Warning: This story contains mind control elements. If you are not into that, please click away.
Chapter 1
I straightened my back and leaned forward, my voice low and steady.
"Open your eyes and look at my hand, Kerry," I told my patient. "Focus on the ruby."
"That's it," I continued when her gaze shifted to the gem sitting on my palm. Her head was lolled to the side, and she was breathing softly. "Just focus on the ruby and the sound of my voice."
"Beautiful voice," Kerry mumbled.
"Yes," I said. "Focus on my voice. Now, I am going to count to ten. With each number I count, you are going to go up the stairs, and with every step you take, you feel yourself coming back up to consciousness. And when I reach the count of one, you will wake up feeling refreshed. Do you understand?"
Her voice was barely audible.
"Yes..."
"Good. You're doing good, Kerry."
"Mhm. Good..."
I started counting down. When I reached one, Kerry jolted up, as if a lightning bolt had struck her. She looked around for a couple of seconds before she noticed me sitting directly across from her, and then her gaze snapped to the ruby on my palm.
"Oh," she said, shaking her head and then rubbing her eyes. "Has it already been an hour?"
I smiled and placed the gem to the side. "Yes, and you were fantastic."
"Oh." Kerry was rubbing her forehead with a thumb. "It always feels like... like..." She struggled to find the words. "Like, I was just listening to you talking and then..." she trailed off in silence.
"Many people describe it like waking up from a dream."
"Yeah. Like that, but it's so weird, you know?"
"I know," I told her, my voice reassuring and my smile still in place.
"So, did you fix my smoking problem?"
"It's different for everyone," I explained to her. "Some people respond very well to hypnosis and it will only take one session. And for others, it may take a few sessions of continued hypnotherapy."
"Well, no offense, Doctor, but I hope this will be my first and only session. Getting hypnotized... it just feels so... ugh..."
My smile didn't waver. "I understand, and I hope we will fix your smoking problem as quickly as possible. For now, just take a few deep breaths and rest. You might feel a little weird for a couple of hours, but that's normal."
"I think I am getting a headache."
"Some people do. That's completely normal. For now, I want you to take a few deep breaths."
I tried to ignore her chest rising and falling as she did what I instructed. This was my first session with Kerry, and I was a bit taken aback by her attractiveness when she came into my office. But, as always, I had to remain professional.
"Okay, great," I said once I counted five inhales and exhales. "Now, when you get home and go along with your life, the thought of smoking will eventually come to you. Once it does, I want you to notice how you feel about that thought. It could be a neutral feeling or it could be a positive one. But we are hoping for a negative feeling attached to the thought of smoking. Do you understand?"
"Yeah."
"Excellent." I stood up. "I'll see you at the same time next week and you will update me on your progress. Does that sound good?"
Kerry stood up and almost fell backwards. "Oh, shit." She managed a stifled laugh and held up a hand to show that she was okay. "I'm feeling a little dizzy." She laughed again and nodded at me. "Yeah, same time next week. Thank you, doctor."
I walked to the door and opened it for her, smiling at her as she left. Once she did, I peeked out from my office and nodded at a familiar face, but not for the reasons you'd expect.
"What's up with her?" my sister, Clara, gestured as she walked past me. "She seems so out of it."
I ignored the soft scent of peaches that always accompanied my sister and closed the door behind us. "Sometimes that happens."
She furrowed a brow. "When what happens?"
"Sometimes a patient doesn't react well to their first time being hypnotized."
"Okay?" She placed her hands on her hips. "You're not helping my anxiety at all."
I chuckled. "Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen. I have been in practice for three years already, remember?" I gestured to the chair at the corner of the room. "Shall we?"
"Yeah, yeah." My sister tried to wave it off, but it was clear she was still worried. She was fidgeting a lot.
I walked over and sat in my usual spot, on the chair opposite hers, and began speaking. "Okay, so, usually with my first time patients, I spend about half of the session getting to know them and trying to get them comfortable with me. But since, I basically know all about you..." My sister smiled, and I returned it. "... let's just focus on getting you as comfortable as possible." I gestured to her uniform. "Do you want to talk about your workday? You just finished a flight, didn't you?"
Clara perked up at that. She loved her job and would talk endlessly about it at home, all about her experiences in exotic countries. Usually, I drowned them out, but, right now, I was her hypnotherapist first, and brother second.
"Yeah." Her smile widened. "I had to rush down here after we landed. That's why I didn't have time to change." Her smile disappeared as a thought occurred to her. "Wait, why do I have to rush? I'm your last patient for today, right?"
"Yeah, well, you know I don't like to wait."
