There was no reason for optimism. Jack had seen every specialist remotely associated with his malady: sleep deprivation. Nothing seemed to work. It was becoming near impossible to get through his daily grind. His job as Senior Vice President of a computer solutions group required certainty of thought and attention to detail. Lately, he had neither.

This visit was his second of the week to his psychiatrist.

"You're not dealing with your divorce, Jack. Your inability to cope has rendered you incapable of sustained sleep. I can keep prescribing the sleeping pills, but unless you can get it all behind you and learn to relax at night, you're just going to become an addict."

"I know, I know. It's just that when I go to bed at night, all the crap percolates right back to the surface. It wasn't my idea to get divorced, and I keep going over the different scenarios in my head, should have done this, should have done that, yadda, yadda, yadda. I even worry about her. She's seeing this guy named Frank, who's nothing but trouble. He's covered with tattoos and I'm pretty sure some of them are prison tats. I feel like it's more than normal jealousy. When I've been around him, I sense something dangerous. He's been talking to her about coming after more of my assets."

"Just know divorce is right at the top of the list of stress creators, only behind the death of a loved one. There's even a note in your files from your dentist. You're apparently grinding your teeth. I'm going to refill your prescription one more time, but I'm also writing the name of a person I want you to visit. She has helped people with situations similar to yours."

"What kind of doc is she?"

"Rather than tell you, I want you to go and find out what she can do for you." Jack's schedule was hectic, still trying hard to get back on track. He made the appointment for after hours. Finding the place wasn't easy. It certainly didn't look like a medical facility. It was just an innocuous storefront in a strip mall. The writing on the window quite bizarre. 'Claire Dahl, Certified Hypnotist and Yoga Instructor.' He thought, what the hell, I've tried everything else.

As he entered, a little bell announced him. There was no waiting room, but a person was up front to greet him. "Hi, I'm Claire Dahl. Thanks so much for being on time. So many people aren't."

He introduced himself and then pleaded ignorance. "Dr. Phipps recommended you, but I have no idea what you do, or more precisely, what you can do for me. So, Doctor, are you going to hypnotize me or something?"

"First off, I'm not Doctor, I'm a Claire. You're not sick. You don't need a doctor. I'm here to figure out how to help you sleep. By the way, nothing personal, but you look like shit. You need some help."

Jack had to smile. Claire might not be able to help, but she seemed a breath of fresh air. "Okay, I'll ask again. What do you think you can do to help?"

She replied, "What I'll do is introduce you to a basic yoga relaxation technique. We'll team the regimen with a smidgen of hypnotic integration. How does that sound?"

"Well, you're the Doc, or excuse me, you're the Claire."

"Come on back then." The back room was pretty sparse. There were two small couches, a chair, and small table. Blackout shades covered the two windows.

" I bet Dr. Phipps doesn't have a couch as comfortable as this one. Slide your shoes off, put on these paper slippers, and get as comfortable as you can on the couch."

As he settled in, Claire threw a fluffy, light blanket over him and dimmed the lights. He could smell a pleasant aroma of sandalwood. She pulled out what looked like a small stereo and turned it on.

"This is a white noise machine. Right now, it is programmed to play a seashore medley. Some music, but mostly the relaxing sounds you associate with the seashore. You'll hear the breaking of waves, birds, and the sound of mild winds. There is some subliminal messaging from me, but they'll be below your sensory perception."

"Seashore is fine with me. I do find it relaxing."

"Okay, first thing. Your posture on the couch is not relaxing at all. You don't see what I see. Your body is clutched into a fetal position. You look like you're ready to clench up. When I say relax, I mean relax."

"I'm sorry, Claire. Maybe I just don't know how."

Claire softened her voice, and to Jack, the sound fluid, almost melodious. "I want you to lie down on your back, arms outstretched to your side, with your legs fully extended." Glancing at Jack, she continued. "Much better. Now, I want you to close your eyes and relax."

