Correspondence

**********March 5th**********

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From: Dr. Cecelia Mathis

To: Dr. Dave Larkin

Subject: Hypnosis study

Date: Wed 3/5/14 12:51 PM

Dr. Larkin, I apologize for the lateness in my reply. I'm sure our correspondence up to this point has been akin to phone tag, busy people trying to see when the other is free. But I did want to give some time and attention to your request.

Honestly it's not often I'm approached outside of my field and I'd like to make sure I give the right impression to someone genuinely interested. If you are willing to this week, I can send you a few things and help answer your questions as they come, instead of having to wait for weeks at a time. If that's agreeable to you, please let me know.

Look forward to hearing from you,

Dr. Cecelia Mathis.

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From: Dr. Dave Larkin

To: Dr. Cecelia Mathis

Subject: Re:Hypnosis study

Date: Wed 3/5/14 3:12 PM

Dr. Mathis, it's not a problem. As you said, we're both busy people. It feels like my semester is winding down here rather peacefully, and I hope it's the same at Central Mass. I appreciate you getting back to me at all about this. It feels like finally having the time and courage to pursue this interest, or at least satiate my curiosity about it, and I very much appreciate having a guide as renowned as you.

This week is very manageable for me, so I'm ready to receive whatever you have to send.

Thank you again, and look forward to your introduction into hypnosis.

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From: Dr. Cecelia Mathis

To: Dr. Dave Larkin

Subject: Re:Hypnosis study

Date: Wed 3/5/14 7:34 PM

Dr. Larkin, very refreshing to have same-day email replies. I certainly hope this will become a trend.

I hope you don't mind that the overall introduction starts with a very casual kind of study, almost not even a study by academic standards, but I consider it very effective for helping one to understand the phenomena known as hypnosis. Though some would be remiss to call it phenomena, like it's some inexplicable occurrence spread around, it is actually a constant part of our lives, and literally goes unnoticed by the masses most of the time, often misinterpreted.

Most people think the proper, the only way to be hypnotized is via the classic methods. You expect it if you see a pocket watch, a spinning spiral, perhaps a metronome in the absence of a musical instrument. The very casual study I conduct is determining whether people that day, or the day before, have gone into trance. I never tell them upfront, but so far, every case, out of hundreds by now, show that people go into trance at least once a day. These are not practitioners or students of the discipline, mind you, but everyday samaritans who never thought the subject of hypnosis would be on their minds until I approached them. As an educated guess, I would think you could be added to the results as further proof if I were to gauge you.

I'm sure the most pressing question on your mind is how there can be 100% yielding of people finding themselves hypnotized, and how can I be sure you'd qualify within the last 24 hours or so. My explanation is the following - name something today you've focused that took precedence over anything else surrounding you. Focus, particularly intense focus is a cornerstone effect of hypnosis, unconsciously able to block out other potential distractions and giving all your attention to a singular point. Everyone has moments like that; really just a part of our everyday lives.

What might you have focused on today Dr. Larkin? Staring into space at a cup of coffee or a piece of stationary? Watching a droplet of rain trail downward against a window pane? Perhaps finding one particular star to stare at in tonight's cloudless sky? Those times when it takes you a few seconds or longer to realize that a phone was ringing in the background, when someone was trying to get your attention, where you intended to do something minutes before, yet found yourself easily side-tracked. Sometimes these things are intentional, and often they're unintentional.

As a small homework assignment for yourself, I'd like to you think about your day today, something you lost yourself in. It can be something even as innocuous as thoughts of TGIF, after-work activities, while staring at something you never intended to fixate on, as is a popular Friday tradition amongst my students. In your reply to me, tell me something you've fixated on, and how it felt. Maybe listless, hazy? And if it felt good to experience that loss of awareness.

Apologies for the wall of text, but I hope this is an intriguing, comprehensible start for you.

Looking forward to your reply,

Dr. Cecelia Mathis.

===============

From behind, Dave felt warm breath against the back of his neck. Patty had snuck up behind him, more effortlessly than he was used to. He was used to being reminded from the doorway that she was going to bed, and he acknowledged saying that he'd be joining her soon. He kept that promise maybe half the time, depending on whom defined "soon." Even as engrossing as Dr. Mathis' message was, a pair of lips pressed against neck briefly, a peck accompanied by a reminder.

"Don't forget you have a bed to sleep in."

The tone of voice carried more sarcasm than allure to it, and yet the kiss seemed to belie her tone. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten a kiss to the neck like that, which reflected badly on him since Patty wasn't a stranger to showing intimacy. But not seeing it coming and being graced with the affectionate warmth, Dave's reaction showed how much he liked it.

"That feels good," he uttered unthinkingly.

Patty's breathing stilled for a moment, and then fuller lips pressed deeper and longer against the surface of his skin, making him close his eyes and soak in the heat.

He expected her to say something else, but instead he heard her feet clearly sounding on the staircase. There was more than enough implication in that kiss. Sitting in that chair to consider his options, he could take a few notes while they were still fresh in his head, or shut things down immediately and respond to what was hopefully an invitation. He leaned toward note-taking right away, knowing that 'just a few more minutes' was always a gross underestimation. It was his habit to indulge the extra minutes, or hour spent in the office, but a small voice in him suggested otherwise.

"Don't kill the mood."

It plainly laid the circumstances out for him, more than his usual introspection. Realizing there was a mood to kill, he found himself shutting down his email and PC within seconds. He couldn't live up to being the "eternal student" Patty considered him all the time.

**********March 6th**********

Dave thought his Thursday would be pretty busy mid-day, checking a few thesis' and running errands, but he hadn't expected to run into Dr. Mathis in late afternoon. He had no idea she frequented one of his favorite grills, or would happen to be in the area; it was quite fortuitous. She must've looked up his profile pic on the Sheldon-Yearnly staff directory, to know what he looks like; he never remembered telling her sending a pic, and he never showed his face on any social media. She wouldn't have recognized him any other way.

They sat, exchanged pleasantries, and talked a little about his interest in recreational hypnosis, and if he'd done his homework yet. He told her he hadn't gotten the chance to yet, and tried to think of a point during the day when he might have emulated what she described in her last email. As he thought about it, outside of the cafe they sat in, his eyes rested on a seemingly new addition to a nearby building, a billboard-sized LED clock. Frequenting the cafe at least once a week, he wondered when it was put up, or if it evaded is awareness for a long time.

Cecelia asks what caught his eye, looking over her shoulder to see the huge clock.

"Is that new?" she asked.

"I think it is," was Dave's response, addressing Cecelia briefly eye-to-eye, before looking back up at the clock.

"I guess it would have an interesting draw, the longer you look, the more it makes you wonder about it." The last topic of discussion seemed lost to both of them as she casually droned on about the clock, how unusual it seemed to her, while he couldn't take his eyes off of it. He kept a count with the passing seconds for several minutes, counting out loud, and then in his own head. He had no idea why it was so easy to do so, but there was a sense that everything, even Cecelia herself was encouraging it, so he continued until he felt a strange shift nearby. Something physical behind him got up, and he blinked repeatedly as his vision changed.

It finally occurred to him that he was laying down, staring at his tilt-motion LED clock, eyes open but waking from sleep. 5:29 stared back at him, in Thursday's am instead of pm like his dreaming mind told him it was. Dave lazily reached over to silence the radio set for 5:30.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw Patty had left to use the bathroom, likely just minutes ago. With the half-dream still fresh on his mind, he got up to put on a robe, and went downstairs to get an early pot of coffee started; it served as a good excuse while he prepared to get his thoughts down in a draft for Mr. Mathis.

===============

From: Dr. Dave Larkin

To: Dr. Cecelia Mathis

Subject: Re:Hypnosis study

Date: Thu 3/6/14 7:25 AM

Dr. Mathis,

At this point I'm unsure I've completed the assignment you've given. I woke up this morning to the sight of my alarm clock, but my eyes were open and I swore it was really the afternoon and I was looking up at huge clock, the kind you'd expect to see in Times Square and not a small section of the college town I work in, while talking to you.

