Chapter 1

“Okay, how is this going to happen Ben? Do you have to use one of those tick-tock metronome thingees, or one of those swirlee spiral thingees, or a cheesy gold pocket watch, or even one of those cool penlights, and wave it all around in front of me?” My younger sister Izzy, short for Isabella, asked rolling her pretty blue eyes, and looking around the room suspiciously.

“No, no, nothing like that Sis. Usually I use this.” I laughed, and took out the large square cut deep red lab grown synthetic ruby from my coat pocket, and handed it to her. The large ruby was in a 1 Inch 10K yellow gold diamond 3D pendant charm. The ruby was surrounded by the smaller white diamonds and sparkled in the light. The lab created synthetic corundum square princess cut gemstone was 1 inch square, and a little over 1,000 carats.

Lab grown ruby (corundum) runs about a $1 a carat. The one I had was flawed so they had used a laser to drill a hole in the center and created an inclusion that resembled a tiny flying dragon. It was on a long gold men’s, 3 mm, 24 in., curb chain necklace.

I had won it in a poker game in Las Vegas several years ago, from a Saudi oil sheik, that called it his lucky charm. He put it up against my fancy bull riding rodeo buckle and belt I won back there in high school at the rodeo. He first tried to buy it, and when that didn’t work he made it part of the table stakes. It wasn’t so lucky for him that night, my three queens and the pair of eights showing on the table, beat his three jacks and the same showing pair of eights.

“Humm pretty.” Izzy said, as she examined the ruby pendant charm.

“I like to use something that catches a person’s attention and holds it there Sis. So, I use that.” I told her.

“It’s not real, right? It’s plastic?” She questioned.

“Of course it’s a real ruby, Sis, sure it’s a man-made synthetic ruby, not a natural ruby, but certainly not cheap plastic Sis, but the most important thing is that it’s bright and shiny, and it will get and hold your attention, Sis.” I explained to her.

“So, you use this, and then what? Do you swing this around in front of me, or something?” With that my sister leaned forward and handed the charm back, and for a moment her scent of rose, and jasmine floated around me, teasing my nose and bring back fond memories. Both Mom and Sis wear Chanel Nº5 as their signature scent, and I think I will always associate the scent of Chanel Nº5 with Mom. My earliest primal memories seem to be of Mom’s smell as she breastfed me, and now my little sister smelled a lot like Mom.

Chanel Nº5 was created back in 1929, by French-Russian perfumer Ernest Beaux, who had been the perfumer to the Russian tsars. He was connected to Coco Chanel via the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, a friend and one time romantic interest of Coco Chanel’s. Coco selected the fragrance out of his portfolio of existing scents. On selecting a name, she stated, “I always launch my collection on the 5th day of the 5th months, so the number 5 seems to bring me luck ... therefore, I will name it ‘Nº 5.” Originally a gift for close friends and special customers, it was put into production after they begged for more. Primarily floral, it has notes of rose, jasmine and citrus, with hints of vanilla. It is what’s considered an “unstable” fragrance, In that it smells a little different on every person who wears it. One particular famous fan was Marilyn Monroe, who, when asked what she wore to bed at night, responded, “Five drops of Chanel Nº5”.

At the same time I also found myself unintentionally looking directly down at her partially exposed breasts. Yes, little sister is on both the gymnastics team, and on the cheerleading squad, at college right now, and her large breasts are very noticeable in her tight uniforms. At the moment she was in her cute cheerleader uniform which consists of a short pleated red skirt, and tight yellow scoop neck sweater, with Tigers written across the front and back. The sweater was cut low enough in front that her large breasts in her tight pushup bra shifted forward, and were displayed nicely.

For the record here, my little sister herself hates her large breasts, she actually refers to them as boobs, knockers, tits, and has some other colorful derogatory names for them. Mom started baby sister off in gymnastics at 3 years old, that was long before she sprouted breasts. Sis now is always complaining about them. First, she says they throw off her balance ... her center of gravity. Second, she says that she has difficulty finding suitable clothing, well bras that fit properly, and offers adequate support. The third reason, and the most important reason for her is, back, neck, and shoulder pain. The weight of her large breasts has lead to chronic pain in those areas due to the extra weight, and also the way they affect her musculoskeletal system when she exercises.

