“The Slicing of Memories: A DuBois Temporal Therapy Session”
“Welcome, Sarah,” Dr. Kali DuBois said, her voice echoing in the stark white room. “This will be your first mind slicing session.”
Sarah sat down in the high-backed recliner, a sense of nervous anticipation crawling up her spine. Around her, sleek machines blinked and hummed — instruments of the future, capable of diving into the past.
Dr. DuBois adjusted a silver headpiece studded with shimmering lights and placed it onto Sarah’s forehead. “You’re in control,” she reminded her. “You can replace any memory you want and install new ones. But proceed with caution. Every change ripples through your cognitive river, altering your present.”
With a touch on a control panel, she initiated the process. Sarah’s reality melted away, replaced by the luminescent weave of her memories.
The doctor’s voice became a guiding light. “Visualize your timeline as a river. Each memory is a pebble in that river. Some are sharp, cutting you as the current pushes you against them. Others are smooth, comforting to touch. You are here to remove the sharp stones, the ones causing pain, and replace them with smooth ones.”
Sarah saw her past — a cascade of bright and dark moments. She recognized the darker ones as they floated to the surface. The breakup with Ethan, her mother’s harsh words, the string of failed relationships…
“Mind slicing is the act of selective memory alteration,” Dr. DuBois’s voice echoed in the ethereal space. “Visualize a blade of pure intention. Use it to excise the painful memory.”
Sarah followed the instructions. She held the blade against the memory of Ethan, and with a firm mental push, she sliced it away. It faded, becoming insubstantial and eventually disappearing.
“Now,” the doctor continued, “imagine what you want in its place. An experience, a feeling. Make it as real as you can.”
In place of the painful breakup, Sarah installed a new memory. A peaceful ending, a mutual parting filled with respect and closure. The memory settled into the river of her past, glowing warmly.
Sarah continued the process, moving from one painful memory to another. Each removal lightened her load, each installation added a note of harmony to her life’s song.
When the session ended, Sarah returned to reality with a profound sense of peace. Her past had changed, and with it, her present. She was no longer a prisoner of her painful memories. Instead, she was their master, choosing which ones had a place in her story.
