Pelvic Pain & Painful Sex Therapy in Fort Worth, TX

Online Therapy throughout Washington & Texas

You want to feel close, to enjoy intimacy, to relax into touch, but instead, your body tenses. Maybe penetration feels impossible, maybe it burns or stings, or maybe you’ve learned to avoid sex altogether because the pain feels unpredictable and defeating.

You’ve likely been told it’s “in your head,” or that you just need to relax, but deep down, you know your body is trying to tell you something. You deserve real answers, real support, and a space that treats both your body and your emotions with care.

Through trauma-informed sex therapy, you can begin to understand your body’s pain response, find safety in your own skin, and reclaim the possibility of pleasure again.

As a sex therapist, I help you explore the emotional, relational, and nervous-system responses that can develop around pelvic pain and painful sex, while working alongside medical and pelvic-health providers when appropriate.

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When Sex Hurts, You’re Not Alone

Pelvic pain and painful sex can affect much more than your physical comfort. Pain can influence your desire, confidence, relationships, body image, emotional well-being, and sense of safety during intimacy.

You may find yourself anticipating pain before intimacy even begins, tensing your body without meaning to, avoiding penetration, feeling anxious when your partner initiates touch, or wondering why your body isn't responding the way you want it to.

Pain is real, even when medical tests don't provide a clear explanation.

Therapy doesn't mean your pain is "all in your head." Instead, therapy can help you understand the ways pain, the nervous system, emotions, past experiences, and relationships can interact.

Pelvic pain and painful sex (often called vaginismus, vulvodynia, dyspareunia, or pain related to endometriosis) can impact far more than intimacy, it can affect how you see yourself, your confidence, and your relationships.

You might benefit from therapy for painful sex if…

⟡ Physical therapists say it could be a mental thing

⟡ You have fear, anxiety, or tears when anticipating intimacy

⟡ Your’e feeling “blocked” or like your muscles won’t relax, no matter how hard you try

⟡ Your relationship has strain due to frustration, confusion, or avoidance

⟡ You tend to avoide sex out of fear of pain or disappointment

⟡ You’re feeling broken, ashamed, or like your body is betraying you

⟡You have difficulty separating your worth from what you were taught about purity.

What Can Cause Painful Sex?

⟡ Vaginismus ⟡

Vaginismus involves involuntary tightening of the pelvic floor muscles that can make penetration painful, difficult, or impossible. Fear, anticipation of pain, previous painful experiences, trauma, and other factors can contribute to the cycle of tension and pain.

⟡ Vulvodynia ⟡

Vulvodynia refers to chronic vulvar pain that doesn't always have an obvious cause. Therapy can address the emotional and relational impact of living with ongoing pain.

⟡ Dyspareunia ⟡

Dyspareunia is the clinical term for pain during sexual intercourse or penetration. Pain can occur before, during, or after sexual activity and can have many possible physical and psychological contributors.

⟡ Endometriosis & Pelvic Pain ⟡

Conditions such as endometriosis can contribute to pelvic and sexual pain. Therapy does not replace medical treatment, but it can help address the emotional, relational, and sexual effects of living with chronic pain.

⟡ Pelvic Floor Tension ⟡

Sometimes the pelvic floor muscles remain tense or guarded, particularly when the body anticipates pain. Therapy can help you understand the nervous-system and emotional components of this protective response.

What Pelvic Pain Therapy Is & Isn’t

Pelvic pain therapy is different from pelvic floor physical therapy. A pelvic floor physical therapist evaluates and treats the physical functioning of the pelvic floor and surrounding structures. Pelvic pain deserves more than a one-size-fits-all approach. As a sex therapist, I focus on the emotional, relational, and sexual experiences surrounding pain while recognizing the importance of medical and physical care.
When appropriate, I encourage collaboration with physicians, gynecologists, pelvic floor physical therapists, and other healthcare providers.

What Does a Pelvic Pain Therapist Do?

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I may help you explore:

⟡ Fear of pain
⟡ Anxiety around penetration
⟡ Nervous-system responses
⟡ Sexual trauma
⟡ Religious or sexual shame
⟡ Body image
⟡ Avoidance
⟡ Relationship dynamics
⟡ Communication with partners
⟡ Desire
⟡ Sexual pleasure
⟡ Rebuilding body trust
⟡ Reconnecting with sexuality

How Therapy for Pelvic Pain Can Help You

Painful sex isn’t just physical, it’s emotional, relational, and deeply tied to how safe your body feels. Therapy helps you address both the pain and the story around it: the anxiety, shame, or trauma that may have taught your body to protect you through tension.

⟡ Understand Your Body's Responses ⟡
Explore the fear, tension, guarding, and nervous-system responses that can develop around pain.

⟡ Reduce Shame & Anxiety ⟡
Work through fear, embarrassment, frustration, or shame surrounding your body and sexuality.