"Claire, if I could relax, I wouldn't be here."

"Stay with me, Jack." In a melodious and metered voice, Claire said, "You can relax. Listen to the sounds of the seashore and listen to my voice." After a pause, she continued. "I want you thinking about the big toe on your right foot. If nothing else, think of all the muscles and tendons to that toe and relax each and every one. There should be no tension at all." After another pause, she went on, "Take those relaxing thoughts to the top of the same foot. Think of the tendons going go to all the other toes, and just shut them down. They don't need to be working, they can just loosen up. Focus your thoughts now on your ankle. There's no need to connect your leg to your foot. Just let your ankle relax."

Jack didn't know if it was the white noise, Claire's voice, or his own thoughts, but his foot seemed relaxed. It tingled. She continued the measured instructions for relaxation all the way up his right leg. When he got to the buttocks and crossed to his left side, he found his left leg already relaxed.

"Alright, let's now start with your right hand. I want the fingers of your right hand to feel like they've just dropped off the end of your hand. Now let your palms relax." She continued up his arm, the forearm, the bicep and finally the shoulder. "Your shoulders are a source of a lot of tension. Think about unraveling the knot of muscles and unwind each one."

Once Jack worked on his shoulders, he found it wasn't necessary to relax his left side. It operated in total sympathy to his efforts on the right. Claire moved to the top of the bed and asked him to loosen up his jaw. "Now, this is very important. Release the tension in your jaw." Jack could hear and feel the clicking in his jaw as the muscles and tendons relaxed. "Good, Jack. I can sense your body letting go. Now, I want you to focus on your heart. Everything is eased back. Your heart doesn't need to beat so fast. Think about it slowing down." Jack didn't hear the last request. He was in a deep slumber.

The sounds of cars and a city awakening woke Jack with a start. He was still on the couch in Claire's office. The sun barely flickered through the bottom of the blackout shades. He looked across the dimly lit room to the couch across from him. Claire was rising, just as he was.

Yawning, she said, "Good morning Jack. I normally don't stay the night, but you looked like you could really use the sleep. I hated to wake you. How did you sleep?"

He looked quickly at his watch. It was 5:30 AM. "I'd have to say I slept great since I've been out for ten hours. I've been taking three days to get that much sleep."

"It's too early to tell if this will work for you. Some people are very receptive to this and others aren't. You seem to be top of scale receptive. I want you to go home. The white noise machine is yours."

"You don't have to give me your machine."

"Believe me, I'm not! It will be a line item on your bill. When you play it, you'll also be getting subliminal messages from me. Let's try this for three days. At the end of that time, come see me again."

Three days later, Jack called Claire. "Everything is working. I still worry about my divorce and things but sleep like a baby at night. I've even tried some of your relaxation techniques during the day, sitting in my office. You've been a godsend. Do we really need to meet again?"

"I would like to meet and introduce you to what might be your next step."

"Sounds mysterious. What in the world would it be?"

"Why don't you come by after work and we can discuss."

As Jack pulled up to the strip mall, his curiosity was high. Claire met him as before. Looking at him, she smiled. "You look a lot better than last time."

"I am, thanks to you. Now, what in the world is the next step?"

"The next step is just something if you're interested. I think we've proven you're receptive to this procedure. Have you ever heard of out of body experiences?"

Puzzled, Jack responded, "I suppose so. People who are near death claim their souls momentarily leave the body. I've seen this on the television, I can just hear that Twilight Zone music, do do do do do do.... Are you referring to this sort of phenomena?"

"I'm not talking near-death experience, though I suppose them similar. Think about your relaxation techniques. Has there been a time, right before you fall asleep when you feel your body basically shuts down and tingles or vibrates?"

"Yes, tingling is exactly right. When I feel it throughout my body, I know sleep is sure to come."

