I sat nervously in the chair, my palms were sweating and I was breathing heavily. Gene Hirschel told me to relax and focus on a soft light in the room. He counted to 10 and with each number I was instructed to slowly close my eyes and open them again. There's no way this is going to work, I thought to myself. But when he got to eight my eyes were so heavy I could barely open them. After 10, I kept my eyes closed. visually took me through a garden filled with small ponds, stone statues and orange tiger lilies. I walked down a path that led me to the ocean. I took off my shoes and waded through the cool water, the sand sticking in between my toes. My body was completely relaxed and it felt like there were 10-pound weights tied to my arms and legs. I could have moved them if I wanted to, but I had never felt a relaxation quite like this.

Gene's voice asked me to go back to a happy time when I was 7. I heard ring a chime in the distance and my head started to spin. Slowly I saw an image of my best friend in kindergarten.....