My reflections on bladder feelings, emotion and trauma - following episode 7

What role does trauma play in bladder and pelvic conditions? There's more awareness than ever that traumatic experiences live on in the body and with it, a lot of myths. This short solo reflection is me thinking out loud after my conversation with Dr Lindsey McKernan, PhD MPH, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Urology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a longtime research collaborator of mine, and Saoirse Nash, women's health coach and Director of Live UTI Free. I sit with the findings that stayed with me most: that in one integrated clinic, 42% of women presenting with interstitial cystitis or bladder pain syndrome met criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. And that it's not a question of whether trauma came first or the condition did. It's the interaction between past trauma and present stress that shapes pain, symptoms and how taxed the body becomes. I also reflect on: Why it's so hard to heal a body you hate or feel betrayed by and what changes when that relationship begins to soften The story Lindsey shared of a patient who'd had multiple surgeries and relentless urinary frequency, and had never once asked for leave from work.  What that tells us about self-subjugation and the impacts on our body  Allostatic load: the cumulative wear and tear of never tending to what your body needs Moving from reacting to responding, and why gentle self-monitoring - not hypervigilance-  is the starting point A simple question from Lindsey that can shift everything: would you expect this of a friend? The goal isn't to lower your expectations of yourself. It's to soften the way you respond to yourself. And there's good evidence that when you do, your body starts processing things differently. If you haven't yet listened to the full episode with Lindsey and Saoirse, I'd recommend starting there, the link is in the show notes, along with details of Seemira, an app that syncs with your Apple Watch to help you build gentle bodily awareness through the day. Show notes and resources: www.howwereallyfeel.com This podcast is supported by Convatec Continence Care and their Me+ programme, which supports people using intermittent catheters with both practical guidance and emotional wellbeing resources. Find out more at www.howwereallyfeel.com/in-partnership-with-convatec Seemira - learning to hear your body’s signals and regulate your nervous system - https://seemira.com/