⟡ Rebuild Body Trust ⟡
Develop a more compassionate and connected relationship with your body.

⟡ Explore Trauma ⟡
Address sexual trauma, religious trauma, or other experiences that may affect intimacy.

⟡ Reconnect With Intimacy & Pleasure ⟡
Explore touch, desire, boundaries, intimacy, and pleasure without pressure.

⟡ Strengthen Communication ⟡
When appropriate, work with partners around pain, intimacy, sex, and connection.

When Pain Affects More Than Your Body

Pelvic pain can affect much more than your physical experience. Over time, pain can shape the way you see your body, approach intimacy, and think about your sexuality.

For some people, pelvic pain exists alongside experiences of sexual trauma, religious trauma, or shame around sexuality. You may have grown up with messages that taught you to fear sex, disconnect from your body, or believe that your sexual desires were something to feel ashamed of. For others, those feelings may have developed after experiencing pain itself.

You may find yourself feeling frustrated with your body, anxious about intimacy, disconnected from pleasure, or worried about what your pain means for your relationship. You may even feel like your body is working against you.

Therapy can offer a space to explore these experiences without judgment or pressure. Together, we can work toward understanding your body's responses, challenging shame, building a more compassionate relationship with your body, and creating a sense of safety around intimacy and sexuality.

Your body is not broken, and you don't have to be at war with it.

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We may explore:

⟡ Your relationship with your body

⟡ Body image and body shame

⟡ Sexual or religious shame

⟡ Past sexual experiences or trauma

⟡ Anxiety and fear around intimacy

⟡ Feeling disconnected from pleasure

⟡ What safety and intimacy look like for you now

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MORE ABOUT CHEYENNE

Hi, I’m Cheyenne McGuire, LMFT, CST

Pelvic Pain Therapist in Fort Worth

I take a gentle, collaborative, and body-affirming approach that honors both the physical and emotional sides of pelvic pain. You’ll never be rushed or pressured to talk about anything before you’re ready. Together, we’ll focus on safety first, because your body deserves that.

We’ll use somatic and trauma-informed tools to understand your pain responses, explore the messages your body is sending, and begin to build safety around touch and pleasure again.

If needed, I can collaborate with pelvic floor physical therapists or medical providers to create a holistic plan that supports your healing.Your pain does not define you. With compassion and curiosity, we can help your body find ease, softness, and connection again.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Yes. Pelvic pain conditions like vaginismus, vulvodynia, and dyspareunia often have both physical and emotional components. Therapy helps address anxiety, fear, shame, and relationship impacts that may accompany pain.
Pain can have many causes including muscle tension, medical conditions, trauma history, anxiety, or past negative sexual experiences. Therapy works alongside medical care to support healing.
Not necessarily. Many clients begin therapy while exploring medical answers. Therapy can help you understand your body's responses and support emotional healing alongside medical treatment.
No. Many individuals seek support on their own to reconnect with their bodies, reduce fear around intimacy, and build comfort with touch and pleasure.
Pelvic pain conditions such as vaginismus, vulvodynia, or dyspareunia often involve both physical and emotional components. My training in sex therapy allows me to address the psychological and relational aspects of pain, including anxiety, fear, trauma, and shame that can develop around intimacy. I often work collaboratively with medical providers or pelvic floor physical therapists when appropriate, creating a holistic approach that supports both the body and emotional healing.
Some discomfort can happen occasionally, but persistent pain is not “normal.” Pain can stem from medical, emotional, or relational factors. Therapy can help address the emotional and relational components of sexual pain, often in combination with medical or pelvic floor support.
Yes. Many people with pelvic pain can experience intimacy and pleasure with the right combination of therapy, medical care, and supportive communication with partners. Therapy helps reduce fear and shame, rebuild body trust, and explore intimacy safely.

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Sex should be pain free and pleasurable.

Let’s begin your healing journey with Pelvic Pain and Painful Sex Therapy in Fort Worth, TX and virtually anywhere in Washington or Texas.

You don’t have to live in fear of pain or avoid intimacy to stay safe. Together, we can help your body feel calm, capable, and ready to experience touch and connection with trust.

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HOW TO GET STARTED WITH

Sexual Pain Therapy in Fort Worth, TX

Online in Washington & Texas

01 Book a Free Consultation Call

I offer a free 15-minute phone call. This is a space where you can ask any and all of the questions you may have about getting started. We can spend the time getting to know each other and make sure that you feel comfortable moving forward! You can book a time for your free consultation call directly by clicking here to contact me.

02 Schedule Your Session

Towards the end of our consultation call, we will go over logistics, including finding a time that works for our schedules to meet for sessions.

03 Begin Feeling Pleasure Again

In our sessions, we will begin to work together to understand the areas that are keeping you stuck in anxiety and pain. Let’s work together to rediscover your desire and pleasure.