Bracha Goetz: The Pleasure Ladder and Lasting Change

Most advice about bad habits tells us to resist harder. Bracha Goetz asks a more useful question: what pleasure is the habit supplying, and what could replace it with something that actually lasts? If you have ever known exactly what you should stop doing and reached for it anyway, this conversation offers a different way into the problem. In our 38-minute conversation, Bracha explains her Pleasure Ladder, speaks candidly about binge eating and yo-yo dieting, and traces the six-week trip to Israel that became a ten-year transformation. We also get into love, meaning, creativity, transcendence, relationships, writing, and the difference between feeling briefly satisfied and genuinely full. I turned the larger conversation into a complete article that breaks down the five levels, Bracha’s journey from Harvard and medical school into spiritual life, and why gratitude is not just a pleasant attitude—it changes what we reach for. Visit Bracha Goetz’s Official Site Get full access to Paul G's Corner at paulgnewton.substack.com/subscribe