KATRINA'S LETTER
(AUTHOR'S NOTE. KATRINA'S LETTER/JOURNAL COVERS MUCH OF THE SAME GROUND IN
MY TIME WITH KATRINA,
BUT FROM KATRINA'S MORE INFORMED POINT OF VIEW. IN ADDITION, IT EXPLAINS BOTH THE WHY AND HOW KATRINA INTRODUCES AND CEMENTS HANDCUFFS AS PART OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP. HOWEVER, ONE MUST READ
MY TIME WITH KATRINA
TO SEE HOW DAVID WAS AFFECTED AND TO FIND OUT HOW THEIR RELATIONSHIP CAME TO SUCH AN UNEXPECTED END. FINALLY, IT WOULD BE THIS LETTER THAT LEADS TO THE EVENTS SOME YEARS LATER RECOUNTED IN
MY TIME WITH IRENA.
)
I
Dear Irena,
I was recently faced with this neat problem: should I try to hypnotize this great looking guy even if doing this could lead to my losing everything important at Cornell and being thrown out of school if word got out.
But first things first. I've just decided to turn this letter into a journal describing my experiences up to the time you come to stay with me over Spring break. If all goes well, I'll mail this to you before you come. If things don't work out, I'll just can this document.
This started the Friday before the end of intercession in January. The weather was cold and snow was predicted for later that evening. Frank and Helen Johnson were having an informal gathering at their apartment. Several of Helen's grad student friends were dropping in and out. Frank, who had been a star on the swimming team before graduating last year and starting Law School, had invited some of his friends from the team. One of the latter group was David Madison, the star backstroker. He lived at his fraternity. His coach had asked the scholarship swimmers to stay up over intercession for extra work David stood about six foot one with sandy brown hair, a buff body (but not overly muscular like the weight lifters or the wrestlers) and these dreamy brown eyes. In addition, he seemed kind of shy, something I find very attractive. I got a glass of wine and sat down to talk to him.
Now I know I must sound like a love sick teenager, but you have got to realize I've been living like a nun for several months now. My apartment mate, Rosa, quit school last November and I've been living alone since. My dissertation dealing with second grade student learning styles has been all consuming for several months. Finally, that dumb move, probably out of boredom, that led me to hypnotize some of the kids in one of my control groups almost got me thrown out of the University. Only the intervention of my advisor saved me and my Teaching Assistant job. But I was warned not to do any hypnosis again or I was out!
David seemed very discouraged, so I encouraged him to talk and I just listened. His grades had fallen off badly last semester and his swim times were falling too, despite his best efforts. Then he said, "You're so easy to talk to, somehow I feel I can really trust you."
That caused me to think he could be hypnotized easily. I would so love to have him in my power! I yearned to feel his arms around me yet with me calling the shots! I had to test his suggestibility. I said, "You know, with all these people in this small apartment, it's really getting quite warm in here. I know you feel it, too."
"Yes," he replied, "now that you mention it, I can feel myself begin to sweat." He then took off his sweater.
"Yeah, and with the warmth and the wine, it all makes you feel sleepy, too."
Then, he actually yawned! I had to try! But I needed to do things carefully to set David up without anyone knowing my ulterior motive. I whispered, "I'll get us another glass of wine. I'll be right back."
I went over to Helen and talked quietly. "If anyone is interested, I'd be glad to demonstrate hypnosis. A demonstration might brighten things up." She knew of my skills in this area.
I returned to David with the wine. After a bit, Helen spoke up and asked if the group would like me to give a hypnosis demonstration. I acted a little reluctant so as to increase the group's interest, then agreed provided that no one mention my name to any outsiders in connection with this demonstration. I was on! This would be step one in my improvised plan to ensnare David. I know I'm a bit dowdy, overweight and I need to do something about my hair, but handsome David, I thought, you will be mine!
I had to be careful with the hypnosis session so that no one, especially David, could guess my hidden agenda. I started with the "pretalk" to put everyone at ease and establish my authority. I explained that anyone could be hypnotized, that the more intelligent you were, the easier it was to go into trance. I discussed how hypnosis can improve both physical and mental abilities (dropping the first shoe). In answer to a question, I explained that I don't humiliate people by having them cluck like a chicken or bark like a dog or anything like that. I will just demonstrate the positive aspects of the art. Just let yourself relax and go along with me and I'll be your guide.
I was ready to begin. I arranged the room and had my three volunteers pick a spot to stare at on the ceiling. I then launched into a standard induction with some special tweaking for David. A condensed version went something like this:
"I want you to imagine that all your fears, worries and tensions are draining away from the top of your head. Let them drain through your face, down through your chest, through your back and waist. Feel these fears and tensions slip through your hips, and now through your ankles to your feet. Now all the fears, tensions and worries are draining out your toes, and you are relaxing more as they leave you.