"I know sleep is important, but the time right before you fall asleep is a time where, if you choose, your human consciousness can separate from your body and travel in a discorporate form in the physical world."

There was a moment of silence, then Jack said, "Say what?"

"Jack, I know this sounds new to you, but when your body tingles or the vibrations start, the time is right for an out of body experience. Try to slow the vibration. Visualize the movements of your body slowing and the sounds and sensations of vibrations getting fainter. Soon everything will be completely silent and your body will be still. Let your body become paralyzed. Some people say it feels like a super heavy blanket is placed upon them. You'll probably feel like you can't move your arms or legs, but don't panic. For sure, you can move your eyes, mouth, nose, and face."

"Uh, Claire, this is starting to sound weird."

"Hang with me for a minute. I'm talking about something I know and in fact, do. My interest in you, Jack, is I've never been able to train someone else. I believe you're the one. Will you give it a try?"

"Sounds weird, but I owe you, so sure, I'll try." Jack returned to the comfortable couch, put on the slippers and slipped under the blanket.

Claire said, "We're going to go through the same steps we've traveled before. Before you fall asleep, I'm going to ask you to allow your human consciousness to escape your human body with what I call the rope method. Shush! I can sense your questions. When you reach the vibration state, you'll hear me challenge you to grab an imaginary rope and pull yourself up and start climbing. Make sense?"

"Nope, not at all, but I believe in you. Let's give it a shot."

The two went through the relaxation technique, with the white noise machine. When Jack reached the vibration state, he heard from far away, "Grab the rope. Pull yourself up." Jack did, and in a magical moment, he opened his eyes and found himself viewing the room and his body from the side of the bed. His subconscious seemed to be telling him, "You're not seeing from your physical two eyes, but from your astral eye in the center of your forehead." Jack felt his eyes, and sure enough, right and left were closed. The one in the center was open. "Now, close your third eye and drift back to your body. Open your eyes, Jack."

He opened his eyes and found Claire smiling down on him. She gave him a big hug. "I've been able to do this for years, but never trained someone else. You were the right one." Jack smiled back. "Okay, you've trained your trick pony. Now, what do I do with this?"

"You don't need to do anything. Think of this as a gift. Something you can do most folks can't. You can leave your body, and with training can actually travel some distance. You'll always be connected to your body with an ethereal tether. You'll find the tether pulling you back, but with time you can stretch its tenacity. I can travel to the next room. I sense more strength in you, so perhaps you'll travel farther. Just give it a try and call me in a week or so. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be jealous."

Jack stood up, and with another hug, he was on his way. He was like a kid with a new toy for several weeks. His relaxation techniques never failed. The tether, or whatever it was, was a luminescent blue. While it did want to tug him back, Jack eventually was able to travel to the far side of his house and even out of the house to his garage. This was much further than Claire's best efforts.

In one of his out of body trips, Jack heard a strange noise. It sounded like broken glass. He rounded the corner to his bedroom and saw a strange sight. At the head of his bed stood Frank, his ex-wife's newest paramour. He was pointing something at Jack's head. There was a sudden flash of light, followed closely by a loud boom. In an instant, Jack felt the most excruciating pain of his life. This was followed by a swirling vortex of pulsating light, and then nothing. Jack came to. His astral body was wedged into a corner of the bedroom. What appeared to be police technicians hovered over a body on his bedroom floor. Perplexed, he thought, How the heck did Frank wind up on the floor?

With horror, Jack realized his tether led to the body on the floor. When one of the technicians turned the body over, its head hit the corner of the bed. The pain Jack felt confirmed his feeling of horror. That's not Frank dead on the floor, it's me.

He found himself in the back of an ambulance. Next to him, in a zipped, black vinyl bag was what used to be his living body. He noticed that he felt every bump in the road and heard every noise. It was impossible to put his mind to what was happening. A sudden thought .... At least I won't be buried. My last will and testament ask that I be cremated. Either way, there was no reason for optimism.