If that’s not bad enough, fourth is, skin irritations, and infections. Yes, the area under the breasts is prone to excessive friction, and sweating, which can lead to skin irritation, rashes, and even infections if not cared for properly. Fifth is, breathing problems. Yes, the weight of large breasts can actually compress the chest, making it difficult to breathe, especially during physical exertion. And the sixth reason is their psychological impact on Sis herself. Large breasts can lead to self-consciousness, reduced self-esteem, and body image issues, impacting mental health. These complaints highlight the need for women with large breasts to consider options like breast reduction surgery to alleviate discomfort, and improve quality of life. And yes, little sister had begged Mom and Dad for breast reduction surgery for years when she was growing up.

Hey, I know that men are supposed to be of the opinion that bigger is better, but the 2018 Plastic Surgery Statistics Report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons notes that breast augmentation has been the top-ranking cosmetic procedure in the USA since 2006. For 2018, a total of 313,000 procedures were recorded, up 4 percent over 2017. Note, however, that cosmetic breast modification can also involve reduction. In both 2017 and 2018, approximately 43,600 reductions for aesthetic reasons were recorded. But augmentations, breast implants, were seven times more common.

Any preferences may be largely, or exclusively, culturally driven, perhaps reflecting particular notions of female beauty peddled by Western media. But overall, women requesting augmentation are seemingly motivated primarily by their own feelings about their breasts. Direct, or indirect, external influences, such as expectations of romantic partners, or socio-cultural representations of beauty, were less important if you would believe the studies.

“All you have to do is relax and follow my instructions Izzy. Don’t worry, Sis, I know what I’m doing, I’m a trained hypnotherapist. You’re in safe hands.” I told her with confidence, and yes, I knew exactly what I was doing I thought at the time.

“I know, Ben, but it’s just that some of those TV shows, even Charlie’s Angels, believe it or not, and those other horror movies about hypnosis, Vampires, and some of that other stuff ... it’s kind of scary Ben.” She sighed dramatically which made her breasts sort of wobble in her tight pushup bra. Look the honest truth is I have had a crush on Izzy like forever. At 12 she sprouted breasts and they just kept right on growing. Sis is 5 foot 6, maybe 7, weights about 115, and is always on a diet recently. When she was younger she never worried about what, or how much she ate, but now at 19 she thinks she’s getting fat.

Izzy is the spitting image of Jayne Mansfield right down to the platinum blond hair, and yes, it is rare, only 1-2% of the world’s population has naturally blonde hair, and of that small percentage, only a few have natural platinum blond hair. Newspapers back in the 1950s routinely published Mansfield’s body measurements, which once led evangelist Billy Graham to exclaim from the pulpit, “This country knows more about Jayne Mansfield’s statistics than the Second Commandment.”

Jayne proclaimed a 41-inch bust line and a 22-inch waist when she made her Broadway debut in 1955, though some scholars dispute those figures. She was known as “the Cleavage Queen”, and “the Queen of Sex and Bosom”. It was said that her breasts fluctuated in size from her pregnancies, and nursing her five children. Her smallest bust measurement was 40-D, which was constant throughout the 1950s, and her largest was 46-DD, measured by the press in 1967. According to Playboy, her vital statistics were 40D-21-36 on her 5 ft 6 in frame.

It has been claimed that her bosom was a major force behind the development of 1950s brassieres, including the whirlpool bra, cuties, the shutter bra, the action bra, latex pads, cleavage-revealing designs, and uplifted outlines. R. L. Rutsky and Bill Osgerby have said that Mansfield, Monroe, and Brigitte Bardot popularized the bikini, drawing on the Freudian concept of fetishism, British science-fiction writer, and socio-cultural commentator, J. G. Ballard said, that Mae West’s, Mansfield’s, and Monroe’s breasts “loomed across the horizon of popular consciousness”.

Of course, as the 1960s approached, the anatomy that had once made them stars, was made into a jokes by Hollywood, in an all out media push. Yes, they tried to convince the American male that the ideal female body shape was the slim waif-like, boyish, no boobs, or butt, features of supermodel Twiggy, actress Audrey Hepburn, and others like TV’s Charlie’s Angels, actresses, Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Jaclyn Smith. I think the figures in plastic surgery prove that’s changed today. Approximately 7.2 million women in the US have received breast implants. Though there were approximately 43,600 reductions, there were 7 times as many enlargements. The point being women know men like large breasts.

