Storiesonline.net ------- Transformations: the Beginning by Shrink42 Copyright© 2004 by Shrink42 ------- Description: Immersion therapy had been amazingly successful - twice. Could it be used to help whole groups of people? To build a business?This is a foundation for a new set of stories. It draws characters from 'Pygmalion Project' and 'Redmption.' The sex will definitely come in the later stories that use this foundation. Codes: no-sex ------- ------- Author’s note: This story sets the scene for a number of later stories. Consider it a foundation for a new ‘story universe.’ Everything takes place in the here and now, with real current laws and real current mores. That is not to say everything will be believable - far from it. Hopefully, the stories will be about unbelievable things the reader wishes could be true. This new Transformations universe is a follow-on to ‘Pygmalion Project,’ and to a lesser extent to ‘Redemption.’ Characters from both are included. The short story ‘Gary’s Gauntlet’ should definitely be read before proceeding. ‘Nice Guys Club’ will be referred to, and will follow. ------- Chapter 1 Gerald had not told any of them why they were invited, but the invitation to the Magnuson mansion was a surprise to no one. All of them had been there before, and all were closely connected through the incredible project that had restored Kathy and Ted Randolph’s marriage. Besides them, the invitees were Shannon and Alex Torvold, Greg Laskey, Yvonne Torres, Frank and Julia Waxman, and Carolyn and Jim Randolph, Ted and Shannon’s parents. It actually seemed like a reunion. ------- Gerald Magnuson found no reason to apologize for the good breeding, the good fortune, and the enormous inheritance that allowed him to reside at the top of the social and economic heap. He, and everyone who knew him, considered him an exceptional steward of the many treasures with which he had been blessed. Incredible drive, deep-seated compassion, and rock-ribbed integrity had enabled him to multiply the fortune bequeathed to him. In the process, he had created employment and wealth for many others, and had given generously to worthy causes. The death of his beloved wife a little over a year ago had muted the glow of his success, and caused him to step back from his varied enterprises while still in his mid-sixties. Fortunately, he had found new love with Elizabeth, life-long friend of his wife and himself, and the one he had not chosen when he married his first wife. Through Elizabeth, a retired dancer and studio operator, he had received an astonishing request. He was asked to serve as a dance partner for Kathy Randolph, who was sequestered, naked, at Greg Laskey’s home. Kathy’s talent for and love of dance were discovered to be the key to her recovery from severe phobia of anything sexual. The current dinner meeting was a direct outgrowth of his time with Kathy and a desire to use the Magnuson Foundation money to promote new and innovative human services. ------- Frank Waxman felt like he had been reborn. He never thought he could sell the fashion business he had built so lovingly and so successfully over all those years. At sixty, he did not consider himself over the hill. In fact, he was more confident in his analytical and decision-making skills than at any time in his life. The wake-up call had come in the form of temporary impotence due to a metabolic imbalance. And what a wake-up call it was! He considered himself the luckiest of all men on earth to have the love of his gorgeous wife Julia. In his mind, he never used the word gorgeous - he considered it inadequate. Now forty-eight, she still turned heads wherever she went. And she made heads spin with the brilliance of her mind, as well. Their love life had always been spectacular, and the first time he was unable to perform, it jolted him as no business or personal setback ever had. Julia was a psychiatrist, and therefore an M.D. Because of her deep love for her husband, she treated his problem gently. But as a doctor, she hounded him mercilessly until he sought medical help. At first, he tried to shrug it off as just age, but she wasn’t buying that. In her opinion, no man fell that quickly from the exceptional level of sexual performance they had enjoyed throughout their twenty-one years together. The medical problem came at the same time as the heaviest travel demands of his career. For nearly a year, he was gone over three-fourths of the time, with some trips lasting nearly a month. The worst part of his combined absence and illness for Frank was his concern for Julia. He knew the strength of her sex drive. He could not satisfy it in the ultimate way, and he was not even there to comfort her with alternatives. Greg Laskey was a young entrepreneur who had developed a leading-edge manufacturing logistics system. Frank became Greg’s first big-time customer, and the partnership propelled Frank’s business to the top of the fashion industry and Greg’s into a leadership position in the software business. Greg had taken on a radical project to rescue Shannon, the adult daughter of his surrogate parents, Jim and Carolyn Randolph. He had worked out a plan with Julia, and somehow got Shannon to agree to it. Then plan involved Shannon losing a third of her body weight, obtaining a G.E.D online, and restoring relations with family members. All this took place while continually naked at Greg’s house. During Shannon’s renewal, Julia became so enamored with Shannon’s courage and her personality that she began joining Shannon for