Endometriosis, Medical Gaslighting & Trauma-Informed Mental Health with Therapist Marissa Chabai | EP02

Medical gaslighting reshapes the mind as much as the body… and this episode explores how endometriosis can slowly strip a woman’s voice, confidence, and sense of safety long before she ever receives a diagnosis.

Callie Greenberg is joined by clinical therapist and former OR nurse Marissa Chabai for a look at what repeated dismissal does to a person’s intuition and mental health. How does someone start to doubt their own reality? What happens to the nervous system when every appointment feels like a battle? Marissa explains why chronic survival mode becomes so common for women with endo and how it fuels anxiety, depression, and isolation.

They also talk about the moments that feel hardest to say out loud: freezing in medical settings, withdrawing socially, and trying to advocate for yourself in workplaces that often have little understanding of pelvic pain. Marissa offers support as well as strategies that help rebuild a sense of safety in the body, from simple nervous system resets to preparing for appointments with more clarity and confidence.

This episode is an invitation to reflect on your own experience with pain and disbelief and to consider what it might feel like to be truly supported. It reinforces a message so many women rarely hear: your symptoms are real, your story matters, and you deserve care that meets you with respect rather than doubt.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Welcome to Endo Warriors

01:24 Marissa’s Journey from Nurse to Therapist

03:44 The Mental Toll of Medical Gaslighting

09:04 How Chronic Stress Impacts the Nervous System

15:43 Isolation and Emotional Fallout of Endometriosis

23:11 Advocating for Yourself in the Workplace

25:04 Simple Nervous System Regulation Tools

Connect with Callie Greenberg:

Visit the Own My Endo website

Follow Endo Warriors on Instagram

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm