Body Positive Ch. 01

Throwing her head back in frustration, she grabbed her phone and decided she needed to call this hypnotherapy guy right away. Clicking the link to his website, she quickly found the phone number for his office. Not allowing herself time to talk herself out of it, she dialed.

"Trevor Hypnotics," said a cheerful lilting voice on the other end of the line.

"Um, hi," said Maya. "My name is Maya Reynolds and I was given a referral for Dr. Trevor?" she said with uncertainty.

"A referral?" said the woman. "A referral for the Professor?"

"Ummm..." continued Maya. "I think so. Is that Professor John Michael Trevor?"

"Yes indeed!" said the cheerful woman. "Professor John Michael Trevor of Trevor Hypnotics!"

"So, Professor Trevor is a hypnotherapist, right?" asked Maya. "A licensed hypnotherapist?" she clarified.

"Oh yes," the woman replied. "He specializes in the healing art of hypnosis."

"Okay," Maya said nervously. "Do you know if he has any appointments available in the near future?"

"Let's see, let's see," said the woman. "He has a 4 o'clock available."

Maya was surprised not to hear a date in front of the time. "Um, 4 o'clock for what day?" she asked.

"4 o'clock this afternoon, Ms. Reynolds. Should I pencil you in?"

"Oh, um, yes. Yes, please," Maya replied.

"Wonderful. Do you know where to find us?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, I have the address from the website," said Maya.

"Lovely. We ask that you arrive at least 15 minutes early for a first appointment. Also, we ask that you wear loose-fitting comfortable clothing, no jewelry, and make sure your hair is down. The hypnosis process can cause some unexpected physical responses, and we want to minimize any risk to yourself and our staff."

"Okay, thank you," said Maya.

"Have a lovely afternoon and thank you for your patronage," the voice said with a click.

Maya was left holding her phone as the call abruptly ended. Shit. She was going to a hypnotist today. Yikes.

Maya spent the next few hours worrying about what it would be like to talk to a new therapist, especially one that was going to attempt to hypnotize her. She paced, watched some TV, tried to do some reading, ate a snack, yelled at herself for eating, paced some more, until it was finally time to leave for her appointment.

The address that her phone had taken her to was an old strip mall with a pizza restaurant and a nail salon on one end, and what looked like a combination karate studio and laundromat at the other. Maya walked up and down the sidewalk looking for the entrance to Professor Trevor's office, but wasn't having much luck. Finally, she took a closer look at the words printed on the entrance on the far right side of the building, and found in small text the words "Trevor Hypnotics: Therapeutic Healing". Maya opened the door and walked inside, following the signs for the hypnotherapy office until she found herself in an interior office.

It seemed like a fairly normal low-end budget clinic. Nothing as nice as Dr. Thompson's soothing therapy practice, and the carpet was a fairly hideous shade of dark orange that looked like it had been chosen in the 1970s, but it was overall fairly clean and professional-looking.

She approached the front desk, where a mid-thirties blonde woman was sitting. "Welcome to Trevor Hypnotics. What can I do for you?" the woman asked cheerfully. Maya recognized her voice as the woman she had talked to on the phone earlier this morning.

"Hi," Maya said. "I have an appointment with Dr. Trevor--I mean, with Professor Trevor, this afternoon. At 4 o'clock."

"Ah, yes. Miss Reynolds! Welcome! Here," she said, holding a clipboard with some official-looking papers on it. "Please fill out these intake forms. Just some basic demographic information, medical history, and liability waivers."

Maya nodded and took the clipboard to fill out the paperwork in one of the waiting room chairs. It was the usual questions, for the most part. Reason for visit, existing conditions, even a family history section. She sat there filling out the paperwork, and eventually returned it to the receptionist. She sat back down in her chair and tried not to let her mind wander too much, but ended up focusing on how terrible her thighs looked in the long maxi dress she had chosen to wear as part of the "loose-fitting clothing" requirement for the appointment.

"The Professor will see you now," the cheerful receptionist's voice interrupted Maya's drifting thoughts. That was faster than expected. Most medical appointments had a wait time of at least half an hour, but this seemed like it had been less than five minutes.

The receptionist led Maya back to another office, opening the door for her as Maya peeked inside, where she saw a man with salt and pepper hair shuffling papers behind a desk. He was wearing a loose linen shirt and sandals, not a typical outfit for a professional therapist.

