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Sex Without Pain: A Self-Treatment Guide To The Sex Life You Deserve was written by Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, a physical therapist with countless successes in treating pain of this type. Women with vaginismus, overactive pelvic floor, painful intercourse, vulvodynia, vulvar vestibulitis, vestibulodynia, dyspareunia, interstitial cystitis have all benefited from her unique program. Heather uses her orthopaedic background to approach treatment of these muscles like they are....muscles! She utilizes a self-treatment tool called a dilator to provide massage and other muscle relaxation and stretching techniques in a gentle fashion to return a women's muscles back to a resting, rather than guarded, state.

Sex Without Pain: A Self-Treatment Guide To The Sex Life You Deserve

What Others are Saying About "Sex Without Pain ":

I have seen Heather's treatment program work time and time again with my patients. Her unique approach to treating women with painful intercourse through a combination of hands on skills, patient education and the thorough home program outlined in this book has surpassed the results of her peers. Her techniques and expertise have been an invaluable resource to my practice."

- Kerri Parks, MD (Associate Professor Ob/Gyn USC Keck School of Medicine)


I will use it frequently for clients who cannot afford pelvic floor PT or for those who cannot find pelvic floor PT any where near them! I have so needed this resource. The clarity of each step and the drawings are so helpful - I don't know of any other resource that will be as effective for self-help."

- Joyce Penner, RN, MN (Sexual Therapist, Educator and Co-author of The Gift of Sex, Restoring the Pleasure and numerous other publications)


Sex Without Pain is an essential book for any woman suffering with pelvic or sexual pain. Heather's approach is simple and clear. She empowers the woman and her partner with the resources needed to lead a healthy and pain free sex life. A great read for patients and professionals alike."

- Jennifer Briggs, DPT (Women's Health Physical Therapist, Pennsylvania)


• To order "Sex Without Pain" in paperback from Amazon for $24.99, click here.

• To order an electronic read-only non-printable PDF copy of the book for instant download at $19.99, use the button below:

• To schedule an appointment at one of the Femina PT offices, click here.

• For a list of other trusted health care providers, click here.

Mary P. Shriver, CMT

Pre- and Post Surgical, Somatic Stress, Trauma and Massage Therapist

Mary P. Shriver (she/her/hers) is an integral part of the Fusion/Femina team. Her work as a Trauma-Informed, Somatic Stress Therapist (Shake Off Stress) is an invaluable part of the healing journey for many of our patients.

Besides being a Certified Massage Therapist, Mary is a The Resilience Toolkit Certification Trainer, Certified Provider of Tension/Trauma Release Exercises (TRE®), Certified Compassion Fatigue Educator, and holds a B.S. in Psychology from Denison University. She is also trained in the Trauma Resilience Model and Community Resilience Model through the Trauma Resource Institute, Motivational Interviewing for Behavior Change (MINT), Level 1 Resistance Flexibility with Bob Cooley, Pelvic Floor Piston Science from Julie Wiebe, and is a member of the International Pelvic Floor Society.

Mary is also trained in the SSP/Safe and Sound Protocol (acoustic ventral vagal tone stimulation) and Brainspotting.

A native New Yorker, Mary began her career in the public relations and marketing field. She worked in both the Las Vegas and Los Angeles markets, including a decade-long stint as a corporate spokesmodel for companies such as Black and Decker, LG and Oracle, before burnout helped her discover her calling as a healer.

Mary’s unique hybrid approach to healing blends massage with assorted tools from The Resilience Toolkit from Lumos Transforms, with emphasis on a lesser known modalities called therapeutic tremoring and myofascial unwinding. This combination of hands-on massage, advanced therapeutic tremor interventions, along with other evidence-based mindfulness and movement techniques helps build body-mind awareness and produces deep relaxation, reducing symptoms of chronic anxiety and pain.

Mary specializes in helping clients who struggle with chronic pain, pelvic floor dysfunction, and musculoskeletal blocks. She offers new solutions to both men and women suffering from a multitude of “above and below the belt” health issues and emotional symptoms.

Mary’s spirit and personality reflect the deep connection and spark she feels towards her work. Her enthusiasm for the work can best be summed up in her own words:

This transformational work provides me with the purpose-filled life I’ve pined for since college. It’s the most important thing I’ve ever done, and is the last career I see myself having. This is it for me. I am finally home.”

