Unless hes found out the boy is still alive, says Erik.
Exactly, but we can protect him.
Yes.
We have to find the killer before he can get to Evelyn, says Joona. He looks Erik directly in the eye. I need to find out what the boy knows.
And I need to do whats in the best interests of the patient.
Perhaps its in his best interests not to lose his sister.
That occurred to me as well; Ill have another look at him, of course, says Erik. But Im fairly sure its too early. That said, I believe the patient will regain consciousness quite soon, within just a few hours, at least to the extent that well be able to start talking to him. But after that point, you have to understand that we have a lengthy therapeutic process ahead of us. An interrogation could damage the boys condition.
Daniella walks over briskly, wearing a snug red coat. She hands the patients file to Erik.
Erik, it doesnt matter what we think. The prosecutor has already decided that special circumstances apply.
Erik turns and looks inquiringly at Joona. So you dont need our consent? he asks.
No, answers Joona.
So what are you waiting for?
I think Josef has already suffered more than anyone should have to suffer, says Joona. I dont want to put him through anything that might harm him. But at the same time I have to find his sister before the killer does. And that boy saw the attackers face. If you wont help me find out what he knows, Ill do it myself, but obviously I prefer the better way.
Which is?
Hypnosis, replies Joona.
Erik looks at him. I dont even have permission to hypnotize-
Ive spoken to Annika Lorentzon, says Daniella.
What did she say? asks Erik.
Its hardly a popular decision, permitting an unstable patient to be hypnotized, a child in the bargain. But since I am responsible for the patient, she has left the final judgment to me, Daniella tells him.
Erik exhales, then rubs his eyes with his fingers. I really want to get out of this.
If you dont mind my saying so, your reluctance to use hypnosis seems to go beyond your prudent concern for the patients well-being, says Joona.
I have no intention of discussing the matter, but I promised ten years ago never to use hypnosis again. It was a decision on my part that I still think was the right one.
Is it right in this case? asks Joona.
To be honest, I dont know.
Make an exception, implores Daniella.
Hypnosis, then. Erik sighs.
Id like you to make an attempt as soon as you feel the patient is in any way receptive to hypnosis, says Daniella.
It would be good if you were here, says Erik.
Ive made the decision with regard to hypnosis, she explains, on condition that you then take over responsibility for the patient.
So Im on my own now?
Daniella looks at him, exhausted. Ive worked all night, she says. Id promised to take my daughter to school, I blew that off, and Im going to have to deal with that tonight. But right now I have to go home and sleep.
Chapter 16
Erik watches Daniella Richards walk down the corridor, red coat flap-ping behind her. Joona looks in at the patient. Erik goes to the washroom, locks the door, washes and dries his face. He takes out his phone and calls Simone, but there is no reply. He tries his home number and listens to the phone ringing, but when the answering machine kicks in, he no longer knows what to say: Sixan, I you have to listen to me, I dont know what youre thinking, but nothings happened, maybe you dont care, but I promise Im going to find a way to prove to you that Im-
Erik stops speaking. Whats the point? He knows his assurances no longer have any meaning. He lied to her ten years ago, and he still hasnt managed to prove his love, not sufficiently, not enough for her to begin to trust him again. He ends the call, leaves the washroom, and walks over to where the detective is gazing into the patients room.
What is hypnosis, actually? Joona asks, after a while.
Its just an altered state of consciousness, coupled with suggestion and meditation, Erik replies. From a purely neurophysiological point of view, the brain functions in a particular way under hypnosis. Parts of the brain that we rarely use are suddenly activated. People under hypnosis are very deeply relaxed. It almost looks as if theyre asleep, but if you do an EEG the brain activity shows a person who is awake and alert.
I see, Joona says hesitantly.
When people think of hypnosis, they usually mean heterohypnosis, where one person hypnotizes another with some purpose in mind.
Such as?
Such as evoking negative hallucinations, for example.
Whats that?
The most common is that you inhibit the conscious registration of pain.
But the pain is still there.
That depends on how you define it, Erik replies. Of course the patient responds to pain with physiological reactions, but he experiences no feeling; its even possible to carry out surgery under clinical hypnosis.
Joona writes something down in his notebook. The boy opens his eyes from time to time, he says, looking through the window again.
Ive noticed.
Whats going to happen now?
To the patient?
Yes, when you hypnotize him.
During dynamic hypnosis, in a therapeutic context, the patient almost always splits himself into an observing self and one or more experiencing and acting selves.
