ARTICLE: continued

Transcript of session

Therapist:
And in just a moment, I'm going to pick up your arm, and drop it gently into
your lap, and when I do, you're going to find that you'll go right the way
back to that very first classroom that you went to when you started school. And you'll find that your memory is now so good that when I drop your hand
into your lap, you'll find yourself back in that classroom and in your mind it
will be very, very clear. You'll find you'll be able to look around and see
what used to be in the classroom, the desks and the chairs or benches. You'll
be able to see the things that used to be on the wall, usually pictures and
decorations and things like that. You'll see the teacher, and the other children in this class, because when I drop your hand into your lap, as I said your memory will be so good that it will actually be like your right the way back in that first classroom. Now stay relaxed, and watch that happen. Here we go, 1,2,3. There we are Helen, now your right the back. And this is your very first classroom. You just look around and tell me what you see there first of all.

Patient:....Tables and chairs.

Therapist: And what about the walls, see things on the walls there?

Patient:..Paintings.

Therapist: And what are you doing in the class at the moment?

Patient: Writing.

Therapist: You're writing. You have a good look down you can see what you're
writing, you tell me what you're writing... that's it, you look down
you'll know what you're writing there.

Patient: Can't see anything.

Therapist: Alright, stay relaxed, not that it matters, but I'll drop your hand
into your lap and you'll find that your memory will get so much better that
you can actually see and know what you're writing there. Here we go, 1,2,3,
there we are, now you can see what you're writing. Now you know what it is.
What is it?

Patient: It's about chicks.

Therapist: About chicks?

Patient: Hm hm

Therapist: OK. Alright. And is it a little story you are writing or something, is
it?

Patient: No, a poem.

Therapist: A poem, that's good. Now this is your very first classroom, and in
your mind's eye, I'm just sort of there with you. And let me ask you, Helen,
you're about 5 now?

Patient: Hm hm

Therapist: Do you ever have any problems with your skin, any rashes come up on
your skin at all?

Patient:.........No

Therapist: No? Does mum have to do anything to your skin at any time? Anything
special, any creams or ointments?

Patient: No.

Therapist: No? Alright that's fine. Let me ask you Helen, you're just 5 years of
age, you're in your classroom there, do you celebrate your birthday?

Patient: Hm hm.

Therapist: Yes? You have a little party or something?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Alright. Well in a moment, I'm going to pick up your arm and drop it
down into your lap again, and when I do, this is going to be the day your were
7. Your 7th birthday. You'll see where you are, and you'll see everything that
is going on. And if you had a little party, a little tea on the day you were
7, that's where you will be, attending that tea and that party again. Now stay
relaxed, when your hand touches your lap, it's the day you're 7. Here we go,
1,2,3. There you are Helen, now you're 7 today, it's your 7th birthday. And
you just look around, tell me where you find yourself first of all.

Patient: At London Zoo.

Therapist: London Zoo? And is this a treat for your birthday or something?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: And who's with you at the zoo?

Patient: Mum and dad and brothers and my mums best friend.

Therapist: Are you having a good time?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: You like London Zoo?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Alright. Now let me ask you Helen, you're 7 today, your 7th birthday
at London Zoo, how's your skin now you are 7? Ever have any problems with your
skin, any rashes or anything like that, that trouble you?

Patient: Mm, no

Therapist: No? never troubled like that?

Patient: No

Therapist: Alright. Mum doesn't put any special creams or ointments on your skin
or anything?

Patient: No.

Therapist: No? Alright, fine. Well, when I drop your hand into your lap next time
it's going to be the day you were 8. This will be your 8th birthday. You'll
know where you are and you'll see it even clearer than when you were 7,
because with every breath you take, this incredible memory of yours is even
getting better and better. So stay relaxed. When I drop your hand into your
lap you're 8, it's your birthday and let's see where you are. 1,2,3, there we
are Helen, now you're 8 today, It's your 8th birthday and where do you find
yourself now?

Patient: At home.

Therapist: At home? Having a party or something?

Patient: Hmm

Therapist: And you've got some friends round?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Yes? Mummy there?

Patient: Hmm

Therapist: And Daddy there?

Patient: No.

Therapist: Having a good time?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Great. Now, you're 8 today, let me ask you again, do you ever have any
problems with your skin, any rashes or anything on your skin there? Anything
like that ever given you any trouble or concern?