Izzy has also developed that breathy voice that Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Diana Dors, and other sex-symbols developed. The breathy voice associated with Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield was a result of their unique vocal techniques developed during their early careers. Marilyn Monroe developed her distinctive breathy voice as a coping mechanism for her childhood stutter, which she worked with a speech therapist to improve. The technique she developed allowed her to speak more clearly and fluently, contributing to her iconic status as a sex-symbol. Jayne, on the other hand, felt that she was “completely different” from Monroe and did not see herself as a clone of her. By the way, Marilyn Monroe, 5’5 1/2”, 120 pounds, had measurements that fluctuated too: 35-39 inch bust, 22-24 inch waist, and 34-36 inch hips, bra size 36D. Whatever Izzy developed the same style of speaking.

“What about hypnosis is scary, Sis?” I questioned her somewhat interested in what she knew, or thought she knew about hypnosis.

“You know, like in those magic shows, and stuff like that. Like you can hypnotize me, and make me do anything you want me to do when I’m hypnotized, and under your power.” She told me, and blushed cutely. Well, everything is cute about Izzy, Isabella, my younger sister. Izzy is 19 now, enrolled at UCLA university, and besides the cheerleading, and gymnastics, she’s into Family and Behavioral Science. She’s even into something called Kinesiology as a major for her degree that can lead to being a counselor or social worker.

Kinesiology is the scientific study of human body movement, encompassing physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, and neuropsychological principles. It focuses on how physical activity and sport affect our quality of life and health. Kinesiologists use their expertise to help individuals recover mobility and improve their lives through exercise. Additionally, kinesiology can involve holistic therapies, such as muscle testing, to assess and enhance health. The field has direct applications in fitness, rehabilitation, and disease prevention.

“Well, yes, and no, Sis. The important thing is I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. Nothing against your will. The most important part here is trust. You trust me, don’t you, Sis?” I explained, and made sure she understood the fundamentals of hypnosis and trusted me.

“Well ... sometimes Big Brother.” She hedged, and I started to say something, but she laughed at that moment and added.

“I’m kidding, I’m just kidding, Ben. I trust you ... most of the time, okay? Just don’t make me do any of the weird stuff I hate if you actually manage to hypnotize me.” She begged me, and I nodded.

“Like helping around the house?” I asked her innocently.

“I don’t want to hear it.” She held up both her hands in warning. That was unfair, and a mistake, and I knew it when I had said it. Doing chores around the house was a touchy subject for both of us. I had to do everything except her laundry. Izzy, being the youngest child and all, refused to do the chores because she hates them. No amount of argument between us could change her mind on that I knew from past experience.

“Fine, let’s talk about why you want this hypnosis session, Sis.” I said, and my spoiled little sister toyed with a strand of her blond hair and refused to make eye contact with me.

“Well, you know all about it already Big Brother. I have just been gaining a bit of weight, and you know that can’t happen with my gymnastics program.” She explained, and I nodded back. Yes, as a gymnast Izzy had to meet strict weight requirements. Yes, she had gained a pound, or two, recently, but no sane person would ever accuse my little sister of being overweight, or even remotely close to it. My little sister still had her thin, curvy body, from when she was a high school cheerleader, all thanks to her younger years of ballet, gymnastics, and more recently from her exercise in the gym.

So, yes, I understood why she had approached me with the idea of hypnotherapy to keep her chocolate craving in check, and to make sure she would never be in danger of losing her place on the college gymnastics team, or her place on the cheerleading squad. But, that wasn’t the real reason that she had finally come to see me about the hypnotherapy. Six months ago Izzy had suffered a bad landing in her bar routine dismount. As a result she had suffered a bad ankle injury, and a foot fracture, along with a partially torn Achilles tendon.

Ankle injuries are common in women’s gymnastics, making up nearly one-third of all lower-body injuries in some studies. They happen because the gymnasts land with extreme force... 8 to 14 times their body weight ... multiple times in every practice and routine. The ankle takes the brunt of that load in just a fraction of a second. Typically, they land barefooted, or in thin slippers, which offer little support. And since the sport rewards “stuck” landings (no steps, or hops), gymnasts often try to freeze their landings, which puts even more stress on the ankle joint. Even a slight inward roll of the foot can overstretch, and/or tear ligaments. Over time, repeated small sprains, call then micro strains, can lead to chronic ankle instability. or even more serious injuries like stress fractures, or joint cartilage damage.