Chapter eighteen
Hypnotherapy.
1971-1984
Once again, I would like to go back, and this time relate some of the more interesting case histories from the 7000 plus clients that I have treated.
[1] Stories like the chap who was brought to me by his doctor and close friend, suffering from fibrillation. I treated him, on and off, for six months. When he died, I passed on my regrets to his doctor who told me not to be sorry, I had given him an extra six months of life.
[2] Nora was 42 when she came to me with her weight problem. Nora isn't her real name, nor are any of the other names that I use in this chapter.
She weighed 17 stone 7 lbs (112 kg) and had severe emotional problems, as well as depression, anxiety, insecurity, headaches, aches and pains, weak legs, jealousy, sexual problems and suicidal tendencies. She had two children by her first husband, and a toddler by her second husband.
When asked under what conditions her problems got worse, she said when her present husband was behaving differently, not knowing what he might do next. She mentioned a fear of the dark and a fear of her parents, whom she said were cruel. While taking her case history, she told me that she had been in a children's home until she was nine, that her father was always drunk and her mother never told her about periods.
The next day, we had our first hypnosis session to induce trance depth. When I asked her to see something on an imaginary stage, she saw women dancing.
It didn't seem significant at the time but I have learnt that these scenes are often part of the original cause. (So remember the dancing.)
The following day, we had a session to improve her recall. In the dream about her Mum and Dad, she complained that her parents were always fighting. One day, her mother was bleeding and her brother Don was asked to get a doctor, but Nora didn't want Don to leave her alone with her mother.
In the dream about Father, she said he wants to nurse me. He smells horrible. I don't like Father, he's so cruel. Mother went away taking