Patient: Mm, yes.

Therapist: Yes? Something troubles you about your skin does it? You have a rash
or something?

Patient: On my shin.

Therapist: On your shin?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Does mum put ointment or anything on it for you?

Patient: Hm, yes, and in my hair.

Therapist: And in your hair as well?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Alright. So you've got a sort of rash on your shin and in your hair?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Alright, now you're 8 today, but when you were 7 you didn't have that
problem, did you?

Patient: No

Therapist: So something happened between the day you were 7 and the day you were 8 to cause that rash to come along. Now what I'm going to do in a moment, I'm going to pick your hand up and drop it into your lap again, and you're going
to find that your memory is going to be so good when your hand touches your
lap that you're going to go back and remember, almost reexperience the very
first time you ever become aware of that rash appearing on your body. And
we'll see where you are, and what's happening to make you become aware of that rash. Stay relaxed, see where you find yourself. 1,2,3. There we are Helen,
now this is the first time you're becoming aware of a rash. And whereabouts
are you? Where do you find yourself now?

Patient: ..... in the bath.

Therapist: In the bath? Bath at home?

Patient: Hm hm

Therapist: And how have you become aware of that rash? Have you found it, or has mum seen it?

Patient:......Don't remember.....erm.....

Therapist: Alright, that doesn't matter. But you're in the bath and you've just
become aware of this rash. 

Patient: Mm

Therapist: Now I'm going to pick up your hand and drop it into your lap again,
and in your mind there, you're going to be that little girl in the bath again.
Because I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to find that
you'll know all the answers to those questions, because in your mind you're
going to be that little girl back in the bath again. Stay relaxed. Watch that
happen. Here we go, 1,2,3. There we are Helen, now you're in the bath, and
you've just become aware that you've got a rash on your skin there. Now that
tells me that not long ago, something must have happened to worry you or upset
you in some way. To cause that rash to start coming up. Because you never had
it when you were 7 or on your 7th birthday. So something has happened to cause
that. Let me ask you, how's everything at home? How's mum? Do you get along
with mum alright?

Patient: Hm hm

Therapist: And how about dad? Getting along with dad alright?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Yes? And what about brothers? Getting along with your brothers
alright?

Patient: Not really
Therapist: Not really? Is there anything about your brothers that worry you at
all? Anything different about them? Anything different they've been doing at all?

Patient: No, just picking on me.

Therapist: Just picking on you?

Patient: Mm

Therapist: Alright. What about other members of your family, anything about other
members of your family worrying you at all?.....What about grandparents,
anything about grandparents trouble you?

Patient:.....Don't see them very often.

Therapist: You don't see them very often?

Patient: No.

Therapist: Are they OK?

Patient:........ My grandad isn't.

Therapist: What's wrong with your grandad then?

Patient: He's got cancer.

Therapist: He's got cancer?

Patient: Mm

Therapist: Does that worry you? Has mum told you that it's something to worry
over?

Patient: .......Ehm.....no......it's very sudden.

Therapist: It's very sudden?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Alright. Now you're in the bath there, you've just become aware of this rash coming up. And you've discovered that grandad's got cancer. But you're only 7, so I'm not quite sure whether that really is enough to worry you or not. But something is troubling you. Something perhaps just a day or two before this rash first appeared that's in your mind. And it's a big worry, it's a worry that you've carried for many years, even to adulthood. So I'm going to pick up your hand and drop it into your lap, and whatever that worry is will come very clearly in your mind, but you'll still be in that bath in your mind. Stay relaxed, watch that happen. 1,2,3. Now what is it that's troubling you Helen?

Patient: They didn't tell me, I heard them. [Patient starts to cry, and
continues throughout the remainder of the session.]

Therapist: You heard them? Now who did you hear? Who did you hear? That's
alright, you can let those feelings come out. Who did you hear then?

Patient: Mum and dad.

Therapist: And what did you hear them say?

Patient: That he was dying of cancer.

Therapist: Is that grandad?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: So you knew that he was dying?

Patient: I don't think I was meant to know.

Therapist: No, but you overheard them?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Alright. Obviously I can see that it worried you a lot because you
knew what that meant didn't you?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Alright. Now was that just a short while before that rash come up on
your skin?......Your memory's so good now, you can see that very clearly, in
your mind. Because I think that we've got to the cause of this skin rash now.

