Bracha Goetz, a popular author of inspirational books for children, did what many people struggle to do everyday…she overcame an eating disorder. For those who have been down this road–emotional eating, binge eating, bulemia, anorexia, overeating–Bracha offers hope in the form of the Pleasure Ladder. Bracha tells her story of disordered eating while she was a student at Harvard University. She explained that the purpose of life is to experience the greatest pleasure possible. She refers to the 5 levels of pleasure that can be found on the Pleasure Ladder. These 5 levels of pleasure correspond to the 5 levels of our soul.
Level 1 (the lowest level corresponds with the Nefesh soul): Physical Pleasure–this includes natural foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meats, etc., as well as movement like walking in nature and doing yoga.
Level 2 (corresponds with the Ruach soul): Love–focusing on the virtues of another person fills us with an emotional feeling toward that person.
Level 3 (corresponds to the Neshama soul): Doing things that are meaningful, like acts of chessed (acts of kindness) where we help others.
Level 4 (corresponds to the Chaya soul): Creativity–bringing out our uniqueness by using our G-d given talents and putting them to action in this world.
Level 5 (the highest level corresponds to the Yechida soul): Being in a state of transcendence, otherwise known as a state of awe where you feel connected to yourself, to those around you, and to Hashem.
Bracha Goetz wrote a book teaching kids to make healthy food choices, enjoy exercise, and get enough sleep to stay healthy. This book is called Let’s Stay Healthy. All of Bracha’s books can be found on this website:
https://www.goetzbookshop.com/
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