A: Yes. I remember now.
Q: Would you like to try going under just with that?
A: I…I’ll try.
Q: Good.
A: Can I say…talk about it?
Q: Sure.
A: Well, I’m trying to feel the hand on my wrist, but…
Q: You just think about it, the way it felt, and I’ll help you remember. Just thinking about it is all that is necessary. Imagine that hand and, if you want to, close your eyes so that you can see it more clearly. Does that help you to see it?
A: Yes.
Q: Good. You see the fingers are moving, jerking, and the hand is moving upward. And as it comes toward your face you go deeper and deeper into the trance.
A: And the fingers separate like this?
Q: Yes. You just go right ahead. You’re doing beautifully. You’re doing just what I want you to do. When the hand begins to move toward your face, say “now.”
(PAUSE)
A: Now.
Q: Good. Now I want you to begin recalling a very, very satisfying experience. A very pleasant experience. An experience where you felt strong and good and when all of those who knew you would have been proud and pleased. Can you recall such an episode?
A: Yes.
Q: All right. Would you like to tell me about it?
A: I felt pretty when I got married.
Q: Yes. That is usually a pleasant, satisfying experience.
A: I was so happy.
Q: Good. Tell me how you feel as you recall that experience.
A: Weepy.
Q: Weepy?
A: I cried all through the ceremony. A judge married us. He thought it was sweet that I cried. He said so. How nice it was to see tears of joy. He lent me his handkerchief to dry my eyes.
Q: Is that what you were doing when you wiped your hands over your face just now?
A: Uh-huh.
Q: Good. You can enjoy reliving that joyful experience vividly and accurately and perhaps even enjoy things you have forgotten. Yes. There is a smile on your face. What are you remembering?
A: John, my husband. He brought me flowers for the wedding. I only had flowers once before from a boy before that. They were awful pretty.
Q: You are doing just fine, Esther. You are able to control your trance so well. I am proud of you. Do you think you are ready to go a little further?
A: I think so.
Q: Good. Now let’s make use of your own ability again. The more you practice, the better you get. Start thinking about that sensation in your wrist. How it felt when I touched you. And when you have reached the stage where your hand is moving toward your face, and you feel it moving, say “now.”
A: Now.
Q: Good. Now, Esther, there are many pleasant things in one’s life. There are weddings and Christmases. What is the nicest birthday gift that you ever received?
A: My…One of my fathers took me to dinner and the show.
Q: Who was that, Esther?
A: My real father. Mr. Freemont. I was eleven or twelve and we dressed up. He wore a suit and tie and Momma looked so nice. I had a new dress. It was yellow and Daddy said it was for me, because I was special.
Q: Can you see that dress now?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you imagine that you are wearing that dress?
A: Yes.
Q: You have it on right now, don’t you? You can touch it. You feel so good and proud in your new dress. That’s right, stroke it. Feel the material in your hand. You’re smiling. Are you pleased with the dress?
A: Yes. It feels so nice. Thank you, Daddy.
Q: Okay, Esther. Relax. Good. That was fun, wasn’t it? Good. Relax. Now, perhaps, we can remember some other things. Do you remember a party in November, 1960? Can you remember that party?
A: A party?
Q: Yes. In November, 1960.
A: There were a lot of parties I went to.
Q: Do you remember two boys named Coolidge?
(PAUSE)
Q: Esther, do you remember two brothers named Bobby and Billy Coolidge?
A: Yes.
Q: Could you tell me if you were ever at a party with Billy and Bobby.
A: Well, I hung around with their crowd, you know. I probably was at a lot of parties where they were.
Q: Do you remember a girl named Alice Fay?
A: Uh-huh.
Q: What do you remember about Alice?
A: She was pretty. She was the Junior Prom Queen.
Q: You went to a party at Alice’s house in November of 1960, didn’t you?
A: In November?
Q: Yes.
(PAUSE)
Q: Esther, can you remember the party at Alice Fay’s house?
A: I…A little.
Q: Good. Now, would you relax and lean back and close your eyes and just review that evening and that party as much as you can remember. When you do this, I want you to feel confident that you may remember, misremember or forget anything and everything that happens here today as your unconscious needs require and when you awaken you will feel refreshed and you will feel relieved in proportion to any anxiety you may feel during the experience. Review that evening now, and when you have completed reviewing as much as you recall, I want you to say “now.”
(PAUSE)
A: Now.
Q: Good. Now, Esther, I want you to close your eyes and imagine that you are seeing each event that happened on the evening of Alice’s party. Are you doing that?
A: Yes.
Q: Esther, I would enjoy reviewing that evening with you. Would you like to tell me what you are seeing?
A: The house.
Q: Whose house?
A: Alice’s house.
Q: Do you like the house?
A: It’s grand.
Q: What do you like best about the house?
A: They have thick carpets in one room. I walked over there. It was like walking in clouds.
Q: It felt good?
A: The furniture was so pretty.
Q: What is happening in the house? Can you see it?
A: There is music and dancing. Everyone is having fun.
Q: Good. You’re doing fine. Now, when you review the events taking place I want you to feel as clearly as you can the way you felt when the events were happening. How do you feel, Esther?
A: I felt nervous.
Q: Nervous?
A: We shouldn’t be here.
Q: Why shouldn’t you be here?
(PAUSE)
Q: Why shouldn’t you be at Alice’s house?
A: There was something bad…I…Oh, I can’t say. I’m just nervous.
Q: Did Billy and Bobby make you nervous?
A: Umm.
Q: I couldn’t hear you, Esther. You have to talk up.
A: I guess.
Q: What did they do to make you nervous?
A: Pardon?
Q: What did Billy and Bobby do to make you nervous?
A: I…I don’t know. Is it hot in here?
Q: I don’t think so, Esther.
Esther, did Billy and Bobby make you nervous when they fought? Is that why you are nervous.
A: I don’t feel well.
Q: What’s wrong?
A: Nothing.
Q: Okay, then. Just relax. Feel how good it is to be so in control. To feel confident that you can be the woman that you really want to be. Do you feel that confidence?
A: Yes.
Q: Are you relaxed and in control?
A: Yes.
Q: All right, Esther, I want you to think about the party. To review that night, as I know you have the power to do. Can you see the thick carpet and the beautiful furniture?
A: Yes.
Q: Take off your shoes and walk around in the thick carpeting. It feels good, doesn’t it?
A: I didn’t do that.
Q: But you wanted to, didn’t you?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you see the people dancing?
A: Yes.
Q: You see Bobby and Billy, don’t you?
A: By the punch bowl.
Q: Is that where the fight was?
A: The fight?
Q: Do you remember the fight? Billy and Bobby were fighting. Is that what made you nervous?
A: I don’t remember.
Q: You don’t remember the fight?
A: Billy was always fighting.
Q: Did Billy fight in the park?
A: Pardon?
Q: Did Billy fight in the park?
A: The…I didn’t go to the park.
Q: You didn’t lose your glasses in the park?
A: No. Uh-uh.
Q: When did you lose your glasses?
A: A little before.
Q: Before when, Esther?
A: The…you know, the time when Richie was…died.