Most of what I remember is staring at the clock while you talked about it. I wouldn't have brought this up except for the fact that the transition from dreaming to waking up seemed seamless, like nothing had changed, except for the world around me. And the world around me changing seemed paltry to the focus I had on the clock.

Strange feeling, and I feel like this could've been worth mentioning. If not, I'm sure I'll have at least another moment like that soon.

I hope this was worth bringing up.

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From: Dr. Cecelia Mathis

To: Dr. Dave Larkin

Subject: Re:Hypnosis study

Date: Thu 3/6/14 10:55 AM

Good morning Dr. Larkin

Let me first say your waking dream was a nice piece of reading to wake up to. I'm very happy you told me about it, and it most certainly counts as a completed homework assignment. Thank you for being so descriptive about your experience, as you've preempted questions I would have asked you. It seems like your subconscious, a very important entity in the practice of hypnosis, is already eager to delve deep into things, as eager as you consciously are.

Your dream sounds very reminiscent to inductions I've used in public, sometimes with someone familiar with my techniques, sometimes a random stranger, in the right circumstances. Though many factors can make a difference in its effectiveness, especially with those who realize what is happening to them, like you, so many people on some intrinsic level are always ready and waiting to experience hypnosis.

Unfortunately, my schedule today seems deceptively busier than I expected it to. I would like to tell you about a public subject I've worked with, but I am unsure the next time I'll be able to go into detail. I will make sure it is as soon as I'm able to.

Until then, have a good day Dr. Larkin.

P.S. Keep your eye on the clock if it's really good, so time doesn't pass you by. Or maybe it will.

P.P.S. Sorry, I sometimes can't resist cheeky little notes like that.

================

Dave chuckled at the post scripts as much as he imagined Cecelia was when she typed it. His eyes strayed to the bottom-right corner of the screen, eyeing the display clock. Much smaller than his alarm clock, but still held a draw as he continued to muse over it and Cecelia's words. It was a few minutes longer before he realized time had gone over his head. He quickly replied to Cecelia's email before expecting students for his early office hour.

===============

From: Dr. Dave Larkin

To: Dr. Cecelia Mathis

Subject: Re:Hypnosis study

Date: Thu 3/6/14 11:19 AM

Looking forward to it,

Thank you.

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**********March 7th**********

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From: Dr. Cecelia Mathis

To: Dr. Dave Larkin

Subject: Re:Hypnosis study

Date: Fri 3/7/14 10:47 AM

Happy TGIF to you Dr Larkin, and apologies for a much later-than-expected reply. I hope I haven't kept you in suspense for very long, but now I get to relay to you one of my more recent public inductions, part of another study of mine.

Picture, if you will, a library. On-campus, deep in the stacks, for someone doing research. You might find them leaning against the shelves of the corridor, half-concentrating on the material, half-concentrating on keeping themselves awake. It's very much the reason they're standing amongst the books and not reading at a table nearby, lest the book becomes an extemporary pillow. They are unsure how much time has passed if any since they started, but eventually they realize they are not alone, that I am nearby.

They look up to greet me with a cordial smile, and I extend one in return. My eyes notice the book they're reading, and I begin to make small talk about having read that book myself, and jokingly asking them if they had as much trouble staying awake while reading it as I had. We both laugh at that; I even add a bit of a conspiracy theory claiming the book was intentionally made to make its readers sleepy, for whatever reason. The book's current reader says they believe it. I ask them what page or chapter they've reached. Once they tell me, if it sounds familiar, I will tell them I remember that particular passage, and also tell them of a tactic I've used to help keep myself awake. Of course, their interest peaks at my words.

The experimental study begins as I tell them to continue reading as they were before, but to see things a little differently. The text on the page can easily change for the benefit of the reader, as they imagine their words, or my words at the time, as what's really being read. The boring text of a possibly even more boring subject fades momentarily as they read encouraging words of how easy it is to read what's on the page now, how there's no need at all to do anything but relax and take the words in. What they're looking for is the wrong kind of sleep, there's a certain type of sleep, the kind educators and students alike know of, but haven't a collective word for. It allows them to leave their body perfectly still, still enough so that nothing will keep them from reading the words they see now, words they want to see.

