The treatment of trauma-induced sexual pain among women: Clinical considerations for the use of adjunctive EMDR

Some women experience sexual pain in the aftermath of a sexually traumatic event, thus EMDR may be a suitable adjunctive treatment.

Article Abstract

“Almost half of all women experience a sexual pain disorder in their lifetime, including dyspareunia, vaginismus, vulvodynia, and provoked vestibulodynia. Despite significant negative consequences across quality of life indices, few women seek treatment for sexual pain, and among those who do access support, more than half report that currently available strategies are ineffective or even harmful in some cases. This outcome may partly result from a standard of care that prioritizes pharmacotherapy and/or physiotherapy within pain management protocols rather than psychological interventions despite their demonstrated ability to yield comparatively better treatment outcomes. In considering that some women experience sexual pain in the aftermath of a sexually traumatic event, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a type of evidence-based trauma therapy, may be a suitable adjunctive treatment to mitigate symptoms by targeting psychological risk factors. In this report, the authors first review the impact of sexual trauma on sexual pain, particularly the biopsychosocial effects of trauma within the body and its hypothesized mechanisms of action on sexual functioning, and then provide an overview of EMDR therapy, including how it promotes the resolution of trauma symptoms and its effects on sexual pain. By presenting this evidence, the authors will explore how EMDR therapy may have utility as a novel adjunctive treatment to address sexual trauma-induced sexual pain disorders and optimize the provision of care among this clinical population.”

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Fonseka, T. M., & Smith, C. (2021). The treatment of trauma-induced sexual pain among women: Clinical considerations for the use of adjunctive EMDR. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 30(1), 114-124. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.2020-0035