Author's note: While I'm used to giving credit when another writer's work inspires a story, I'm less used to giving credit to a specific porn video. This story is largely inspired by Mind Under Master's "Melody Marks -- Trance Therapy", which has been occupying a large portion of my personal free time in recent days.
Session 1
Abby was nervous. She had never been to therapy before. Her perspective was filled with old Frasier reruns, the odd episode of the Sopranos, and the ever-present stereotype of an old man in a musty room with a deep voice and notepad full of secrets.
She took a deep breath and glanced towards the door. Behind there was a therapist. She spun her diamond wedding ring in circles on her finger--a sort of nervous twitch. She told herself that she was being silly. People went to therapy every day. They went because it helped. And frankly, this anxiety is exactly why you need it.
Abby thought back to her conversation with her friend Melody. Melody had said that this therapist was easygoing, insightful, and helpful. He had a few odd methods--Abby didn't know how she felt about the idea of hypnotherapy--but Melody had laughed at that. "It's not like the movies, Abby," she had said. "It's just a relaxation thing. Lord knows you could use some relaxation." Abby couldn't exactly argue with that.
So Abby sat in the waiting room of Doctor Osiris' office, feeling the anxiety that plagued her welling up again and trying to clamp it down. She didn't know if it helped or hurt that there was no receptionist, just a sign saying, "Welcome. Sit and make yourself comfortable. The doctor will summon you soon," it meant one less pair of prying eyes to face, but it also meant Abby was sitting and waiting alone, Finally, just as her anxiety was about to win and send her home, the door opened.
"Hi, Abby?" the man said. He was younger than Abby envisioned, with a pleasant smile and a t-shirt and jeans. "I'm Doctor Osiris. I'm ready for you." His voice was also soft, pleasant, and conversational. Frasier Crane he was not.
Abby smiled, stood, and stepped into the room. It was more stereotypical than the doctor, with a large couch, a dark-stained desk, and a bookcase with hardcover volumes from end to end. There was a large television screen at the foot of the couch, which Abby hadn't expected to see, but she supposed that some technology was to be expected--especially in a post-pandemic, Zoom-ready world. The thought of the pandemic struck another wave of anxiety through her.
"Well Abby," the Doctor said, sitting down on an office chair by the dark-stained desk, "why don't you have a seat and tell me a little about yourself?" He gestured towards the couch.
Abby settled onto the couch, laughing nervously and spinning her wedding ring, and said, "Ummm. Ok. Yeah. Ok." She laughed again, realizing that she had said nothing, and tried again. "I'm Abby. I'm an accountant. I just started working a few months ago. And... um... I've been dealing with some anxiety."
"How long have you been out of school?" the doctor asked casually.
"I graduated college almost a year ago," Abby said.
"So you're... what... twenty-three years old?"
"Twenty-two," Abby corrected. "I skipped a year of school."
"I see," Doctor Osiris said with a warm smile. "And you're married?"
"Yes," Abby nodded. "We got married between sophomore and junior year of college."
"That's rather unusual," Doctor Osiris observed. "Isn't it?"
"Well... it depends on the school," Abby said sheepishly. "My husband and I both attended a private Christian school. So... when it came down to a choice between getting married earlier than normal or... um... doing something that would violate our faith... we chose marriage." Abby was red, but Doctor Osiris just smiled again.
"You mean you got married so you could have sex?"
Abby giggled nervously. "Well... I wouldn't put it like that... it's not uncommon from our school. They have married housing."
"And how was the sex?" Doctor Osiris asked.
Abby blinked, taken back by the straight question. "Ummm... what?"
"Did it meet the expectation that you had given it?" Doctor Osiris said. "Abby, lots of times we feel out of control in life because we assign expectations to events that fail to meet them. You took one of the most serious decisions in your life--not to mention in your faith--because you had a desire for sex. I'm asking, as a therapist, if it met your expectation."
"Oh," Abby said. "Well... I mean..." She stammered, trying to find a way of telling another man about her sex life. Even if he was a therapist--her therapist--it felt wrong.
"We can get back to that later," Doctor Osiris said with a wave of a hand. "I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"Ok," Abby said with a nervous laugh.
"Tell me about your anxiety," Doctor Osiris said.
"Yeah," Abby nodded. "It's gotten pretty bad. In familiar situations I'm pretty okay. In my house, in my car, even at my job--although that took a little while to get comfortable. But anywhere new... I just... feel paralyzed. Like there's a car parked on my chest. Like I can't breathe. I feel so... conspicuous."
"I see," Doctor Osiris said. "And why is that?"
"I just think that... that everyone knows I'm a fraud. And they can see it. And they're talking behind my back about it. Because how could they not?" Her breaths were coming faster now. Doctor Osiris lifted a hand and smiled.
"It's okay," he said. "You're in a safe place. I'm here to help you."
"I know that," Abby said, "it's just... it's hard."
"Well," Doctor Osiris said. "Do you know my specialties?"
"I... uh... do you mean the trance stuff?"
"Yes," Doctor Osiris said comfortably. "I know that fifty years ago I would've been called a crackpot, but modern psychology has come around in the last few decades to the healing ability of a trance. Think about it like your phone. If you have a problem with your phone, if it's running slow or running hot, one of the first and best things you should do is to restart it. Now, of course, we won't be restarting a brain, but a trance allows your brain to rest, reset, and clear out a lot of the junk that you can carry with it." He paused, cocked his head, and said, "Think of it like clearing the mental cookies that you pick up through the course of your life. And if you've never done it, that cache is pretty full."
The metaphor was impactful, but Abby wasn't sure. "What about the whole clucking like a chicken thing?" she asked tentatively.
Doctor Osiris laughed. It was a pleasant, easing sound. "I think you'll find that there's very little in common with this form of therapeutic hypnosis and the stage magic of the fifties. I do not have the ability--or the desire, frankly--to input foreign ideas into your brain." He was moving to the tv screen.
"I understand that new experiences are one of your anxiety triggers. And I want to applaud you for coming here in the first place. It's a great first step and I promise it will lead to you living a happier, healthier, more fulfilled life." He glanced over at Abby on the couch. "Are you willing to give me just one more new experience today to see if it can help?" He smiled warmly.
"Yeah," Abby said with a sigh. "Okay. Let's see how it goes."
"Good," Doctor Osiris said. He pushed a button on the television screen and it came on. Abby saw a picture of a mountain range, which she thought was odd, until she realized it was the desktop of his computer. He was using it as an extended monitor. Doctor Osiris sat down, dragged a program onto the screen from his computer, and then looked up at Abby.
"This is going to be a bit of an odd experience for your first time," Doctor Osiris said. "Some people aren't used to feeling this level of relaxation. It's good, though. It's healthy." He pointed at the screen. "I want you to lean back on the couch and look at that screen. Get very comfortable."
Doctor Osiris reached under his desk and push a button. The lights in the room dimmed slightly. Abby leaned back on the couch, finding it quite comfortable. There was a pillow that was well positioned so that she could see the screen, but wasn't craning her neck.
"When this starts, you might feel the urge to go to sleep," Doctor Osiris said. "Don't fight that. It's actually the trance itself. And afterwards, you may feel that you are awakening from the most restful nap ever."
