Re: Extreme Therapy - Book 1 Complete Book 2 Chapter 20 Posted (11/14/2024)

[anthelester121]

One of my fav stories... So excited to see it back!

[edithdick]

If I had more time I would have written a shorter letter - source unknown

This first couple of chapters are going to be a bit of a slog. There are a few things that need to be established, and I don’t really know a better way that to just write through them.

Don’t worry, there is a payoff to all of this.

More Therapy - Chapter 1

“Annie, come down. You’re going to be late!” My mom called from the bottom of the staircase.

“I’m in the kitchen!” I yelled to her before I stuffed the last bite of Pop Tart into my mouth.

When my mom walked into the kitchen, seeing me dressed and having eaten breakfast, she arched her eyebrows at me, “You’re not fighting me to take you to therapy today?”

She sounded surprised, but this had been a progression. For the 7 weeks I have been seeing Dr. Crowe, twice per week counting the days I had to sit at the reception desk and help check her patients in, I have been feeling less and less anxiety about the ordeal.

“It’s okay, mom. Today is just a Tuesday, so I am only going for an hour anyway.” I told her. Thinking about it at the time, I was happy to not feel frightened to leave the house, even if only for a couple of hours.

I knew that emotionally; I was still a mess. But today, for the first time in a long time, I felt hope that things would eventually get better. Stepping out the door was a bit nerve-wracking. I kept my eyes focused on my mom’s car and after a few steps, all my hesitation had fled.

The ride to Dr. Crowe’s office was short. Before the incident, I would have said it was within walking distance from my house, maybe a couple of miles only.

“Do you need me to walk you up?” My mom asked.

“Not this time, mom.” I managed a weak smile. “Thanks for asking though.” I said after I got out.

I walked into the lobby about 10 minutes before my appointment. Becky checked me in, and I took a seat.

There was nobody in the waiting room. Sometimes one or two people would be sitting there; patients or family members of patients. Over the last few weeks of me working here, I had found some books and magazines that Dr. Crowe had in a box in the closet. They were now arranged on a small square table in the center of the room. I wasn’t in the mood to read anything at the moment, but I took some time to organize them. Magazines arranged by title and month; books arranged by author. I had my system.

The door opened and a young woman, maybe a few years older than me came out of Dr. Crowe’s office. I had seen her once before; I think her name was Sandy. She looked like she had been crying, based on her puffy eyes. She didn’t look at me as she headed out the door.

“You can come back now, Anne.” Dr. Crowe told me.

I followed her back to her office to start my session.

“And how are you feeling today, Annie?” Dr. Crowe asked. Dr. Crowe wasn’t a warm person. Stern is the best term I can think of to describe it. She asks a question, and she expects an answer, no nonsense. I think that’s kinda unusual, since in this field, you probably to run into a lot of nonsense.

“I’m okay.” I told her sincerely. “I…”

“Annie, I need you to think about your answers before you give them.” Dr. Crowe interrupted. “You’ve been ‘okay’ for the last 4 weeks. Are you the same as last week? Better? Worse?”

“Hmm… better, I think…” I started.

Dr. Crowe sighed. “I don’t think this is working. In seven weeks, you’ve barely made any progress. I feel like I’m failing you, Annie.”

“Today, I was ready before my mom asked me to be.” I told her. I felt like my lack of progress was somehow hurting her. I didn’t understand how exactly, but felt guilty for it.

“That’s great, Annie. But you are still holding back. I want you to trust me. It can only work if you are able to really open up and explore you thoughts and feelings. Something is holding you back.” She said.

“I… I think I do trust you.” I said slowly. “More than my other therapists, that’s for sure.”

“But you are hiding yourself. I need to help break down your emotional barrier so we can move forward.” Dr. Crowe said.

“I don’t know how to do that.” I said. “Maybe I am still scared of what happened to me.”

“It might be a good time for us to take a break for a while. The progress you’ve made already at least lets you leave the house. It’s possible that…” Dr. Crowe told me in a lecturing tone.

I cut her off this time though. “NO! School starts in a few weeks, and I am not ready to go there; not without Craig for support. You have to help me break through on this, please.”

Dr. Crowe nodded approvingly. She had never done that before. “I think I can help, but you will really need to trust me in this.”

“I’ll try.” I told her.

“Okay.” She said before asking, “How many layers of clothes are you wearing?”

“I’m… three I think.” I told her, trying to remember.

“Show me.” She said.

I reached down and pointed to the dark blue shirt I was wearing. “One.” I said. I lifted the hem of it up slightly revealing a light blue shirt underneath it. My hand began trembling as I lifted that shirt up, revealing a yellow tee shirt underneath it.

Dr. Crowe watched as I did this. When she saw me start lowering the shirts, she said, “Stop. What’s under the yellow shirt?”

“Under?” I asked. “Just my um…” I didn’t want to tell her.

“Yes, under the yellow shirt. What are you wearing next to your skin?” She pressed.

“My bathing suit.” I told her.

“Why are you wearing a bathing suit under your clothes? Are you planning to go swimming later?” She asked.

“No.” I said. I felt my face start to turn red from the embarrassment of this. “I always wear a bathing suit, now. It makes it easier for when I want to shower later.”

“You shower in your bathing suit?” She asked.

I nodded.

“Why?” She asked.

“Because I don’t want to be naked anymore.” I told her. “Not even when I’m by myself.”

“Annie, in your head, this bathing suit is like a knight’s suit of armor. It is protecting you from dealing with certain emotions.” She told me.

I nodded. “That makes sense.”

“I’m sorry Annie, but this is preventing you from progressing in here.” She said.

This caused me to shiver. I imagined showing up at my next appointment in just regular underwear. “I think I’m willing to try.” I told her.

“Okay, I want you to take off your bathing suit.” She said.

“Now? I’ll be naked!” I screeched.

“You may put back on one layer, whichever you like, but we need to have you vulnerable if this I’m going to be able to help you.” Dr. Crowe said, firmly.

“But… but…” I protested

“Or you can just go home. I don’t think we should be wasting each other’s time.” Dr. Crowe said, flatly.

It took me a few minutes to build up the courage. The part of me that wanted to go home was warring with the part of me that knew I had to get better before school started in a few weeks. Finally, I slowly started peeling of layers of clothes.

I pulled off my sweatpants and folded it neatly on the chair next to me. Then I took off my outer shirt and did the same. Next came my inner shirt, leaving me wearing the yellow tee-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. These I also took off, but didn’t fold. Instead, I lay them carefully over the back of the chair.

Dr. Crowe didn’t say a word, she just watched to make sure I did as instructed. Finally, standing in only my bathing suit, I tried to show her a brave face. I’d been wearing my bathing suit for so long that I couldn’t remember the last time I wasn’t wearing it. It was a black, one piece bathing suit that had a large strap over each shoulder and covered all the way down to my hips. It fit so snug over my body, I felt invincible with just this one thing on.

Closing my eyes, I stripped out of the bathing suit. I could feel my body quivering, not from the cold, but from standing naked for the first time in more than a year. I then felt down and found the yellow tee shirt. Once that was on, I put on the blue jeans. Only then did I open my eyes and take the time to fold up the bathing suit before setting it with the other clothes.

“How do you feel?” Dr. Crowe asked.

Feel? I felt the fabric of my tee shirt and jeans rubbing against my body. I felt like at any moment, someone would yell at me, “She’s not wearing anything under her clothes!”

My only answer to Dr. Crowe was, “Naked.”

“You are not naked.” Dr. Crowe assured me. “You have a shirt and jeans on.”

“I know.” I said solemnly. “I just feel like I am naked.”

“Have a seat and tell me about your week.” She instructed.

I did. She didn’t interrupt me. Not much had happened since Thursday. I told her everything I could remember, and she nodded along. It was a much more casual conversation than previous weeks. She didn’t press for details, but was content with whatever I told her.

“Time’s up.” She told me.

“Can I have my clothes back?” I asked.

“Not just yet. We’ve finally found a point of vulnerability with you. Let’s explore that this week.” She told me.

If I was quivering before, the idea of me leaving this office without my bathing suit on under my clothes made me start to visibly shake.

“It’s going to be okay, Annie. Your mom is going to pick you up and you will be just fine.” she assured me.

I wasn’t buying it. “Please.” I begged. “It’s my only one.” Referring to my bathing suit.

Dr. Crowe shook her head and then got up and opened the door to her office, a clear indication that I was no longer welcome. I refused to cry, but inside I was balling. I got up and walked to the lobby where my mom was waiting for me.

“Annie, I have a surprise for you!” She exclaimed. “Since you did such a good job this morning getting ready, I’m taking you clothes shopping.”

“Now?” I exclaimed.

“Yes!” She said, still excited at the prospect, “As long as…” looking to Dr. Crowe, “Is it okay?”

“Shopping, now?” Dr. Crowe mused before saying in an almost musical tone, “Of course, it would be a great time for Annie to get out of her rut. Make sure she tries on everything.”

The traitor just set me up. She knows I am naked under my shirt and jeans, and she just… I tried protesting further, but in my mom’s eyes it was settled.

That was how I found myself in the department store dressing room, trying on everything my mom had a whim to see me in. Of course, taking off my clothes was an ordeal. She would bring an outfit for me to try. First, I would hang the clothes on the hook so that I knew where they were. Next, I would close my eyes and undress, taking careful measures to lay my clothes just so that I could find them without opening my eyes. Then I would reach to where I knew the clothes were hanging and put them on before reopening my eyes to study myself in the mirror to make sure everything was on correctly. Finally I would step out and show my mom before starting the process over again.

Each time, while I was changing, my mom would reach in and pull out the clothes I had just tried on while I was dressing in my normal clothes. Then she would bring me something else and I would do it again. Over and over. After about seven changes, I was wearing a pink halter top with white polka dots and a white mini skirt.

My mom always told me I looked adorable, but for me this one showed way too much skin, especially since I wasn’t wearing any underwear. I shut my eyes and stripped them off. Just then, I heard my phone ring. Pulling it out of my pure, I had no way of knowing who was calling me without opening my eyes, which I refused to do, so I just answered it.

“Hello?” I asked.

“Hi Annie, this is Jenny Miller, from your school. Do you remember me?” Asked an extraordinarily perky sounding teenager.

“Yes, I remember. We had chemistry together last year.” I said.

“Awesome!” She exclaimed, as if I had said something amazing. “We’re signing up girls to do cheer this year. I saw you did gymnastics for the past 4 years. Would you be interested in being a cheerleader this year?”

I was taken aback. I was never part of the cheer clique, but I had heard that some girls had moved away over the summer. I suspected that they were shorthanded. Actually, I was excited to be asked. But, honestly, I wasn’t ready for this while I was still dealing with my other issues.

“Oh, Jenny.” I said honestly. “It sounds like it would be a lot of fun, but I don’t know if I can commit to that this year. I’m kinda dealing with some personal issues.”

“You mean those pictures?” She asked. “I saw those. They are sorta creepy.”

“Thanks.” I said.

“I’m sorry. I just meant… Well, anyway, it won’t be a problem for us. If you are interested.” She pressed.

“Can I think about it?” I asked.

“Sure!” She exclaimed. “Just let me know by Friday.”

“You mean tomorrow?” I asked, skeptically.

“Yup. Have an awesome day!” She said and then hung up without waiting for a response.

I shook my head. How could someone be so upbeat talking to someone they were clearly creeped out about?

I reached down to find my tee shirt and jeans. They weren’t on the bench where I left them. I moved my foot around on the floor; nothing. My clothes were gone. I tried to find the halter top and skirt, but they were gone toon. Frantic, I got down on my hands and knees, feeling every inch of the floor and bench. Aside from a couple of leftover pins that poked my hand, I didn’t feel anything.

I didn’t know what to do. I stood back up and felt along the walls, nothing on the hooks. I almost yanked the curtain down when I initially thought it was something to wear. Fortunately, I stopped short of that or I might have been standing in full view of the department store this way.

