Enter a world of sinister dreams and mind manipulation as Dr. Alan Randal’s therapy takes an eerie turn, leading to unforeseen consequences.
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Read Your Mind
“Dreaming transports us to worlds where the lame walk, the blind see, and pain becomes paradise. But for some, this tranquil and rejuvenating activity is a nightmare marred by waking realities. This can lead to insomnia or parasomnia, disrupting the circadian rhythm and reducing the quality of life.”
These words from Dr. Alan Randal’s presentation before a crowd of thousands result in many referrals to his practice for therapy. It’s a plush office that evokes the richness he hopes will line his pockets. The doctor’s novel approach uses neuroscience to manipulate the mind into conveying pleasant dreams.
Those suffering from post-traumatic stress are frequent patients. During the initial consultation, he unearths their most haunting recollections, the stressors that keep them awake. Next, he compiles their happiest memories and deepest hopes.
With this information, Dr. Randal applies sensors to the scalp and maps out the location of bad memories, rerouting them to pleasant ones. By wearing the customized headgear during sleep, patients have a full night of euphoric dreams. In the morning, they awaken fully rested.
The ability to achieve a good night’s rest is incentive enough for many people to don the non-invasive head cap. Some would prefer surgery, but the FDA will not approve brain probing for what it considers “cosmetic” benefits.
Waking Nightmares
Despite the flood of money into Dr. Randal’s accounts, a growing number of patients, though grateful for the respite, find their waking lives no less unbearable. Women remain in abusive relationships; caregivers watch relatives waste away; and those with chronic pain or disfigurement struggle throughout waking hours.
As a result, many patients wear the neurological cap for more than 16 hours per day. The remedy is nurturing a growing subpopulation of inactive citizens. His partner, Dr. Cindy Emsley, points out the conflict with sleep restriction therapy (SRT) for insomnia.
“Alan, the goal was to give people more productive waking hours. What we are seeing is patients reverting to a fetal stage. Too much sleep leads to muscle atrophy and weakness. Perhaps SRT is a better solution.”
“I appreciate your observation,” Alan replies. “But urging patients to stay out of the bedroom until nighttime is not as profitable as our neurological cap.”
“Commercializing mental health has moral conflicts,” Cindy cautions. “I need to either seek ways to improve the cap or explore alternative therapies.”
Retracting Cures
As Dr. Randal pushes ahead with his lucrative methods, Dr. Emsley promotes a more conservative approach with her patients. As the two are at odds, Dr. Randal wants his partner to sever ownership of the business. Though she is amicable to a buyout, she bases the exorbitant amount she requests on a five-year trajectory of company value.
Alan balks at her proposal. “That’s absurd. You preach against profiteering, yet you’re ready to extort me for future gains.”
“I thought we could work this out like civilized adults. If you don’t recognize the value I brought to your career, we can let our attorneys hammer out the details,” she responds before walking out the door.
Dr. Randal doesn’t want to pay as much as his partner demands, nor does he want the additional expense of attorney’s fees. So he devises a sinister plot to put Cindy to sleep, permanently. Deceptively, he purchases his morning beverage from a coffee shop. When making a fresh pot in the office, he spikes the aromatic brew with low doses of a powerful sedative. Cumulatively, it leads to cardiac arrest.
Unaware that Cindy shares her coffee with patients, Alan’s doses accumulate silently, inching them all closer to the same dark end. Detectives investigate the suspicious circumstances and the patients immobilized by his treatments. In forsaking his oath to help others, Dr. Randal’s dream of wealth and freedom crumbles to dust, leaving only the hollow echo of what could have been.
