The Seer by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 8

His patients continued to come in, unaware of the doctor's tenuous career. Gordon believed the longer the investigation took, the more time he had to develop a back-up plan. There had been nothing in Patrick's history to suggest suicide, and Gordon was convinced that once the state began its investigation, they would discover there was nothing to find. But, Gordon had become pre-occupied with the floatation tank's effect on Patrick. Continuing his research, he also discovered that about twenty percent of people who 'float' can hallucinate. However, those same people have a history of psychoactive drug use, and Patrick had never revealed any use of illegal drugs. Gordon knew there was only so much he could read about the subject, and that, at some point, he would have to gain first-hand knowledge, to discover the experience for himself.

The idea sat in the back of his mind for days, until one of his patients, seeing him for grief counseling, talked about having spent three weeks in the Himalayas. She had seen base camp, spoken with the Sherpas, and was especially struck by the beautiful solitude of the Buddhist monasteries. During her journey, she had been allowed to enter one of these holy places, while the monks were out for their daily walking meditation. Sitting in the great hall, she initially found the monastery's silence heavy and disquieting. But closing her eyes, she let her mind drift beyond the material. Of course, sitting in a monastery nestled in the Himalayan mountains, contributed an element of uniqueness to her experience. Fascinated by the conversation, Gordon hung on her every word, and started to think there might be a few parallels between his patient's experience, and what might be had in a floatation tank.

The decision was made, and after Gordon's last patient of the day left, he turned to his laptop. Bringing up the browser, he opened his bookmark list, and connected to the website giving the address of the floatation tank Patrick had used. Assuming that it may have had some harmful effect on him, Gordon had some understandable reservations about using one. But unlike Patrick, Gordon considered himself quite stable, and free of psychological trauma. He called the woman who owned and maintained the tank. Her name was Florence, and Gordon found her to be a pleasure to talk to, as well as informative on the benefits of 'floating'. Before long, he was convinced of the tank's safety, and made an appointment to spend an hour in its calm void, surrounded by peaceful nothingness.

Hanging up the phone, Gordon's sense of logic brought doubts, insisting that what he planned to do was both irrational and unpredictable, but as a participant in the sciences, he was also driven by curiosity. What he would do contradicted objective reasoning, leaning more toward the mysterious. Exploring the depths of creativity and imagination can benefit even the most skeptical realist. Not only had Gordon made the decision to explore this opportunity, but he was comfortable with it. He realized that everyone, at least to some degree, creates their reality, and that no two people experience the world in the same way. Gordon felt that using the tank may bring him closer to understanding what might have happened to Patrick.

His appointment was for Saturday afternoon, and leaving his house, Gordon drove the short distance to a house where a woman in her early forties was waiting. Stopping in front of the house, he admired its Victorian architecture, wishing that he might, one day, live in such a place. Getting out of his car, Gordon walked up the front steps, and as he approached the front door, heard the porch floor creek underfoot. Ringing the doorbell, he heard a pair of musical tones sing out. He waited long enough to start second guessing this endeavor. Gordon was about to change his mind when the woman answered the door.

“You must be Gordon,” she said.

Her friendly tone seemed to be an indicator of her open-mindedness, and when Gordon stepped inside, he found the house to be a clear reflection of her personality.

The house was strangely quiet, with crystals, singing bowls, and Bonsai trees carefully arranged throughout.

“So, is this your first time in a floatation tank?” the woman asked.

He was examining the houses interior, missing her question entirely.

“Is this your first time?” she repeated.

“Oh,” Gordon replied. “Yes, first time.” He took a few moments to ask one or two questions, as he was being shown to the tank.

“So, what do people normally experience in this?” The woman paused for a moment. Knowing that everyone's experience is unique, she was unable to provide a clear answer.

“Well,” she began. “Everyone's different, but for the most part, people tend to fall into a very deep state of relaxation.”

Gordon thought of everything he'd researched on 'floating', including the potential for hallucinations.

“Tell me something,” he continued. “Has anyone ever hallucinated in one of these, or had a bad experience?” The woman stopped to think for a moment.

“Once in a while, someone will have some mild hallucinations,” she replied. “But, there was one gentleman, about three weeks ago. You'd have thought he'd seen a ghost. Jumped out of the tank half-dressed and took off. Somehow, I don't think he'll be coming back.” Gordon assumed she was referring to Patrick. She had no idea how right she was.

“Don't you think that's a bit odd?” he asked.

“Well,” she answered. “I've had this tank for seven years now, and I've never seen anything like that before. He just seemed terrified of something.” Gordon refrained from telling he was a psychiatrist, and because of the state's investigation, avoided giving Patrick's name.

Showing Gordon into the tank room, the woman gave him a few instructions on how to use it. He would strip down, open the tank, and lie on his back. After making himself comfortable, Gordon would grab the inside bar, and pull the lid down. Lying on his back, it didn't take long before he sank into a meditative state, and after what seemed like only a few minutes, there was a knock on the lid of the tank.

“Hello,” the woman said. “Your time is up.” It took Gordon a few moments to recover from his Zen-like state, and after about a minute, he pushed the lid open to find the woman had left a towel nearby.

Still, with his mind drifting in another world, Gordon climbed out of the tank, and taking the towel, wrapped it around his waist.

“So,” the woman began. “Did you have a pleasant experience?”

Gordon's mind was just coming back to the real world as he absorbed her question. Knowing how long it can take for people to recover, the woman was exceptionally patient.

“Um, yeah,” he answered. “But, time seemed to go by very quickly. Is that normal?”

The woman indicated that many people have that experience, due to the meditative state they enter, and she assured Gordon this was normal.