Changes

“I want you to take a moment for me, and just relax. Perhaps you could picture yourself resting in a forest grove, in the early autumn when the leaves are beginning to change. You can imagine the vivid reds of the maple leaves, the rich oranges of the oaks and poplars, the soft golden colors of the elms, and here and there a tree or two whose leaves still bear the bright green of summer. Their branches wave ever so slightly in the breeze; you can feel just a hint of that breeze, whisking away the last of the summer heat and leaving you cool and refreshed as you lay back on the soft, springy grass and enjoy the view. It’s very easy to relax while you imagine that, isn’t it?

“And the grass is so soft under your body, and it’s quiet and still here; the wildlife is already preparing for winter, heading south or digging in for that long, slow, lazy sleep until spring comes, and so we have the forest all to ourselves. The sun is low in the horizon, now; afternoon comes quicker in the fall, and the light has already taken on that special, drowsy quality that comes late in the day. It’s a perfect light for watching the fall foliage and just letting your thoughts wander.

“The breeze stirs the branches again, making them sway back and forth, rippling across the leaves as it brushes the canopy of the forest like a gentle caress. It’s easy, so very easy to relax and imagine the beautiful colors, all of the distinct and separate leaves blending into a kaleidoscope of vivid light. You might want to let your eyes unfocus a little, just relax those tiny muscles and let the whole picture blur into a golden dance as you watch.

“And it strikes you, as you watch the leaves swaying back and forth, back and forth, how the trees in this forest grove are just a little bit like you. They’re starting to relax, leaving their green colors behind them as they prepare for their own sleep. And it seems to be such a wonderful thing for them, doesn’t it? Don’t they look so beautiful now, as they let go of that bright green wakefulness and change into their drowsy, dreamy autumn colors? It’s as though by letting themselves sleep, by letting their leaves change and float away, they’ve discovered something brilliant and wonderful about themselves.

“That thought sounds so wonderful to you, as you rest and relax even further here with me. Perhaps you’re beginning to wonder what brilliant, wonderful things lie inside you, and how nice it will be to discover them as you let your own thoughts change like the leaves in autumn. You can imagine each thought in your head as being like one of the leaves on the tree, slowly beginning to change and letting you unveil a new self as you relax deeper and float towards a gentle, easy sleep.

“Or perhaps you’re still a little worried. Perhaps you’re afraid to let go of the way things are, wanting to cling tightly to every thought you have, the bad as well as the good. Sometimes it’s hard to change, even for the better. Don’t be afraid. That’s what I’m here for, to help you and guide you. Here in the forest, together, I can help you see that change is natural. The trees don’t try to fight it when it’s time to cast off their summer colors and embrace the autumn. The change just creeps up on them, without their even trying. Before they know it, they’re lost in the warm oranges and reds and yellows, ready to sleep that long, dreamy sleep. They just listen to nature, and it’s perfectly easy for them to do what nature says. There’s no fear when you’re just doing what comes naturally, is there?

“Of course there isn’t. And now that you know that, it’s perfectly natural to let me take each one of the thoughts in your mind, and slowly and carefully shade them towards dreamy sleep. You can imagine the green of your mind changing now under my guidance—perhaps your sleepy mind is bright yellow...or perhaps you see it fading to warm orange...or maybe you see it slowly fade into a dark, rich red...it’s entirely up to you, really. All those colors are an expression of who you are, and of who you’re letting yourself become when you relax and give up control to me. All you need to do is become the person you truly are, deep down. It feels so good to relax, uncovering your deepest self, your true self, as you sink into my words and let that natural, inevitable change just...happen.

“And you know what always happens after the leaves change, don’t you? They change because it’s time to let them fall away. All those old, worn-out thoughts float away on the breeze and go wherever the wind takes them, because it’s just too much effort to cling to them anymore. It’s too hard to hang on to those thoughts, and you understand now that it’s just natural to let go of them. It’s how we renew ourselves. We let go of everything, knowing that all the good and wonderful things about ourselves will return with the springtime. Everything else, the things we need to let go of, they can drift off on the wind. Everything changes, but nothing good is ever truly lost.

“And as you hear that and feel the joy of knowing that you can let go of your burdens, let go of your sorrows, let go of everything old and exhausted in your heart, you realize that some of your thoughts have already floated away on the wind. You’re not sure when it started to happen, because it always starts small, but here and there you discover that a thought or two is just...gone. And that’s okay. That’s perfectly natural, and I’m here to keep you safe and guide you while it happens.

