MODIFIED BEHAVIOR
By: BZ2
Part 3
The next day, Melissa arrived for work at her usual time. She was on the phone confirming a patient’s appointment when Dr. Dilworth arrived. They exchanged their usual pleasantries as Dr. Dilworth entered his office. Once at his desk he removed a box of Godiva Dark Chocolate Truffles from his brief case and stashed them in a drawer. He returned to her desk moments later.
“Melissa you know the case study I’ve been working on for the University don’t you?”
“Yes doctor that’s the hypnosis one, the one I’ve been typing up for you. In fact doctor I’ve been thinking. I’ve been interested in hypnosis for a long while now. And I wondering if maybe you could use another subject?”
“Well Melissa, as it turns out I could use another subject, one who is not a patient, a control subject that could allow me to comparisons with my other results. Are volunteering yourself or someone else? It could mean a few extra bucks in your paycheck if it is you.”
Melissa’s eyes suddenly flashed wide as she eagerly responded, “Yes, yes, she gushed. I would love to be a subject. I’ve always had an interest in hypnosis. In fact, I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’ve been very tempted to peek in on one of your sessions.”
“Heh, heh,” Dr. Dilworth laughed nervously. Then upon recovering he said, “Good girl, I’ll need you to sign one of the consent forms for me. I believe you have them in your desk.”
Melissa took a consent form out of her desk, looked it over it briefly, and then signed the document.
As soon as the paper was signed Dr. Dilworth collected it from her desk and returned to his office.
Melissa sat at her desk slightly puzzled by the doctor’s behavior. He seemed a little nervous to her. And he usually had her file the consent forms for him. And what was this demeaning “Good girl” business he never used that phrase around her before and she was definitely not his “good girl.”
The rest of the day went smoothly patients came and went and by 4:00 PM the last patient had gone. Melissa smiled, “I’ll get home early tonight.” Then she cleared the papers from her desk and gathered her things. She was about to get up and head for home when Dr. Dilworth stuck his head out of his office.
“Melissa, it’s TRAINING TIME.”
Melissa never made it out of her chair, she slumped back into her seat and her chin collapsed into her chest as her eyes firmly shut her into a deep trance.
Samuel hastily approached her desk. He lifted up Melissa’s head as he spoke to her, “Good girl, you are doing very well. When I count to five you will open your eyes, but you will not awaken. You will standup, walk to the couch in my office and lay down. One, two, three, four, five.”
Melissa’s eyes opened, but they had a glazed over appearance. She stared fixatedly at nothing in particular. She slowly rose from her desk and walked to the couch in Samuel’s office. Her motion, slow and rigid, had resembled that of sleepwalker. It almost appeared as if she were moving in slow motion as she eased onto the couch and lay stiffly down. She lay there in the same stiffness she displayed as she walked to the couch.
He followed her into the office. He then reached down and patted her head “Good girl Melissa.” He took a note pad from his desk then moved his chair next to the sleeping girl on the couch,
“Melissa do you remember the elevator?”
“Yes.”
“You are riding the elevator down again, as it descends you will relax and you drift deeper and deeper into relaxing sleep.” Her body easily began to settle into the couch.
“Good girl Melissa. You are doing just fine, now Melissa I need to find out just what makes you tick, and to do that we must go back to your earliest memories. I want you to picture in your mind a large full-length mirror. Can you see it Melissa/”
A very shallow, “YES” was her response.
“Good girl, now I want you to see yourself standing in front of the mirror. Do you see yourself in the mirror Melissa?”
“Yes.”
“Very good Melissa, now while you admire your image I will begin to count backwards from 23 as I do you will see yourself becoming younger and younger. Each time I count off a number you will see yourself one year younger in the mirror. Do you understand Melissa?”
“Yes.”
“Very good Melissa, I will to count and you will see yourself at that age twenty three then slowly regress as I count backwards. Twenty three, twenty two, twenty one, twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, you are back in high school now, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten, you are back in grade school, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, you are a little girl just three years old. Can you see a three year old Melissa in the mirror/”
“Yeth.”
“Tell me about yourself Melissa.”
“I am thwee years old, I luv my mommy and daddy and I luv Missy too.”
“Who is Missy Melissa?”
“Missy is my doggie I luv her.”
“Very good Melissa, tell me what are your very favorite things that make you feel happy.”
“Santy Clause, presents, birthdays, and candy.”
“Okay Melissa now tell me, what things that make you feel sad?”
“Mommy and daddy yelling.”