Slowly, with my eyes focused where I knew the flor would be, I opened my eyes. Immediately, I confirmed that the floor was empty. As was the bench. I raised my eyes up to the hooks on the wall on the left. Next my eyes swept toward the mirror where I saw…

Suddenly, I saw purple… purple… black… nothing.

[edithdick]

"When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But if a man bites a dog, that IS news." - John B. Bogart

More Therapy - Chapter 2

I woke up drenched in sweat. Glancing around, the room looked familiar. I was lying in bed and… oh right, it was my bed. Somehow I had gotten home.

I remembered that I had just had a nightmare, but could not remember anything about it. Someone was chasing me… or… I was chasing someone? It didn’t make sense, but whatever it was, my throat hurt as if I had been screaming.

The last thing I remembered was at the mall with my mom. I was in the dressing room and… Oh shit! I pulled back the cover and felt a huge sigh of relief. At least that part of the nightmare was over. Someone had dressed me when I was asleep. I was wearing my pajamas. No bra, but at least whomever it was that dressed me managed to put a pair of panties on me.

The door opened. “Annie, I heard you scream. Are you alright?” My mom asked. She looked really worried.

I nodded. “I’m okay.” I gasped.

She was at the bedside immediately. She had brought me a glass of water. After taking a few sips, I managed, “What happened?”

“Annie, it was my fault. I’m so sorry.” She started.

“What?” I asked again.

“When I was swapping out the last outfit, I didn’t realized I grabbed your clothes as well. When I got to the register to pay, I saw them, but…” she trailed off with a very worried look.

“But what?” I pressed.

“After I finished paying, I was going to go back and let you get dressed. But you weren’t in the dressing room anymore.” She said.

“I wasn’t?” I asked, this news shocked me.

“Of course, it wasn’t too hard to find you. A teenage girl wandering around the mall naked makes quite a commotion.” She said. “It’s just that when I finally caught up to you, you didn’t recognize me. Or maybe you did, but were afraid of me. You started running. Annie, I had to chase you over half way through the mall. The security guard that finally stopped you thought I was abducting you or something.”

“Oh my god!” I exclaimed.

“Your dad had to be called at work, he was giving a lecture at the time, so we both had to sit there for a while, and you refused to let me dress you.”

“Mom…” I felt bad for her. She must have been humiliated! “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too, honey. Your dad and I eventually managed to get your shirt on, at least. When we got you home, you came upstairs and went to bed. I finished dressing you once you were asleep. Annie, I was so worried for you.” She was sobbing at this point. So was I.

“Mom, I’m okay now. Thank you for taking care of me.” I managed to get out though my tears.

“Can I ask… what happened to your underwear?” My mom asked cautiously.

“I was wearing my bathing suit under my clothes.” I told her. She sorta knew that, and gave a questioning nod. “Dr. Crowe told me the bathing suit was keeping me from being vulnerable, so… She took it.”

She accepted that explanation without question. “So now you don’t wear underwear?” Asked my mom.

“I do! Yes, I will wear underwear from now on. Just not the bathing suit.” I told her.

She gave a relieved nod. “So, we have something else to discuss.” She said slowly.

I listened.

“Your dad has been given an offer for a professorship at Syracuse University.” She said. He has been working as an associate professor for as long as I could remember. This was a huge promotion for him.

“Syracuse? Does that mean we are moving to Pennsylvania?” I blurted out in a tone that sounded angrier than I meant it to.

“New York, and you should know that.” She said flatly.

I shook my head, “New York? I can’t move to New York.” I just started making progress in therapy. Then I had this episode. Now they want me to start over? I can’t do that!

“Honey, is this about your friends?” She asked. “You’ll make new ones there. A fresh start might be just what you need to put this behind you.”

Friends? What friends? Since the pictures of me running around the city naked kept popping up at my school, the girls all treated me like I was riddled with STDs and the boys, well, Craig had kept them away from me, but he was gone now… I had no friends and was terrified about the prospect of going back to that school. On the other hand, Dr. Crowe promised to help me get past that. The worst part of all was that I believed her!

I didn’t say anything though. So my mom added this. “One more question: Who is Sophie?” She asked.

That brought me back to reality. “Sophie?” I asked cautiously.

“You kept repeating the entire time, ‘Sophie is a good girl.’ Who is she?”

Instead of answering, I lowered my head a bit and said, “Mom, you are kinda overloading me with information. Can I get some time to process all of this?”

She agreed and left me alone. I looked outside. The sun was still up. I checked the clock on my phone and saw that it was only 5:30 PM. It was still Tuesday. I stayed in bed until dinner. Then I went back to bed without saying a word. I needed to talk to Dr. Crowe, but I wouldn’t be able to see her for two more days. I was worried about everything all of the sudden.

**********************************************************************************************************************************

I didn’t get much sleep after that. Tuesday and Wednesday, I night kept waking up from nightmares. Sometimes, I was being chased by Sophie. Other times, I was naked in the mall.

The worst was one where I… I mean Sophie, but it was me… it’s hard to explain. Sophie was chasing Annie… I mean me. I was Sophie chasing Annie who was me. I, Sophie, needed to tell Annie, me, something very important. I can almost remember it, but when I woke up, whatever the message was faded first. The rest of the dream is really a blur at this point too, but I just remember that there was something important about it.

When my mom dropped me off at Dr. Crowe’s office, I was exhausted. Fortunately, I had my morning routine down to something I could do without thinking too hard about. I pulled up the list of patients for the day. For each patient, I pulled out their chart and attached a sign in sheet for them. The charts were set in a vertical file tray. When patients came in, they signed a blank sticker that was on a clipboard on the desk, so my only job after this first bit was to attach the signed sticker to their sign-in sheet before handing it to Dr. Crowe.

I brought a book to read, but after a few minutes, it was making me drowsy. Instead, I just sat at the desk playing games on my phone. I ended up drinking 3 bottles of water to help me stay awake. By the time we locked the office door for lunch, I really had to pee. First, I needed to ask Dr. Crowe.

