Why Fun, Play, and Joy Are Essential for Healing (with Lauren Garchow, LCSW)
Heal Your Chronic Pelvic PainShow Notes
If you’ve been approaching your healing like something to figure out, fix, or do perfectly… this episode is for you. In this conversation with psychotherapist and mind-body coach Lauren Garchow, we’re talking about something that doesn’t get nearly enough attention in the healing space: that fun, play, joy, and lightness are POWERFUL healing modalities. We explore why so many of us struggle to access these states (especially if you’re driven, analytical, or used to pushing through), how pressure builds in the body and contributes to symptoms, and why expanding your life is actually part of how you heal, not something you wait to experience once you’re symptom-free. This is a grounded, practical conversation that will likely shift how you think about “doing the work.”
Together, We Cover: How play, joy, and lightness help regulate your nervous system
Why fun can feel unsafe or inaccessible (and what to do about it)
The difference between top-down vs bottom-up healing
How to start accessing joy when it feels completely out of reach
Why trying harder can actually make symptoms worse
The role of self-compassion and acceptance in healing
How community and co-regulation support your nervous system
What it looks like to expand your life while you heal
You don’t have to wait until you’re symptom-free to start living your life. Even small moments of joy, presence, or lightness are doing something meaningful in your nervous system. This work isn’t about forcing yourself to feel good.It’s about slowly expanding your capacity to experience more of the good.
If fun feels far away right now, start small: Listen to a song you love and notice how it feels in your body
Watch something that makes you laugh (this counts)
Spend time with someone who feels easy to be around
Step outside and let your mind take a break
Notice even one second of something enjoyable
Every little bit counts.
About Lauren: Lauren Garchow, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, mind-body coach, and speaker based in Los Angeles, CA. Her own chronic pain healing journey revealed the mind’s powerful ability to change and adapt, igniting a deep passion to support others in their mind-body healing. As the owner of Lauren G therapy, she focuses on helping women feel at home in their bodies and has guided numerous clients through diverse chronic symptom challenges, including pelvic pain. Her work connects physical symptoms with the broader context of a person’s life, including their experiences, relationships, and identity—empowering clients to explore their minds and bodies with curiosity and compassion. Lauren deeply values balance in her life. In order for her to show up whole-heartily in this work, she prioritizes having a full life outside of it. A key part of her healing journey was learning to have more FUN and lighten up on herself. She brings this perspective into her work, encouraging clients to cultivate play, creativity, and connection as part of their healing process. Website: www.laurengtherapy.com
Instagram: @laurengarchow
LinkedIn: Lauren Garchow
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Even though no one can do the healing work for you, that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.