"Hello Miss Reynolds," Professor Trevor said, walking over to shake Maya's hand. He had an easy smile and an incredibly charming demeanor.

"How are you doing today?" he asked as he turned back around to have a seat in a big armchair facing her.

"I'm okay," Maya said quietly, still uncomfortable at the idea of sharing her private thoughts with a new therapist.

"What brings you to my office?" he prodded, gesturing at her to sit down on the sofa across from his chair.

"Um, I had a referral from Dr. Thompson," Maya said carefully, walking toward the sofa. "I have, um, well she's treating me for, um, an eating disorder. Atypical anorexia," Maya continued with the usual shame that came with announcing her condition. She sat down on the couch, grasping the armrest tightly with one hand and wishing for a blanket or a pillow to cover herself with. "But recovery has kind of, stalled, I guess?" she added.

"Stalled in what way?" asked Professor Trevor mildly, observing Maya's uncomfortable body language.

"Well I just can't stop thinking about my body," replied Maya vaguely.

"What about your body?" asked the Professor, tilting his head in curiosity.

Maya was starting to tear up again. This was too much. Even saying the words out loud was going to make them too real. "Just," she started, "how ugly it is," she finished. "And fat, obviously," she added, looking down at herself in disgust.

"Ah, body dysmorphia," Professor Trevor said, nodding. "Distorted perception of the self. Excellent candidate."

"Candidate?" Maya asked with a bit of trepidation.

"For hypnosis," he responded. "Nothing to be ashamed of, but those with a warped sense of reality tend to be more affected by the process."

Maya felt a little indignant at that characterization of herself. "I don't think I have a warped sense of reality--" she started to protest.

"Beautiful girl comes in talking about how ugly she is? Looks pretty warped from where I'm sitting," Trevor retorted with amusement.

Maya sat back in her chair, her lips pursed tightly together. This guy clearly didn't get it. As charming as he was, he was certainly no Claudia. But the ease with which he labeled her beautiful was so enticing. What would it be like to be able to say something like that about herself? Or anything nice at all?

"What are you looking for here," Professor Trevor asked.

Maya paused for a moment, unsure of how much information to give. She wasn't in the mood to say much, but her frustration level was so high that she found herself speaking. "I just want to be able to live again. To not be so focused on how much I hate myself. I want to be able to see myself as a person, just like I see everyone else, instead of this hideous monstrosity," she trailed off as her voice started to catch, unhappy with how much emotion she had let out for this virtual stranger.

A knock sounded at the door to Professor Trevor's office. "Come in," he said, to Maya's surprise. Was it normal for a counselor to let someone else in during a private session? This seemed like quite a breach of privacy.

The blonde receptionist opened the office door. "Professor, I thought you and your guest might enjoy some of our organic tea," she said sweetly.

"Ah yes, of course," Professor Trevor responded. "Please pour a cup for Miss Reynolds."

Maya was again taken aback at this breach of protocol, and the fact that he had just volunteered her for some mystery tea. "What kind of tea is it?" she asked skeptically, not quite willing to admit that she was really asking to find out if it was likely to have any sugar in it.

"It will help you relax," said Trevor. "Don't worry, nothing illegal or anything. Completely natural."

"Oh yes!" the receptionist added. "We grow all of our tea leaves ourselves, in the organic garden in our courtyard. It helps us all feel more like ourselves, to better serve our Profes--".

"Thank you, Penny," Professor Trevor interjected. "The tea is medicinal," he continued explaining. "It is part of the hypnotherapy regimen we practice here. It helps relax your mind a bit, to quiet those nagging thoughts that express doubt about the process. Hypnosis only works if you believe it, and if your brain is on overdrive, you're bound to think yourself out of it. The tea helps keep you calm so that the hypnotherapy has a chance to work. It's all in the documentation you signed when you arrived," he said, very matter-of-fact. "And don't worry, it doesn't have any calories," he added with a knowing glance.

"So, you want to see yourself like you see other people," Professor Trevor continued, ignoring Penny as she poured a cup of tea for Maya. "So, I take it you don't judge others for their appearance the way you judge yourself?" he asked.

