Understanding Pleasure As Medicine & Integrating It

Understanding Pleasure as Medicine & Integrating It is a grounded introduction to the role of pleasure in healing, presence, and self-connection. In a culture that glorifies hustle and numbs suffering, we forget that joy, rest, and sensuality aren’t indulgent—they’re essential. This talk explores how pleasure supports nervous system regulation, emotional resilience, and the slow reawakening of the self. Whether you’re new to embodiment or just beginning to question your relationship with desire, this is a space to learn, reflect, and begin again.

Transcript

Hello and welcome!

Today we're exploring a topic that is at once ancient,

Radical,

And deeply human.

Pleasure as Medicine.

This talk is an invitation to challenge some of the most deeply embedded narratives that you may carry.

Not just about healing,

But what makes a life worth living.

We'll look at this from a variety of lenses.

The biological,

The somatic,

The sexual,

And of course the spiritual.

We'll also name the systems that have systematically disconnected us from pleasure,

Such as capitalism,

The patriarchy,

Colonialism,

White supremacy,

And purity culture.

And we'll talk about what it means to reclaim pleasure,

Not just as self-care,

But as survival,

As activism,

And as remembrance.

This is a content-rich exploration and you might want to return to it more than just once.

So I invite you to listen not just with your mind,

But also with your body and notice what sensations arise.

So let's begin together.

So to understand how pleasure can be medicine,

We first need to explore what we mean by medicine itself.

So in the western medical model,

Medicine typically refers to pharmaceutical interventions,

Which is something external that we take to fix or suppress symptoms.

Medicine is seen as curative,

As reactive,

As a response to illness.

But in many indigenous,

Ancestral,

And holistic traditions,

Medicine is something much broader.

Medicine is something that restores harmony,

Revives vitality,

And reconnects us to our life.

It might be a plant,

Or a song,

Or ritual,

Or memory,

A dance,

A truth,

A relationship,

Maybe even a return to the breath.

Medicine is not always a cure,

Remember that.

It's often a companion,

So it doesn't erase the wound,

It only holds it,

Honors it,

And makes space for healing to unfold.

So when we say pleasure is medicine,

We are not saying that pleasure fixes everything.

We are saying it tends to what is broken,

Awakens what has gone numb,

And recleans what was once taken.

With that in mind,

Let's shift into how this plays out in the body,

On a biological level.

So from a biological standpoint,

Pleasure is not a frivolous or optional experience.

It's a physiological necessity.

Pleasure activates the brain's reward circuitry,

Which is dopamine,

Serotonin,

Oxytocin,

And endorphins.

These neurochemicals are responsible for the motivation,

The bonding,

Mood regulation,

And even some pain relief.

When we engage in pleasurable experiences,

Especially ones that involve sensory engagement,

Like touch,

Warmth,

Taste,

Sound,

Movement,

We're actually sending signals to the nervous system that say it is safe to be here.

This is so crucial for people living with trauma,

Anxiety,

And even chronic stress,

Because in these states,

The body often gets stuck in hypervigilance or shutdown.

Pleasure,

Especially in small and consistent doses,

Regulates the nervous system.

It activates the parasympathetic branch,

The rest and digest system.

It also lowers cortisol and supports immune function,

And it increases the heart rate variability,

Which is a key marker for resilience.

So yes,

We know pleasure feels good,

But we're not just talking about pleasure that just feels good.

We're talking about how pleasure helps the body remember safety.

Now that we've explored how this functions biologically,

Let's zoom into the lived experience of pleasure in the body,

And how it can support emotional and somatic healing.

Many of us have learned to disrupt or suppress bodily pleasure,

And this often begins early in our lives,

Being told not to touch ourselves,

Not to laugh too loud,

Not to enjoy food too much,

Not to take up too much space.

And over time,

We become disembodied.

We live from the neck up,

And we numb out.

We overwork,

Overeat,

Overthink,

And dissociate.

Somatically,

Pleasure brings us back into relationship with the body.

It anchors us in the present moment,

And it activates the internal sense of what's happening inside of us.

This helps us make choices from sensation,

Not just thought.

So psychologically,

Pleasure enhances emotional resilience because it improves the affect regulation.

It also builds the capacity to tolerate discomfort because it offers reprieve.

Pleasure can be both a regulator and a resourcer.

It's the counterbalance to pain,

Anxiety,

Depression,

Of course,

Burnout.

Perhaps most importantly though,

It reminds us that we are more than our suffering.

But if pleasure is so deeply healing,

We have to ask,

Why do so many of us struggle to access it?

