Timelines of Love

The door slammed for the final time, and Brianna watched him get into the Uber, arms folded tightly over her chest, as if they could somehow protect her aching heart. The car had driven off before she allowed the first tears to fall. Her back slid down the wall until her buttocks found the safety of the polished kauri floor, where she was overcome by a paroxysm of weeping.

“How did I miss the signs? Where did I go wrong?” The critical self-talk looped round and around in her exhausted mind. As her tears abated, she leaned her head back against the wall and stared at the high pressed tin ceilings of the 19th-century villa. Ever since I inherited this gorgeous old house from Nana, my love life had gone down the tubes, she reflected. With a deep sigh, she acknowledged to herself that she was probably lucky to be alive, and that was scary.

“What is this house trying to tell me, Nan?”

The old house was silent save for the weird noises from the fridge down the hall and the squawking of seagulls overhead. Resignedly, she pushed herself up off the floorboards and headed to the old-fashioned kitchen, which was ripe for a reno. Switching on the electric jug, she could almost hear her nan telling her to have a nice cup of tea and an Anzac biscuit, and she’d feel better.

Dunking the biscuit in the strong tea, Brianna leafed through the local newspaper, hoping to find a contractor who would actually show up to give her a price for the work that was needed. Halfway through the paper, she saw an ad for the local hypnotherapist. Usually, she was sceptical of that sort of stuff, but for some reason, she paused to properly read the advertisement.

Do you have a ‘difficult’ relationship in your life?

You’ve tried everything to improve it, but nothing conventional seems to work?

Maybe this person feels like a critical parent, a demanding child, or someone out to harm you.

In every lifetime, we play a role. And mostly it’s with the same people.

This may be your intimate partner, but equally it could be a family member, friend, colleague, boss, etc.

The love of my life was a child I neglected in a past life.

My last long-term partner had been my executioner.

Curious to find out what your ‘difficult’ person once was to you?

Book your session now at www.pasthypno.com.nz

The website looked very professional, and the Google reviews were good. Mary Jackson, the hypnotist, did other things too, like quit smoking, lose weight, and overcome phobias, so it wasn’t all wacky, woo-woo stuff. Brianna’s thumb hovered over the book now button. Nana had always said ‘listen to your gut,’ and hers was urging her on. She tapped on the button, and the booking calendar appeared. The only available appointment for weeks was for 3pm today. It was nearly midday now, but she had plenty of time as the hypnotist worked from her home, which was just around the corner. As if on autopilot, she tapped on the timeslot, paid the fee, and received the confirmation email.

Gingerly, she knocked on the door of the little cottage among the colourful wildflowers. A smiling older woman with long grey hair in a French plait appeared promptly.

“Hello, you must be Brianna. Come on through.”

“Thanks, shall I take my shoes off?”

“Shoes are fine.”

Brianna followed her into a bright, cosy room dominated by a large white recliner chair with colourful cushions and a mohair rug folded on the seat.

“Take a seat in the hypno chair,” said Mary as she sat down on the office chair beside her desk and handed Brianna an intake form to fill out.

“Well, that’s the official part out of the way,” said Mary, speed reading the form. “What brings you here today for a past life regression, Brianna?”

“Ever since I inherited my grandmother’s house, I’ve had terrible luck with men. I’m not doing anything differently than I used to; it’s weird. The last one left this morning, thank goodness. He tried to smother me with a pillow the other night. Luckily, I woke up and he said it was just a joke, but…”

“What attracted you to this guy?”

“I met him on a cruise ship, and I felt like I instantly knew him from somewhere, but we’d never been anywhere together before the cruise.”

“Do you want to explore one of your past lives with this person?”

“I guess so. Can you explain the process to me, please?”

“It’s like doing a guided meditation. We’ll get you nice and relaxed and let your powerful subconscious mind take you to a life where you and this man were together. Then, we can explore your experiences together and see whether unresolved issues are playing out in this lifetime. How does that sound?”

“That sounds good.”

“Excellent, any questions?”

