Hypnosis

[DAHL]
Kilimanjaro?

[RACH]
Kilimanjaro. Yes

[DAHL]
Ok
Let's go there
And if you need to come back
Just think of a white lilac
And you'll be back here, with me
In my office
"White lilac"
Do you understand?

[RACH]
Yes

[DAHL]
Good
Close your eyes now

(During the hypnosis, NATALYA, CHALIAPIN, and THE MASTER act as chorus. The D7 arpeggio from the G minor Prelude, op. 23, no. 5 plays.)

[DAHL]
Take a deep breath in
Now slowly out
Take a deep breath in
Now slowly out
Your eyes are closed

Take a deep breath in
Now slowly out
Take a deep breath in
Now slowly out
Your eyes are closed

[Chorus]
In
Out

[DAHL]
Your eyes are closed

[Chorus]
Your eyes are closed

[DAHL]
Notice how comfortable it feels to let them rest

[Chorus]
3
2
1
Silence

[DAHL]
Listen to the sound of my voice

[Chorus]
You are not here

[DAHL]
Listen to the sound of my voice

[Chorus]
You are not here

[DAHL]
Notice the color of the darkness behind your eyes

[Chorus]
Loop loop loop

[DAHL]
Notice the other sounds around you

[Chorus]
Loop loop loop

[DAHL]
Notice the movement of air across your face

[Chorus]
Loop loop loop
In Out 3 2 2 2

[DAHL]
Notice that all these things are music

[Chorus]
Music

[DAHL]
Notice that they are music

[Chorus]
1
Silence

[DAHL]
That's fine

[Chorus]
That's fine

[DAHL]
Can you hear me?

[RACH]
I can hear you

[DAHL]
Can you hear music?

[RACH]
Yes

[DAHL]
How does that feel?

[RACH]
It feels good

[DAHL]
Now
Think of a beautiful place
A place from when you were a child
A place with ice and snow
And secret caves
And a great expanse of sky
It's not cold though
You are perfectly comfortable
You are lying down
On a bed of moss
Notice the taste of the snow
Notice the smell of cinnamon
And the sun is shining
In the great expanse of sky
And you can feel its warmth on your face
Do you feel it?

[RACH]
Yes

[DAHL]
How does it feel?

[RACH]
It feels good

[DAHL]
You are there
Where you always have been
You can see yourself
On the mountaintop
And the man on the mountaintop
Can see you
You see each other
Because you are both you
Do you know where you are?

[RACH]
I think so

[DAHL]
Think of your goal
Think of Kilimanjaro
This mountain
This high place
Standing at the top
Proud, majestic
The cold mountain air
And all the world beneath you

Now, think of how you got there
Think of all the small, individual steps
You know how it happened
It was not an accident
It was not magic
It was not a coincidence of inspiration
You did it
You controlled it

Think of yourself at the bottom of the mountain
Maybe there is a small store
Selling knickknacks
Tiny ceramic mountains with llamas on them
Maybe you pick one up
For Natalya
You buy one and put it in your pocket
Can you feel its weight in your pocket?

[RACH]
Yes

[DAHL]
Good
Now
With that mountain in your pocket
You take the first step
Notice how it's just the smallest step
Onto a little patch of dirt
The trees overhead
And that step is so simple
So manageable
That to take that first step is the easiest thing imaginable
A child could do it
A child can take the first step
You remember this
From the top of Kilimanjaro
You remember every step
You could never have imagined
At the bottom of the mountain
How simple each step would be

[RACH]
But how do I know where to go?

[DAHL]
There is a path
There is a path
There is a path

There is a path made up of memory
And calmness
And passion
And instinct
And synthesis
And happenstance
And practice
And teachers
And grandmothers

And your pencil
And lots of paper

And coffee
And toast
And bacon

And theater
And movies
And operas

And churches
And chessboards
And subways

And café tables
And chopsticks
And incense
And dolphins

AND A CACTUS

AND DREAMS
AND A KISS

AND HABIT

AND A PIANO
AND YOU

How long have you been blocked?

[RACH]
Three years

[DAHL]
That is a long time

[RACH]
I know

[DAHL]
What happened three years ago?

[RACH]
I failed

[DAHL]
And what happens next?