Unabridged

“You’re going to hypnotize me into taking my clothes off?”

It was clear that Naomi was skeptical. Although she was trying to look polite and patient, Dr. Maureen Pearson could sense her body tense up as her features sunk in frustration.

Naomi’s parents had told Dr. Pearson about how Naomi wouldn’t undress for the doctor. While it was never a problem in her early childhood, the last two times she had gone in for a checkup, she’d refused to cooperate. She tried to leave the room, and after goading, broke down into screams and sobs, culminating in a fetal position that made it impossible to continue. Recently, she’d been sent for a physical examination at school, alone, and had run away. She wanted to play volleyball, and now her chance had been lost for another year.

From previous sessions, Dr. Pearson understood that the reason Naomi felt terrified undressing for her doctor was due to certain anxieties she had developed in response to the transition to middle school. The boys, some of whom had been her friends in elementary school, didn’t think of her in the same way they used to. In fifth grade she had been able to play board games with them, talk about sports, or even sit back and watch clouds. In sixth grade, when she overheard her name in boys’ conversations, it was always talking about her body. At one point she picked up on something so graphic from one of their mouths that she wished she could have spent the rest of the day hiding. And to add to her feeling of vulnerability, one boy, formerly a close friend who used to play pretend with her on weekends, would ask to be her boyfriend every time they engaged in conversation.

Finding a female family doctor would be an adequate patch for the short-term, but it wouldn’t allow Naomi to face a school physical next year, and if this phobia persisted in the future, it could be seriously difficult for her during medical emergencies. In the past, Dr. Pearson had been warned by her instructors against trying anything radical, but as she knew Naomi’s parents couldn’t afford ongoing treatment for their daughter, she knew it was unlikely that they’d have the time to make any breakthrough via conventional methods.

Throughout grad school, Dr. Pearson had been left heartbroken by stories in which a client would end treatment early for any multitude of reasons, and wind up dead, or homeless and even further broken than they had been before beginning treatment. Naomi’s case would most likely not end in tragedy, and she very well knew it, but the principle was a sensitive one for her. She was determined not to watch Naomi go before she had tried everything in her power to tackle her medical stress, at least.

“I’m not exactly going to hypnotize you into making you do anything. Rather, if you choose, in the time we have left I’d like to help you find a point at which you feel comfortable taking off your own clothes when it’s necessary.”

Dr. Pearson reached under her shirt and pulled out her amulet, a gift from a great aunt who she’d once talked away the good part of a day with when no one else in the family cared to visit her. The amulet was synthetic through and through - gold-plated with an inexpensive crystal chain, and a synthetic ruby shaped like a valentine heart in its center - but she wore it with pride, and it filled her with courage.

She’d given the chain a nonchalant, passing tug once while Naomi was wrapping up a story. While neither had acknowledged it, Dr. Pearson noticed Naomi beaming with intrigue when it caught her eye. It was Dr. Pearson’s way of testing the waters. The temptation to utilize hypnotherapy for this case had long been cycling around her head, and if it came to that, she hoped to make her tool seem interesting rather than intimidating.

“Is that why you have that necklace?” The girl’s skepticism snapped into enthusiastic curiosity. Success.

“It was a special gift, and I always keep it close to my heart for bravery. I think it can help you be brave too. What do you think, Naomi?”

“I’ll… try it. What do I have to do?”

“First, find somewhere you feel the most comfortable, and relax every single part of your body.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all you’ll have to do for some time. I’ll guide you through the rest.”

Naomi and Maureen exchanged a few words regarding what would happen in the next hour or so. The brevity of the conversation caught Dr. Pearson off guard. The truth was, while a bundle of nerves still stirred in her stomach, Naomi was intent on seeing what it was like to be hypnotized. She was unfamiliar with hypnosis being done in real life, having only read about it before, mostly in adventure books. The people who could hypnotize others were usually horrible in those cases, taking over the heroes’ minds because they were too weak or too afraid to do their own dirty work. Naomi didn’t believe Dr. Pearson was like that, and that fact made her curious. Without the danger, she thought it could even be fun to know what it was like for a person to be under that sort of spell. She always thought it would be kind of cool if a good guy had that power, to be able to make enemies give up rather than fighting them, or to help a friend do something they were too worried to go through with on their own.