“Not right now.”

“Okay, make yourself comfortable in the chair and pull the lever on the side.”

Brianna leaned back in the recliner and pulled the lever to raise her feet. Instantly, she felt more relaxed, safe, and supported.

“Let’s start with deep breathing followed by progressive muscle relaxation.”

Her mind was beginning to drift now as she concentrated only on the sound of Mary’s voice as instructed. Once she crossed the old stone bridge that she could picture vividly in her mind’s eye, she would have travelled back in time. Suddenly, she was no longer dressed in jeans and a T-shirt but in a long, heavy, ornate gown, with a hem that covered her leather slippers and skimmed the verdant green lawn she was standing on. She was watching her husband leave on an extensive trip to other lands with his retinue of men. He would be away for years, but she felt no sadness. He had married her for her money, title, and large estate. There was no love, just cruel words and rough encounters. He turned around to look at her one last time. She knew that face, recognised that self-satisfied smirk, albeit some of the features were slightly different. She climbed the steps to the manor house and entered the great hall to be greeted by her trusty steward, who had served her faithfully and would protect her with his life if necessary. Their eyes met and held briefly before he bowed his head and turned away from his beloved lady.

“5…becoming aware of the sounds in the room.”

“4…feeling your body touching the chair.

“3…taking a deep breath in and releasing it.”

“2…wiggling your fingers and toes.”

“1…eyes open and feeling fabulous.”

It took Brianna a few moments to come to terms with being back in the here and now.

“Have a sip of water, and a nice stretch. Sometimes it takes a while to be fully present. You were in a deep trance. When you’re ready, tell me what happened in that other life.”

“I was in England in perhaps the Middle Ages. My husband, who was a cruel and heartless man, was leaving on a long trip. I was pleased because I loathed him. I’d been blinded by his good looks and fake good humour as a young girl and begged my ailing father to let me marry him. The honeymoon was over as soon as my father died. Luckily, my husband was away most of the time. He wanted to be lord of the manor for the prestige and property, but took no responsibility for fulfilling the role. My devoted steward ran the estate.

“What are your learnings from this regression?”

“That some men will fake love and affection for financial gain. I recognised my husband as the man I met on the ship. When he heard I’d inherited a huge old villa on the cliff, he said he was in love with me and wanted to move to New Zealand. When he got here, he was strange. Very rude to friends and neighbours. Wouldn’t pay for anything. Always chatting to women on the internet. Last week, he asked me what would happen to the house if I died. I thought that was weird. Nana had ensured the house was in a family trust before she died.”

“Your Nana sounds like a sage woman.”

“Yes, I miss her a lot. Sometimes I think I can smell her lavender perfume around me.”

“What other learnings did you have?”

“The steward reminded me of a guy who works in accounts. His name is Stewart, which is quite uncanny. He’s always going out of his way to help me. I consigned him to the friend zone ages ago because he was shorter than me and starting to go bald. I think I’ve been concentrating too much on looks and chemistry rather than the actual person.”

“Looks and chemistry fade over time. They’re not much of a basis for lasting love.”

“I can see that now. Thank you, Mary. I’m going to ask Stewart to go for a drink on Friday night.”

“Enjoy your lovely house, Brianna. Houses have personalities. This one wants to keep you safe. Trust your intuition, always.”

“You sound just like Nana.”

Mary Jackson smiled, “Good luck, dear.”

On her way to the bus stop the next day, Brianna had a box of chocolates to give Mary. She couldn’t believe how much better she felt. Stopping at the gate to Mary’s cottage, it looked different. There was no sign outside advertising a hypnosis clinic, and a pushchair was parked on the porch. This is the right street, so what on earth is going on?

Once on the bus, she checked the website as soon as she sat down. It wasn’t there. The domain name was for sale, and when she googled Mary Jackson, Eastern Bay, there was nothing.

Perplexed, Brianna stared out the window, seeing nothing of the passing suburbs. A faint whiff of lavender drifted in the open window, and her lips curved into a gentle smile.