psychology and the mind

repost with edit

Some Sensations Are Genetic

Fiction
Edward W Pritchard


The woman, the patient, Lisa Sheets, woke just after 4 AM to the feel of delicate cat paws high up on her back, just below the shoulder blades. It was a large cat, not a tiger or panther, but midsized, like a lynx or bob cat and she felt the sensation of the instant before the weight of the springing cat caused her to fall forward and stumble or fall. The paws also had claws, sharp and potentially lethal but not extended yet and for now not drawn. The woman, Lisa tensed her back as she roused from sleep expecting something further to happen.

As she had done every early morning about 4 AM for several days, when the sensation occurred, the patient Lisa quickly rolled on to her side and the impression of the cat paws went away. Lisa again thought, now calmly, that she had experienced a distant memory of herself being killed by an animal. Each morning for several days she had had this same eerie experience, of waking to the first touch of a pouncing cat striking mid-way up her back with it's first exploratory touch, before digging its sharp claws into her vital organs beneath her skin.

Lisa's boyfriend had suggested more sleep when she discussed her problem with him, which she had tried the last two nights but the exact same sensation had continued and later this morning she was skipping work, and going to see her Family doctor about it. Her Doctor, Dr. Brown was man of common sense and Lisa felt better knowing she would be talking with him about the disturbance.

About a month later Lisa was going to see a psychiatrist about the problem with the cat paws. Every morning since the first meeting with her Doctor, Lisa had had the same awaking experience. Lisa had seen her family Doctor, Dr. Brown, three times and had also taken several tests at an out patient laboratory, including an MRI. Yesterday just a few hours before her fourth 11:00 AM meeting with Dr. Brown, his office, had called her and canceled the appointment and told Lisa to report to another Doctor, today at 10:00 AM a woman psychiatrist from China, Miss Lin who also was a surgeon.

Three weeks and three visits to the psychiatrist later, the psychiatrist, Dr. Lin had personally called and told her referral, the woman Lisa, that she, Dr. Lin had referred her to a neurosurgeon. The Psychiatrist also told her by phone, that she, Dr. Lin the psychiatrist, was now having early morning awakenings herself, and had had them since very late the first night, following the first meeting with Lisa her new patient. The Psychiatrist, Dr. Lin every early morning woke to the sensation of herself freezing to death. She had become so disturbed by the feel of freezing that she thought it best if she not see Her patient Lisa anymore. Dr. Lin also advised Lisa that, the family Doctor, who had initially made the referral of the Lisa, to the psychiatrist, Dr. Lin, and this was in confidence please, well Dr. Lin continued somewhat nervously, the Family Doctor had began having awaking dreams himself , again after the first meeting with the his patient Lisa Sheets. The Family Doctor Brown's sensation was of a short thick, roman style sword being plunged into his neck where the neck connected to the shoulder blades. The Family Doctor, Dr Brown, was not particularly disturbed by the dreams, the psychiatrist had said, because it reminded Dr. Brown of an account of the death of Julius Caesar in the Senate that Doctor Brown had read as a boy. Dr. Brown thought each persons dream awakenings were a case of mass hysteria of some sort, due to the power of suggestion. The lady psychiatrist, Dr. Lin was inclined to disagree with Dr. Brown's opinion, because she said she had counseled thousands of client's, and heard many very disturbing stories, but this was the first time she had personally been drawn into someones delusions. In any event the lady psychiatrist, Dr. Lin was referring Lisa Sheets to a colleague who was a neurosurgeon, and a psychiatrist, and was considered an expert in the field of psycho-somatic illnesses, having published on the subject.

The Neurosurgeon called Lisa two days after their first meeting. The first night after the consult the neurosurgeon, Dr. Zimmerman had awoke to himself falling a moderate distance onto a ledge of rocks, Dr. Zimmerman was sure it was a distant memory of a prior death, especially after he had an awakening dream the second night and had experienced the awakening sensation a full minute before rolling onto his side. Dr. Zimmerman told the his new patient Lisa by phone that he couldn't see her anymore, not because of his own fears but because of what had happened to his wife. The neurosurgeon had mentioned his first awaking to his wife, after he had woke up very agitated, and the Doctor told his wife briefly about the new woman patient Lisa Sheets and the connection between their awakenings. This morning, Doctor Zimmerman's second awakening and the wife's first occurred and the wife had woken to the sensation of herself gasping for air, laying on the ground, and trying to avoid a hot cloud of bad air and gas that was coming toward her. A few hours ago, the Doctors wife, Lora Zimmerman had refused to go to her job as a school teacher because she was afraid she would infect her students.

In desperation the initial Woman, Lisa Sheets with the Cat Paw sensation, had refused to see any more Doctors, and instead went to see the local Parish Priest. Lisa had been raised a Catholic but hadn't attended Mass in a long time. The Priest agreed to see her, after reading a very brief written summary from Lisa of what had happened but agreed to talk to her only in the confessional. The Priest Father Whiteside agreed to pray for Lisa and told her for the time being to sleep on her side and not discuss the problem with anyone else. Father Whiteside said he would advise Lisa further in a few days.

end part 1