Something I've noticed in many of my clients is a fear of what they might call divine justice.
This manifests as a fear of success. They are worried that if they do well, it will "all be taken away". It's like succeeding somehow calls attention to them and provokes god or the universe into vengeance.
Many of them were raised to believe that doing better than others is something you should feel guilty for, whether it's having physical advantages, wealth, or academic ability.
Their solution is to suffer.
While they succeed, they use pressure and stress and the "I'm not good enough" story to ensure they don't enjoy their successes. This is their tactic to avoiding provoking the punishment of the universe, like they're saying, "See? I don't need punishment because I'm already in pain. Please don't take it all away!"
Anyone else relate to this?