By Sarah Faith Brumett

We are regularly bombarded with promises about how to lose weight and “get the body you always wanted” by wearing this slimming garment or using this pill, exercise machine, diet, meal replacement or hunger suppressant. That leaves us to wonder, Is the “perfect body” a long-awaited oasis, or is it more like a mirage?

Years ago I took a workshop on how to lose weight without punishment, blame and guilt. The principles in the class mirrored my beliefs that it is possible to harmonize with your body in order to slim down. The class emphasized developing a dialogue with your body, recognizing its intelligence, and learning to tune in to its needs. By doing so, you connect to the desires that motivate you and keep you balanced and healthy. Ignoring your needs and desires can lead to dissatisfaction and sickness, including overcompensation with food.

One of the topics that came up in class was how our weight actually protects us. The question was asked, “If you had the body of your dreams, how would you feel? How do you think other people would react?”

“It can draw unwanted attention,” one woman said about being slender and sexy. “It threatens other women,” another said. Others used words like superficial, promiscuous and unrefined. They said a sexy body means that a woman is seen as “easy,” that she’s not taken seriously, that she’s disapproved of.

Responses like these made it apparent that releasing weight isn’t just about restricting and burning calories; it’s about losing fear. How can we take action to release weight when, subconsciously, we are afraid of what will happen if we do?

I left class knowing that I had more work to do. It was not enough for me to consciously recognize my fear; I had to let it go from every part of me.

As a ThetaHealer, my job is to discover and release subconscious blocks that keep people from fulfilling their dreams. And so I began to explore what my fear was if I were to release weight.

What I discovered was that I subconsciously believed that being sexy was shameful and that I must hide my body. As I began the deep process of releasing this belief and ultimately the shame, I realized that the women in my family have been carrying this shame about their bodies and their sexuality for generations. As a result, they buried their true selves underneath their weight, wearing it like a protective shield. This same shield disconnected them from their bodies’ communication—wisdom that’s critical to leading a healthy, balanced life and having a healthy, balanced body.

Our bodies’ wisdom recognizes when we are carrying trauma, grief, sadness, anger or resentment. It also knows how to find transformation and forgiveness, and knows our deepest desires, hopes and dreams. Our hunger is not only for food, but for life: we have an appetite for love, relationships, intimacy, regeneration and passion.

After my transformation, in a moment of deep connection, I asked myself if a perfect body is achievable—and my body responded, “I am perfect.”

Sarah Faith Brumett is a certified ThetaHealing master, instructor and practitioner and the cofounder of ThetaHealingNYC® school and healing center in Manhattan. She helps clients in their search for their most compatible partner through the Soulmate workshop that she teaches with her husband, Eric, and through one-on-one sessions. Brumett specializes in helping her clients release fears, limiting beliefs and whatever blocks them from achieving their potential for living in love, health, strength, and prosperity. Her areas of specialty are building self-esteem, body image and self-love; transforming relationship dynamics; and the I Love My Body 12 Week Program, designed to transform clients’ relationships with food, exercise and especially themselves to release weight naturally.