Pain, Trauma & Recovery with Karl Monahan — The Podcast

Is the juice worth the squeeze?

This episode is based on patient wisdom — the real-life insights my patients share in clinic that can genuinely shift recovery.

If you’re living with male pelvic pain, it’s incredibly common to start avoiding activities: sitting, cycling, exercise, socialising, intimacy… and slowly, life shrinks. In this podcast, we explore how to run a simple cost–benefit analysis (in a way that actually makes s...

In this episode of my Friday Takeaway series, we look beyond the pelvic floor again… this time diving even deeper into dopamine and its role in this complex condition.

I’m Karl Monahan, founder of Pelvic Pain Matters, clinical director of The Pelvic Pain Clinic… and someone who has lived through chronic pelvic pain myself. I get how consuming and frightening these patterns can become. In male pelvic pain, it’s not just what’s happe...

We often think dopamine is the “feel-good” chemical — but there’s a darker side that plays a powerful role in male pelvic pain.

In this episode of my Friday Takeaway series, we look beyond the pelvic floor again… this time diving into how anticipation, fear, scanning, and craving for relief can reinforce pain cycles and keep your system stuck in protection mode.

I’m Karl Monahan, founder of Pelvic Pain Matters, clinical director of...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan continues to take a look at factors beyond the pelvic floor in this complex condition. Continuing his series of looking at the brain as an integrated system Karl explores dopamine and its role in pleasure, and pain! he looks at unhelpful behaviours and our relationship with them in the onset to symptoms and their continuation.

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These hints and tips are to help steer your recovery in pel...

In this episode, the co-founder of Pelvic Pain Matters, Karl Monahan, introduces us to "Anxious Alistair" - a character representing the anxious inner voice that can amplify pelvic pain symptoms. Monahan shares insights on how to recognise Anxious Alistair, understand his role, and manage his influence through mindfulness and facing fears. This episode provides practical tips for acknowledging and lessening the grip of anxiety duri...

The 90-Second Emotion Rule: Mastering Your Mood for Pelvic Pain Relief | Pelvic Pain Natters Ep. 52

Episode Overview In this Friday Takeaway episode of the Pelvic Pain Natters podcast, host Karl Monahan delves deeper into the role of the mind in pelvic pain conditions. Focusing on Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's groundbreaking work on the "90-second rule" of emotions and mood states, this episode offers crucial insights into emotional proc...

The Brain as a Google Search Result: Understanding Mind-Pain Connections | Pelvic Pain Natters Episode. 51

Episode Overview In this Friday Takeaway episode of the Pelvic Pain Natters podcast, host KarL Monahan explores the intricate relationship between the mind and pelvic pain conditions. Drawing on cognitive science concepts, Monahan introduces the idea of the brain functioning like a Google search result, prioritising potential ...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan celebrates our 50th podcast episode! We made it. We got this far. Thank you for your support. We want to continue doing these.

Can you help us reach a wider audience @pelvicpainmatters

These hints and tips are to help steer your recovery in pelvic pain. They are insights to help you understand what you are experiencing and why.

This exciting new podcast is dedicated solely to male pelvic pain cond...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan continues to dive a little deeper into flare ups. Karl reflects on the comparison between flare ups and burn out. He looks at the presentation of burn out. He looks at the causes of burn out and why the comparison may help unpack the causes of a flare up.

These hints and tips are to help steer your recovery in pelvic pain. They are insights to help you understand what you are experiencing and why....

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan touches on the hidden illness that is male pelvic pain conditions like Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome. He explores the difficulty of being seen and heard, by the world, health professionals and others.

These hints and tips are to help steer your recovery in pelvic pain. They are insights to help you understand what your re experiencing and why.

Here is the link to the Sunflower Lanya...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan continues to dive a little deeper into flare ups. Karl looks at why flare ups don't pass straight away. He unpacks the "express elevator" approach to overcoming flare ups. He touches on the role of catastrophisation and its contributions to flare ups.

These hints and tips are to help steer your recovery in pelvic pain. They are insights to help you understand what your re experiencing and why.

Her...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan dives a little deeper into flare ups. Karl looks at our reaction to flare ups. What he see's in clinic and how best to navigate these difficult times.

These hints and tips are to help steer your recovery in pelvic pain. They are insights to help you understand what your re experiencing and why.

Here is the link to the flare up guide. Scroll down the page to the bottom - https://www.pelvicpainmatte...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan dives a little deeper into flare ups. Karl looks at our reaction to flare ups. What he see's in clinic and how best to navigate these difficult times.

These hints and tips are to help steer your recovery in pelvic pain. They are insights to help you understand what your re experiencing and why.

Here is the link to the flare up guide. Scroll down the page to the bottom - https://www.pelvicpainmatte...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan dives a little deeper into flare ups. What they are and what features we are likely to see in them. He offers a really important reflection that can help you see flare ups in a different light. We explores flare up cessation and why this is very important to bear in mind!

Here is the link to the flare up guide. Scroll down the page to the bottom - https://www.pelvicpainmatters.com/free-guides

Thi...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan continues his exploration of pelvic pain beyond the pelvic floor and beyond pelvic floor dysfunction. In this episode he examines type IV prostatitis, a relatively unknown case of prostatitis that is one of the more common types. Why does no one know about it, because it is asymptomatic! Yep, inflammation of the prostate that elicits NO symptoms. Why is this important and what does this tell us ab...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan reflects on pelvic floor dysfunction and urination. He looks at why we need to explore beyond the pelvic floor alone when considering urinary symptoms. Karl explores posture, anticipation, pain and habits formed around standing, clenching and bracing. He gives assessment guidelines for the patient and the clinician to help unpack urinary symptoms associated with "pelvic floor dysfunction." And he ...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan reflects on pelvic floor dysfunction. He explores the treatment of trigger points. Why this can be helpful if applied correctly in the treatment of male pelvic pain conditions. What to be wary of when you have been told that trigger points cause your pelvic floor dysfunction.

Here is the very detailed article on TP therapy - https://www.painscience.com/tutorials/trigger-points.php

This exciting n...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan continues his exploration of pelvic pain beyond the pelvic floor and beyond pelvic floor dysfunction. In this episode he examines sexual dysfunction. He reflects on some research around sexual dysfunction in CPPS/CP. He explores his own journey with sexual dysfunction and opens up on what else might be happening with patients with erectile dysfunction and low libido.

This exciting new podcast is d...

In this bonus podcast Karl Monahan reflects on a book called Unstressable by Mo Gawdat. He talks about the principles of load and the onset of symptoms. He gives some examples of load in his life recently and applies the 3 L's from Mo's book.

Link to the next support group - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pelvic....

This exciting new podcast is dedicated solely to male pelvic pain conditions - Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome and Chro...