"Okay, so how is this going to happen?" My sister looked around the room. "Do you have to use those pocket watch things and wave it all around me?"
I laughed. "No, nothing like that. No, usually I use this." I took out the ruby and handed it to her. "I like to use something that catches a person's attention and holds it there. So, I use that."
"Hmm." Clara examined the ruby. "It's not real, right? It's plastic."
"Of course not. But the most important thing is that it's shiny and that will keep your attention."
"Well," my sister leaned towards me and handed the gem back. The scent of peaches floated around, teasing my nostrils. "So, you use this and then what? Do you swing this around or something?"
"You just relax and follow my instructions. Don't worry, Clara, I know what I am doing. You're in safe hands."
She sighed. "I know, Aaron. It's just.. The stories and movies about hypnosis and shit... it's kind of scary."
"What about it is scary?"
"You know, like in magic shows and stuff, like you can make me do anything you want me to."
"Well, yes, and no. But the most important part here is trust. You trust me, don't you?"
"Well... sometimes."
I started to say something, but she laughed.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I trust you... most of the time, okay? Just don't make me do the weird stuff I hate if you actually manage to hypnotize me."
"Like helping around the house?"
She held up her hand. "I don't want to hear it."
That was a mistake, and I knew it. Her doing chores around the house was a touchy subject for both of us. I had to do everything except her laundry. Clara, being the youngest child and all, refused to do the chores because she hates them. No amount of argument between us could change her mind.
"Fine," I said. "Let's talk about why you want to attend this session."
My sister toyed with her hair. "Well, you know all about it already. I just have been gaining a bit of weight and you know that can't happen with my job."
I nodded. As a stewardess for a prestigious airline, Clara had to be under strict requirements, one of them being that she had to adhere to a certain weight.
She had gained a pound or two recently, but no sane person would say she was overweight, or even remotely close to it. My sister still had her thin, curvy frame, all thanks to her younger years of ballet, and more recently, from the gym.
So, I understood why she had approached me floating the idea of hypnotherapy to keep her chocolate craving in check to make sure she would never be in danger of losing her beloved job.
"Okay," I said. "Like I told you before, hypnotherapy can solve this issue, and I have helped many people with problems like yours. Actually, cravings and bad habits are the number one reason people come to me, after they have tried, and failed, all the conventional methods."
Clara nodded. "Mhm. So what was the lady's problem? The girl before me?"
"You know I can't disclose that."
"Right, right, patient confidentiality stuff. But you know," my sister leaned in, "as a therapist, you must have heard all sorts of juicy shit."
I offered a small smile. "Sometimes, but my lips are forever sealed."
There was a brief silence between us, so I spoke up. "Okay, Clara, are you ready?"
"Nope." She said it like a joke, but I could tell she half meant it.
"First and foremost, I want you to be as relaxed as possible. Do me a favor and take deep breaths. Do a four second inhale, a four second hold, and then a four second exhale. Do them ten times. I will perform them along with you."
I could see my sister relaxing as we went through the relaxation exercise. She was not fidgeting with her hands as much, and her shoulders were not as stiff as when she entered my office.
"Good," I said, when we were done. "Now, we are going to go through some more relaxation exercises."
It was crucial to the process that she was relaxed. We did shoulder rolls, stretches, and a bunch more. Ten minutes had gone by before I was finally satisfied.
I picked up the ruby, and Clara stiffened a little when I held it up to her. I expected that reaction, so I kept my voice as comforting as possible.
"It's fine, Clara. Just do as I say, okay?"
"Okay."
"Just look at the ruby, Clara. Relax and stare into it."
"Okay, Aaron, I am looking."
"Good. I want you to focus deep into it. Concentrate on all the edges of the ruby, stare into all the light reflecting from it. Be mindful of the ruby's color, how red it is, how beautiful it looks."
After I said the lines that I had rehearsed hundreds of times, I clicked my tongue and used my free hand to tap her left shoulder. Usually, a lot of clients would be caught off-guard by the brief physical contact or the sound I made, but my sister didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were glued to the ruby.
That was a surprise to me. I continued on.
"You're doing good, Clara. Keep focusing on the sound of my voice and the ruby. Notice how beautiful it looks?"
"So beautiful..."
Her words were low and monotone. I should be used to the tone by now, but it was a bit off-putting coming from my sister. She was going under extremely quickly. It was a good sign, since that meant Clara was a very good recipient of hypnosis, but out of the hundreds of people I have put in a trance, she was the quickest to go under, and it wasn't even close.
I took a moment to compose myself before continuing. "Good. You're doing beautiful, Clara."