“Seth material” search engine (Jane Roberts)

(I had wanted to hypnotize Jane for some time, but had been hesitating even though my pendulum told me I had nothing against the idea. I was still aware of resistance, however, and so thought I would wait until the intuitive moment arrived to begin. That moment came today, from an almost casual remark Jane made this afternoon, and which I am not even able to quote. I believe her remark fell upon ground well prepared by a book I am currently reading: Many Lifetimes, by Grant and Kelsey.

(We chose our bedroom because it would be more private and comfortable than the living room. We each had a glass of wine before starting. Jane lay on her back with her hands crossed. I began to induce a general relaxation, following techniques I had read, and which Jane had used with me several years ago. I began with the feet and worked up to the head— generally at first; then each time I started again at the feet my suggestions for ease and relaxation became more detailed.

(One thing caught me unprepared, and perhaps came close to interrupting the session. As I began talking steadily my voice began to become very dry. I am not used to speaking so steadily, although Jane later said that she too had noticed a voice stain in her first session with me, until she became more relaxed and used to the idea. Luckily there was a little wine left in one glass; as I finally became so hoarse I could hardly talk, I began to sip this, and it helped a great deal. A glass of water handy, I thus learned, will be standard in sessions after this. At one time I simply had to stop talking because my voice gave out. Jane said she was aware of this, and that the break almost snapped her out of the relaxed state she was entering.

(After the first half hour I felt we had progressed enough to try various things. My recall here may not be in strict order. One of the first things Jane told me, after I asked her to speak, was that the bathroom light bothered her. This, even though a closet light in the bedroom itself was on, and brighter. But I turned the bathroom light off.

(At my suggestion Jane began to flex her feet, then her hands. For a few moments she let her hands lay at her sides, but since there is tension in the upper arm muscles, her arms cannot lay fully relaxed upon the bed when she is flat on her back; after a few minutes she again crossed her hands, and told me later that this was more comfortable. Of course I noted that even after my suggestions, her arms did not fully relax, but I had not stressed that she would achieve any great or startling improvement; this first session was more to learn how to proceed, and during it I tentatively tried several different approaches.

(One was to regress Jane to a period of two years ago, chosen at random. I counted to ten backward, with appropriate suggestions, but when the count was completed she told me she could see nothing. I thought then that I had been premature to try this idea, and attempted to talk around it and change the subject, so to speak, rather than say that it was a mistake. Jane appeared to accept my way out without question.

(By now I had learned that she could speak under hypnosis without difficulty, a point we had wondered about to at least some extent. I thought she was in a light trance state and Jane later agreed that she was, that she felt very relaxed. Often as I spoke to her I told her she would have full memory of what transpired when the session was over. When it was over, she told me her memory of parts of the session was somewhat hazy— reinforcing the idea that she was hypnotized, if somewhat imperfectly, and that my control was not all it will be in future sessions.

(Previously Jane had spoken the one word “four” without elaboration, even when I asked her to explain. She now repeated it again, still without explanation, and later told me that she was aware of resistance concerning the word. Next she said “1961”, and “Florida.”

(Quickly now, Jane began to talk, and I encouraged her to do so. At the same time she turned on her side toward me and drew her legs up, almost in a fetal position. She also began to cry. Her voice however never became loud. Her eyes did not open. She said two things, close together, that I at once recognized as important. [Both of these were elaborated upon later.]

(The first was that her troubles began in Florida; that it was her fault we left Sayre to join her father in Florida, and that I had not wanted to leave my parents. [I had cried in the car as we drove out of Sayre on the way south, but had, I thought, regarded this as natural enough at the time.] Jane told me that it was her fault we had chased around the country, that her spontaneity had done nothing but get us into trouble. Jane described how she had become very frightened in Florida over the job situation, and that I had been forced to get a job anyhow even though I had told her most emphatically that I didn’t intend to do this. [When we went to Florida it had been agreed upon that she would hold a job while I tried out some painting ideas. Her father was to help us out financially also, but did not do so.]

(Then, Jane continued, still crying, we had returned to Sayre, then Elmira, where I had worked full time for three years, then became very sick for a year. [It was during this period that Jane’s hypnosis sessions with me had proved most helpful.]

(It was, I believe, after my own recovery that Jane’s first symptoms, unrecognized by us as to their potential severity, began to show. And now under hypnosis Jane said the second important thing: she told me that if she got sick, I wouldn’t be sick any longer. It is true that I have been in generally very good health since my own illness in 1963. However I have two symptoms carried over from that period, that still must be dealt with, and I feel these are directly related to Jane’s symptoms. That is, I believe there is a close interaction between us that is responsible for the bulk of symptoms upon either side.

(The balance of the session tonight after these two important revelations, consisted of an interchange between us that stressed reassurance upon my part,; including the statement, repeated often, that Jane now understood she didn’t need her symptoms any longer, that they could begin to disappear. I made strong efforts here to tell her of my love, and to impress upon her that our travels had also been enjoyable and adventurous along with their hazards, and that whatever we had done was done together; no one should feel blame. Yet it was now apparent that Jane felt a sense of blame, even shame; at the start of the deeper trance state she told me she felt I was mad at her all the time because I had worked full time at Artistic, etc; I tried to counter this by pointing out to her the benefits we had both obtained from this.

(The course of action evidently succeeded to some extent at least, for Jane quieted as we talked. I gave her no suggestions that her symptoms would disappear at once, for they involve some physiological changes and I didn’t know just how quickly her body could chemically return to a fully healthy state. Here I count upon the repeated suggestions that her body can clear itself. I did tell her that her physical improvement could seem like magic, and repeated this several times. Later Jane told me that my reassurances were most welcome, and that she “drank them in” like water.

(Two additional points now recalled: When she began talking about Florida, Jane told me “I got scared in Florida”; she was also sure I would leave her when the job situation got so bad and things didn’t work out as we’d hoped they would. [I remember her telling me this in Marathon, when I returned to the trailer after driving out to get a job painting signs.]

(The second point grew out of the above: Jane told me, crying, that if she got sick I’d feel sorry for her and wouldn’t leave her. During the period of reassurance that followed these revelations, I stressed to her that at no time since our marriage have I thought of leaving her, in Florida or anywhere else.

(I repeated often that her spontaneity had been very valuable to me, that I needed this, and that I had never once doubted her loyalty or love.