When Things are Going Too Well

When Things are just going too well... Alysa’s story

Alysa had finally reached her goal weight of 130 lbs. She couldn’t believe how easy it had been, how sugar was a thing of the past, and all the “unrelated” benefits she was experiencing.

She listed them for me shortly after taking a seat. “I can’t believe how much more focused I am at work. It’s really amazing. Also, I have more patience with my 4 year old, and more energy over all. I’ve never felt this good all over in my life. Sugar is over, cereal is over. I never thought it was possible.”

Yet she had experienced some confusing behavior over the last few weeks. She found herself bingeing 2 or 3 times, in a particularly out of control way. The good news was that the binges had lasted only a short while, and she quickly recovered the following day, unlike on previous occasions. I asked her what she thought all this was about.

“The only thing I can think of is that before each binge, I was feeling really great, even gloating over how great my life is. I bought some new black pants the other day and the size 6 fit perfectly. I really felt great with that.”

She said it’s as if there’s this little bug inside of my head, an evil bug, that gets me to do these things. It doesn’t want me to gloat or allow things to get too good.

She continued “It’s really my Jewish grandmother. She believed that if things went too good, then that would bring on something bad”.

I said, “oh, so it’s really your grandmother’s bug”

“That’s right. It’s hers.”

I then asked her if she would like to give the bug back to her grandmother. Where it belonged. I asked her to ask her grandmother if she would be willing to take it back.

She wanted to give it up, and her grandmother wanted to take it back. As Alysa handed the bug over, I pointed out that where her grandmother was, she had all the resources necessary to deal with the bug appropriately. She could handle it up there.

I then asked Alysa what had stopped her from going into the “I’ve already blown it” cycle. I asked her to describe what stopped her in terms of a character or metaphor. She said it was her higher self.

So I then guided her to fill the space where the bug used to be with her higher self, like a diamond whose like seeps into all the nooks and cranies, wherever it is needed. I said “notice how it fits there, and notice how although it’s new, it feels somehow right, because it is yours, not someone else’s”.

At the end of the session she was feeling “much better” and could easily see herself continuing to make healthy choices and feeling very, very good.