Rooted in Joy: Healing Through Play and Pleasure
Healing in the Heat of Summer
As we step into the warmth of July, summer invites us into a season of expansion and joy. Longer days, vibrant colors, sun-soaked adventures, and a slower pace all create the perfect conditions for something we often overlook in our healing journeys: pleasure and play.
It’s easy to dismiss enjoyment and leisure as “nice-to-haves”—something to get to once we’ve finished the serious work of healing. But what if we told you that joy is not the opposite of healing, but a central part of it?
Many of us carry inner wounds from childhood—experiences where our need for joy, spontaneity, freedom, and emotional safety weren’t fully met. Inner child healing isn’t just about revisiting the past; it’s about offering our younger selves the nourishment they needed then, in the present moment. And one of the most potent ways we can do that is through play and pleasure.
Summer, with its built-in invitations for play—whether that’s swimming, dancing barefoot, making art, taking spontaneous road trips, or simply lying in the grass and cloud-gazing—gives us opportunities to reconnect with the essence of our inner child. Each time we say yes to joy, we create a reparative experience. We tell our inner child: You matter. Your joy matters. You’re safe to feel delight.
And this process works both ways. When we engage in the deep work of inner child healing—whether through therapy, journaling, somatic therapy, or conscious reflection—we often find our capacity for joy naturally expanding. We feel safer in our bodies. We give ourselves permission to savor life more fully.
So this July, consider this an invitation:
Seek pleasure.
Embrace leisure.
Prioritize play.
Not because you’ve earned it, but because it’s a vital part of your wholeness. Healing doesn’t only happen in stillness and shadow—it also happens in sunlight and laughter.
A Mid-Year Reset – Re-aligning with Intention and Inner Wisdom
It’s hard to believe, but we are now more than halfway through 2025. This moment—just past the solstice, just before the late-summer wind-down—is the perfect time for a mid-year reset.
For some people, January is a time when goals and resolutions are set with the best of intentions, but by July, life has happened. Maybe we’ve been wounded, perhaps we’ve grown…things have shifted as that is the nature of life – constant change. Our needs, priorities, and energy may look very different than they did at the start of the year.
This is a good time to pause, tune in, and ask yourself:
How do I feel in my body and heart about the intentions I set in January?
Are those intentions still aligned with who I am now?
What’s asking to be acknowledged, released or reimagined?
Is there a new vision emerging for the second half of the year?
Rather than forcing yourself to keep up with goals that no longer resonate, consider this a chance to reset based on who you are today. You might even notice that your body has been giving you cues—through fatigue, resistance, or excitement—about what’s truly aligned.
This doesn’t have to be an elaborate process. Sometimes all it takes is a quiet afternoon, a journal, and your willingness to listen inward. We invite you to allow your intuition to guide you, and do your best to trust that your inner compass knows the way forward. Remember, mid-course corrections are not failures, but signs of maturity and growth.
Let this July be a sacred threshold. A chance to re-center, re-align, and move into the rest of the year with clarity, gentleness, and a renewed connection to yourself and what matters most.
Therapist Highlight: Jessica Genari
Meet the intuitive and encouraging Jessica Gennari!
Jessica is a Licensed Professional Counselor based in Colorado who is BCLAD (Bilingual, Cross-cultural, Language and Academic Development) certified.
Throughout her career in counseling Jessica has worked with people facing substance use issues, co-occurring disorders, PTSD, trauma and stress, attachment, anxiety, and depression.
Jessica's approach is person-centered, empowering, creative and curious. She is passionate about supporting people in unveiling their own inner strengths, awareness and ability to optimize their well-being. Jessica is also devoted to providing tangible researched strategies in sessions.
Jessica uses and integrates a variety of therapy modalities including...
EMDR
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)
SFBT (Solution Focused Brief Therapy)
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
Mind-Body Practices
Guided Drawing
Jessica specializes in…
Helping you uncover emotional patterns and the roots of those patterns
Supporting you in interpersonal relationship building
Stress and trauma
Attachment wounding and repair
Providing BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ affirming counseling
Jessica as a person↓
Personality: Creative, intuitive, open, loving and empowering
Activities: All things art, as well as, nature, hiking, running, biking and spending time with friends
Travels: Jessica has lived in Italy and traveled to South America and Spain--she loves learning from other cultures and growing herself!
We offer FREE 30-45 minute consultations. If Jessica, or any of our other amazing therapists catch your eye, let us know -- we will get you connected ASAP!
With warmth, joy, and compassion,
♡ The Brave Embodiment Counseling Team
P.S. If you’d like support with your mid-year reset or inner child work this season, feel free to reach out for a FREE consultation. Summer is a beautiful time to deepen into your healing journey.
Clickhere to get in touch!