CHAPTER NINE
Summer 2007
Introducing John Treville
Harley Street W1, where John Treville had his suite of treatment rooms, was the centre of private medical care in London. His practice was in a beautiful Grade II listed Georgian period property, built in 1830. The glossed black front entrance door opened onto an original tiled floor. The exterior of the building was white, with black railings along the length of the frontage. Beautiful manicured mulberry bushes stood on each side of the door.
The rooms were furnished tastefully; the ground floor main reception having leather chesterfield sofas and armchairs. The therapy rooms were bright, with a cream and navy colour scheme. Each room had a crystal chandelier and several had marble fireplaces. A beautiful wooden staircase swept up to the upper floors. Beyond, at the top of the property, was a three bedroom apartment suite, the length and width of the building itself, where Treville resided.
Harley Street itself was well served by airports and rail links, which meant many overseas visitors kept business brisk. The many brass plates on the front of the buildings attested to the variety of services offered; private surgeons, therapists, dental surgeons, and cosmetic surgeons amongst investment and estate companies and private dwellings.
John Treville was well established over many years, an imposing yet well respected head of his empire. He was the Principal of the National Society for Clinical Hypnosis and as well as having a very successful practice, he lectured on the post graduate programme at the University of London on psychotherapies in general and hypnotherapy in particular. He also supervised both Certificate and Diploma practitioner courses in several establishments throughout the south of England.
Athos's first meeting with John Treville, during his long recuperation – made he believed to take his mind off his lack of control of his situation, was quite a revelation. He liked the man, and trusted him almost immediately. He had a calm manner, and clear blue eyes. Still in thrall to some of his demons, particularly the occasional headache and the more occasional intense nightmare, he found Treville to be accepting and empathic.
"So, tell me, in your own words, why are you here?" he had said, sitting across the room, a notepad on his knee.
An hour and a half later, Athos had told him everything that had happened to him over the last two years, both physically and mentally. It was the most he had spoken in weeks, but the blue intense eyes and gentle probing questions were enough to loosen his tongue. Perhaps he was ready to accept help, after all.
He had been non-judgemental when Athos talked about the mysterious woman who had been drifting through his life for nearly eighteen months.
"I feel as if she is watching me."
"How long have you felt this?"
"Since that day in the village when I saw her behind Ben."
Treville talked to him about trauma.
"But of course you know this, you are highly qualified Athos."
"However qualified I am, it all goes out of the window when something like this happens. I have probably forgotten more than I know now. My long term memory was somewhat compromised. I am relearning as I go along," he replied quietly. "Was it my imagination, or a memory do you think?"
"Perhaps a combination of both," Treville answered,
"It is possible," he continued, "that when you saw Ben Elmer killed, your mind dissociated and your unconscious mind became dominant. Your mysterious woman could be a result of that. She may be a memory, your imagination, someone you saw in a film. However, she may be someone you have a real bond with."
"How many times have you seen her?" Treville asked, to clarify.
"Three times now. Twice in Afghanistan and once in my kitchen. But I feel as if she is there, watching. I sometimes think I see her out of the corner of my eye, but when I turn, there is nothing there."
Treville read quickly through his notes and then sat back;
"Well, the first thing is to help you to relax. That seems to have been lacking lately. Hypnosis will help with that. You've done this a few times before with Aramis, I believe, so you know what to expect. Let's get started. Are you ready to go into the trance state?"
And so, Athos was guided once more into a deep trance, during which Treville helped him visualise a place where he could imagine himself safe and comfortable. This particular safe place was one of his favourite beaches in St Lucia.
Once deeply relaxed, Treville asked him to use all his senses and spent time helping him develop the visualisation, determining what he could see, feel, touch and smell, to bring the experience vividly to life.
Drawing the trance to a close, he gave him post hypnotic suggestions for restful sleep, explaining that as soon as his head hit the pillow, he would fall into a deep, restful sleep, before bringing him back to full waking awareness. The whole process had taken a little over an hour.
Treville explained later that as the unconscious mind cannot argue, it believed he had actually walked on that white sand, feeling it between his toes; that he had run his hand over the bark of a palm tree, and breathed in the salty smell of the ocean and the tropical flowers on the edge of the sand. The experience was now filed away in his unconscious, and could be brought back to enjoy another time.
It was liberating. Athos felt free of some of the constraints of the ordered life he had been living in the Army, and the chaotic life he had been living since. Most liberating was the fact he now had new thoughts in his head, no longer caught in a cycle of negativity. His conscious mind had been too overwhelmed to do that, but in trance, that part of his mind had been bypassed and his unconscious had come to the fore.
Following that first session, he had emerged from the building and stood on the steps; as he breathed in the summer air, he realised he had renewed hope that he may regain control over his life.
After three sessions, he could go to his safe place quickly, and enjoyed the ability to change it, make the ocean bluer, wilder; the sand softer, add more palm trees; drift in a hammock slung between two trees. The possibilities were endless. All he needed was imagination, and that was slowly being awoken as Treville guided him through each session.
On the fourth session though, something happened.
He did not find himself in his safe place, but Treville reminded him that he was there with him, and asked him to just drift and let it happen. After a few moments of drifting, Treville spoke quietly,
"Remaining deeply relaxed; can you tell me where are you now?"
Athos sat quietly in the chair, eyes closed, breathing evenly, thinking, before saying,
"Not sure, some sort of courtyard, I think."
"Look around Athos, tell me what you see and what you hear ..."
There was a long pause, as Athos determined what images his mind was showing him.
"Two men ... raised voices ...they seem to be arguing..."
"Describe them to me, what are they wearing?"
"Strange clothes, old fashioned. Loose shirts and trousers; both are wearing boots, I think."
"How old are they?"
"One is young, maybe in his twenties. The other older... I think they are perhaps father and son."
"What are they saying?"
"I cannot make it out..."
"Listen carefully," Treville instructed.
"French! It's old French, but I can understand some of it," Athos murmured.
Treville paused, giving Athos time to assimilate what he was seeing.
"It's over, the younger one is storming off. The older one is shouting after him ..."
"What is he shouting?"
Athos didn't answer at first, he was deeply relaxed and it was difficult to form words. But then he lifted his head, although his eyes remained shut;
"A name, he is calling out a name ..."
"What name is he calling?" Treville prompted.
Another pause, and then Athos said,
"Olivier ...
The young man's name is Olivier."
oOo
To be continued ...