“How are you feeling today?” asked Dr. Crowe.

“Actually, I need to run to the bathroom first.” I told her.

“No problem, we can talk when you get back.” She said.

“Can I have my bathing suit back?” I asked. “After Tuesday, I really need it.”

“Why? What happened Tuesday?” She asked calmly.

“I… uh, had a blackout.” I confessed.

Dr. Crowe wanted more details, so I quickly told her the basics about how my mom accidentally took my clothes, and when I looked at the mirror everything turned black.

“You don’t remember anything?” She asked.

“No, even after my mom told me what happened, I don’t remember anything.” I said.

“What did she say?” asked she.

“She said I was wandering around the mall. When she found me, I ran away. She almost got arrested for it, and my dad had to come pick us up.” I said, barely holding in my tears.

“So, when you close your eyes, everything is fine, but if you see yourself then you black out?” Dr. Crowe asked.

I nodded.

“Has this happened before?” She pressed.

“Yes. At school, some pictures of me surfaced of the day I went… you know. Some naked pictures started spreading around school. When I saw them, I sort of freaked out. A LOT! My mom had to pick me up and I was off school for a day or so.”

“Just once?”

I shook my head. “Four times. Each time, Craig and his friends would hunt down everyone who had a copy and make them delete it. When I returned to school, the photos were all gone.”

“This is very interesting. I don’t think I have ever heard of someone who had episodes of dissociative amnesia from the site of their own reflection. Annie, do you mind if I start recording our sessions? I’d like to document your condition better.” She asked.

“Record? Not video.” I said.

“No, no… that shouldn’t be necessary right now. Just audio. Do you mind?”

“I suppose it should be okay. So, can I have my bathing suit back? I’d feel a lot better for today if I had it.” I insisted.

Dr. Crowe pressed her lips together. I’d seen her do that before when she was considering something. I watched her pull out a small tape recorder and press the button to start recording.

“Let’s start with an experiment.” She suggested.

“What sort of experiment?” I asked. I didn’t like where this was going.

“So, you say that as long as you don’t see yourself; being naked doesn’t bother you. Correct?”

“I mean… not really. It used to bother me so much, but since the… incident, I guess that part isn’t really an issue. But if I see it, something bad happens.”

“I understand. Let’s try this.” Dr. Crowe pulled out my bathing suit and set it on the table in front of her. She then pulled out a black silk scarf and folded it. She tied it around my eyes into a blindfold. “Can you see anything?”

I shook my head.

“Can you please speak for the recorder?” She asked.

Realizing how silly I looked, shaking my head at a tape recorder, I said, “No. I mean yes. I mean, ‘yes I can speak’ and ‘no I can’t see anything’.” I really was getting scatterbrained.

“Go ahead and get undressed.” She instructed.

Taking a deep breath, I kicked off my shoes and lowered my pants. I slowly removed my pants one leg at a time. I had forgotten exactly where the chair was, so I just did everything standing. I folded the pants and handed them to her. Next I unbuttoned my shirt and remove it before handing it over as well.

“Is this okay?” I asked.

“Sure, Annie. Now the rest.” She said.

“Socks too?” I asked.

“You can leave the socks on for now” She told me.

I removed my bra and handed it over. Next I removed my panties and passed that too her as well.

After she had taken all of my clothes, I reached out expecting her to hand me my bathing suit. Instead, she asked, “How do you feel?”

“Like I have to pee really bad… Can I have my bathing suit back, please?” I asked.

“Not just yet.” Dr. Crowe said softly.

“But you said…” I insisted. “I really need to pee, Dr. Crowe!”

“Okay, I’ll take you.” She said smoothly. I heard her chair creek as she stood. "I'll help you with your shoes." She told me. They were slip-ons, so she just needed to place them in front of me and guide my foot to each one.

Next, I felt her take my hand and start leading me across the room toward the door.

I stopped and she lost her grip. “People will see me!” I exclaimed.

“You said it doesn’t bother you, right?” She asked.

“It um… well it doesn’t, but won’t we get into trouble?” She asked.

“No, you are my patient. I get a lot of leeway for that. Nobody will stop us, and if they try, I can promise you that you won’t be in any trouble.” She said. “Ready?”

I really, really needed to pee. Extending my hand, I let her lead me; first into the lobby of her office, and then out the door into the hallway. Somehow, stepping out the door naked made me feel like I was letting something go. I felt like I was free again, for the first time in a long, long time.

[Eoworfindir]

I’ve found some new inspiration on this story. While I do not have the entire storyline mapped out, as I usually don’t, I do know where I want the character to get to, and I am hopeful I will be able to write one more story for “After Therapy” at some point in the future.

Artwork by Eoworfindir https://www.deviantart.com/eoworfindir

Thank you, glad you liked it.

[edithdick]

My one regret in life is that I am not someone else. - Woody Allen

More Therapy - Chapter 3

I never realized how slowly Dr. Crowe walked until the day she led me blindfolded and naked down the public hallway to the bathroom. It wasn’t really that far from her office. I had made the same trip many times over the past 7 weeks that I had been seeing her. But the pace she was leading me with was maddening. I swear, she wanted to drag this out on purpose.

I heard voices of people talking, but as they approached us, I suppose the site of me walking past them without any clothes on distracted them because they got quiet as we approached. Once we were past them, I heard them whispering about me. I might have felt some embarrassment from it if I wasn’t concentrating so hard on not urinating down my leg.

Finally, we stopped. She knocked. While we were waiting for a response, I instinctively started shifting my weight from my left leg to my right and back. I have no idea how that helps keep the pee in, but it does. After a moment, I heard Dr. Crowe slip the key into the lock and then open the door. She helped me inside and guided me onto the seat.

As soon as I sat down, pee began rushing out of me.

“I’ll leave you to it.” She said.

I didn’t really know how to respond to that, but fortunately she wasn’t waiting for one, as I heard the door open and close. She had stepped out to give me a small amount of privacy.

