What is endometriosis?

Image of pelvis representing medical trauma that can occur with a diagnosis of endometriosis. New York Women's CBT offers specialized therapy for women with endometriosis and pelvic pain via telehealth in New York City and all of New York State.

Endometriosis is “ a chronic inflammatory disease where tissue similar to but not the same as the endometrial tissue is found outside the uterus” according to endometriosis excision surgeon and expert Dr. Andrea Vidali in New York City. The physical pain including painful periods, painful sex, pelvic pain, fatigue and more can understandably increase feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression. At New York Women’s CBT, our therapists have lived experience with chronic illness and understand the impact of chronic illness on your day to day.

What is Third Wave CBT and how can it help me manage my endometriosis?

Third Wave CBT is an integrative approach that utilizes evidence based strategies from Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. At New York Women’s CBT, we are able to individualize each treatment plan for your individual needs and preferred style of therapy. Using a third wave approach, we can blend somatic, grounding interventions with dialectical thinking, thought reframing and radical acceptance.

Trauma Informed Cognitive Behavior Therapy Tools for Endometriosis in New York

At New York Women’s CBT, we use trauma informed language with cognitive behavior therapy. Instead of calling thoughts “irrational”, we recognize that many unhelpful thoughts our clients have are rooted in medically traumatic experiences. We help our clients recognize unhelpful thought patterns such as catastrophizing, all or nothing thinking and minimizing the positive, and create more helpful thought patterns.

What are some interventions you may use in session from Cognitive Behavior Therapy for women with endometriosis?

Identify cognitive distortions
Identify stuck points
Find evidence that challenges unhelpful thoughts
Create healthy reframes that are more flexible and honor your emotional experience
Notice patterns of thoughts that may be rooted in medical trauma

Dialectical Behavior Therapy Tools for Endometriosis in New York

Dialectical thinking is a helpful tool in increasing flexible, healthy thoughts. Dialectical thinking accepts that two opposing thoughts can both co-exist at the same time. Dialectical Behavior Therapy emphasizes the wise mind, or the middle path, exists when we sit with both our emotional mind and rational mind. We can acknowledge both the anxiety of living with chronic illness and the committed actions you are taking to achieve stability living with endometriosis.

What are some interventions you may use in session from Dialectical Behavior Therapy for women with endometriosis?

Practice using your wise mind which is both the emotional and rational minds
Identify distress tolerance techniques that can help you in both emotional and physical pain
Create a distress tolerance menu for home, work or other environments
Embrace radical acceptance of your present moment and health journey
Practice distress tolerance phrases to help you cope in difficult moments

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Tools for Endometriosis in New York

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy incorporates mindfulness exercises and somatic, grounding tools to help regulate your nervous system. Medical trauma is a complex, ongoing trauma that your impacts your mind and body. At New York Women’s CBT, we provide psychoeducation of how medical trauma impacts the nervous system and realistic tools to help regulate and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) also emphasizes the power of radical acceptance of your health and the committed actions you take in areas of life where you do have control. Acceptance does not mean giving up-it means living by your values, taking actions where you can and being radically open to your reality.

What are some interventions you may use in session from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for women with endometriosis?

Identify your values
Complete the Living in the Bullseye exercise to identify where you can take committed actions
Identify what is in your circle of control
Yogic breathing exercises
Bilateral stimulation and tapping exercises

Reach out today to begin therapy for women with endometriosis in New York.

Image of taxi cab going over the Brooklyn Bridge with One World Trade in the background. Represents New York Women's CBT offering specialized therapy for women with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain in New York City.

New York Women’s CBT is a niched private practice with expert clinicians for women with chronic illness, including endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain. We offer limited in person sessions in our New York City office in Flatiron and have immediate availability for telehealth sessions both in New York City and throughout New York state. We find our clients enjoy being able to come to session in the comfort of their own home and save their energy for in person appointments such as pelvic physical therapy and acupuncture.

Online therapy for women with endometriosis is available in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Westchester, Hudson Valley and Long Island.

Image of Brooklyn brownstones. Representing therapy available throughout New York State and New York City for women with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain. New York Women's CBT can help women with endometriosis in Long Island and Westchester.

New York Women’s CBT offers free phone consultations with our founder, Kelsey Bates, to share a bit more about our approach and answer any questions you may have. We have immediate availability for telehealth sessions and are so passionate about working with women with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain. You don’t have to walk this journey alone-stability with chronic illness is possible with a team of experts behind you.

Therapy for Women with Endometriosis in New York: How Third Wave CBT Can Help