Patient:....Yes.......

Therapist: Did this rash just come along perhaps a day or two after you overheard mum and dad talking?

Patient: No, I banged my leg.

Therapist: You banged your leg?

Patient: Mm

Therapist: And what happened when you banged your leg?

Patient: I banged my shin, and it was a cut there or a graze, I don't know, I
can't remember.

Therapist: That's alright. So there was a cut or a graze on your shin?

Patient: Hm and that's where it started.
Therapist: Alright. So did you have any unpleasant thoughts about that bang on
the shin, or anything like that?

Patient: No.

Therapist: Alright. See I can [Patient interrupts]

Patient: I was running.

Therapist: You were running? And were you running just in fun, or?

Patient: Yes. I was trying to get to the room first.

Therapist: In front of whom?
Patient: Oh, just friends and just messing about. Running about.

Therapist: Alright. Now why it should start on your shin when you bang it, I'm
not quite sure. But just prior to this rash is when you overheard mum and dad
talking about grandad dying, wasn't it?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Is that right? There is no doubt about that in your mind?

Patient: No

Therapist: Alright. Because this skin rash has got to be caused by an upset
inside you of some form, and it certainly looks like it's to do with you
discovering that grandad's going to die. Does that seem right?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Alright. Now you stay relaxed, because I'm going to pick up your arm
and drop it into your lap, and when I do it's just going to be a week after
your grandad died, did your grandad die a while after that, while you were
still young?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Alright. Well, when I drop your hand into your lap it will be about a
week after your grandad died. And let's see how your skin is then. Stay
relaxed and watch that happen. 1,2,3.  Now its about a week since grandad died
and where do you find yourself at the moment?

Patient:....at home.

Therapist: At home? Alright. And how's your skin now? How's that rash? Is it
still in the same place or has it got bigger or less, or?

Patient: Bigger and on my knee.

Therapist: Now I'm going to ask you a question and you'll know the answer to this
beyond all doubt. It's been about a week since your grandad died, has it got
worse since he died?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: It has? In other words, this skin rash represents your grandad dying
and passing away, is that right?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Your upset.

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Alright. Now what I'm going to do to make sure we get all this upset
out of your system, I'm going to drop your hand into your lap and I'm going to
take you back to when you realised that your grandad had passed away. Now stay relaxed and you just see where you are and how you're finding that out. 1,2,3. Now where do you find yourself?

Patient: At home.

Therapist: And what's happening? How are you discovering that grandad has
died?

Patient: .....Dad's talking to us.

Therapist: And whereabouts are you?

Patient: In the lounge.

Therapist: You're in the lounge, and what's he saying? You can hear his words
again.

Patient:.....Just that he'd been very ill, and died very suddenly........that's
all I can remember.

Therapist: That's OK. Stay relaxed. If there's anything else important that dad
says that worried you or troubled you in any way at all, when I drop your hand
into your lap, it will all come back. 1,2,3. Now is there anything else there?

Patient: No. I asked him where mum was?

Therapist: And what did he say?

Patient: That she was with nan, looking after her.

Therapist: Did you want mum at that point?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Alright. Now, with what you can see, are you clear in your mind that
this rash is a result of your grandad getting ill and dying? Can you see that?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Because I want you to be sure that's the main thing We've got to make sure that we get all the cause of this rash out. See at the age of 7 we could see that you weren't troubled by any skin problems at all and then we see that you overhear that grandad's ill and he'll probably die and we see the first
sign of your skin rash  coming along. That's right, isn't it?

Patient: Yes

Therapist: And then we see, about a week after he's actually passed away that
your skin rash starts to get worse, doesn't it?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Now, what is it, why is it that this problem with losing your grandad
has caused you to have a skin rash? Is it a way of trying to remind you of
him, or anything like that?.............What is it? Why is it that in your
unconscious mind

Patient: I couldn't imagine not seeing him again.

Therapist: You couldn't imagine not seeing him again?

Patient: No.

Therapist: Its an upsetting thing for a young girl, isn't it? That's it, you stay
relaxed, you let those tears flow, you can wipe them up in a while.

Patient: He used to make me laugh.

