ABSTRACT
To this point in therapy the client has grown in emotional strength by facing and overcoming an immediate tormentor, one that came more or less unexpectedly into the life of the client. With this newly found emotional strength, the client is prepared to pursue the deeper source of his or her problem. After a short reprieve from torment with the celebration of the death of Grendel, from the unconscious mind arises an awareness of the deeper problem—Grendel’s Mother. As the story of Grendel’s Mother develops in this chapter, the first step for the therapist will be to “join” the client’s fear and anxiety, helping the client define the nature of the problem—Hrothgar is Broken Hearted. The second step, “ego strengthening,” will be to call upon the new found strength within the client—Beowulf Learns of the Night. Third, the client will need to accept the value and challenge of pursuing or uncovering the traumatic situation(s) or patterns from childhood—Beowulf Accepts the Challenge. Fourth, using the affect bridge, hypnotic regression will be used in the process of uncovering—Following the Blood of Aeschere. Fifth, as the client approaches the trauma, resistance will be experienced—Arriving at the Lake. Sixth, resistance will be overcome by renewing the clients focus on “intent, gentleness, and curiosity”—Beowulf s Preparation to Dive. These steps in the story of Grendel’s Mother offers us, in greater detail, the elements necessary for using hypnotic regress to take a person hypnotically back through time.
