou’ll hear me share my own story of resisting self-compassion, why it felt so uncomfortable at first, and how it ultimately became the key to creating safety with...
2025-09-1821 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainThe Mind-Body Approach: Your Path to Healing Chronic Pelvic Pain (Understanding Pain Series Ep 5)What exactly is a mind-body approach to healing chronic painIn this episode, I break down:Why separating “mind” and “body” in Western medicine has left so many people stuckHow pain becomes chronic, and why fear of pain fuels the cycleThe role of chronic stress, trauma, and self-abandonment in keeping your nervous system on high alertWhy pain is a form of protection (not proof of damage)The four...
2025-09-1122 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainBecome Your Own Symptom Detective: How to Spot Neuroplastic Pain (Understanding Pain Series Ep. 4)How do you know if your pain might be neuroplastic?That’s the focus of today’s episode, because understanding this difference is one of the most important steps in healing. If your pain is nervous system-generated rather than structural, that means there is so much more hope for your healing. You don’t have to be 100% certain right now. Think of this episode as helping you gather clues, like symptoms detective, so you can start to build your case.In this episode, you’ll hear:
2025-09-0432 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainHow Pain Becomes Chronic: Why Your Brain Can Learn Pain… and Unlearn It (Understanding Pain Series Ep. 3)In this episode of The Heal Your Chronic Pelvic Pain Podcast, I explain how pain becomes chronic, and why neuroplastic pain is the most common cause of ongoing symptoms. You’ll hear:The 3 types of pain, and why neuroplastic pain is differentThe two main pathways into chronic pelvic pain — (with real-life examples)How the pain–fear cycle wires pain into the nervous systemWhy the brain can learn pain (and also unlearn it)
2025-08-2827 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainPain Science 101: The Basics You Need to Know (Understanding Pain Series Ep. 2)In this episode of The Heal Your Chronic Pelvic Pain Podcast, I explain how pain works when we do have tissue damage, and how we can also have pain without any tissue damage. You’ll learn why pain is always about protection, not just injury, and how this changes the way we must approach healing.You’ll hear:How the brain decides whether to create pain (and why context matters more than you think)How tissues heal reliably within predictable timelines
2025-08-2117 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainRethinking Pain: A New Model (Understanding Pain Series Ep. 1)Most of us were taught the old model of pain: that it always starts in the body and reflects tissue damage. But science has moved far beyond that — and the old model is outdated, incomplete, and often misleading.In this episode of The Heal Your Chronic Pelvic Pain Podcast, I break down why the old model leaves so many people stuck, scared, and without real answers. Then I introduce the new model of pain: one that recognizes pain as a protective response generated by the brain, not just a signal from the body....
2025-08-2113 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainHow I Got Here: My Journey of Healing Chronic Pelvic PainChronic pelvic pain can take over every part of your life — physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially. For years, I lived in constant fear, chasing answers that never seemed to fit, and wondering if I’d ever get my life back.In this first episode of The Heal Your Chronic Pelvic Pain Podcast, I share my personal healing story — from the first confusing symptoms and endless rounds of tests, to the treatments and approaches that didn’t work, and the turning point when I finally discovered the mind-body approach that changed everything.Whet...
2025-08-2141 min
Heal with Grace86. The Mind-Body Approach to Healing Pelvic Pain with Rachel GofmanIn this episode, Rachel Gofman (physical therapist and pelvic pain coach) shares her journey to overcoming debilitating pelvic pain through mind-body and nervous system work. What You'll Learn:Why "diagnoses" and structural findings don’t always explain symptomsHow shame, cultural beliefs and trauma inform pain The nervous system’s role in chronic symptoms and healingMyths about pelvic pain that may be keeping you stuckConnect with Rachel:Instagram WebsiteResources from Grace: Mind-Body Healing Method Course - Regulate your nervous system now Work with us in p...
2025-08-1946 minHeal Your Chronic Pelvic PainThe Heal your Chronic Pelvic Pain Podcast TrailerYou’re not broken — and you can heal from chronic pelvic pain.I’m Rachel Gofman, pelvic pain coach and physical therapist who’s been where you are. After years of searching for relief and navigating misdiagnoses, I found lasting healing through a mind-body approach, and now I help others do the same.In this podcast, you’ll learn how to partner with your nervous system, understand the science behind your symptoms, and use practical tools to move from fear and frustration to safety and confidence.Wheth...