Hes watching himself, like in a theatre?
Yes.
What are you going to say to him?
Well, hes experienced terrible things, so first of all I have to make him feel secure. I begin by explaining what Im going to do, and then I move on to relaxation. I talk in a very calm voice about his eyelids feeling heavier, about wanting to close his eyes, about breathing deeply through his nose. I go through the body from head to toe; then I work my way back up again.
Erik waits while Joona takes notes.
After that comes whats called the induction, says Erik. I insert a kind of hidden command into what I say and get the patient to imagine places and simple events. I suggest a walk in his thoughts, farther and farther away, until his need to control the situation almost disappears. Its a little bit like when youre reading a book and it gets so exciting that youre no longer aware of the fact that youre sitting reading.
I understand.
If you lift the patients hand like this and then let go, the hand should stay where it is, in the air, cataleptic, when the induction is over, Erik explains. After the induction I count backwards and deepen the hypnosis further. I usually count, but others have the patient visualize a grey scale, in order to dissolve the boundaries in his mind. What is actually taking place on a practical level is that the fear, or the critical way of thinking that is blocking certain memories, is put out of action.
Will you be able to hypnotize him?
If he doesnt resist.
What happens then? asks Joona. What happens if he does resist?
Erik studies the boy through the window in the door, trying to read the boys face, his receptiveness.
Its difficult to say what Ill get out of him. It could be of very variable relevance, he says.
Im not after a witness statement. I just want a hint, a clue, something to go on.
So all you want me to look for is the person who did this to them?
A name or a place would be good, some kind of connection.
I have no idea how this is going to go, says Erik, taking a deep breath.
Chapter 17
Joona goes into the recovery room with Erik, sits on a chair in the corner, slips off his shoes, and leans back. Erik dims the light, pulls up a metal stool, and sits down next to the bed. Carefully he begins to explain to the boy that he wants to hypnotize him in order to help him understand what happened yesterday.
Josef, Im going to be sitting here the whole time, says Erik calmly. There is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. You can feel completely safe. Im here for your sake. You dont have to say anything you dont want to say, and you can bring the hypnosis to an end whenever you want to.
Only now, his heart pounding, does Erik begin to realize how much he has longed to do this. He must try to curb his enthusiasm. The pace of events must not be forced or hurried along. It must be filled with stillness; it must be allowed to slow down and be experienced at its own gentle tempo.
He immediately feels how receptive Josef is; his injured face grows heavier, the features fill out, and his mouth relaxes. Its as if the boy intuitively clings to the security Erik conveys. Its easy to get the boy into a state of deep relaxation; the body has already been at rest and seems to long for more.
When Erik begins the induction, it is as if he never stopped practising hypnosis; his voice is close, calm, and matter-of-fact, and the words come so easily they pour out, suffused with monotonous warmth and a somnolent, falling cadence.
Josef, if youd like to think of a summers day, says Erik. Everything is pleasant and wonderful. You are lying in the bottom of a little wooden boat, bobbing gently. You can hear the lapping of the water, and you are gazing up at little white clouds drifting across the blue sky.
The boy responds so well that Erik wonders if he ought to slow things down a little bit. Difficult events can increase sensitivity when it comes to hypnosis. Inner stress can function like an engine in reverse: the braking action happens unexpectedly fast and the rev count very quickly drops to zero.
Im going to start counting backwards now, and with each number you hear you will relax a little more. You will feel yourself being filled with great calm; you will be aware of how pleasant everything around you is. Relax from your toes, your ankles, your calves. Nothing bothers you; everything is peaceful. The only thing you need to listen to is my voice, the numbers counting down. Now you are relaxing even more, you feel even heavier, your knees relax, along your thighs to your groin. Feel yourself sinking downwards at the same time, gently and pleasantly. Everything is calm and still and relaxed.
Erik rests a hand on Josef s shoulder. He keeps his gaze fixed on the boys stomach, and with every exhalation he counts backwards. Erik had almost forgotten the feeling of dreamlike lightness and physical strength that fills him as the process runs its course. As he counts he can see himself sinking through bright, oxygen-rich water. Smiling, he drifts down past a vast rock formation, a continental fissure that continues down towards immense depths, the water glittering with tiny bubbles. Filled with happiness, he descends along the rough wall of rock. As Erik falls through the bright water, he reaches out an arm, grazing the rock with his fingers as he passes. The bright water shifts slowly into shades of pink.