Naomi found the chair on which she’d spent most of her time talking to Dr. Pearson. She sunk into its cool, pleather seat and reclined her head, eyes shifting a little anxiously back to the doctor, while her brain turned with the mystery of what was to come next.

“You don’t have to think about much of what I’m saying, Naomi. Just follow my amulet with your eyes and listen to the sound of my voice. Your inner mind will follow along easily.”

Dr. Pearson lifted the amulet to meet her patient’s gaze, and asked if she might focus all her attention on the red gem in its center as she spoke. She allowed the chain to swing at the slowest tempo she could manage, gliding from Naomi’s right eye, to her left, and back again. She was fortunate enough that each time the amulet passed Naomi’s line of sight midway, it caught the light on its way. The glimmer of gold provided a visual metronome in lieu of having the real thing, or the soft tick of an analog clock on hand.

“Just relax, and settle into the chair. It’s nice, soft, and smooth, so it can contour to your form and help you relax. Just relax. And as you relax, you may find yourself feeling that the chair you are in now is so smooth, that not one bit of its surface feels as though it’s fighting against your body. Every edge of every limb, every angle, and every detail of your skin, is being catered to. So soft, it becomes a perfect fit for your body, one which you feel impossibly comfortable within.”

“I’d like you to imagine you’re sinking ever deeper into the cushions than you are now. So deep, you can feel their material wrap around your body. So smooth, so warm, and so soft, that you feel safe and welcome just letting it envelop you.”

“You’re sinking into a warm, safe, pleasant place. And for a moment, it would be nice if you just let your eyes close to enjoy the sensation of true, complete relaxation.”

Naomi heard, and wordlessly, thoroughly agreed. Her eyelids slid gracefully down, and sight left her body to feel fully awash in comfort.

“And when you next feel your eyes open… you’ll see this pleasant, gentle place. A place that can be anything you’d like it to be, and have everything you enjoy in it. I only ask that it be a little warmer than the home you’re used to, and that there be a nice, soft bed somewhere in it. I’d like you to visualize this place exactly as you’d like it to be, and when you’re ready, open your eyes.”

Naomi’s eyes opened wide in wonder. Dr. Pearson envied the child for how this must feel for her.

It was bliss. The walls were painted orange-gold, with hanging shelves decked with sports trophies she’d one day win, and records from achievements from the women and men she called her heroes. On the smooth, tile floor, there were tables full of Christmas and birthday gifts, fresh as the day she’d opened them, and some she’d asked for and never gotten. Toys, games, and stacks of chapter books she felt eager to crack open and read. There was a red smart phone ahead of her, softly playing a tune she loved to hear on the radio as her father drove her to school. Two walk-in closets were lined with clothing on either side; one with beautiful outfits she could wear without shame or fear, and one with new volleyball uniforms that begged to get dirty.

In her exuberance, she realized that she had forgotten all about the voice that had been guiding her to this wonderful place. As the room’s ambiance became real to her, she could make out what it was saying once again:

“...You’ll begin to understand that alongside its warmth, this place has a hidden, special feeling to it. While you are inside this room, you feel as though anything you could want at the moment is inside you. And this feeling makes you feel happy, confident and secure, at ease in all your surroundings, and at peace with your mind. Happy. Confident. And secure. All is as it is, and as it should be, at once.”

On the outside, Naomi’s shoulders sunk deeper, and her awestruck gaze relaxed.

“And as you know this place has everything you could ask for right now, that everything is in its place, and you feel right at home being there with it. The only thing you want for now, is a nice, peaceful rest. I’d like you to focus your attention on the bed, and just how soft, warm and inviting it looks. It was made for you, as large or as small as you’d like it to be, created with whatever material you’d love to lay upon the most. It’s all freshly made, with pillows that can support your head, and covers that would feel heavenly resting upon you. You just know that it would be the perfect place to relax and unwind.”

“Naomi, are you tired? Would you like to go to bed now?”

