Liberation through Desire

Liberation through desire

Desire

A Force That Shapes Us

Desire is one of humanity’s oldest companions. Across time, traditions have wrestled with what it means. Some religions warned against it, framing desire as temptation or sin. Others held it as sacred fire, the restless longing of the soul for union with God.

Philosophers, too, have argued both sides. For some, desire was the endless striving that kept us trapped in suffering. For others, it was the vital spark, the life-force that made us creative, passionate, alive.

Psychology tells us desire is fundamental. It drives us to seek safety, belonging, love, and self-actualization. Neuroscience shows us it is less about “getting” and more about the energy to move toward.

Somatic wisdom reminds us desire lives in the body. It shows up as a leaning-in, a spark of aliveness, a pull toward what nourishes. And when trauma, fear, or conditioning block the way, that signal gets muffled, leaving us foggy, hesitant, or frozen.

From every angle, one truth emerges: desire is neither enemy nor god. It is a mirror and a map. It reflects the places we abandon ourselves and points us toward the path of becoming whole.

Desire as a Pathway to Liberation

Liberation is not about “getting everything we want.” It is about reclaiming our aliveness and the ability to listen inward, name what is true, and take steps in integrity with who we are.

As I wrote recently in an article:

“Desire, in and of itself, holds profound keys to both personal and collective liberation. It is a pristine road map, revealing exactly where we hold back from stepping fully into the life we long for. When we learn to meet it, not with shame or suppression, but with reverence, it becomes the compass guiding us toward a life that is deeply alive, authentic, and true.”

Desire is potent because it doesn’t just reveal what we long for, it reveals everything in the way. It shows us the invisible threads of conditioning, fear, and inherited stories that quietly shape our choices. It points us to the places where we’ve traded truth for safety, aliveness for acceptance, freedom for belonging.

When we suppress desire, we tuck away the very fire that animates our being. We trade the raw aliveness of truth for the numb comfort of conformity. But when we reclaim it, when we name it, and take even one small step toward it, we return to ourselves. We touch sovereignty. We breathe deeper into the fullness of life.

The Three Doorways of Stuckness

In my work, I’ve seen again and again that most of us stumble in one of three places with desire:

Knowing – Desire feels foggy or far away. We overthink, copy others, or can’t hear our own signal under conditioning and noise.
Claiming – We know what we want, but it feels risky to say it out loud. We minimize, backtrack, or wait for permission.
Going After – We name and own the desire, but when it’s time to act, we hover at the threshold, hesitating, overwhelming ourselves, or stopping short.

As I wrote about in my teaching inside Prismara:

“In just a simple practice of inviting participants to bring to mind something they desired, a tender and potent portal was opened. One that revealed not only the longing itself, but the invisible threads of conditioning, fear, and inherited stories that quietly shape our choices. Within this space, we witnessed how desire, when met with presence and curiosity, can act as both a mirror and a map.”

These three doorways are not failures, they are invitations. Each one shows us where our nervous system is trying to protect us, and where freedom waits to be reclaimed.

Desire & the Nervous System

Desire doesn’t arrive in a vacuum; it arrives in a body that is always tracking safety.

In freeze, desire goes quiet. Numbness, fog, “I don’t know.”
In fawn, we orient to others’ wants. Our truth steps back to keep the peace.
In flight, we plan and plan and never quite begin.
In fight, we push so hard we disconnect and burn out.

I’ve seen this on the table as a sexological bodyworker: sometimes a client freezes when I ask, “What do you want?”Sometimes we sit together in silence for the entire session as they try to feel into it. Others know what they want, yet bump against the fear of speaking it out loud. And some name their desire with ease only to be met by a wave of grief, as if finally allowing themselves to want has touched a place long buried.

In each of these moments, desire is not just about “getting.” It is a portal into our relationship with ourselves, our bodies, and our freedom.

My Approach: Embodied Liberation

This is why desire is central to my work as an Embodied Liberation Coach and Somatic Sexological Bodyworker.

I don’t see desire as a problem to fix, but as a guide. When we follow the thread of desire with presence and reverence, it shows us where we’re stuck and it shows us how to move.

Together we:

Listen for the body’s subtle yes and no.
Untangle the patterns of fear, shame, and conditioning that block the flow of wanting.
Experiment with safe, embodied ways to practice knowing, claiming, and going after what you want.
Translate insight into doable steps, so that desire becomes not overwhelming, but enlivening.

This work is not about chasing the next peak experience or following the latest success trend. It is about creating space to meet the hidden parts of yourself that long to be heard.

Discover Your Desire Archetype

If you’re curious where you tend to get tangled, whether in knowing, claiming, or going after, I created a short, reflective quiz to serve as a mirror. It’s not a verdict; it’s a starting place. You’ll receive your Desire Archetype with one simple somatic step to try right away.

→ Take the Desire Archetype Quiz

From there, if the work calls to you, we can walk together, patiently, skillfully, toward a life shaped by clarity, courage, and care. Not because desire demands it, but because your aliveness is worth it.

Where stuckness ends, sovereignty begins. And desire, tended with reverence, knows the way.