How much of our lives are affected by childhood trauma?
Have you ever wondered if your emotions as an adult are ruled by the events of your childhood? The answer is — probably all of them. Yes, we live our lives daily pretending to be a person who is together and strong but when circumstances of life fall upon us like an unexpected thunderstorm, we often stand unable to take cover; unable to shield ourselves from the pouring rain or frequent lightning. We become numb to the bolts of thunder as the storm rages around us and we cannot move out of its pathway.
In Rubies – Escaping the Curse, our storyteller, Stacey Walker, lives constantly in such a thunderstorm. It is only now at this point in her life when she is finally realizing the trauma she suffered in her childhood has shaped her into the person she is today. It is not a person she wants to be.
Today we witness Stacey’s first in-depth hypnosis session with Gregg Phillips. He uses a very unique method of hypnosis equating the past to a library of books that contain the life story of the person under the hypnosis.
We discover from this session that Stacey’s problems in her life are not necessarily caused strictly by the events of the present but are greatly influenced by the events of the past.
November 1991
Gregg Phillips sat in his office listening intently to the tape of Stacey’s first in-depth hypnosis session earlier that day. He poured himself a cup of coffee, then winced at the foul odor reeking from his cup. He guessed it was his due for working so late and making the last pot on top of the old grounds. He smiled to himself, recalling the days in Nam when he’d have given his right arm for even one cup of coffee.
Stacey’s first hypnosis the previous week had only been a relaxation technique to prepare her for what was to follow. Today she’d arrived at his office appearing somewhat nervous and he soon knew why. It had been quite an eye opener for him, and he was quite miffed at himself for not recognizing the signs earlier.
He knew his patient had many disturbing memories about her past, had recently lost her sister whom she loved dearly, but he was surprised to discover that her trauma had begun as early as four years old. . .
The two-hour session began by Phillips closing the draperies and dimming the light before seating himself in the armchair adjacent to the sofa.
“How did you feel after last week’s session, Stacey?”
A faint smile appeared on her face. “I guess okay, but I’m nervous today.”
He stared down at her clenched hands, then leaned forward to lift her chin with his hand. “Stacey, do you trust me?”
The seconds slipped into minutes as she silently stared into his eyes. “Yes,” she finally whispered.
Phillips leaned back in his chair.
“Stacey, it’s very normal for you to feel somewhat nervous, but the whole point of hypnosis therapy is to enhance your state of mind, not diminish it. Trust is vital if we are to accomplish anything during these sessions.”
She squirmed in her seat.
He leaned forward again. “Stacey, look at me.”
She looked directly into his eyes.
“I give you my word we’ll stop anytime it becomes too uncomfortable for you.”
She nodded.
“Good. Then let’s begin.”
As he did in their previous week’s session, Phillips used an elevator as a symbolic means taking her deeper and deeper, into the lowest level of consciousness, but this time he took her one step further.
“Now, Stacey, as you see the elevator doors open, I want you to step out into your private library. No one else can enter this library as it’s special only to you. It’s special because it holds all of the books about your life. You can walk down the aisles and see books of many colors. Some of the books are good, recalling happy memories. But some of the books are not so good. These books are filled with the memories that are causing you so much pain.
“Today I want you to walk all the way down the first aisle of books, all the way to the very end. I want you to look at the first book, which holds your earliest childhood memories. Notice its color and shape. Then carefully remove it from the shelf.”
“Do you have the book in your hand, Stacey?”
She nodded. “It looks like sunshine.”
“That’s very good. Now I want you to open it.”
She scowled and puckered her lips.
“How old are you now, Stacey?”
She held up four fingers.
“Is there something in the sunshine book that’s making you unhappy?”
She nodded her head. “Grandpa is sad.”
“Do you know why he is sad?”
“Grandma’s asleep, but she can’t wake up. She’s cold.” Stacey’s mouth curved upward as her frown turned into a smile. “I love Grandpa the best of anyone.”
“Tell me about your grandpa, Stacey.”