Dr. Dilworth continued probing into his subjects past knowing that it would take time to discover all of Melissa’s psychological characteristics. Her subconscious would be the best map he could find as to how her behavior might be subjected to modification. In fact he planned to spend the next three months probing into Melissa past he wanted to make himself aware of all her foibles, wants, fears, but most of all her desires both the ones she acknowledged and even more so the ones that she tried to subvert.
After nearly two hours of probing Melissa’s past as a three year old he decided it was time to bring her back to the present day. “Melissa look in the mirror again and watch your reflection. I will count forward this time and as I do you will see yourself growing older. Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine…twenty one, twenty two, twenty three. What do see in the mirror Melissa?”
“I see myself.”
“How old are you Melissa?”
“I am twenty three years old.”
“Good girl Melissa.” He opened his desk draw and removed the box of truffles. It was time establish his control object. “Sit up Melissa, open your eyes.” She came to a sitting potion on the couch and opened her eyes as Dr. Dilworth held up the box of chocolates. “Melissa you have been such a good girl that I have a special treat for you.” He held up one of the truffles “Do you know what I have here?”
Melissa instantly recognized he favorite indulgence. She replied cravingly, “Godiva’s Dark Chocolate Truffles.”
“That is right Melissa”, he said as he gave her a truffle, “Go ahead enjoy it Melissa. Isn’t that the most wonderful tasting morsel you have ever eaten?”
“Yes it is.”
“Now you must understand that these are very special treats. You desire them more than any of the treats you keep stashed in your desk. But from now on there will be one and only one way that you may indulge your craving for one of these delectable concoctions.”
“You will have to earn these special treats Melissa. And the only way you can earn them is by obeying a command that I give to you. You can never again buy these delectable morsels for yourself. If someone other than myself offers you one you will immediately but reluctantly refuse it. The only possible way that you may enjoy this delectable confection is from my hand. Do you understand this Melissa? If you understand you must repeat it.”
“Yes I understand, Godiva’s dark chocolate truffles are such a very special treat that I must obey your command to earn the privilege of savoring one of those delectable morsels. And it is a treat that I can receive only from your hand.”
“Very good Melissa that deserves another treat,” and he handed her another truffle, and she fervently savored it.
“Now Melissa there is something else you must understand, the truffle is just a physical reward, the real reward is the pat on the head and the phrase “Good girl”. This action and the phrase that accompanies it will permanently imprint the desired behaviors into your psyche.”
“Your first conscious reaction to this action and phrase may be one of revulsion. You may even think them demeaning. However, you will never, never refuse them. In time you will grow to understand and accept the action and phrase as the true praise they are intended to be. And then, eventually, you will learn to desire them even more than these sweet confections you now so cravenly long for.”
“Now to business.” Samuel closed the box of candy and returned it to his desk.
For the next three months Samuel relentlessly probed Melissa’s psyche. Most patients may experience this kind of “therapeutic” delving for about an hour once or twice a month. As soon as the day’s last patient had left the office, “Training Time” became the new routine and he kept her in a trance for hours at a time discovering details of her life that even she no longer consciously remembered.
During these three months he also worked on a few minor behavior modifications. Using the truffle as a reward Melissa now had no problem making coffee in the morning and she eagerly accepted her “treat” when she handed Samuel his morning cup.
And once he had indulged his curiosity and had seen her in all of her naked beauty. He had also effected some changes in her office attire. Gone were the oversized sweaters and baggy pants. In their place were crisp white blouses and snug black skirts (which had grown progressively shorter, from just at the knee to where they now crept half way up her thigh). Also gone where her sensible and comfortable shoes and soft white sox. Melissa now favored sheer nylons held up by a lacey garter belt and high heels, which grew higher as her skirt grew shorter.
Dr. Dilworth noticed that his male patients were arriving early for appointments and lingering afterward.
Melissa was convinced that all of the changes were of her own doing just a new sense of style (generated from some unidentifiable source), but all her own. She had thought it odd and resented it at first when Dr. Dilworth continued to pat her on her head and said “Good girl.” She thought it was a demeaning way to treat a twenty-three year old college graduate. But she did love the truffles and she was beginning to enjoy being called “Good girl” and Dr. Dilworth’s gentle pats on the head made her feel so warm and protected.
But there was another thing she found quite puzzling; she seemed quite unable to treat herself to a box of those irresistible candies. She had stopped at a confectionary on several occasions only to discover that despite their availability and affordability she was simply found herself incapable of making the purchase.
It was also a mystery as to why she had refused a box of the addictive truffles from her boyfriend on her birthday. And how that simple box of chocolate had somehow created the wedge in their relationship that was driving them farther and farther apart.
When Joe (her boyfriend) finally made the break she was almost relieved, and Dr. Dilworth knew it was time to proceed to the final phase.