The Laugh That Healed More Than Exercise Ever Could

It may seem a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things, but I have spent years of teaching people how to be independent again. But recently, something happened that reminded me of a truth I think we forget way too easily:

Sometimes the most healing isn’t just another exercise or rep.

Sometimes it’s the moment your chest opens because you laugh so hard you forget what hurt.

There is never a moment in therapy that I will never get tired of…the real first smile. Or the first time a client laughs again, really laughs; after carrying fear, pain, grief, or frustration for so long that joy feels foreign. It’s wild how you can watch someone’s entire nervous system shift in an instant. You see their shoulders drop, their breath softens, and eyes brighten. It is truly beautiful. I consider this a piece of healing that doesn't show up in a progress note. You can’t score this on a standardized assessment.

In my professional experience, this can be a game-changer in recovery. Movement becomes different. I see clients leaning into exercises with more trust and you see their spark come back to life. I even hear it when they talk about their goals, with less fear and more ownership. To be honest, these moments heal me too.

We spend so much time focusing on what’s “wrong”: weakness, tone, fatigue, pain, fear. We grind through reps and protocols and timelines because we want so badly to help someone get their life back. Sometimes the real progress shows up quietly, in a laugh that fills the room or in a smile they didn't have last week.

This is the part of therapy I’ll always believe in the most. The human part. The part that can’t be forced or measured, but transforms everything. Finding purpose and joy in movement is what moves people forward. It reminds the brain and body what it feels like to experience something good again. And when that happens? You can feel the healing begin long before the rep count ever catches up.

xo

Jaycee