Maya glanced over at Penny, still in shock that there was someone else in the room while she was supposedly in therapy. "No," she answered, slightly distracted. "I think other women are beautiful no matter what size they are. I would never even think to judge someone else for the things I hate about myself," Maya continued, still watching Penny as she brought the cup over to the coffee table. Maya could already smell the tea as the fumes wafted over toward her. It smelled like no tea she had ever experienced before. It smelled almost salty, but sweet at the same time. She couldn't quite place it, but it seemed somehow familiar.

Maya leaned over to cradle her cup of tea as she settled back onto the couch and carefully took her first sip.

Looking back up from her sip, she heard Professor Trevor speaking. He was standing by the window. When had he stood up? Hadn't he just been sitting in his chair?

"You're likely starting to feel a bit out of sorts, Miss Reynolds," Professor said as he glanced over toward Maya. "When you finish your tea, we can get started with the process." Maya and tried to shake away the surreal grogginess she was experiencing. Colors swirled in her vision and she felt Penny's hand on hers, tipping the cup toward her mouth. "Drink up, sweetie," Penny's voice rang out as if from everywhere at once.

"Close your eyes," Professor Trevor said as he made his way back toward his armchair. "Imagine yourself on a beach," his voice started to take on a melodic tone as he continued. "The sand, soft between your toes. You are light, like air. Your movements are easy. You float along the shoreline. You are free. Free of all worry. All pain. All fear. Your body no longer exists, it has no meaning. You are simply you. You have no form. Your mind is free."

Maya followed the picture Professor Trevor was painting, desperate for the calm he spoke of. She could almost taste the salt in the air as she imagined herself at the shore of a deep ocean. She could feel tears forming from nowhere as she searched for something lost.

The Professor's voice continued, deep and resonant. "You trust the ocean--the current, the waves. You feel comforted by the rhythmic crashing in the distance. You feel safe, and loved. Your mind is open. You are a vessel, a shell in the sand. Probing deep inside, all you can hear are the waves."

Maya could feel her consciousness slipping away as she gave herself to the vision painted before her. She could feel her essence, at peace on the shore of some ephemeral beach, surrounded by nothing but the tides.

"You trust my voice. It washes over you in waves. Washing away your fears and doubts. Your mind is empty, ready to be filled."

Professor Trevor's voice intoned from everywhere and nowhere. The voice of truth.

"You love your body. The shell. You see its beauty, its frailty, its uniqueness. You find beauty in it. You deserve love. Your body deserves your appreciation, your respect. You can see through the fog. You see yourself for the beautiful woman that you are."

As Professor Trevor spoke, Maya fell deeper and deeper into a trance state, surrounded by light, her body humming with a peaceful energy. She felt hands on her skin. Perhaps they were her own hands? She wanted to touch, to hear her body sing with pleasure.

"Imagine the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. See her, walking on the beach in front of you. Her body swaying with the waves, gossamer and light. All of your feelings toward her, for her beauty and grace, you realize you feel for yourself. You are exactly as beautiful as the woman you see."

Maya's thoughts spiraled into formless flashes. Fleeting images of Jenna, her smooth skin and the graceful way she moved. A deep ache formed in Maya's core as memories of former lovers, momentary glances, blurred together. Claudia's face bubbled to the surface, the smell of incense in her office as their bodies moved together in ways they never had. Penny's heaving breasts, plump and luscious, filled Maya's vision as she absorbed the professor's hypnotic words.

"You are a woman just like any other, as beautiful and lovely as any woman you have known. You want to love yourself. You are worthy of love. Your body is beautiful, and deserves to be seen."

The visions of former lovers, of almost kisses, of fantasies and dreams, began to morph into a faint specter deep in Maya's consciousness. She saw curves of mocha skin, beautifully feminine. She felt her body vibrating as she watched the vision of beauty before her. She had never witnessed anyone so beautiful. The way the woman's body moved, a tuft of black hair peeking from between her ample thighs. Her belly and hips full of supple curves, marked by scars that illuminated the branching paths of her life thus far. What Maya wouldn't give to kiss along the curves of this goddess.

Maya felt a warmth inside her as she watched the movements of the beautiful creature before her. As she watched her, she noticed that the spectral woman's movements matched her own. She started to recognize fragments of the body before her. A freckle on her thigh, matching the one on Maya's. A scar where she had fallen as a child. Even the Ankh tattoo on her ankle, it was all there.

