Pleasure Beyond Pain: Somatic Sexual Healing for Chronic Pain & Differently Abled Bodies with Emily Royce

What if pleasure wasn’t reserved for “perfect” bodies?

What if pleasure was medicine?

In this deeply compassionate conversation, I’m joined by Emily Royce — certified somatic sex educator, sexological bodyworker, chronic pain specialist, and former president of the Association of Certified Sexological Bodyworkers — to explore sexuality, intimacy, and embodiment for people living with chronic pain, disability, illness, and differently abled bodies.

Because so many of us have been taught:

“I’m broken.”
 “My body doesn’t work.”
 “Sex isn’t for me anymore.”

And yet…

The body still longs to feel.
Still longs to connect.
Still remembers pleasure.

Emily shares her personal journey growing up with chronic pain and an MS diagnosis — and how grief, dance, meditation, and somatic practice unexpectedly opened the door to greater joy, erotic aliveness, and nervous system healing.

Together, we explore how pleasure doesn’t have to look like what movies or magazines tell us.

Sometimes pleasure begins with something far simpler:

A neutral breath.
A soft touch.
An elbow.
A knee.
A moment of safety.

Because when the nervous system feels safe, new neural pathways open — and the body discovers new ways to feel good.

In this episode, we explore:

• Sexuality and intimacy with chronic pain or disability
• How medicalization disconnects us from body wisdom
• Why “neutral” can be the gateway to pleasure
• Somatic tools for rebuilding trust with your body
• Client-led, body-led consent practices
• Slowing down as a radical healing practice
• How pleasure supports neuroplasticity and pain relief
• Expanding beyond genital-focused sexuality
• Unexpected pleasure pathways (yes… even elbows and knees)
• Working with grief, trauma, and stored emotion through movement
• Why every body deserves access to pleasure

Emily reminds us:

Pleasure isn’t performance.
Pleasure is resource.
Pleasure is regulation.
Pleasure is healing.

This episode is an invitation to soften the cultural myths about what sex “should” look like — and instead listen deeply to what your body actually wants.

Because every body is a pleasure body.

Guest:

Emily Royce
Somatic Sex Educator & Chronic Pain Specialist
Former President, Association of Certified Sexological Bodyworkers
healwithpleasure.com
Instagram: @pleasurablehealing

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