The lights come back on. The counselor asks if any of us are addicted to certain foods. Michael says he is addicted to peanut butter and chocolate. Not necessarily Reese Peanut Butter Cups, but any kind of peanut butter and chocolate Another woman says she has a real problem with potatoes.
The counselor says she will do a 10 minute exercise and show us how we can get over our food addictions. She calls upon the woman first and has her sit in a chair in front of the room. The woman is told to close her eyes and think back to a time when she first had potato chips. Tell us about that time. Take us there. The woman sits there, not saying a word.
Hypnotist: Relax, take all the time you need. Tell us what you are seeing.
Woman: I am not seeing anything.
Hypnotist: No, not what you are seeing, what are you feeling? What is going through you?
Woman: (She says nothing, completely silent.)
Hypnotist: Take all the time you need. Tell us what is going on.
Woman: I don't feel anything. I don't see anything.
After another 5 minutes of this, the hypnotist tells us the woman is having a hard time opening up because of her need for privacy. This will work better when the woman comes back for a one-on-one session. (Yeah, sure it will.)
The hypnotist calls Michael, who admitted he can't stay away from chocolate and peanut butter. She is going to try the same exact exercise with him and show us all how it can work.
Right away Michael closes his eyes and is transported back to his grandfather's kitchen when he was just a boy of 5 or 6 years old. It's there that Michael shares peanut butter and chocolate with his grandfather. Of course the hypnotist asks about his grandfather and Michael says he just died a few weeks ago. (Talk about hiting paydirt with this one!)
Within the next 10 minutes, Michael's obsession with chocolate and peanut butter is completely kicked. He no longer craves it and on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being HAS TO HAVE IT), Michael says he is at a "0" when offered chocolate/peanut butter.
I should add during this exercise, the hypnotist is making Michael repeat after her, "You love your grandfather. You do not love the chocolate and peanut butter. The chocolate and peanut butter have no feelings. The chocolate and peanut butter have no feelings." Over and over again this is getting repeated, while she is tapping him all over his face and shoulders.
And with that, the session is over and we are now able to go home. It's been over 3 hours. And frankly, I am hungry for potato chips and chocolate. The hypnotist encourages those who feel they need it, to schedule with her a one-on-one session. My friend Donna goes up to her and requests a one-on-one appointment. It will cost $160 for this session. She then informs Donna that it is very likely she will need more than one session to work through everything. (Sure she will!)
So it's been a full week. And I can honestly say I feel no different. Not only do I feel like I wasn't hypnotized, but I am pretty convinced I fell asleep. I can remember at one point, the hypnotist came around, took my arm, shook it, and let it fall with a thud down to my side. When she did this to me, I burst out laughing. Later Donna asked me why I laughed. I told her because I wasn't expecting her to do this and it scared me a bit. Donna said the hypnotist had told us she was going to go around and do that to each of us. Because I was asleep, I didn't hear her! When she grabbed my arm, it woke me up.
So what did I get out of the experience? Other than a 2 hour nap? Not much. However, I did get one of the best night's of sleep I've ever had. I think because I was so relaxed, it was easy to fall into a deep, deep sleep.
Although, I have to say, Donna and I laughed the entire ride home. We figured for the cost of dinner and a movie, it was worth the entertainment factor.
Was it wrong that as soon as I got home, I had chocolate-flavored rice cakes with peanut butter on them?
Stay tuned for Getting Kooky, Part 4 - When the hypnotist called me to follow-up.
Man, that Donna sounds like an idiot.
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