2025-08-1303 min
The Heal your Bladder PodcastEp 7. Healing Bladder Pain with a Mind-Body Approach with Rachel Gofman, Pelvic Pain CoachIn this episode, I sit down with Rachel Gofman, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Pelvic Pain Coach, to explore her incredible journey of healing from IC and chronic pelvic pain using a mind-body approach. After trying every diet, test, and treatment available, Rachel found her breakthrough by addressing the emotional and nervous system components of her symptoms.Rachel now dedicates her career to helping women with conditions like IC (interstitial cystitis), vulvodynia, pudendal neuralgia heal their pain and rediscover safety in their bodies. We dive deep into:Why pain can persist long after the i...
2025-01-2050 minThe Heal your Bladder PodcastEp 7. Healing Bladder Pain with a Mind-Body Approach with Rachel Gofman, Pelvic Pain CoachIn this episode, I sit down with Rachel Gofman, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Pelvic Pain Coach, to explore her incredible journey of healing from IC and chronic pelvic pain using a mind-body approach. After trying every diet, test, and treatment available, Rachel found her breakthrough by addressing the emotional and nervous system components of her symptoms.Rachel now dedicates her career to helping women with conditions like IC (interstitial cystitis), vulvodynia, pudendal neuralgia heal their pain and rediscover safety in their bodies. We dive deep into:Why pain can persist long after the i...
2025-01-2050 min
The Cure for Chronic Pain with Nicole Sachs, LCSWS3 E113 - Sarno, Back Pain, Pelvic Pain - Skepticism and Science with Dr. Rachel Gofman
When Rachel Gofman was in college, she had terrible back pain - just like me! After going down the Western Medical rabbit hole to no avail, she discovered Dr. Sarno and her back pain subsided completely. But years later, when Rachel was in her Doctorate program for Physical Therapy, acute and widespread pelvic pain struck. Similar to me as well, this time she forgot all about Dr. Sarno and went full steam into traditional medicine in the hope of helping herself. When the best specialists told her there was, "nothing else they could do for her," thankfully she considered...
2024-11-1551 min
Beyond The PelvisEp 9: The quest to cure, not just manage chronic pelvic pain with Dr. Rachel GofmanIn this weeks episode, Dr. Kenael and Laura speak with Dr. Rachel Gofman. Rachel is doctor of physical therapy and pelvic pain coach. Her mission is to liberate women from a life consumed by pelvic pain and help them to create lives of greater purpose, connection and intention. Rachel not only helps women recover from pelvic pain but has her own inspiring success story.
You can find Rachel through her website or on instagram.
2024-02-1744 min
Unlearn with Bianca7. A Mind-Body Approach To Healing Pelvic Pain with Rachel GofmanHi everyone, On this episode I talk to Rachel Gofman, a Doctor of Physical Therapy & Pelvic Pain Coach who's mission is help women liberate themselves from a life consumed by chronic pelvic pain, and help them to create lives of great purpose, connection, and intention as they heal through a mind-body approach.We talk when it may be time to explore a mind-body approach to Pelvic Pain diagnoses including Vuvlodynia, Pudendal Neuralgia (PN), Interstitial cystitis (IC) *Books mentioned in podcast- Healing Back Pain - John Sarno- Come As You A...
2024-01-0347 min
How to Trust Yourself: Overcome Imposter Syndrome, Feel Confident, and Let Yourself Be SeenEp 10 Healing from Chronic Pelvic Pain with Rachel GofmanBefore we start today’s episode, I wanna tell you about a FREE workshop that I’m hosting on Wednesday June 7 at 1pm Eastern Time!
This workshop is all about how to soothe your symptoms and unlock your creativity! We’re going to be doing some expressive writing exercises together, I’m gonna host a live Q&A, and I think it’ll be a really fun opportunity to get to know each other, so I hope you’ll join me!
To learn more, you can visit my website at www.annaholtzman.com/ creativity-workshop-home
And no...
2023-06-0251 min