On the bulletin board it was suggested that I was being too conservative. Okay, here is a story that could happen, but certainly shouldn't happen. Unfortunately, I know of at least two criminal cases where doctors were convicted for taking advantage of their patients. One with drugs, one without drugs. In these stories we only deal with hypnosis. This story did not happen.
* * * * *
"Harry, you never spend any time with your family! You are always at your damned office seeing patients."
"Jennifer, you like to live well and so do I. If I don't spend that time seeing patients we are going to have to cut back on things like the opera box and the European vacations. What brought this outburst up?" I knew that Jennifer did not complain about my hours unless she had something pretty specific.
"It's the twins. They have been moping around. Complaining that 'life is not fair' "
"What does that mean?" Our twin boys, Stan and Sean, were eighteen and suffering from late adolescence insecurities. As a psychologist I could recognize the symptoms, but I sure wasn't going to try to deal with it.
"They went out on a double date and the girls were rude to them. They felt completely rejected."
"Terrific, what do you want me to do about it?"
"You are the famous psychologist, couldn't you do something for them?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"I don't know, hypnotize them to be happy, something?"
"Jennifer, you know that I won't screw around with our children."
"Could you find them some girls who would make them feel good?"
"Make them feel good? How the fuck am I suppose to find girls that would make Sean and Stan happy?" When I got frustrated I swore. Jennifer was used to it and ignored it.
"I don't know. Maybe you have patients who would like the twins?"
"Jennifer, I can't just tell a patient that I have two over sexed, eighteen year old sons that want to be made to feel good."
"You know, Harry, I put up with all kinds of shit from you and when I ask you to do something, you make fun of me." Jennifer was beginning to look teary. Great!
"All right, all right, don't cry. I'll try to do something." I didn't have the slightest idea what. But, I sure knew that I wanted to quiet her. Jennifer's father was Charles Slade, a very rich man who had given us a lot of money. Charlie was ninety two and Jennifer was the apple of his eye and only child. I was planning on how I was going to invest his hundred million dollars.
I forgot the conversation immediately. I never expected the subject to come up again, until ...
"Dad, Mom said you were going to get Sean and I a couple of beautiful concubines." Oh, Good! Stan was practically drooling. The twins were reasonably good looking young men, about six feet, 185 pounds, in athletic condition. They were just insecure.
"Stan, did your mother say how I was to do this feat?"
"Sure, she said you would convince a couple of your famous patients that Sean and I were terrific and they should be nice to use." He had a lear on his face when he said "nice."
"When is this going to happen, Sean and I are tired of being virgins?" That was subtle. On one hand, I was pleased the twins felt they could talk to me, on the other hand, in this case I had too much information. Clearly their mother thought I would do something. If I didn't do something Jennifer would feel that I embarrassed her with the twins. Not good.
"I'll keep working on it."
"Soon, please?"
"Soon."
The next day at the office I went over my patient list. I had one patient, a young aspiring actress, who was afraid of flying. She was seeing me to overcome her phobia. I had been treating her conventionally, with therapy. We were exploring her history to discover the root of her phobia. I thought it probably related to her favorite aunt dying when she was twelve. Her phobia was actually a fear of dying.
Her family was rich and they could afford extended therapy. She had been coming in twice a week for about two months. She was still deathly afraid of flying, but now she would get on planes without fear of having a panic attack. She still needed a lot of work. I was certain she would accept hypnosis as a treatment option. Her name was Charlotte. She would be in today.
Charlotte was very pretty. She looked like "Buffy the Vampire Killer." "Charlotte, this is going very slowly. Would you like to try hypnosis?"
"Oh, yes, Dr. Windsor, that would be wonderful."
"Buffy, I'm sorry, Charlotte, sit in the large chair." She giggled. I had made that slip several times and had explained that was my favorite TV show.
"Put your head back and relax. Watch my finger. As it gets closer to your nose you will feel your self going into a trance. As the finger gets closer, the trance will get deeper. When the finger touches your nose you will be in a very deep trance." I slowly brought my finger toward her nose as I spoke. Her eyes started to cross and then her eyes closed when I touched her nose.
"Your whole body is limp and you feel yourself floating deeper and deeper. Can you hear me?"
She answered in a dreamy voice. "Yes, I hear you."
"Charlotte, I am going to waken you by counting to three. You will waken from a very deep trance. You will not remember anything that I have done since you entered this room. Do you understand?"
"Yes." In the same voice.
"When you wake you will do everything I say, without question or hesitation. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"One, two, three."
She slowly opened her eyes. She looked around. "What are we going to talk about today?"
"Today, I wanted to talk about how you relate to your mother. Lift your right hand in the air and hold it there."
She lifted her right hand straight up and acted as if nothing had happened. "How do you get along with your mother?"
She started to talk without lowering her arm. "Why are you keeping your arm in the air?"
"I don't know."
"Open your blouse."
Without hesitation she unbuttoned her blouse. She had a pink bra on. "Take off your bra."
Again without hesitation she removed her bra. Her breasts were magnificent. Very firm. She really did not need a bra. She obviously got sun without wearing one. She kept right on talking about her mother.
"Charlotte, go into an even deeper trance."
She fell back with her arm still in the air. After every move she put her hand back in the air.
"Charlotte, are you a virgin?"
"No."
"Do you have a boy friend?"