Sex Education - What Steps Did You Take to Peel Off the Layers of Sham?

As someone who is also raised in a conservative religious community, like i, can attest to the shame around intimacy and sexuality. I'm curious, what steps did you go through in order to peel off the layers of shame? It's still hard for me to sometimes articulate a need or a want for intimacy, because for years and years and years, i had it drilled into my head that asking for intimacy somehow makes it count less.