“He takes me to the candy store every day. He holds me on his knee and tells me stories. He makes me laugh. Momma says he spoils me.”
“I want you to turn a page in the book, Stacey, and tell me who else you see in the book with Grandpa and Momma.”
“There’s Katy and-” Silently, she wrapped her arms around herself; darkness crept over her face until her lip quivered when she spoke. “Momma cries all the time now.”
“Does she cry because Grandma’s asleep?”
A frown replaced the somber look on her face. She shook her head. “Katy says it’s because Daddy isn’t here.”
“Where is your daddy, Stacey?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t have one.”
Rubbing his temples, Phillips leaned forward in his chair. This was going to be more delicate than he had anticipated. “Stacey, I want you to put away the sunshine book for a moment and move on to the next book.”
Her face twisted in agony, and she began to shake her head.
“Do you see the next book?” Phillips prodded.
“It hurts me!”
“Why does it hurt you, Stacey?”
“Because it’s red. I can’t touch it. It hurts me!” She began weeping uncontrollably. “Please don’t leave me, Grandpa. I’ll be afraid if you go.”
“What is frightening you, Stacey?”
“Please don’t leave, Grandpa. I love you.” Wrapping her arms around herself, she huddled in the corner of the sofa and began rocking back and forth.
Scowling, Phillips shifted in his chair. “Stacey, I want you to walk past the red book for a moment, further up the aisle, until you see the next book. You’re not afraid any longer because you can’t see the red book.”
Her sobbing became muffled as she slowly dropped her arms to her side.
“That’s it, Stacey. You’re fully relaxed.”
She began to hum softly.
“Do you see the next book on the shelf, Stacey?”
She smiled. “I like the blue book.”
“Tell me who’s in the blue book with you.”
“I love Katy. She’s my best friend. She doesn’t let the boys hurt me.”
“What boys want to hurt you?”
“I’m afraid of the boys at school. I don’t like them to touch me. It hurts me.”
“Is there someone at school who is frightening you, Stacey?”
She began to shake her head. “Katy holds my hand when we are on the playground. She holds my hand at home, too. She won’t let them hurt me.”
She clutched her arms and her lips formed into a pout. “Momma says I should love Daddy, but I don’t like him.”
“Is your daddy the person who is hurting you?”
“I don’t like him.”
“Why don’t you like your daddy, Stacey?”
A teardrop rolled down her cheek, and she began to weep softly. “He made Grandpa go away. I want Grandpa to come home. Katy says we’ll find Grandpa when we grow up, but Ronny-” She suddenly jerked and trembled.
“Is Ronny your older brother?”
“Momma cries when Daddy hits Ronny.”
“Why does your daddy hit Ronny?”
Stacey rubbed her arms and began to rock back and forth. “I didn’t do it. Don’t let them hurt me, Katy.”
Phillips leaned forward. “Tell me who’s hurting you, Stacey?”
“The people in the red book.”
Phillips breathed a sigh and brushed his hands over his face.
”Stacey, I want you to step back a moment and look at the book between the sunshine book and the blue book.”
She began to fidget and hug her arms.
“Stacey, you don’t need to be afraid of the book because it now has a soft brown cover around it. The cover is thick and strong — strong enough to protect you from what’s underneath. I want you to carefully remove the book with the brown cover because we’re going to look at the book together.”
She moaned. “It hurts me. I can’t!”
“I want you to trust me, Stacey. You and I must look in the book together so we can make the pain go away forever.”
Rocking back and forth, she began to sob.
——————————————
Gregg Phillips has finally been faced with the realization that his patient had such childhood trauma that her entire life was changed because of it.
You don’t want to miss the revelation that follows in the conclusion of book one. Rubies-Escaping the Curse – The Beginning with Marty facing the truth about what her child has endured right beneath her eyes, yet she was too blind to see it.
Of course our excerpts do not cover every detail of Stacey’s trauma or the events in our series. If you don’t want to miss a single minute of the series you can purchase the books by going to Amazon.com where all four books are currently listed.
Get them here today. Rubies Saga