“Yeah.”

Dr. Pearson guided Naomi to the bed she dreamt up for her world, laid her down underneath its soft covers, and talked her halfway into a deep sleep - with one bit of interference:

“But now that you’re in bed, and all settled in… You realize you can’t quite feel how soft the mattress is, and the covers are perhaps just a bit too warm…”

Naomi’s contented expression turned neutral. Dr. Pearson was unsure of herself, but for the sake of maintaining her authority and her patient's trust, she couldn't let it show in her delivery. There was no turning back now.

“But as your mind is resting in your world, happy, confident, and secure, I’d like you to remember that you are listening to the voice of a doctor. Not a woman. Not a man. Simply a doctor. And like most doctors, it’s my wish to help you. And right now, I’d like to help you get to bed.”

“But before I do, I must ask you whether not you consider this voice, the voice of a doctor, to be a voice that you trust.”

Dr. Pearson gently bit her lower lip awaiting the reply. “You are…”

“Very good. I believe I know how I can help you at this particular moment, if you so choose. First, Naomi, I have three more questions to ask of you:”

“Before you get ready for bed, when your rest is most important, you always take your clothes off, don’t you?”

“I do…”

“And when your wish is to feel clean, pleasant, and refreshed, you always take your clothes off before taking a nice, warm bath too.”

“I do…”

“And if everything is as it should be, you also take your clothes off for doctors’ examinations... for when everything is as it should be, your health is all you must worry about. Yes?”

“...Yes.”

“Excellent. Thanks to your help, I believe I may have the answer. Naomi, I would like to know - since everything is as it should be, and since you trust your doctor - if you feel that taking your clothes off at this time might feel comfortable for you, and help you relax in your bed?”

Naomi reacted as though struck by an epiphany, the suddenness of which left Dr. Pearson momentarily speechless. She took her clothes off slowly, but without hesitation, wearing a sleepy smile as she removed her shoes, her skirt, then finally her shirt. She reached for her training bra-

Dr. Pearson, for as much faith as she had in the application of hypnotherapy, had never expected a gymnophobic subject to take such initiative! For a first time practicing hypnosis since she’d gotten her degree in child psychology, this session had happily gone without a snag, and the possibility of being hit by a lawsuit for a successful case was… well, “bittersweet” was probably too light a word.

“Sh. That’s enough, Naomi.” Dr. Pearson placed a hand upon her head to bring her back from her fervor, and tried to maintain her own composure in spite of her surprise, “You may now return to the bed, enjoying the full extent of its comfort at just the right temperature, and feel the relaxation of a night’s rest coursing through your body in only seconds.”

“Once you’ve had your night’s rest, you can feel your body floating out of bed. Soon, you’ll find yourself floating out of your special room, and back sitting upon the nice, cozy chair in my office. Your doctor’s voice is telling you that I now know all I needed to know. You’ve done splendidly, and all you have left to do is to sit and discuss our results. But the feeling you’ve gotten - happiness, confidence, and security - will linger with you, because you will soon know just how to return to your special room, and renew this feeling, should you ever feel the need again.”

She let the amulet swing a little more slowly, and stop in front of Naomi’s face. Naomi sat, not awake, and still indifferent to and uninterested in her state of undress, but aware, and entirely attentive to Dr. Pearson’s voice.

“You were very brave today, Naomi. Look deep into the heart in the center of my amulet, as though the heart is reflecting your own, and let me know what you see.”

“It’s weird. I don’t really feel brave. I just didn’t feel scared to do it in the first place. I… I don’t know why.”

“But you know how it felt. And you’ll feel the same way when it’s time for a checkup, or the next time you take a physical exam, or any sort of medical procedure. Deep inside, you’ll know the appropriate time when a doctor needs you to take off your clothes, and you’ll feel just as safe in doing so as you do now. And if anything feels truly wrong, you will know the appropriate time to stop yourself and refuse.”

“Otherwise, if you feel any discomfort, you can call this place with one word, which you may say aloud, or in your head. But whenever or however you say this word, all your fears will be put to bed, and you can feel just as you feel now. And that word is...”