Dilators are very helpful with certain parts of vaginismus treatment.
When used properly, vaginal dilators are very helpful with certain parts of vaginismus treatment. Vaginal Dilators can be very effective tools in helping to eliminate the PC muscle reflex, the underlying cause of vaginismus tightness, burning, and penetration difficulties. Dilators help enable women to have precise control over the size, speed, and angle of insertions and provide a substitute means to trigger the PC reflex in a sex-like context. Together with appropriate exercises, as women consciously and consistently squeeze and relax the PC muscles with dilator insertions, they learn how to override the involuntary muscle contractions that had previously caused tightness or closed the entrance to the vagina to sex. The process helps create new ‘muscle memories’. Through the proper use of dilators, women can more easily develop control over involuntary tightness and simultaneously desensitize their vaginal muscles, body and mind to the sensation of having something in their vagina. This is all done as transition preparation for inserting the “real thing” (i.e. the man’s penis) without pain or tightness. Together with appropriate exercises, they help women retrain their bodies to respond correctly to penetration and to transition to fully pain-free intercourse.
Note that there is more to treating vaginismus then simply inserting dilators. Contrary to popular believe, the focus of dilator use in treating vaginismus is not to ’stretch’ the vaginal tissues or vaginal opening, but rather to assist women to gain control of their pelvic floor. Women with penetration difficulties related to their vaginismus often mistakenly assume that dilators are used to stretch their vaginal opening so that it will be larger, when, in fact, their penetration problems relate to problems with involuntary tightness of the pelvic floor.
excerpted from: http://www.vaginismus.com