Mary has worked with physicians, nurses, and mental health clinicians at hospitals and agencies across the LA area. As a clinical intern, Mary spent six months facilitating TRE® to people experiencing homelessness and addiction at Homeless Health Care Los Angeles. As a volunteer, Mary has worked with burn survivors through the Phoenix Society and served on an international humanitarian response team supporting Typhoon Yolanda survivors, first responders, and clinicians in the Philippines.

Mary is the Immediate Past Executive Director of the TRE® For All nonprofit, providing support to TRE® Providers and organizations in more than 35 countries internationally and serves as senior staff at Lumos Transforms.

Massage techniques avaialable:

  • MyoFascial Release (MFR)
  • Therapeutic Tremoring (TRE)
  • Myofascial Unwinding (MU)
  • Pre/Postnatal and Pregnancy
  • Soft Tissue Mobilization (STM) such as
    • Swedish
    • Deep Tissue
    • Sports
    • Skin Rolling
    • Lymphatic Drainage
    • Scraping
    • Currently training in Cranial-Sacral

Mary is also trained in the SSP/Safe and Sound Protocol (acoustic ventral vagal tone stimulation) Brainspotting, the Trauma Resilience Model and Community Resilience Model through the Trauma Resource Institute, Motivational Interviewing for Behavior Change (MINT), and Level 1 Resistance Flexibility with Bob Cooley.

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What Our Patients Have to Say

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Testimonial by R.S.

I wanted to thank you so much for helping me get through something I thought I may never be able to. We have achieved pain-free intercourse and this has really solidified our marriage. We are so grateful to you for all the work you do! Thank you!!

-- R.S.

Testimonial by T.C.

While pregnant with my twins, Heather took care with keeping me on my feet and pain free. She saved my back, my sanity and the holidays! I would recommend her to every “mom” looking to stay on her feet during pregnancy and post-partum.

-- T.C.

Testimonial by Fritzette H.

I went to Heather after the birth of my third child. It was lucky, really, that I was referred to her, because my doctor had referred me to a surgeon for a possible hysterectomy or pelvic wall rebuild. Thankfully, I went to Heather before undergoing either surgery, she was able to fix the problem. She has studied extensively in women's health--even written a book about it--and was able to diagnose my problem, suggest a course of treatment (6 weeks), and then follow through with said treatment. By the end, as she said, I was as good as gold. Boy, was it worth it! Though uncomfortable to talk about, much less write about, it is worth getting the word out there. If you have painful intercourse, especially after birth or other trauma, the treatment may be as simple as Physical Therapy (with Heather, of course). I highly recommend her.

-- Fritzette H., 3/24/16 via Yelp!

Testimonial by Ann V.

I wish i could give this place 10 stars!! 
I have been suffering from vaginismus for 5 years and never found the cure to it. I had seen an ob/gyn and he diagnosed me with vaginismus and told me i needed a surgery to cure my condition, which i refused to do. He also referred me to a PT that he works with, i had given them multiple calls and they never responded back to me, so i started searching yelp for another PT. I am SO HAPPY I found Heather's office! I was working with Laureen, and with her guidance and techniques i was able to be cured from vaginismus in only 2 1/2 short months!!! I couldn't believe how quickly their program worked for me! I am forever grateful and thankful from Heather, and Laureen! They are the absolute best at what they do!

Read more: Testimonial by Ann V.

Testimonial by J.H.

My last appointment with Heather was over 6 years ago but I still think of her every day. I don’t take for granted that I can easily get out of bed, care for my two active and busy young boys, run, play tennis, clean my house, or sit at a desk for several hours at a time. None of these tasks were easy for me before meeting Heather. Eight years ago my car was struck from behind by a tractor trailer that was estimated to have been speeding. I spent 3 years working with different PTs and Drs trying to heal and move on with my life. When I became pregnant and the hormone relaxin that “relaxes” all the joints of the body and the additional weight gain erased all my progress and I was suddenly in a lot of pain again. My OB sent me to Heather for one last try.

Read more: Testimonial by J.H.

Testimonial by M.M.

My husband and I were married for 5 years and unable to have intercourse, but I never knew why. After numerous awful experiences at doctor’s offices (where many doctors told me I “just needed to relax”), a surgery that didn’t fix the problem, and a year of owning dilators that didn’t get me anywhere, someone finally referred me to Heather for Physical Therapy. I finally had answers and information from someone who knew exactly what I was dealing with!

Read more: Testimonial by M.M.

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