Almost Lost by Beatrice Sparks Page A

your body are out of balance. Right?”
    â€œI guess. If that’s what makes me have muscle cramps and headaches and stuff.”
    â€œWhat about when someone hurts you or humiliates you or rejects you?”
    â€œI guess they capture me in their sticky black net, or I think they do , sort of like the damselfish, or the mice, or the cats.”
    â€œAre the neurochemical changes in your body as real with imagined experiences as with real ones?”
    â€œProbably.”
    â€œWhat are some of the situations which might change the chemical balance in your body?”
    â€œHostility, fear, anxiety, feeling unloved, unappreciated, unworthy, jealous, insecure.”
    â€œDo you think that other things which may seemless significant might cause chemical imbalance also, things like low self-esteem, negativism, pessimism, hateful thoughts and so on?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œWhat about when a person beats up on himself, or tears himself down, perhaps thinking he is not as good as others, as smart, as nice, as beautiful, as charismatic, as adept in sports, music, art, originality, creativity, or whatever?”
    â€œMan, most of us must have our poor chemical balance popping and flopping up and down all the time.”
    â€œAnd you and I must never cease being grateful that our chemicals flop back into the normal range, for some people have a chemical imbalance that they cannot control.”
    â€œWhat happens then?”
    â€œMedications have to be prescribed, some temporarily, some permanently.”
    â€œWow! I never realized I had such power over the chemicals in my body.”
    â€œ Only you!
    â€œI wonder if my mom knows how much she lets me affect her chemical balance or imbalance.”
    â€œYou could talk to her about it.”
    â€œI think a lot of nice things about her, but I don’t often say them. I’m going to start doing that.”
    â€œKudos to you, kid. And what are you going to do about yourself, about your newfound chemical balance knowledge?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œYou know! I know you know! You follow the old-as-dirt and healing-as-sunshine AS IF theory. You act and think AS IF your positive, optimistic, loving, forgiving, patient, tolerant, helpful, compassionateacts and words produce healing, balancing chemicals in both yourself and others.”
    Sammy became very serious. “I know they do.”
    â€œThen you’re well on your way to all the good places you want to go and the good things you want to be.”
    â€œI wish everyone had as much confidence in me as you do.”
    â€œThey will soon. Actually as soon as you have confidence in yourself and to the degree that you have confidence in yourself! ”
    â€œI know it’s not going to be as easy as it sounds.”
    â€œThings rarely are.”
    â€œI guess that means we ought to get on with the slop.”
    â€œMaybe not. It’s nice to end a session on a good note where possible. You’ve got a number of positive things to ponder until next time, right?”
    â€œYeah. Chemical balance, self-confidence, God, and not allowing myself to get turned on by negative past experiences, to name a few.”
    â€œExcellent! You get not only an A-plus, but also a good star on the forehead. You’d make a good therapist. Maybe next time we should trade places.”
    â€œThat would be a bummer.”
    I tenderly patted his shoulder. “I’m not so sure about that. You’ve got a lot of really good common sense for a kid your age, but then, most kids have a lot more sense than adults give them credit for.”
    Sammy grinned playfully. “Just so you see the superior wonders and goodness in me! ’”
    â€œYeah, Smart Stuff. Each time I see you from now on, I’ll wonder when you’re going to take over my practice.”
    He stood up and hugged me, then pulled back. “I guess it’s not okay to hug your