After the pee stopped, I stayed on the toilet for a bit longer. This was crazy. I had just walked down the hall of her medical building; in front of strangers no less! And I was completely nude. No, not completely, I was blindfolded and had on socks and shoes. Otherwise I was completely naked. What was crazier was the fact that I wasn’t scared or embarrassed about it.

Maybe if I could have seen the strangers, or if she wasn’t guiding me along telling me it was safe… but even still. Last year, I needed to be hypnotized just to sit in a room and be naked. Now, without any other prompting except for her asking for it, here I was.

I don’t really know how long I sat there, but eventually I decided that I needed to head back. Our lunch time was almost over, and neither of us had finished eating. Plus, when I got back maybe she would give me my swimsuit back and I could stop worrying about my dreams.

I found the flusher and pressed it. I tried to wash my hands, but there was no paper towels. Normally I could wipe them on my clothing, but I was naked. Instead, I just opened the door and called out for Dr. Crowe.

“Hello? Dr. Crowe?” I said cautiously. There was no answer.

“I’m done. We can go back.” I said a little louder. Still no answer.

“Dr. Crowe? This isn’t funny. Please help me get back to the office.” I said, fear setting in. Had she really left me here along like this?

I listened, but I couldn’t hear anybody nearby. Slowly, I stepped out of the restroom. I took a couple of steps toward her office and heard the *CLICK* as the bathroom door shut behind me.

I gently slid my hand along the wall as I walked. This helped to keep me walking in a straight line, plus I could count the doors as I walked. I knew that Dr. Crowe’s office was the fifth office on the left from the bathroom.

One. I thought to myself as I passed the first door. I took a few more steps. Two. I walked a little faster. Three. Then I stopped when I heard people talking.

“Did you remember to pick up dog food?” came a man’s voice.

“Oh, shit!” came another voice, it sounded like a teenage boy.

“Watch your mouth! Just yes or no is fine.” Scolded the older voice.

“No, look!” exclaimed the boy. I realized that they could both see me. Turning around, I sprinted back toward the bathroom. I felt the door and reached around until I could find the doorknob. It wouldn’t turn. Oh fuck, I forgot that you need the key to get in. Where was Dr. Crowe?

I ran further down the hall. I knew there was a corner coming up and somewhere down there was a broom closet. I tried door after door. Most of them led to other waiting rooms, and when I opened them I could hear people gasp at the sight of me. I quickly closed the door and went to the next.

Finally, after the third or fourth door, I smelled the musty sent of the mop bucket mixed with the acrid smell of cleaning agents. I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me.

I heard the two people walking down the hall talking about me. I could hear them getting closer. The older one, I figured was the father, was still scolding his son for swearing. But the boy insisted that it was the appropriate response for seeing a naked girl wandering around the halls. The father laughed, but didn’t officially agree.

After a minute or two, they had passed by and I couldn’t hear them anymore. I listened for a bit longer before I tried again. Stepping out of the broom closet, I turned back the way I came. Now my problem was that I had lost track of how many doors it was to get to Dr. Crowe’s office. If I could find the bathroom again, it would help, but I didn’t know how far I had actually run. I knew that there was a corner I turned around, so I walked until I felt the wall in front of me.

Next, I felt along the wall for anything that I might be able to use to determine where I was. I could feel the doorway. There was a corkboard with a few flyers pinned to it. Since I didn’t feel that when I was walking to Dr. Crowe’s office the first time, she knew that she had not yet passed the bathroom.

Suddenly, I felt a diamond shape plaque on the wall next to one of the doors. I concentrated on picturing what Dr. Crowe’s door looked like. Had I remembered seeing a plaque like this next to the door?

I rubbed my hand across the surface of the plaque. There were some indentations in it. A curve, a line and something that has multiple lines. Slowly, I traced the indentations. The first one was a 2. Next was a 1. The third one was a 4. Dr. Crowe was in suite 205.

I walked to the next door. I found the plaque. Tracing the lines revealed that it was 213. The next two doors had no plaques on them. I was getting closer. I heard people coming, but this time, I decided I was not going to risk getting lost again. The next door was 210. Had I missed something?

I heard a little girl yell, “Mommy! She’s naked!” I froze.

“Hush.” Said the mom. I heard them coming closer. I pressed myself against the wall so I wasn’t too exposed. Just the same, the woman went out of her way to brush against me and whisper the word, “Freak” as she passed.

My heart was beating out of my chest by the time I could no longer hears their footsteps. Moving on, I found 209. I kept going. One by one. I finally reached 205. I had completely lost track of time. I knocked on the door, hoping that Dr. Crowe would answer it and apologize for abandoning me. No answer. Was this really the right office? I knocked again. Nothing. Where was she?

I heard more people coming. It sounded like a group of men. I was afraid of what they might do to me. I couldn’t see them, and I was thinking of how easily that woman rubbed up against me. If the guys wanted to get a free feel of my body, I wouldn’t be able to stop them. I pounded on the door. The guys were getting closer.

One of the guys whistled at me. The others hooted and one even commented on my round ass. I felt so desperate to be back inside the office. I could hear that the guys were almost on top of me. I reached down and turned on the doorknob that I knew was locked. It turned! I pushed open the door and ran in.
I was so scared, I tried running to where I though the door to Dr. Crowe’s office was. When my hand felt wood, I quickly found the doorknob and walked into her office. “Dr. Crowe, you left me!” I screamed, tears running down my eyes from fear.

“Annie, I’m with a patient.” She said firmly. “Please take a seat in the waiting room until I am done.”

“I… but.” I sputtered.

“Now!” She demanded.

I backed out of her office and made my way to one of the chairs. Suddenly, I heard a girl giggle. A woman said, “Shhh” and the little girl became quiet.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize people were here. Is this seat taken?” I asked.

“It is dear. The sofa is empty. Do you need help locating it?” She asked.

“No, thank you.” I said softly. I walked around the coffee table and took a seat on the sofa.

After a minute, I felt someone sit on the couch next to me. “Hi! I’m Jenny.” A young girl’s voice said. Jenny sounded like she was 10 or 11 years old.

“Hi, I’m Annie.” I said politely. “It’s nice to meet you, Jenny.”