And to answer that,

We need to name the systems that have taught us repeatedly to disconnect.

So let's just name the things that we're up against because the disconnection from pleasure isn't just personal,

It's political,

And it's systemic,

And it's cultural.

So first and foremost,

We've all been impacted by capitalism because it tells us that pleasure is unproductive.

It reduces our worth to what we can produce,

Consume,

Or perform.

It pathologizes rest and reverence.

Next,

We have this purity culture and colonial religion that equate pleasure with sin,

Especially sexual pleasure,

Because desire becomes something to suppress,

Confess,

Or control in these systems.

Now the third is the patriarchy,

Since it teaches us that some people are entitled to pleasure,

While others must earn it or serve it.

It shames bodily autonomy,

Erotic power,

And emotional expression.

Next,

We have white supremacy,

Which punishes joy,

Especially in racialized communities.

It polices how we move,

How we laugh,

How we dance,

How we talk,

How we love,

And how we express sensuality.

It disconnects people from ancestral healing practices rooted in embodiment.

And last but not least,

We have the medical system,

Because it often ignores pleasure altogether.

They reduce people to their symptoms,

And they often overlook the importance of sensory regulation,

Sexual agency,

And relational aliveness.

Now these systems,

They teach us to fear pleasure,

To see it as dangerous,

Indulgent,

Selfish,

Or even untrustworthy.

And they do this because pleasure is powerful,

Because a body that knows how to feel is harder to control.

Now that we've named the systems that try to suppress it,

Let's turn toward the places where pleasure still lives,

In sexuality,

In spirituality,

And in the sacred.

Sexual pleasure is perhaps the most policed and potent form of embodied medicine.

Healthy,

Consensual,

Attuned sexual pleasure rewires trauma.

It activates the vagus nerve,

And it reclaims agency.

And also,

It challenges shame.

It connects us to our root,

Our pelvis,

Our voice,

Our yes,

And our no.

Sexual pleasure is not just physical,

It's energetic,

It's emotional,

It's relational.

And when approached with care,

It can become ritual.

Spiritual pleasure,

Too,

Is medicine.

So I want you to think of feeling of the awe when you're in nature,

The ecstasy of music,

And the stillness of prayer,

The intimacy of presence.

These experiences dissolve the illusion of separation,

Because they connect us to something much larger than ourselves.

They remind us that we are not alone,

And not broken,

And not wrong for wanting to feel good.

So how do we begin to bring this truth into our daily lives?

Let's now move into practical ways of restoring access to pleasure.

Pleasure doesn't always require perfection,

Okay?

You don't need to feel ready,

And you don't need to earn it.

Remember,

That is the effect of capitalism.

But,

You can start small.

So,

Here are some recommendations I have.

One,

Let's tune into the pleasant sensation once a day.

Just let yourself linger there.

Two,

I want you to reclaim a ritual that brings beauty,

Whether it be sipping your tea,

Having a scent,

Having music,

Your skin care,

Some movement.

The third is to practice saying yes and no from the body.

The fourth is to unlearn the guilt of rest.

The fifth is to reconnect with what once brought you joy,

Even if it feels far away.

The sixth is to explore sensuality outside of sexuality,

Such as textures,

Temperatures,

And touch.

The seventh is to bring pleasure into spaces of healing,

Which is therapy,

Body work,

And breath work.

And last but not least,

We want you to name what blocks this,

Whether it be shame,

Fatigue,

These belief systems,

And maybe even survival mode.

Pleasure doesn't mean constant happiness,

Okay?

It means aliveness.

It means making room for your full range,

Not just the parts that perform well under capitalism.

And if you've got this far,

We've come full circle from understanding the essence of medicine to reclaiming pleasure as a practice,

A truth,

And of course,

A birthright.

And let's close with some reflection.

To say that pleasure is medicine is not a metaphor.

It's a statement of physiological,

Psychological,

And spiritual truth.

Pleasure is what brings us back,

Back to the body,

Back to the breath,

And back to belonging.

Pleasure does not erase trauma,

But it creates space for healing.

It doesn't fix us,

But it reminds us that we were never broken in the first place.

In a world that benefits from your disconnection,

Choosing to feel good is a radical act.

So today,

Or maybe tomorrow,

Or maybe even next week,

Let's be honest,

I invite you to ask yourself,

Where can I let pleasure in,

Even if it's just for a little bit?

And of course,

Thank you for listening,

And thank you for remembering what you were never meant to forget.

And may you move towards your joy,

Not as an escape,

But as a return.

Reviews

Well! That was packed full. Thanks for your perspective. I want to listen again, as I prepare for a vacation.