Everything In One Basket,
by Mudak
Part 3—The Second Appointment
Sarah was relieved that she was able to get an appointment the following day. She was disappointed, but not surprised, that Erik couldn’t get off of work to make the 2 pm slot that they were able to squeeze her in to.
She ordered some take-out to eat at her desk so that she could leave work in time for her next visit to the hypnotist. The french fries and pickles all found their way into the basket that she had brought with her to work. When someone asked her what the basket was for, all she said was, “It’s a weight-loss thing.” Nobody pressed her any more on this point.
She arrived at the waiting room at exactly 2 pm, and quickly was escorted into the back and into one of the hypnosis rooms. Sabrina stepped in to the room and said, smiling, “I didn’t expect you back here until next week. Is everything all right?”
Sarah tried not to come off as too angry when she responded, “Um, actually, no. Last night, Erik and I—um—Erik. He and I ended up, how can I say this, we, er, um....”
“Take a deep breath Sarah. It’s all right. What did you two do?”
“We had sex in the park last night.”
“Oh, I see.”
“A lot of people did. And I don’t think I’ve ever felt so ashamed in my life.”
“I understand.”
“I don’t know what you did to us in yesterday’s session, but you’ve got to fix this. Make it right. “
“I can do that.” Sabrina smiled broadly when she heard these words.
“Good.”
“You know, I’ll have to put you under again.”
“I know.”
“You seem kind of tense right now. Before I can put you under, you’ll need to relax. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Some wine would be nice.”
“How about water?”
“That’ll do.”
“I’ll be right back. Why don’t you sit down and do some of the breathing exercises we tried yesterday?” Sabrina left the room for a few moments and came back to a much more calm-looking patient. She handed her a cup of cold water and Sarah quickly took it and drank it.
“Very good, Sarah. Now I want you to inhale. Good. Exhale. Good. Now every time you inhale, say the word ‘sleep’ to yourself.”
Sabrina decided to take Sarah on the same imaginary car ride as she took the previous night. Sarah apparently had already been saying the word “sleep” to herself on each breath, since she started “driving” much more quickly than in the previous night. “Okay, Sarah. We’re driving to your safe place. Do you remember where that is?”
“Yes.”
“Very good. We’re almost there. We’re pulling off of the highway now. That’s it. Now stop the car. Good. Now open the door and get out. Very good. This is a very beautiful place, isn’t it?”
“Yessssss.”
“It’s a safe place, isn’t it?”
“Safe ... place....”
“Now, you don’t want the same thing that happened to you last night, to happen to you again, do you?”
“No. I felt ashamed.”
“I can fix that.”
“Thank you.”
“Good. On the front passenger’s seat of your car, there are two boxes. Do you see them?”
Sarah turned to look inside of her “car” and said, “Yes.”
“One of these boxes is labeled ‘inhibitions’ and the other one is labeled ‘fears.’ Do you see that?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I want you to pick up the box labeled ‘fears.’” Sarah moved as commanded.
Sabrina continued, “Inside this box are all of your fears and insecurities about your own sexuality. I want you to open the box. Very good. Now please take one of those fears and insecurities out of the box. I want you to look long and hard at it. Very good. Please tell me what this fear is.”
“I’m afraid of losing control.”
“I understand that. The wind is picking up around you. Do you feel it?” Sarah didn’t say anything, but she shuddered briefly. “Whoops! The wind just took that fear and carried it off. You can’t retrieve it. That fear is gone completely. I want you to take out another fear and tell me what it is.”
“I’m insecure about my body image.”
“The wind just carried that one off, too. It’s gone completely. What’s next?”
“I’m afraid of the wrong people seeing me as a sexual being.”
“Whoa! That gust of wind was particularly strong. That fear flew out of your hands faster than the other two. It’s gone.” Sarah was breathing much more calmly than she had all day by this point. “In fact, that gust of wind was so strong, it took away the entire box of fears. You have no sexual fears or insecurities left.”
“I have no sexual fears or insecurities left.”
“Very good. Now, I want you to take the box labeled ‘inhibitions’ out of the front seat. Perfect. What is the first inhibition?”
“I don’t like being naked.”
“The wind just carried that one off, too. This inhibition is gone. What else is in there?”
“I don’t like to experiment with sex.”
“That wind is very warm and comforting. It takes away that inhibition. What else?”
“I have a hard time asking for what I want.”
“A very strong gust is carrying away that inhibition and the whole box. You have no more inhibitions, insecurities, or fears about sex”
Sarah dropped her hands to her sides.
“Now, Sarah. Do you remember how you felt last night?”
“Yes.”
“How did you feel?”
“I felt ashamed.”
“If that happened again, would you feel ashamed?”
“No.”
“if it happened again, how would you feel?”
“Pleased. Happy. Maybe even exhilarated.”
“Very good. It’s time to leave your safe place and come back to my office, so please get in your car. Very good. I am going to clap my hands, and when I do, you’ll wake up and not remember anything we talked about. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Very good. One. Two. Three.” Sabrina clapped her hands and Sarah found herself back in the hypnotherapist’s office.
Sarah shook her head to wake herself up fully and smiled. “I take it you fixed everything?”
“Yes. What happened last night won’t happen again.” Sabrina had a lilt in her voice, glad she was able to liberate someone from an oppressive sexuality that gets drummed into the minds of too many young girls before they know how to think for themselves. After all, Sarah just wanted to make things right, without clarifying what that meant... “How do you feel?”
“Exhilarated, actually.”
“Good.” Sabrina looked at the basket Sarah brought in. “I see that you’re using the basket properly. I didn’t change anything about that today.”
Sarah wiped her brow and thanked Sabrina.
Sabrina responded, “You’re welcome. I think you and Erik should keep your appointment next week for a more thorough follow-through.”
“Can do. Thank you again, Sabrina!”
“My pleasure.” After Sarah closed the door behind her, Sabrina muttered, “I think it’ll be your pleasure, too.”
On the way out of the office, Sarah saw her friend, Maria, in the waiting room and they had a little bit of small talk before Maria was called back and Sarah left.
Sabrina noticed this and decided that it was worth it, in this session, to give Maria a few suggestions to help Sarah with her treatment. “So, Maria! How do you know Sarah?”
“I work with her.”
“Very good.....”