“Why are you naked?” Jenny asked, eagerly.

“Jenny! Don’t be rude.” Her mom corrected.

“It’s okay.” I said. “This is… ah, part of my therapy.”

“Mommy, do I have to get naked too?” Jenny asked.

“No you do not. And do not ask that again.” Her mom told her firmly. “Now get over here and stop bothering this nice lady.”

“It’s no bother. I rather like thinking about something other than… well, something other than my therapy.” I said.

I didn’t feel Jenny move, so I assumed she was still sitting next to me. After a few more minutes she asked, “Can you read to me?”

Clearly she wasn’t talking to me, so I didn’t answer. Then she tapped my on the arm and asked again.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t read to you today.” I told her.

“Is it because of your blindfold?” She asked.

I nodded.

“I’ll help.” I could feel her tiny fingers try to take hold of the blindfold.

I pulled back. “Please don’t.” I said. “I’ll get… weird if that isn’t there.”

“I see.” Jenny said sadly. Then, “Can I read to you instead?”

“I’d like that.” I told her.

I heard Jenny rustling around in a canvas bag. I guessed that she had brought her own book. “Do you like Nancy Drew?” She asked.

“Yea, well… I used to when I was young like you.” I said.

“It’s called ‘The Ghost Cat’” She told me excitedly. “I just got it today!”

Jenny began reading about a family who lived in New York who had had a cat that died. Nancy Drew was helping to investigate why their dead cat was still coming around the house. It killed mice and left them on the front step, just like it always had. There were paw prints on the hood of the car and a nose print on the window. Just like it always did. They never saw the cat, but clearly it was still here.

Nancy discovered that it their cat had secretly had kittens before it died, and one of them was still coming around like its mommy had always done. It wasn’t a hard mystery to solve, but Jenny was so excited to take that journey that I didn’t spoil the ending when I figured it out with a few pages left to go.

While Jenny was reading, I heard another patient, Mr. Kilpatrick, if I remembered from organizing the charts this morning. He signed in and took a seat next to Jenny’s mom. Soon, the door opened and Dr. Crowe came out with Jenny’s dad. I got up but she asked me to wait until she was done with Mr. Kilpatrick.

Jenny and her parents left, and I was alone in the waiting room again. I needed to pee again. Why had I drank so much water? Well, I got up and went over to the reception desk. I knew that the key to the bathroom was hanging on a hook next to the desk. I used the same method to find the bathroom as I had to find the office. 5 doors from where I started, I felt. It was one of the rooms that had no plaque next to it.

I managed to get the key into the lock, but when I turned it, the door wouldn’t budge. I tried again and heard a male voice say “Occupied”.

I didn’t know what to do. Part of me wanted to go back and wait in her office, but I really had to pee. I decided to stand a few feet away from the door and wait for him to come out. When the door opened, I heard him gasp and after a second say, “Annie?”

The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I didn’t want to be rude, but I really needed to go. I pulled the door open a little further and slipped behind. I felt his shirt rub across my chest as I passed. He was a little shorter than me. “Sorry, I really need to pee.” I said.

I never heard the door close as I sat down and relieved myself. My past self would have been mortified, but here I was, already naked walking down the hall. Him watching me pee wasn’t worse than that.

“I haven’t seen you much since… well, you were naked then too.” He blurted out. “What happened? Does that girl still think you are her dog?”

“Josh?” I asked.

“Yes, from your neighborhood. Sorry, but why are you blindfolded?” He asked.

“It’s a long story. My, um, therapist has me doing this.” I said slowly.

“I understand. My mom’s therapist has her doing weird things too. Well, it was good seeing you again. Maybe we can hang out some time when you aren’t in therapy.” Josh suggested.

After I finished, I asked Josh to walk me back to suite 205. Mr. Kilpatrick was just finishing his session when we got back. “Thanks Josh. I’ll let you know if I am up to hanging out.”

Once Mr. Kilpatrick left, I was allowed back into Dr. Crowe’s office. She guided me to the chair I normally sat in during our sessions. “How are you feeling, Annie?” She asked.

“Okay, I guess. I think I was a little scared at first, but I have never been blind before, so that was hard.” I said.

“How about not wearing clothes? How are you feeling about that?” She added.

“I don’t know. I mean, it’s not like I didn’t run all over the city like this last year. I guess, compared to the blind part, being naked isn’t so bad.” I confessed.

“Do you still need your bathing suit?” She asked.

“I suppose not.” I said, softly. I was sad about that. I think I wanted to need my bathing suit. I certainly felt more confident in it. But… did I really need it? No. I did want to get dressed so I could get this blindfold off.

“Okay, let me help you get dressed.” She offered. And she did. In a few minutes I was zipping up my jeans and buttoning up my shirt. Only when I was finished did Dr. Crowe allow me to remove the blindfold. I looked down at my attire. Everything was back to normal. The only difference from this morning was that I wasn’t panicking about Tuesday.

“Since you no longer need this,” Dr. Crowe said, holding out my bathing suit, “you may have it back.”

Of course I took it. I still needed to take a shower once in a while, and I wasn’t going to be doing that blindfolded.

“I think this is a good place for us to start stretching you, Annie.” She told me.

“What do you mean by ‘stretching’ me?” I asked.

“You need to be challenged in order to grow. I have some ideas for Tuesday, perhaps I will work with you naked from here on out as well.” She told me.

I wanted to argue that point, but somehow my being naked for the past 2 hours did make me feel better. Why do all of my therapists have me get naked?

[Hooked6]

Fascinating story! Not only have you managed to write a book containing very vivid scenes of erotica, containing ENF, EMB, humiliation and the like, but there is a certain element of mystery here drawing the reader in to want to know more about Annie (Sophie) and what more may be going on with her and more importantly what may have happened to her in the past that required her to start therapy in the first place. The slow reveal creates a lot of tension that makes for great reading.

Can't wait to find out what happens next.

Hooked6

[edithdick]

Can't wait to find out what happens next.

Hooked6

Thanks @Hooked6,

I have the house to myself for the next couple of weeks, hopefully I’ll get through everything I have planned in that time. Hold onto your hat, it’s about to get bumpy.

[edithdick]

Things are getting weird, and they're getting weird fast - Elon Musk

More Therapy – Chapter 4

The next few days went by pretty fast. I ended up hanging out with Josh and his friends on Saturday. It was the first time I left my house to hang with friends in more than a year. Mostly, we just played Xbox and ate pizza.

My dreams were still fairly weird, but not scary weird. One night, I dreamt that I was back on Catalina with my brother and his friend. Even though I was naked in the dream, I was chill about it. We all just ran around playing volleyball and hiking. It was totally normal that I didn’t have clothes on. I don’t know if it was stranger that I was having more and more dreams of myself running around naked, or that I was somehow okay with it.

When Monday rolled around though, everything changed. For starters, my dad had left for the airport before breakfast, which means he left without telling me goodbye. 

I came down for breakfast in a bad mood. I was woken up by several people in our front yard who were making a lot of noise. “Mom, what’s happening outside?” I asked.

“Outside? Oh, the real estate agency sent people over to take pictures of the house and put up the ‘For Sale’ sign.” She said casually.

“We’re selling the house?” I asked.

“Of course, we’re moving to New York, remember?” She informed me as she was finishing up cooking us eggs and bacon. “Do you want toast?”

“Oh, I thought that wasn’t for a while.” I said. I really thought I had more time. “Yes on the toast. Oh, where’s dad?”

“He had to fly out to get setup on his new job and look for a place for us to stay.” She said.

“He’s coming back, right?” I asked.

“In a couple of weeks.” She said, finally taking a seat while carrying us each a plate of food.

“Two weeks? That’s TOO SOON!” I bellowed. “Really mom. I need more time.”

“Honey, you’ll have plenty of time. School starts the same there as it does here.” She said calmly.

“I mean with Dr. Crowe! She won’t want me to leave this soon. We just started making progress.” I cried.

“Annie, we’ll find you a therapist when we get to Syracuse. I don’t think she’ll mind. Dr. Crowe’s the one who helped your father get his promotion.” My mom said.

“What? Why would… I’m not ready. And Dr. Crowe is the only therapist we’ve found that doesn’t suck.”

“Watch your language. I’m still your mother.” She said finally. “Now hurry up and eat your breakfast and get ready. When they’re finished outside they will be taking pictures of the interior too.”

I wasn’t very hungry after that. I did finish the bacon and scraped some grape jelly on the toast, which I took upstairs. Everything I did was a panic after that. I closed my eyes, and then quickly slipped out of my pajamas and into my bathing suit. Next I went in and took a quick shower before drying off with a towel and using a hair dryer on my bathing suit. It was the first time in a week that I wore the bathing suit under my clothes.

My mom had me go outside while the real estate agency photographed the house. She was frantically cleaning and straightening everything. She said it was so we got a better price for the house, but I think she just didn’t want our neighbors to think we were messy people.

When they left, I stayed the rest of the day inside. I was a nervous wreck all day, and when I went to sleep that night… well, I don’t exactly know what happened when I went to sleep. I had a dream that I was running around the neighborhood chasing after a lost puppy all night. In the dream, I knew that the puppy was named Sophie, and I really needed to catch her. But every time I got close and started calling her name, she would somehow appear further away.

When I woke up, I was exhausted. I thought I must have been tossing and turning all night. Something felt odd though. As I opened my eyes and started to focus, I realized that I was naked under the blanket. I wrapped the blanket tightly around my body and got out of bed to look for my clothes. They were lying on the floor by the open door. I knew I had closed it before bed, since my mom always stays up late watching TV.

I closed the door and grabbed my pajamas and tossed them onto the bed. Next I picked out some clothes to wear before shutting my eyes, dropping the blanket and getting dressed. That was when I noticed something else. My feet were filthy. I pulled up the pant legs and saw that I looked like I had been rolling around in the mud.

The bed was just as dirty. In a panic, I pulled the sheets off of the bed and took all of the bedding down to the laundry. When my mom heard the washing machine start she came in and asked what was going on. All I could think to say was, “My sheets were dirty.”

“Oh sweetie.” She told me. “I know this move is putting a lot of stress on you.”

I nodded. I was too embarrassed to give her more details.

“How long has it been since the last time you wet your bed?” She asked, concerned.

Wet my bed? Oh… I sighed. She thought that was why I was washing my sheets. I decided that it was less embarrassing to let her think that than tell the truth, so I said. “Since I was 7, I think.”

My mom gave me a hug and said, “Sweetie, you should get in the shower. You smell awful.”

I didn’t argue.

[Hooked6]

The plot thickens! Her father's promotion and the impending move are certainly ratcheting up the stress on our beloved Annie. This is such an intriguing story that you are weaving.

Awaiting the next installment.

Hooked6

[edithdick]

There’s no such thing as normal. What we think of as ‘Normal’ is merely something that we’ve become used to. – Author Unknown

More Therapy – Chapter 5

“Ha-How could you se-send me –ah-away?” I cried.

Dr. Crowe stared at me with sympathetic eyes for a moment before handing me a tissue. I blew my nose, but didn’t let it go. “I still... Wh-why?” was all I could manage to get out before I had to blow my nose again.

“Annie, I have no idea what you are talking about.” She told me patiently.

“My… My dad is moving us to New York.” I said before taking a deep breath. I had to get through this. “My mom told me you helped him get a job in Syracuse.”

Dr. Crowe nodded. “I did.”

“Why?” I started balling again.

“Did you know your dad has been an associate professor in a very prestigious department at USC?” She asked.

I shook my head. I mean, I knew he was a professor or something, but I didn’t know the rest.

“Well, he is. Syracuse, on the other hand… Syracuse has a very good basketball team.” She told me. “Their dean, Dean Lloyd, you see, I owed him a favor. He is trying to build the academics at his school and asked me for a recommendation.”

“So?” I asked.

