Calming the Nervous System Through Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy

Dr. Sasha Speer, PT, DPT
Oct 9
2 min read

At Auria Pelvic Health, we often talk about something called neurological up-regulation—but what does that really mean, and why should you care?

Let’s break it down.

Your Nervous System: The Body’s Control Center

Your nervous system is constantly working behind the scenes, scanning for signs of safety or danger. When it senses stress—whether from physical pain, emotional trauma, or chronic tension—it can switch into a “high alert” mode.

This is known as up-regulation.

When your nervous system is up-regulated, you might feel:

Increased muscle tension (especially in places like the pelvic floor, jaw, or shoulders)
Flare-ups of pain or touch sensitivity
Changes in digestion or frequent urges to urinate
Trouble sleeping, relaxing, or feeling calm

Sound familiar? You’re not alone—and your pelvic floor may be playing a bigger role than you realize.

Why the Pelvic Floor is Involved

Your pelvic floor is deeply connected to your nervous system. It’s part of your body’s “fight, flight, freeze” response.

Chronic tension here can keep your nervous system in a loop of protection—making it harder to shift into a calm, healing state.

How Pelvic Floor PT Can Help Regulate Your Nervous System

At Auria, we don’t just treat muscles—we work with your entire nervous system to help your body feel safe, supported, and ready to heal.

Here’s how:

1. Gentle, Supportive Touch for Down-Regulation

Through light, reassuring touch—both external and internal when appropriate—we provide the nervous system with repeated signals of safety. This helps your body shift from “high alert” to a calmer, more balanced state.

2. Desensitization Techniques

If your pelvic area or surrounding tissues have become hypersensitive, we use gradual, graded exposure and gentle mobilization to retrain how your brain interprets sensation. This process lowers the “volume” on pain signals and helps you feel more comfortable with normal movement and touch.

3. Breath & Diaphragm Training

Strategies like diaphragmatic breathing and 4-7-8 breathing stimulate your parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) system, lowering stress and helping muscles release unnecessary tension.

4. Pain Neuroscience Education

We explain how pain and tension interact with the nervous system so you can understand and trust your body’s signals, which in itself helps turn down protective overactivity.

5. Movement & Body Awareness

Mindful stretching, pelvic floor relaxation exercises, and posture training improve blood flow, reduce tension, and re-establish normal muscle patterns.

6. Tools You Can Use at Home

We give you simple daily practices—breathing drills, mindfulness cues, and gentle release techniques—to help keep your nervous system regulated outside the clinic.

The Results You May Notice

As your nervous system learns to down-regulate, you may start to experience: