in the toilet, as punishment. Her mother was extremely anxious and critical. Ann had also been trapped in two fires. During a school fire, she had hidden in a locker. She could not get out and was not found until the locker was filled with smoke. In the second fire she had been unable to leave a skyscraper for hours, until a fire below was con- tained. As a result of these and other experiences, Ann had been extremely claustrophobic for thirty years. She had not been able to enter an elevator, or to fly in an airplane. Ann was motivated for change but naturally frightened about the MRI and the possible results of the test. She was pessimistic about ever tolerating a space as small as an elevator for five minutes, even with other people there to comfort her. The thought of remaining motionless and alone for hours in the coffin-like MRI filled her with dread. We met for twelve one-hour sessions in three weeks. She was immediately given the H-PLUS tapes Relax, Let Go, and Off-Loading, and the MIND FOOD tapes Energy Walk and Morning Exercise. She practiced with them diligently. After a week, we began to use the H- PLUS tape format to enter a relaxed, light hypnotic state during alternating sessions. Here we explored in more detail the origins of her fear of being trapped, and used imagery to rehearse successful completion of the MRI test. The images of being surrounded by protective white light, and of mentally expanding the space seemed particularly useful.
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Hemi-Sync® Journal 1991-2 (Spring) · 1 Hemi-Sync® Journal 1991-2 Spring.pdf
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Throughout her adult life, Ann had not dared to dance or laugh because such acts were too spontaneous and could bring ridicule. The interpretation that she had actually trapped herself every day by being so careful to please everyone seemed to make sense to her and helped shift the emphasis away. from the dimensions of physical space and to claustrophobia as a symbol of her internal state—trapped and fearing loss of control. She became determined to conquer this self- imposed restriction. Three weeks after meeting Ann, I accompanied her to the MRI ata hospital forty miles from her home. The test was delayed two hours. The roads outside were icing over, yet she remained only moderately anxious. When the test began she used the H-PLUS Function Com- mands to “relax” and “let go,” and visibly relaxed, feeling confident that she would make it. We let her know that the test could be terminated anytime she asked. She entered the machine. At her request, I read to her to link her with the outside world and to give her something positive to focus upon. Ann was successful this time and without medication. She re- ported feeling two minutes of initial ill-ease, then entered into a very relaxed state and eventually went to sleep during the three-hour procedure. She, the staff, and I were amazed at her accomplishment. She went on to conquer elevators shortly thereafter with the feeling that “I can now conquer any fear.” « « « ‘Ican now conquer any fear.”
I have no doubt that the tapes helped quickly establish a deep therapy alliance, gave her rapid control, and allowed us to reach and “off-load” repressed material quickly and safely. This was more remarkable given that Ann had a lifelong history of understandable distrust, pessimism, self-harshness, and low self-confidence. Her triumph over the MRI left her eager to explore other aspects of her life and to make many positive changes. She used the Emergency Series to deal with the brain surgery she required, These tapes seemed to reduce the usual disorientation and discouragement of such surgery. Since working with Ann, I have used the Monroe tapes clinically with excellent success in various situations, including the use of Super Sleep for children with learning disabilities and/or attention deficits. Most attention-disordered children have to make their beds from scratch each morning due to restless sleep. With Super Sleep playing all night, the bedding is intact in the morning, and parents. and teachers report better concentration and less irritability during the day. The children often have difficulty listening to relaxation tapes because they are so restless. They tolerate Super Sleep well because it does not require the same degree of stillness and concen- tration, as it entrains them to a normal sleep cycle pattern. Thave used Strong-Quick with twoweightlifterswhowere resisting eliminating steroid use, for fear of losing their “edge.” Most weightlift-