“Well, I’ve known your father for more than 20 years. I asked him for a favor to consider this position. He did. And… he accepted.” She said, in a tone a kindergarten teacher might use to explain nap time to a 5 year old.

“I don’t want to go to New York. Can’t you stop this?” I begged.

“Annie, you’re missing the point.” She said smoothly.

“What?” I asked.

“I don’t want you to move away either. Just the opposite. I want you to stay here, where I can keep an eye on you and help you through this.” She told me.

“I don’t understand.” I admitted. “If you want me here then why…?”

Dr. Crowe took in a deep breath and released it before continuing. “For now, just know that I have a plan. When the time comes, I promise you, if you don’t want to leave, you won’t have to.” She told me. “Now, tell me what happened to you since Thursday.”

I wanted to press for more information, but she had taken her seat and had me sit in my normal spot and turned on the tape recorder. She said it would be okay, and I still trusted her. So I did as I was told. I explained to her how well the weekend went, and what my mom told me… and I told her about what happened this morning… and about what must have happened last night.

“You have no memory of it?” she asked.

“I… I was having a dream that I was chasing Sophie around. But every time I got close to her, she would appear somewhere else.” I said. “I don’t know what that means. It was just a dream, right?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not.” Dr. Crowe said. “Has something like this ever happened before?”

“Not really,” I started and then, “I mean, sort of?”

Dr. Crowe cocked her head questioningly, prompting me to continue.

“When I was at the mall with my mom. You remember, I wandered away naked?” I said.

“I remember.” She told me.

“My mom told me when she found me that I kept repeating the phrase, ‘Sophie is a good girl’ over and over.” I said.

“Oh!” she said, startled by the revelation. “Annie, why didn’t you tell me that before?”

“I didn’t think…” I began, but change to, “I was too embarrassed to tell you.”

“Annie, you have to trust me. I can only help you if I know what is happening. Has this happened any other time?” She asked.

“No, not that I can remember.” I said sullenly.

“Okay, so this ‘awakening’ of the Sophie personality is recent.” She said, more to herself than to me.

“I guess.” I said. “I have been dreaming about her for months though. Before I met you… just, she never took over my body before is all.”

Dr. Crowe nodded. “Well, let’s begin.”

Before I could ask what she wanted to begin, she pulled out a white binder that contained a bunch of clear plastic envelope inserts. She set it on my lap and told me to open the cover.

The first page was a woman who appeared to be walking down a fashion runway, except that she was only wearing a pair of high heeled shoes and a large brimmed hat. Otherwise, she was completely naked.

“What do you feel when you see this image?” She asked.

“I feel like you are showing me porn.” I said.

“No fear? You are able to see a naked woman and not panic?” She asked.

“No, she’s pretty though.” I admitted.

“Next page.” Dr. Crowe instructed.

The next page was a woman on a beach, playing volleyball with a mix of men and women. She was naked and they were all wearing bathing suits.

“How do you feel seeing this one?” She asked.

The picture itself didn’t make me feel anything weird, but when I closed my eyes, I remembered me playing on the beach with Craig and his friends. I blushed a little at the memory, but then told her. “It’s familiar to what happened to me, but… It’s okay.”

The next few pages were like that. All different women doing things that were similar to my incident, but other than a bit of embarrassment and empathy, especially for the girl being led around by a leash, I didn’t have any fear or panic from it.

Then I turned the page and my face went flush. It was a picture of a boat. More specifically, it was a picture of the ferry boat that you take to Catalina. I recognized it in an instant. Not the boat, but the picture. This was one of the pictures that was spreading around my school. I immediately closed my eyes and pushed the binder back toward Dr. Crowe.

“Where did you get this?” I demanded.

“Annie.” Dr. Crowe said firmly. “Open your eyes.”

I was shaking. I tried pushing the book to her, but she pushed it back onto my lap. She was a lot stronger than she looked. “Open your eyes. Now.” Dr. Crowe insisted.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked at her.

“You have to face this.” She told me. “Please.”

I nodded, a little. Then I looked down at the photo. It was the same picture I remembered. I was standing on the ferry with Craig and Jimmy on either side of me. I remembered this… not that someone was taking a picture of me, but I remember how happy I was spending the day with my brother and his friends. Then I finally allowed myself to look at me.

“You changed it.” I said to Dr. Crowe. She had drawn a bikini onto my body. It looked like it was done with a black sharpie, but it covered the important parts well enough.

“How do you feel about this image?” She asked.

I was still shaking from fear, but seeing myself clothed normally instead of naked made me feel… “Sad.” I said.

“Why sad?” She asked, carefully.

“I don’t know… I don’t understand why I feel sad, but… that is how it makes me feel.” I said.

“Okay, look at the next page.” She told me.

My hand began to shake a little, as I was certain what I would see on the next page. I tried to delay the inevitable. “Where did you get this photo?” I repeated.

“Annie, why is that important to you?” she asked.

“Are there more?” I asked.

Dr. Crowe nodded. “I have a few more.” She admitted.

My heart sank. I had thought that Craig had tracked all of these down, but if she could find them then… I was shaking.

She didn’t let me delay any further, and turned the page for me. “Look. How does this one make you feel?”

Tears began to well up, but I forced myself to look down. It was not what I expected. Instead of seeing a picture where she didn’t cover me up, she had a picture of a bouquet of yellow flowers. “How do you feel seeing this picture?”

I studied the picture. They were really pretty. I could see that they were actually yellow with streaks of red in them, reminding me of a sunset. “Calm.” I said. “I feel really calm seeing this picture.”

“Good. That’s enough exercise for today. On Thursday, come early. I will have something for you then.” Dr. Crowe told me, pulling the binder away. After that, she asked me to tell her of my dreams. Any dream that I remembered with Sophie in it. She made special care to ensure that the tape recorder was close enough that it didn’t miss anything.

I was calm again when I left Dr. Crowe’s office. She told me it would be my choice to stay or go. I didn’t know how that could be true, but for some reason, I still trusted her.

On the way home, my mom stopped at the hardware store and bought a bunch of cardboard boxes for moving. My worry started up again.