Dr. David Spiegel

I worked with a Vietnam veteran who had been, he had just kind of gone berserk in Vietnam and nobody quite knew why, but he hijacked an ambulance and went out in the jungle and started shooting at people he thought were Viet Cong. And he wound up being hospitalized in a state mental hospital for a year because he was picked up in a drug bust. He was taking psychedelics.

And a social worker interviewed him and said, he doesn't look like our typical chronic patient in a state mental hospital. And so I got to see him and he was very hypnotizable. And I said, I'd like to relive with you what happened before this event. So we went back and he was extremely hypnotizable. He was even higher score than you, Jay. And he relived the Tet Offensive in Vietnam.

And a social worker interviewed him and said, he doesn't look like our typical chronic patient in a state mental hospital. And so I got to see him and he was very hypnotizable. And I said, I'd like to relive with you what happened before this event. So we went back and he was extremely hypnotizable. He was even higher score than you, Jay. And he relived the Tet Offensive in Vietnam.

And he comes back to the hospital where he worked. He was a cook in the army. long-standing, highly regarded cook in the army. And he comes upon the body of a little boy. He called him Chi-Town because he came from Chicago, who he had informally adopted. The boy was an orphan. He was badly wounded in a

And he comes back to the hospital where he worked. He was a cook in the army. long-standing, highly regarded cook in the army. And he comes upon the body of a little boy. He called him Chi-Town because he came from Chicago, who he had informally adopted. The boy was an orphan. He was badly wounded in a

and bombing and had burns and walked with a crutch and he just became his dad and they hung out together and slept together and and he started crying he's looking at the boy's body there he's saying they ain't got to kill kids you know we got the geneva convention they can't do this they can't bomb hospitals they they can't kill kids

and bombing and had burns and walked with a crutch and he just became his dad and they hung out together and slept together and and he started crying he's looking at the boy's body there he's saying they ain't got to kill kids you know we got the geneva convention they can't do this they can't bomb hospitals they they can't kill kids

And he just takes off, commandeers his ambulance and starts yelling in Vietnamese, you know, he's angry at these people and shooting at them. And I said, all right, I want to remember now one happier time you had with Chi-Town.

And he just takes off, commandeers his ambulance and starts yelling in Vietnamese, you know, he's angry at these people and shooting at them. And I said, all right, I want to remember now one happier time you had with Chi-Town.

And instantly, and see, the nice thing about hypnosis is the control you have, that he's one minute grieving and angry at himself for not having somehow known he could, you know, thinking he could have saved the boy. And I said, picture one time you were happy with him and a smile comes on his face. And he says, you remember your birthday party?

And instantly, and see, the nice thing about hypnosis is the control you have, that he's one minute grieving and angry at himself for not having somehow known he could, you know, thinking he could have saved the boy. And I said, picture one time you were happy with him and a smile comes on his face. And he says, you remember your birthday party?

You know, the donut dollies gave us some food for this party. And my sister Josie sent an electric train set from Chicago. The joke was it was from the Spiegel Brothers company. You know, what are the odds? And he said, you ain't never seen an electric train before. And they were, you know, just he was suddenly happy. And I said, all right, I want you to remember two things.

You know, the donut dollies gave us some food for this party. And my sister Josie sent an electric train set from Chicago. The joke was it was from the Spiegel Brothers company. You know, what are the odds? And he said, you ain't never seen an electric train before. And they were, you know, just he was suddenly happy. And I said, all right, I want you to remember two things.

On one side of the screen, I want you to picture Chi-Town's grave. And as he looked at it, he held out his hand and said, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, I guess. And I said, on the other side, I want you to picture that time when you were really happy with him. And I do this in helping people grieve using hypnosis, I said, because you're facing and dealing with the grief and the loss.

On one side of the screen, I want you to picture Chi-Town's grave. And as he looked at it, he held out his hand and said, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, I guess. And I said, on the other side, I want you to picture that time when you were really happy with him. And I do this in helping people grieve using hypnosis, I said, because you're facing and dealing with the grief and the loss.

But you're also remembering something different about it, that the reason it's so painful is how much joy you had together. So I want you to remember both the loss and you're having to bury Chi-Town. And at the same time, I want you to picture those times you were happy with him because that's still true. You still have the joy that you shared together.

But you're also remembering something different about it, that the reason it's so painful is how much joy you had together. So I want you to remember both the loss and you're having to bury Chi-Town. And at the same time, I want you to picture those times you were happy with him because that's still true. You still have the joy that you shared together.

Then I said, all right, so let's come out of the hypnosis now. And he had tears down his cheeks. He was really upset. And I said, what do you remember? And he looked a little puzzled and dazed. And he said, I remember a grave and a cake.

Then I said, all right, so let's come out of the hypnosis now. And he had tears down his cheeks. He was really upset. And I said, what do you remember? And he looked a little puzzled and dazed. And he said, I remember a grave and a cake.

wow that was it that was all he remembered and he practiced this exercise he was in the ward of the hospital doing the self-hypnosis after that grieving the boy he you know he told me later he said he knew he was going to die he was crippled he had arthritis he didn't think he was going to survive the war and i said and you gave he did die but you gave him a period of happiness and feeling loved before he died and that's not going to go away