Now feel the relaxation grow ever more stronger as it moves up through your body. Feel how your toes and feet are so relaxed. You feel wonderfully drowsy as the relaxation moves up your legs. You feel so relaxed, so light, so good. As you continue to look at the spot on the ceiling, you feel your hips and stomach become so restful and relaxed. Now your chest and now your shoulders are so relaxed. It feels so wonderful to let go. Now your face becomes so very relaxed. Your eyes relax, you feel them want to close. Just allow your eyes to close, they are so heavy and tired. That's right. In a moment I will ask you to open your eyes but your eyelids are so relaxed and lazy they will not work. But you know that. Now try to open your eyes. Now stop trying and fall deeply into your trance. Just listen to my voice, obey my voice and fall even more deeply into your trance. You are doing so well. Now just listen and obey my voice as I take you down a flight of stairs. With each step you will become ten times more relaxed. When we reach the basement, you will be in a deep, hypnotic trance, free of worry and tension."
When I finished the ten step deepening process, I could see that David was very deeply hypnotized. The two others had not gone under but that didn't matter. The next step was to implant a trigger since I couldn't be sure how long it might be before I could get David alone. "David, I want you to open your eyes. (He was still entranced, but the onlookers didn't know that.) When I touch your forehead and say 'sleep now!' your body will relax, your eyes will close and you will return to this deep hypnotic trance. Ready, SLEEP NOW."
David went all the way under. The trigger was installed. I felt so excited. If I had David alone now, I would love him to death.
But now I needed to put on my show. I had David's arms float up attached to helium balloons. I made his arm stiff as a steel pipe and had people swing on his arm or attempt to push it down. Standard stuff. The last thing was to have David sit at the table and write his name on a large poster board with a magic marker. I had him sign his name, then regress him back in time. He signed at age 15, 12, 8, and 5. Of course each signature became more childish. Then I woke him up. David seemed amazed at what had happened and, more important, he did not feel as if he had been humiliated. I've accomplished step two! My knees were weak from the excitement!
The audience asked lots of questions, mostly of David. "How did you feel? What do you remember?" etc. Then Helen said, "look, it's starting to snow pretty heavy."
David, his shyness reemerging, blurted out, "I need to go. It's a long walk back to the fraternity."
The others crowded around, asking more questions, but David sounded firm. Maybe this was my chance. I yelled to Helen and Frank, "Thanks for having me over, but I must run. I forgot I was supposed to meet someone at the Union. I've got to go now." I grabbed my coat and gloves and fled before anyone could engage me in conversation.
Outside, I started my car, turned on the heater and moved to the front of the apartment building. I turned off the lights but kept the motor and heater running, warming the car nicely. After another three or four more minutes, David emerged. As he neared my car, I pushed the door open and yelled, "David, hop in and I'll give you a ride back to your fraternity. Besides, the car is nice and warm."
David slid into the front seat. After he closed the door, I reached over, touched his forehead and said, "Sleep now." He sighed as his body slumped and his eyes closed.
II
I parked by my apartment building and leaned close to David. "I have deeply hypnotized you. You love the feeling and you love letting me take control. You may answer me and tell me if this is so."
"I love the feeling and I love letting you take control, Katrina." He said.
"Now listen carefully. When I wake you, you will not remember me hypnotizing you in the car. You will remember that we talked of using hypnosis to greatly improve your grades and your athletic performance. You thought it was a great idea and want to explore it further tonight. I will now count to three. On three, you will become fully awake. One, two, three."
His eyes opened and I began talking as if we had been conversing, "Yes, I can work with you using hypnosis to greatly improve your grades and swimming performance. Why don't you come up. I'll make some hot chocolate and explain how it all could work."
Upstairs I put cups of cocoa in front of us. This is the time where I really needed to enchant him. He seemed so hot to me, just sitting there. I was getting so aroused that it was hard to concentrate.
"I need to run an experiment to see if we can reach the deep hypnosis needed for us to accomplish our goals. Now take a big drink of cocoa. Good. Imagine that I have laced it with a powerful hypnosis drug. Stare at that abstract picture on the far wall. Feel the warmth spread through your body. Feel how relaxed you become as the drug takes control. You want me to hypnotize you. You welcome the wonderful feeling of warmth and laziness. Just let my voice guide you as you drift and float. Your eyes are so heavy. When they are ready, let them close. Yes, that's right. You are doing so well, so relaxed. Your eyes are closed and you are floating. You hear only my voice now and you love this feeling.
We're on an elevator, descending towards the basement. You can see the numbers appear over the door as we descend. I will say each number as it appears. With each number you will become ten times more deeply hypnotized than ever before.
TEN. You feel so good when you submit to my voice and my commands. When you are hypnotized, you want more than anything to please me.
