Written by: Sara Garofalo, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Understanding the Psychological Factors That Lead to Weight Gain.
One of the statements I hear most as an Intuitive Health & Life Coach is “I’ve gained weight and I don’t know why. My diet is the same and I’m exercising, so I don’t understand where this weight is coming from.”
When people come to me struggling with their body issues, they often tend to focus on treating the symptoms of the body alone. What they don’t realize is that by doing so, you will get so far before your body will reach a plateau. And you can only unlock it by getting to the root causes of the "beyond weight gain".
Have you ever noticed the correlation between a traumatic event or change in your lifetime, followed by sudden weight gain? Maybe even beginning to have digestive issues or other chronic health issues?
According to Dr. James Gordon (founder of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine), "The brain and peripheral nervous system, the endocrine and immune systems, and indeed, all the organs of our body and all the emotional responses we have, share a common chemical language and are constantly communicating with one another."
This means that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes can positively (or negatively) affect our biological functioning. In other words, our minds literally affect how healthy our bodies are!
When I begin with my clients, we start by balancing their physical body, and addressing the unseen subtle causes. This helps to know what keeps the weight stuck to the body.
The world-renowned author Louis L. Hay in her book, You Can Heal Your Life, writes that “Fat is related to Oversensitivity. According to Louise, fat in the arms can mean “anger at being denied love.”
Part of what sets the weight loss strategy here at Love Holistic Living apart is that we address the root cause of your weight gain in the physical, emotional and spiritual body. This yields long-lasting results. All-natural. No diets, fads, or pills are required.
So, with this said, here are the 5 main energetic causes of weight gain I find in my clients.
1. Not feeling safe in your body due to past trauma, (i.e. abusive events/relationship(s)). When I do energetic work on my clients, 90% of the time, they are not in their body. And with that, the very first chakra will not be grounded or anchored, instead of being very unstable. They don’t feel safe in their body. So– part of the work we do with this is to bring them back into their physical body through the energetic healing sessions I offer.
2. Fear of being seen. This is most often always subconscious, and many may not realize it. Losing weight and being attractive is scary for some women, and especially so for the women that have been hiding for a long time. Stepping into your power and beauty can feel intimidating.
3. Protection. Are you afraid of getting hurt again? So much so, that you built a wall between you and the world? If so, fat cells could be protecting you by literally forming a cushion between you and the world. It's like using bubble wrap to protect your delicate china! This is a useful defense mechanism when you are very sensitive, easily hurt, or feel bullied, verbally, physically or sexually abused, or unsafe.
4. Hiding. This is definitely another defense mechanism that stems from not feeling safe to be seen. Hiding may be the result of a traumatic experience or a subconscious desire to disappear from the world to not be seen by others. To be invisible so that the world leaves you alone.
5. Survival Mode. The fight or flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. "The heart beats faster, blood pressure goes up, big muscles get tense and ready to run or fight, digestion slows down.” After a prolonged state of traumatic response, this can sort of shock the autonomic nervous system into a state of hyperarousal and hypervigilance and your body will keep depleting itself and consequently gaining weight.
How do we shift and heal these subtle blockages?
Your body is the temple of your soul no matter what it looks like it is sacred.
Always remember you cannot do away with anything you are in resistance with.
You will have to first accept yourself with whatever weight you are now, from there, only you will be able to condition it to look its best.
You can do this by using an affirmation such as… ”I approve of myself, I salute the divinity within me and I promise to maintain a healthy relationship with my body through my mind”.
After applying these essential mindful shifts, I recommend blessing the food you put into your mouth, making at least 30 minutes a day to focus on not only yourself, but also processing any emotions you have been repressing.
Sara Garofalo, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sara Garofalo is a certified Intuitive Health and Life Coach, Certified Ayurveda Counselor, helping HSP women to get to the root cause of their weight gain and break free from emotional pain through a mind-body-soul transformation.
Sara’s goal is to help women break unhealthy patterns and become more intuitive about their body through a sustainable holistic approach.
With her Intuitive Gifts and Healing sessions, Sara has been helping women heal from the deepest traumas and roadblocks stored in the body that are preventing women from becoming the healthiest version of themselves.
