New models of care are beginning to emerge within the endometriosis management space. Living Well Retreats was created by a group of experts who are passionate about providing accessible care to endometriosis patients through complementary healthcare.
One of the experts behind Living Well Retreats, naturopath Freya Lawler, claims that “Our focus isn’t quick fixes. It’s [about] giving people tools they can live with, long after appointments end.” Their retreats are focused on providing a series of condition focused retreat occasions. These include day and overnight retreats dedicated to health issues like pelvic pain, PCOS, infertility and perimenopause.
The team at Living Well Retreats have kindly shared their experience on how they’re addressing the ‘gaps’ in healthcare, that often show between waiting for your initial consult and surgery.
For many people living with pelvic pain and endometriosis, the most challenging part of care doesn’t happen in the operating theatre or the specialist’s office. It happens in the gaps of time before formal diagnosis, while waiting for specialists appointments, or even after the surgery.
Medical intervention can be essential, and for some, life-changing. But for many others, it’s not enough on its own. Between surgeries, specialist visits and prescriptions, patients are often left navigating bloating, fatigue, pain flares and emotional exhaustion without a clear roadmap. It is here in the ‘in-between moments’, that sufferers needs supports.
Despite growing awareness and national initiatives, endometriosis remains one of Australia’s most under-supported chronic conditions. Diagnosis still takes an average of seven to eight years, and treatment pathways remain largely centred on hormonal suppression and surgery. While these approaches can reduce symptoms for some, a significant proportion of patients either respond poorly or find pain returns over time.
“Around 30 per cent of people don’t respond well to the pill, and for many, pain returns even after surgery,” says naturopath and fertility educator Freya Lawler. “So what support exists for those still searching for relief?”
It’s a question that exposes a deeper issue in pelvic pain care: while medical intervention is often framed as the endpoint, for many patients it is only the beginning. Pain does not pause between appointments. Bodies continue to respond to stress, inflammation, hormonal shifts, digestion and nervous system load.
“Pelvic pain is rarely just gynaecological,” explains Dr Rebecca Geer, acupuncturist and women’s health practitioner. “It’s influenced by the nervous system, immune and inflammatory pathways, gut health, musculoskeletal tension and lived stress. When care focuses only on lesions or hormones, a large part of the picture is missed.”
This narrow focus leaves many patients without practical support once medical treatment concludes. They are sent home with limited guidance on how to manage daily symptoms, recognise early flare signs or understand why pain fluctuates. The result is often frustration, self-doubt and repeated re-entry into the healthcare system, without lasting relief.
What’s missing is not effort or compliance. It’s agency.
“When people understand how their own bodies respond to stress, fatigue, nutrition and pacing, outcomes change,” says psychologist Julia Cannatelli. “Confidence and autonomy aren’t soft outcomes, they directly influence how pain is processed and experienced.”
Agency allows people to intervene earlier during flares, adjust expectations without guilt, and make informed decisions about rest, movement and support. It also changes the emotional relationship with pain. Feeling believed, informed and resourced reduces fear and hyper-vigilance — both of which can amplify symptoms.
There is a persistent misconception that holistic care sits in opposition to conventional medicine. In reality, evidence-informed holistic approaches work best alongside medical treatment, not instead of it. Surgery and hormones can be vital tools, but they don’t always address the broader systems that influence pain recurrence, fatigue and resilience over time.
This is where new models of care are beginning to emerge.
Living Well Retreats was created in response to the growing number of people who feel stuck in the gaps of conventional pelvic pain care. Rather than offering alternatives to medicine, the retreats provide education and practical frameworks that help participants manage symptoms between treatments — the space where most of life actually happens.
“Our focus isn’t quick fixes,” says Lawler. “It’s about giving people tools they can live with — ways to support their nervous system, reduce inflammation and understand their own rhythms so pain feels less unpredictable.”
Through education, embodied practices and integrative support, participants build personalised strategies for flare management, recovery and daily pacing. Importantly, partners and carers are recognised as part of the care ecosystem — because chronic pain is rarely experienced in isolation.
The aim is not symptom perfection, but sustainability.
For those living with pelvic pain, success is not defined solely by fewer symptoms, but by greater confidence, resilience and quality of life. It’s the ability to recover more quickly from flares, to feel supported rather than dismissed, and to live well between treatments rather than waiting for the next intervention.
As research advances and diagnostic tools improve, care models must evolve too — not only to treat disease, but to support the people to ‘Live Well’, with it.
Learn more about Living Well Retreats here. This commentary was initially published within The Ritual - visit here to subscribe for free.
