The Science Behind Let Us Play™: Thriving With & Beyond Cancer
Research & Evidence
At Lee Lee’s Life Lessons, we believe healing is about more than surviving. It is about discovering ways to flourish, find meaning, build connection, and experience joy—even in the midst of life's greatest challenges.
The Let Us Play™ framework is grounded in evidence-informed approaches from Positive Psychology, well-being science, resilience research, and post-traumatic growth. While no single model can fully capture the human experience, these frameworks provide valuable insights into how individuals can cultivate well-being and thrive in the face of adversity.
Positive Psychology
Positive Psychology is the scientific study of human flourishing. Rather than focusing solely on illness, deficits, or what is wrong, Positive Psychology explores what helps people live meaningful, engaged, and fulfilling lives.
Researchers have identified factors that contribute to greater well-being, including positive emotions, strong relationships, purpose, accomplishment, gratitude, optimism, and resilience.
For cancer survivors and others navigating significant life challenges, Positive Psychology offers practical tools that support emotional well-being while honoring the realities of hardship and uncertainty.
Positive Psychology can help individuals:
Build resilience during difficult times
Recognize personal strengths
Foster hope and optimism
Strengthen relationships
Discover meaning and purpose
Cultivate gratitude and joy
PERMA-V: A Framework for Well-Being
The Let Us Play™ program incorporates the PERMA-V model, an expansion of Dr. Martin Seligman's well-being framework.
P – Positive Emotion
Experiencing moments of joy, gratitude, hope, and appreciation.
E – Engagement
Becoming fully absorbed in meaningful activities and experiences.
R – Relationships
Building supportive connections and nurturing a sense of belonging.
M – Meaning
Connecting to something larger than oneself and discovering purpose.
A – Accomplishment
Recognizing growth, progress, and personal achievements.
V – Vitality
Supporting physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being through healthy practices.
Together, these elements provide a practical roadmap for thriving, even during life's most challenging seasons.
Post-Traumatic Growth
Post-Traumatic Growth is a concept developed by psychologists Dr. Richard Tedeschi and Dr. Lawrence Calhoun. It describes the positive psychological changes that can occur following highly challenging life experiences.
Post-Traumatic Growth does not suggest that trauma is desirable or that suffering is necessary for growth. Rather, it acknowledges that many individuals discover unexpected strengths, deeper relationships, new possibilities, greater appreciation for life, and profound personal transformation after adversity.
Areas of Post-Traumatic Growth often include:
Increased personal strength
Deeper appreciation of life
Enhanced relationships
New possibilities and opportunities
Spiritual or existential growth
Many cancer survivors describe experiencing these changes as they move from surviving toward thriving.
The Power of Social Connection
Research consistently demonstrates that meaningful social connection is one of the strongest predictors of health and well-being.
Studies led by researcher Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad have shown that strong social relationships are associated with improved health outcomes and overall quality of life.
Connection can take many forms:
Family relationships
Friendships
Support groups
Community involvement
Shared experiences
Acts of kindness and compassion
Within Let Us Play™, participants are encouraged to build authentic connections, share stories, support one another, and remember that healing is not meant to happen alone.
Meaning Making
One of the most common questions that emerges after a life-changing diagnosis or significant challenge is:
"What now?"
Meaning-making refers to the process of understanding our experiences and integrating them into our life story.
Researchers and scholars, including Viktor Frankl, have emphasized the importance of purpose, values, and meaning in navigating adversity.
Meaning does not always come immediately. It often unfolds over time through reflection, relationships, service, creativity, spirituality, and personal growth.
Meaning-making may involve:
Reflecting on lessons learned
Identifying personal values
Sharing wisdom with others
Creating a legacy
Finding opportunities to serve
Reimagining what is possible
At Let Us Play™, we honor each person's unique journey and recognize that healing often begins when we allow ourselves to ask new questions about who we are becoming.
A Final Thought
At Lee Lee’s Life Lessons, we recognize that every survivor's journey is different. The concepts presented here are not intended to replace medical care, mental health treatment, or professional advice. Rather, they offer evidence-informed perspectives and practical tools that may support resilience, well-being, and personal growth.
Our hope is simple:
To create opportunities for individuals to reconnect with joy, strengthen their resilience, discover meaning, and thrive with and beyond cancer.
What does the word joy mean to you, and how do you play?
