After sitting alone in the room for a few minutes, Mara decided to take a seat on one of the poufs and take a gander at meditation.
She took a couple of deep breaths, making sure to keep a certain amount of time between each breath. With each breath, she slowly felt her body relaxing. She started focusing on relaxing different parts of her body, starting at her feet and working her way towards her head.
She caught her mind trying to drift all over the place a couple of times, but she kept forcing her mind to relax. At times, she just had to repeat the word 'relax' in her head as a reminder for her mind.
She sat there for a good 10 minutes, fully calming her body and mind, when suddenly there was a knock at the door.
She figured it was probably her hypnotherapist, so she got up and opened the door. In front of her stood a kind-looking woman who smiled up at her.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Imani Adisa, but you can call me Imani. I will be your hypnotherapist for these next few weeks." She spoke in a soft voice, giving Mara the sense that she was in good hands.
"Hello Imani, I'm Mara Morozov. Thank you for helping me." Mara said, nodding to the woman with a smile on her face.
The two walked into the room and got seated. Mara laid down on a Chaise Longue, while the doctor took her seat on a regular lounge chair that she positioned next to Mara.
"Alright, are you comfortable?" She asked Mara, who nodded in response.
"Shuri shared your trigger words and verbal cues with me that I will be using throughout this process. Once you are in your hypnotic state, I will ask you to visualise a future where you are free from Hydra's mind control and to visualise what you wish your future to look like." the doctor starts explaining.
"During today's session, I will not yet test you with some of your trigger words. I first want to solely focus on future orientation. Are you ready for that?"
Mara nodded once again. "Okay, you can close your eyes and take a few deep breaths." Mara did as she was told and started doing the breathing exercise.
"Now I want you to visualise opening your mind, allowing me in. Keep focusing on your breathing as you do this." The doctor spoke in her ever-calm voice. Mara tried to picture a mental gate opening for the doctor.
"You're doing really well. I want you to think about the words I'm about to tell you. Allow your brain to register them." She said before listing the verbal cues. "Family, calm, one, pacify, sovereign."
She only had to repeat the words twice before Mara entered a trance. The doctor saw a shift in Mara's body language as her head started to hang a bit.
"Very good Mara. I want you to picture your future. A free future where you are happy and not worried about Hydra." She says as the hypnotherapy session has officially begun.
Mara visualised Natasha and how the two would be living happily together in a cosy home in nature. Two kids were running around the yard as the two former assassins watched from the porch.
She then visualised her life without Hydra. A free life where she did not have to constantly look over her shoulder. She was able to walk around town and go on trips for fun, instead of missions. A carefree life.
"I want you to picture yourself breaking free from the chains that Hydra has put around you." The doctor continued. Mara did as she was told. She could almost feel the chains around her upper body as she broke apart from them.
The two women continued for another fifteen minutes before the doctor brought Mara out of her hypnotic state. Mara opened her eyes and all she could do was smile.
"How do you feel?" Dr. Adisa asked her. "Amazing" she responds, still smiling.
The two scheduled their next session for two days from now and Mara headed off to her room. It was time to update Natasha.