Something in the back of Maya's still entranced mind clicked into place. The woman, the beautiful creature she wasn't sure was there--that was her. It was Maya. But somehow, her body had been stripped of the baggage of self-hatred and disgust that usually accompanied the image. And she felt nothing but love and desire.

Professor Trevor's voice had continued to intone during Maya's revelation. She felt safe in his presence, the steady rhythm of the waves surrounding her mind, now bolstered and echoed by her inner goddess-self. She felt hands on her, delicate hands, hands of the goddess. They nestled under her clothing, removing the fabric from her body as Maya walked into the sea, naked and alive. She felt the current flowing on her skin, as the professor guided her through the water.

Another voice began to speak, somewhat dissonant with the professor's dulcet tones. "Is she ready?" the female voice, Penny's voice, cut through the hazy reverie. Maya's eyes began to flutter open, no longer able to distinguish reality from the swirling visions.

"Patience," the Professor's voice answered sternly. "She will get what she came here for first. Only the whole are worthy to join with us."

"I'm sorry, sir," the voice answered, followed by the sound of Penny falling to her knees. At the interruption, Maya glanced at her surroundings, her eyes lingering on the silver platter on the table. She caught the eyes of the goddess. Her eyes. Staring back at her from the mirrored metal.

Maya's mind seemed to play tricks on her, as she saw glimpses of Penny and Professor Trevor through her stupor. The professor continued to speak to her, keeping her deep in trance as she walked along the beach inside her mind. Waves, water, tides, the smell of salt overwhelming her, pulling her deeper. She saw flashes of flesh, bodies intertwined, in time with the cresting tides. All the while, the professor spoke to her, guiding her through oceans of beauty as her own eyes locked with the naked goddess in the mirror.

"You see yourself the way you see other women. You are just as beautiful, just as strong, just as deserving," he continued to prod Maya's unconscious mind, evoking images of all the women she had ever loved. Slowly, different messaging began to slip in. "Your natural arousal is heightening," Professor Trevor intoned, punctuated with strange sounds.

"The images you see arouse you, make you wet with desire. Overwhelm you."

Maya continued to watch the swirling mirage of flesh in her vision, Penny's head rhythmically undulating at the edge of the coffee table and mixing with images from Maya's mind's eye. Jenna's eyes looking up from between Maya's legs. Claudia's embrace. The goddess Maya, writhing on the tiny sofa reflected in the mirror, as beautiful and arousing as any woman she had ever known, her delicate hands caressing her body.

Her mind a cloudy haze, flashing in and out of consciousness, Maya watched with fascination as her mirror self began to touch. Her gentle hands knew exactly where to touch her, and Maya felt every sensation where the goddess lingered. They drifted over her breasts, Maya sighing with desperate pleasure as she watched the goddess's hands glide across her body. The beautiful body, deep brown nipples aching, back arching. The goddess spread her legs, her thick and voluptuous thighs ringing out as she let her fingers dip into her sex.

Every ounce of Maya wanted to touch the goddess, to bury herself in her bosom. She heard the professor's voice encouraging her, willing her arousal forward as she continued her act of worship.

"Yes, Maya," his voice rang through, twinged with a carnal need of his own. "Give into the pleasure you see, let your arousal crest with the waves around you. You want to serve."

Maya's eyes opened wide as she looked down at her own body, her breasts heaving as both hands worked between her legs. She saw the body of the goddess before her, her mind filling with devotion.

"Your arousal makes you want to serve your master," Professor Trevor's straining voice continued. "You want to please your master. You want to anticipate your master's needs."

"Oh, master, she's so close," Penny's voice rang out again, punctuated with rhythmic thumping. "Do you see how close she is to being yours?" Professor Trevor made a hissing sound at that, followed by a deep guttural groan.

Maya felt her orgasm cresting as the goddess touched her, wanting desperately to please her, to serve her. She knew the goddess needed this, and she knew that the goddess wanted her to feel the same pleasure. Together, Maya rode her own fingers in ecstasy as she devoted herself to her master, the beauty in the mirror. She felt the rushing waves of pleasure course through her body, serving the needs of the goddess.

Finally spent, Maya collapsed back onto the pillows on the sofa. As her mind drifted away with the tide, Professor Trevor's voice returned to its normal cadence and he resumed guiding her through her trance. "You are deserving of love," he continued. "You feel safe here, and you want to return to the safety you feel. You want to keep healing. You have a desire to heal, and a desire to serve."