They might hesitate about what they're feeling, how strange yet pleasant it is. They require a bit of calming, and I guide their vision to help take in my words to assist them. One after the next, every word spoken from me becomes the freshly-inked word on the page, winding themselves down into a state of tranquil fixation. My words become exactly what they want, what they need to read, to hear, to take in. Soon, it could be hard to differentiate the words they would've formed from my words, so my words would inevitably come from, or be in their minds.

The effects of it would seem quite captivating, how a person becomes utterly statuesque in posture, unwilling to move from where they are rooted, everything they know centered on my words. I look at such a state as a form of purity, positive purity. Purged of any tension, worry, or fear. The consensus for those in such a state is 'absolute bliss,' and it shows in many. Those in a position to continue reading could feel so loose that bodily indications of excitement can get away from them. The worry of such an occurrence is invalid, as it's perfectly natural in a state of purity. It can be due to the sublime condition of the body, or an obscure liking to what they're feeling, hoping such a state never ends. I wouldn't even have to see such a state; they feel it, and we're both aware of it. And I find myself unwilling to deny a person such pleasure.

But I do remind them that this kind of pleasure is only appropriate for, and more so best enjoyed in a place of solitude. I inform them that in my presence, it is alright to feel so excited, besides feeling wonderful and fixated, but the excitement should be saved and savored for when someone is alone, can enjoy feeling it to the fullest. And as I leave them, they can feel empowered, able to read what they need to and assimilate the information easily and completely, whether it be from a struggling author or myself. And if it helps, or pleases them to, they can always feel my words guiding them even after I'm gone. So, I take my leave from the library, or wherever else I would engage someone, and leave them feeling good.

I sincerely hope my rambling has been somewhat coherent, and the recorded study of interest engaging in this form. I hope to hear your thoughts on this when you have some free time. I hope your Friday will in some way be exciting, at least as exciting as our students feel when they can finally get away.

Thank you,

Dr. Cecelia Mathis.

===============

Excitement was surely felt by Dave as he read it after returning from a class. Coming from a rather unenthused class, it felt like a breath of fresh air, to feel like a student engaged by a highly-motivated teacher, one that literally put him in the exact position she described. He wished more of the history department could teach in this way, for all the perspective it could give.

For all intended purposes, he was the student dozing off with a text book in-hand, until Cecelia came along and literally gave him a new technique to use for studying. He could almost hear her words come off the screen as he read them, feeling everything to do with being there with her. Deep into the message did come as a shock to him, how people could get like that. He wondered with a half-smile if that's what caused his morning stiffness.

He closed the email after a few minutes, putting aside how he would respond, as he began reading submitted papers from earlier. It was easy to employ what he imagined Cecelia's voice to sound like onto papers that seemed soulless, helping him point out things that needed to be corrected. It crossed his mind that some of what she'd described was NSFW, but this wasn't the first time he'd heard or seen that kind of reaction. It certainly wasn't the kind Dave minded; he felt fortunate that any bodily excitement he felt faded before any student came to greet him.

Throughout the day, he'd come back to the email as he had time, re-immersing himself like the first time. He made sure to be alone so his excitement could grow freely. Before Dave could reach the ending of his 5th or 6th reading, he felt hands gently grasping his face, leaning it up to the ceiling, and then a kiss placed on his forehead.

"Hi Patty," he smiled at his wife who'd surprised him from behind in their kitchen.

"Hi yourself, stranger." She smiled back. "Didn't hear me calling?"

"Oh sorry, got caught up in..."

"...a wall of text?" She looked at his laptop screen.

"Yeah, a study someone sent me."

"Not to worry honey; I'd probably space out on that too."

Patti Larkin hugged him from behind, feeling him soak up the warmth of the embrace, leaning in to the kisses she applied to his neck.