“And then another few thoughts drift away, and another, and soon you find that your thoughts are drifting away faster than you can keep track of it. And that’s because keeping track of your thoughts involves thinking, and it’s getting harder to do that because your thoughts are drifting away. And the more you think about how hard it is to think, the happier you become to realize that you can’t think about how hard it is to think because that involves thinking too. And then, with the biggest, happiest sigh you can imagine, you decide to just let those thoughts of thinking go. It’s alright. I’ll think for you, while you’re so happily lost in thoughtless thought and descending finally to a place where thoughts don’t even matter. That feels so good, doesn’t it?

“Of course it does. I knew it would, and you know it does because I’m thinking for you right now. There are only a few leaves left on the tree now, just a few thoughts left in your mind, and you can imagine my words as a gentle breath on your sleepy mind, a light puff of breeze that blows those last few leaves away, one...by...one...until they’re all gone. It’s alright. You know you can trust me. It feels so good to relax completely and know that your blank, empty mind is safe with me. It feels like letting yourself go, toppling backwards into a soft drift of fallen leaves, knowing that they’ll catch you and hold you and support you. You’re always safe with me.

“That feels so good, and because I want to thank you for trusting me, I’m going to make it feel even better now. I want to give you a gift, just like you gave me the gift of your complete and total submission when you relaxed your mind so completely for me. And that gift is pleasure. Just that word makes you shiver as it creates such delicious, evocative sensations in your body. You’re not thinking of anything right now except the thoughts I put into your head, and so when I tell you to feel pleasure, your body responds naturally and easily to my words. The pleasure builds and builds, every time I say pleasure, because I want you to feel pleasure and I command you to feel pleasure and you know you’ll feel pleasure because I know you’ll feel pleasure. And everything I know, you believe. Everything I say, you agree with. Everything I think echoes in your empty mind, now.

“You want that now. Your whole body is alive with pleasure, and you’re aware in a distant, dreamy way that the pleasure comes so easily because you’ve given yourself over to me. And that just makes you want to give yourself more and more, because the more you give in, the easier the pleasure comes and the better the pleasure feels. Your body quivers with pleasure, your pulse quickens with pleasure, your empty mind is blanketed with pleasure. Building and building now, pleasure more and more intense...

“And soon, the pleasure will spill over into that ultimate, utter pleasure, the pleasure of coming for me. Your mind will come as the pleasure builds beyond your ability to contain it, and perhaps your body will follow. It’s okay if it does. It’s okay if it doesn’t. All you need to do is feel that deep, dreamy pleasure, my gift to you, building and building with each moment of pleasure, only holding back until the moment I command it to overwhelm you completely, the pleasure growing pleasure more intense pleasure can’t stop pleasure can’t fight pleasure pleasure pleasure—

“Come. Come now for me, come long and hard, feel yourself shake and gasp in pleasure as you come for me. Feels so good, body so alive, tingling and shivering and feeling every second of it again and again in your blank, deep, dreamy, sleepy mind. Come.

“And now, as the last tremors of pleasure echo through your mindless mind, I want you to just rest here a moment with me, deep and empty and relaxed. I want you to picture the branches of your mind, all bare of thoughts and waiting for springtime. I’m going to help them blossom forth again soon, and together, we’re going to make sure that only the best thoughts grow from the tiny little buds that are beginning to spring up. You let yourself change, under my guidance and my control, because you wanted to bring out the best parts of yourself. And that means now that it’s time to leave some things behind.

“You can do that very easily, and you know that you can do that because I’m telling you that you can, and right now the only thoughts in your head are my thoughts. So now, as those tiny green shoots begin to bloom, you can see that you’re leaving behind the things you deeply want to leave behind. Maybe those are old hurts, or bad habits. Maybe they’re memories that you’ve held onto too long. You know the things you want to let go, here in this new springtime of your mind, and you know what things you need to hold onto because they’re important. All I’m doing is helping you become the better person you want to be.

“And you can see those new leaves unfurling now, so bright and alert with all their spring color. Everything’s so green, here in the springtime of your mind, filled with fresh promise and energy as you look forward to what’s to come, and all of the ways that your new ideas will bear fruit in the days ahead. And now, as your thoughts return to you, as the world around you begins to take shape again, we can leave this forest behind. But you know that we can always return here, whenever you want to renew yourself once more. And every time, it will be easier to do, and every time, you’ll find that the changes happen better and more quickly.

“And knowing that, you can awaken completely on the count of five. One, your awareness coming back now as the leaves spread wide. Two, feeling the alertness flow up through your body like water drawn from the earth. Three, hearing my voice and letting it stir your mind like a spring wind blowing through the leaves. Four, almost all the way back now...

“And five. Wide awake, alert, and renewed.”