A Headache in the Pelvis Clinic

[Charlie]

For patients interested in attending the Wise-Anderson A Headache in the Pelvis clinic I have posted below an example of the trigger point map patients recieve at the end of the 5 day clinic. This trigger point map was written by the physical therapist you see at the clinic. It is to be used as a guide by either yourself for self treatment or by a physical therapist once you leave the clinic.

A person who attended the clinic has sent me their trigger point map. I have also attended but no longer have my map. I thought I would post it up to help people make a decision on whether to attend the clinic. The last I heard the clinic lasts for 5 days.

[HerMajesty]

I had at one point been given access to the relaxation tapes. They are only given to people who attend the seminar, but someone had passed them along. They consist of a program starting with a tape on relaxation of the face and neck, and as the tapes head down the body eventually the pelvic floor is included. The tapes consist of the following theme: You will be told to tense a muscle, for example to shrug up your shoulders. Then you will be told, "feel the tension...feel the spread of the tension...now let go of the tension in your shoulders, and accept what you get. Acceptance IS relaxation".
In other words, this is a program for the rare person who has given themselves a case of pelvic floor dysfunction due to unconscious voluntary muscle contraction in the pelvic floor. This kind of person is represented in the book "a Headache in the Pelvis", as the typical pelvic pain patient.
Bottom line folks: If you have learned to contract your pelvic muscles in response to stress, this method might work for you. So might purchasing any standard set of relaxation tapes and a trigger point book (some good ones are available on Amazon), maybe getting a little mental therapy and an RX for some Xanax.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF US HAVE ACTUAL PATHOLOGY. You CANNOT melt away scar tissue, or mobilize dysfunctional pelvic joints, or cure pathology of the lumbosacral nerve roots, etc. through relaxation tapes and self-massage of trigger points.
Correct me if I am wrong Charlie, or has your sharing the trigger point map and my sharing the content of the tapes pretty much summed up what you get?
It would be good for individuals considering this program to know what they can expect to get out of it.

[Charlie]

Correct me if I am wrong Charlie, or has your sharing the trigger point map and my sharing the content of the tapes pretty much summed up what you get?
It would be good for individuals considering this program to know what they can expect to get out of it.

Yes you have summed up it up perfectly HM. No doubt Wise's methods can help some people but the book gives the impression it can help everyone which clearly is not the case for the reasons you mention.

Also there has been an attempt to brand the method of relaxation you described on the tapes as something original by calling it Paradoxical Relaxation. As the Amazon description for the book Paradoxical Relaxation states

This book describes the method of Paradoxical Relaxation, a method initially used and studied by researchers at Stanford University in the Department of Urology for the treatment of male and female chronic pelvic pain syndromes.

I would argue that there is nothing original about this method of relaxation. It is progressive muscle relaxation invented by Edmund Jacobsen in the 1920s. You can buy plenty of cds or books teaching you how to do this online or even arrange to see a person who can teach you this one on one which is much better than doing it in a group setting like at the Wise clinic. This form of relaxation can help manage pain like all forms of relaxation can but in my experience it can not cure you of it. Here are some Cds on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss? ... on&x=0&y=0

David Wise does describe how his relaxation methods are based on Jacobsens work in his book A Headache in the Pelvis. However I would point out that even the name Paradoxical Relaxation is not original as Jacobsen himself sometimes referred to his own methods with this term. You can check this yourself if you want on Amazon. Follow these steps :

1.Sign into your amazon account.

2. Look up The Power of Rest : why sleep alone is not enough by Matthew Edlund
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Rest-Sleep- ... 201&sr=8-1

3. Click on search inside this book and type in Paradoxical into the search bar and go to page 99 which will come up. Right there at the top of that page you will see ''Jacobsen called his technique Paradoxical relaxation''

[ezer]

I did not get this invaluable trigger points map when I did the Stanford protocol in Sebastopol. That must be a new addition after years of research by those top Stanford scientists.
Seriously, if you buy the Amy Stein book "Heal Pelvic Pain" that is available on Amazon for $11.53, she tells you very accurately how to do the internal trigger points release. It won't cure you but it can help temporarily. It is not rocket science.

[nyt]

I read "Headache in the Pelvis" when I was thinking about going to the clinic. While reading the book I quickly realized that I could do what this book recommended by purchasing a set of relaxation tapes, doing self-massage using the "Trigger Point" book as a guide, and maybe a good PT to help with the pelvic floor. I do understand why the 5 day clinic would cost so much but I do think you can do this program yourself with a little bit of reading with minimal outlay. I liked Amy Stein's book much better. I didn't feel like it was self promoting like the "Headache in the Pelvis" book which sounded to me like the only way to do the program is to go to the clinic, that you really couldn't/can't do this by yourself. If you have scar tissue this program is not going to cure you.

[ezer]

I agree. The Amy Stein book is good. It is unpretentious and has a lot of information with no hidden agenda like enticing you to a clinic or trying very hard to appear associated to a prestigious university. It won't cure you of PNE though.
You can get the relaxation training anywhere. Even the Kaiser hospitals offer relaxation training for chronic pain by licensed psychologists.

In other words, this is a program for the rare person who has given themselves a case of pelvic floor dysfunction due to unconscious voluntary muscle contraction in the pelvic floor. This kind of person is represented in the book "a Headache in the Pelvis", as the typical pelvic pain patient.
Bottom line folks: If you have learned to contract your pelvic muscles in response to stress, this method might work for you. So might purchasing any standard set of relaxation tapes and a trigger point book (some good ones are available on Amazon), maybe getting a little mental therapy and an RX for some Xanax.

I completely agree HM. What you wrote is the most accurate summary of the Wise protocol I've read.

[Charlie]

Below is a picture taken of the room where the relaxation methods were taught at David Wise's A Headache in the Pelvis Clinic. This picture was taken by a patient.

At the time this picture was taken the clinic was described as ' the best clinic in the world for our condition ' by the administrator of chronic prostatitis.com

[ezer]

Is the guitar used by David Wise to entertain patients during the breaks?

[ezer]

The picture from Charlie dates from when the "intensive clinic" orchestrated by David Wise was still held at his house. Now the clinic is held at the Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa in Santa Rosa (offering complimentary Karaoke).

[Griff522]

I just wanted to add my .02 on the Amy Stein book. It was very helpful and I learned great deal from it. I just mailed it to my identical twin sister who is starting to have some pelvic pain problems. Hers are bladder and sciatic related. I really don't want her to suffer like I have!