She laughed. “Oh really? I guess that does sound like a pretty good deal for a man, minus being able to provide good sex, since…well…nevermind. That was inappropriate. I shouldn’t have brought that part up.”
She looked a little embarrassed and briefly held her head down.
“It’s okay mom. We’re both adults here having an adult conversation. I don’t mind.”
“Sometimes I forget that you’re already a young man. And on that note, it’s time for me to hit the sack. It’s been a long day and I’m exhausted.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I replied. “I’ll do the same after I catch up on some reading.”
“Oh? Anything interesting?”
“Just some book on hypnosis. I’m writing a research paper on it.”
“That does seem pretty intriguing.”
“It is,” I replied. “Some parts are controversial, but many doctors think it’s the wave of the future in terms dealing with social disorders and what not.”
“Sounds a lot better than having to come out to the wilderness to deal with old fears. What do you say we give it a try?” she asked hesitantly.
“What do you mean?”
Her eyebrows rose. “How do you feel about trying a little hypnosis trick on me? It’ll be fun. I’m sure it’s harmless. I doubt it’ll even work, and it’s not like we have anything to lose.”
I was completely caught off guard by my mother’s playful request. It was obvious she was both joking and serious at the same time. And she was right, there was nothing to lose. It’s harmless.
“I…I guess so. I’ve never done it before, but the instructions in the book don’t seem that hard.”
“Great! But we’ll only do this on one condition,” she replied.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“That if this little experiment actually works, that you don’t try to take advantage of me in any way. I’m serious. I don’t want any weird things going on, like you making me your servant or giving you all of my money. Nothing weird. We’re just doing this for fun and I fully expect you to treat me with the utmost of care.”
I nodded. “What kind of creep do you think I am? You don’t have to worry about anything like that. Promise. Now let me get my book…”
***
After several minutes of reading the instructions, and several more minutes of trying to do it right- it actually worked! My mother gazed at me with a blank look in her eyes. She sat motionless and was unresponsive except to my voice. She was under hypnosis.
“Can you hear me?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied in a lifeless voice.
Seeing my mother in a state of pure emptiness was scary at first. It was uncharted territory for both of us. One wrong move could have its unintended consequences. But at the same time, it was exciting. It was human psychology and biology at its most fascinating (at least in my opinion). She was under my control and I wanted to do my very best to help her.
“Good,” I said. “I understand that you have certain issues with yourself. Insecurities about who you are and the perception of your body image. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me about them? Do you know how it started?” I asked, trying my best to play the role of a real doctor.