Therapist: Did he?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: You were very close to him then in that case, were you?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: And that's why this loss of him upset you so much? Now if we've got
all the concern and all the worry to do with your grandad out of your system,
then this rash is very quickly going to clear up and disappear away. But first
of all we have to make sure that we get all the upset out the way. So what I'm
going to do is pick up your hand and drop it into your lap, and if there is
anything else at all in your mind which is still responsible for causing you
to have this skin rash, anything to do with your grandad that's not out of
your system, or anything that's unresolved or anything later in life which had
a significant impact in you having this skin problem. When I drop your hand
into your lap anything else there will come into mind that you need to know to
do with this skin rash. Stay relaxed and see if anything is there. 1,2,3.
......Now is there anything else there in your mind that's troubling you?

Patient: Just people taking the mickey out of me.

Therapist: Because of your skin?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Well, you're not going to have that anymore. You're not going to have
that problem anymore at all.
Now that you know what's caused your skin problem,
is there any reason that you have to hang onto it?

Patient: No

Therapist: There isn't, is there? After all your grandad wouldn't want you to
have it, would he?

Patient: No

Therapist: And it doesn't serve any purpose, does it?

Patient: No

Therapist: So you can get rid of that skin rash now, can't you?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Because I know you'd like that, that's for sure, isn't it?

Patient: Yes.

Therapist: Now, if there's anything else in your mind about your Grandad and losing him that still worries you or troubles you then you'll find that it will soon settle itself down. If there's anything left, anything we haven't cleared out you'll find that when you get home today then you'll find all those tears and upsets coming out. So it might just take a little while to adjust to the loss of your grandad.
But that's OK because that will soon happen. You're going to find now, Helen,
now that this upset, now that the cause of your skin problem, of your psoriasis, is out the way, then already - even as I am speaking - your skin is starting to heal itself. Those marks, those blisters, or whatever you call them, are now rapidly disappearing and fading away. Your skin is healing up. On every part of your body where you have that problem with your skin (which I know is just about every part of your body) it's going to clear up. It's going to disappear away.
Your skin is already healing itself. There is no emotion sort of boiling away, bubbling away inside you to affect your skin  or, in fact, to affect you in any way at all. So, in a moment, I'm going to get you to open your eyes. But you are going to find, as I've said, already your skin is clearing up. It's healing itself. And when it's completely cleared up, you will find it will never come back again. Any problems or upsets that you may have later in life will never affect your skin in any way at all. You won't need any creams anymore to make your skin clear of those blisters. You can still use make-up and creams to make your skin look nice and soft. But the trouble with your skin, your psoriasis there, you will find is going to clear up and disappear away.  See, after all, we can see for the first 7 or so years of your life your skin was fine, wasn't it? No problems, no worries, was there?

Patient: No.

Therapist: Then you discovered that your grandad was seriously ill and was
probably going to die and there's a sign of that rash starting to appear.
Then, when he dies we can see that rash gets even larger. That's because you
never really got over the loss of your grandad. That's what those tears are
that you've been feeling and are feeling at the moment. Those feelings are
things left over from years ago. But very, very quickly now, you are going to
come to terms with the loss of your grandad. And because of that, that's why
your skin is going to become soft and clear. Your skin is going to be
wonderful. It's going to be the way that for many years, undoubtedly, you've
always wished and dreamed it would be. Do you know what I mean by that?

Patient: Hm

Therapist: Alright. Now, in a moment, I'm going to get you to open your eyes.
When you open your eyes you'll remember everything that's been going through
your thoughts there. And when you open your eyes, you're going to be calm. You're going to be relaxed, and you will be feeling really good within yourself. And above all else, the best thing of all, is that you're skin is very soon going to clear up those blisters on your skin. That sort of 'upset' on your skin, if you want from your grandad. And you have beautiful, soft and supple skin from the top of your head, all the way down to the tips of your fingers and the tips of your toes.  Never again will that loss of your grandad upset you or worry you in any way
at all. Never again will you have this psoriasis, this problem with your skin
any more. So, when you're ready, open your eyes, and notice how really good you feel within yourself......" End of session.

The student should note that it is important to observe the patient closely as many non-verbal clues are given when the patient is in the proximity of sensitive emotional material. It is also important when 'interrogating' to select questions with care to avoid 'leading' the patient or even worse, creating illusory memories.

In following up this case it was found that Helen is now free of inflammation. All that remains are minor red blemishes on certain areas of her body that had been particularly badly affected and we can anticipate that these too will disappear in time.

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