workouts, stripping naked as she did. Since their first meeting years earlier, Greg had been close friends with Frank and Julia, and Julia’s patient after his shattering divorce. Frank and Julia convinced Greg to become Julia’s sexual partner until Frank recovered and returned from his travels. All of those experiences convinced Frank that the time had come for a change. The company was doing well and was very salable, but he was not ready to just retire. The answer came in an offer from Gerald to manage the Magnuson Foundation. That brought him home to Julia for good with his health and vigor restored. In that role, he was a co-host of the dinner gathering. ------- Julia Waxman felt the same sense of rebirth as her husband, Frank. Greg came to her with his desire to help his ‘almost-sister’ Shannon reclaim her life from drugs, obesity, and dissolution. Julia’s first response had been quite traditional, knowing the heavy odds against success. When she learned of the lengths to which Greg was willing to go to rescue his erstwhile friend, she began to seriously consider innovative alternatives. What she called ‘immersion therapy’ seemed the most likely answer, and she worked with Greg to lay out a program. She had to work hard to convince him that Shannon’s constant nudity was a crucial element. Largely because of Shannon’s strength and the incredible love and support of her family, the plan succeeded beyond any expectation. It succeeded so much that Shannon took the lead in the rescue of her brother Ted’s wife, Kathy. In the course of Shannon’s recovery, Julia joined Shannon naked whenever possible for workouts and support. She became Greg’s lover with Frank’s blessing and encouragement. Nearly twenty pounds lighter and tighter than in her twenties, she felt ten years younger. Kathy’s remarkable turnaround was another verification of the power of immersion therapy. Julia had the makings of a revolution in treatment, but was concerned about negative reaction to her methods within the stuffy psychiatric profession. ------- Among the many things in her life that she wished she could do over, Shannon’s treatment of Greg was high on her list. Best friends and soulmates since early childhood, she had spurned him when she was invited to join the ‘in’ crowd in High School. Unfortunately, that crowd introduced her to recreational drugs, for which she had no resistance. Dropping out of school, living with a man through two kids, going through recovery twice, escaping a close brush with the law, giving up or losing job after crummy job, trying and failing numerous times to live away from her parents, adding weight to her slender 5’6” frame until she topped 200 lbs; these were the sad milestones of Shannon’s life. Amid all the failures were two miraculous successes, Terry and Janie. Whether it was the Grace of God, or the constant presence and care of her parents, her kids had turned out far better than Shannon had any right to hope for. At age thirty-two, Greg stepped back into her life with an outrageous proposal: stay with him, naked. Exercise, eat right, get her diploma - erase several of the failures. That was hard enough, but she had to meet with and renew relationships with parents, siblings, and children, all while naked. Her personal trainer was a man, more accurately a Nordic god. Exposing herself to him was by far the hardest part of her ordeal. Yet, he was a kind man who saw something in her that she did not even see herself. Theirs was a moving but highly unusual romance, and from the depths of hopelessness, Shannon had risen to a fairy tale existence. ------- In demand by professional athletes in several sports, Alex Torvold had achieved everything possible for a trainer/therapist. Among the most respectful and considerate people alive, he rejected Greg’s request to be the personal trainer for his naked female friend. Finally giving in was the best move of his life. Within the fat and depression of Shannon Randolph lurked the woman he had never been able to find. The fact that Shannon had two teenaged children became a tremendous bonus. Terry was the young man he wished he could have sired. Janey was a constant threat to his libido, and in total control of his heart. Shannon and her children introduced him to a level of family openness and intimacy he would once have considered immoral. Now, he could not imagine life without it. ------- Greg Laskey, at thirty-two, had more money than he knew what to do with, and an open psychic wound from a failed marriage. Guiltily renewing relationships with Jim and Carolyn Randolph, who had filled the role of parents during his youth, he found out what had happened to Shannon. Driven to help his former soulmate, Greg worked with Julia on the radical plan to turn Shannon’s life around. Although following a rather different path than expected, the plan worked incredibly well. During Shannon’s stay with him, Greg enjoyed a remarkable level of intimacy with the whole Randolph family. He was privileged to share a bed for two months with the incredible Julia. After a troubled start, he was able to play the key role in introducing the lovely Yvonne Torres to first friendship, then love - things from which she had isolated herself. ------- Kathy Randolph was becoming her mother, and it was about to cost her her marriage. More and more she was buying into her mother’s fanatical aversion to anything ‘improper.’ That designation covered anything related to sex and nakedness. Her deprived husband, Ted, had reached his limit, especially when Kathy’s impact on their teenaged daughters came to light. Through the careful machinations of Julia, Ted, Shannon, and Ted’s parents, Kathy found herself naked at Greg’s house. She was free to leave, but the price was divorce. Somehow she survived unbearable shame and humiliation to keep from losing the husband she loved dearly. When her love of dance, something her mother denied her as improper, was discovered, she was on the road to normal, healthy attitudes. Her passionate reunion with Ted was just the start of an ongoing dream. ------- Ted Randolph let his wife, Kathy, manage the lives of his daughters far too long. When he met with his brave, naked sister Shannon at Greg’s house, he was emboldened to resolve his own troubled situation. Julia’s immersion therapy and brilliant diagnosis of the keys to Kathy’s phobias gave him the kind of marriage he had yearned for. In the process, relationships with his children, his parents, and his other sister took directions he would never have thought possible or even proper. ------- Carolyn and Jim Randolph were proud of all three of their children. With their youngest, Shannon, it took an effort of will to feel that pride. Nevertheless, they were always there for her, at times practically raising her children. When it looked like Greg’s plan for Shannon would fail before it had started when they first visited her at Greg’s, they joined her in nakedness. This was a tremendous sacrifice to the naturally modest Carolyn, but typical of the lengths she would go for her children. That move led to regular naked family gatherings. Through these, the unsuspected problems in Ted’s marriage came to light, and the plan for their correction was developed. The storybook return of her prodigal daughter was worth any personal sacrifice asked of Carolyn. She willingly joined Shannon, naked, in support of the troubled Kathy during her recovery. ------- As a teen, Yvonne Torres feigned lesbianism to ward off the unwanted advances of her cousins and the stifling traditional expectations of her parents. On her own, she scratched out an admirable college career, both academically and athletically. Yvonne built a successful business as a nutritionist while remaining isolated from both men and women. Realizing her need, she sought help from Julia. On Julia’s recommendation, Greg hired Yvonne as Shannon’s nutritionist. There was an instant, obvious attraction between Greg and Yvonne, but the wounds both carried from their pasts pushed them into a battle of wills. All was resolved in time for Yvonne to replace Julia in Greg’s bed upon Frank’s return. ------- After the superb meal Gerald had provided, the group of friends was sitting in the library, sipping coffee or aperitifs. Frank broke into the various conversations, and when everyone was still, he quipped, “Last time I saw this group together, we were all in much different attire.” That last time together was at Greg’s house, celebrating Kathy’s ‘graduation.’ As had become customary at Randolph family gatherings, nudity was the dress code. “Do we need to strip before we can get down to business?” Shannon asked to a chorus of laughter. “No, that won’t be necessary. Although, if you would be more comfortable, I can’t imagine who would object,” Frank shot back, increasing the laughter. “Seriously, there is a reason for this gathering, and I’ll let Gerald start.” Acting as if addressing a group was the most natural thing in the world, Gerald began talking. “I have to rank my relationship with the lovely Kathy as one of the most outstanding experiences of my life. I was privileged to witness a metamorphosis that most experts would tell you was not possible. On top of that, Shannon, who was taking a lead role in Kathy’s recovery, was still completing her own incredible turnaround.” “Both of these women benefitted from the brilliance of Julia. Her use of the immersion therapy approach was absolutely flawless. I am sure that we all know people who have tried many times to get themselves out of situations like Shannon’s or Kathy’s, or even worse. The miserable success rate is disheartening.” “My vision is to take Julia’s approach and make it available to many people. Frank and I have decided to call the enterprise ‘Transformations.’ That name may not appeal to some of you. Since it is probably the only major decision the two of us will get to make, we are sticking with it.” This was greeted with more good-natured laughter. “We envision one or more centers designed to house the participants, or clients as we have been calling them, for the duration of their programs. Everything would be first class, meaning the cost of enrollment would be high. There will, however, be generous Foundation money for scholarships to deserving people who cannot afford the cost.” Gerald then deferred to Frank, who told the group, “You folks are now the world experts on immersion therapy, and that is why we are together tonight. Oh, I know, Julia is the only professional here, but the rest of you have lived through the process. Your inputs are critical. Since it’s all about changing people, Shannon and Kathy are the star witnesses, so to speak.” Frank continued. “The question before the floor is: can we institutionalize what was done for Shannon and for Kathy?” Julia jumped in first. “Before we get into the can and can’t questions, Frank, I need to point out that the two cases are quite different. Yes, both women underwent major changes, but in a group setting, they could not be treated together.” “Shannon, please don’t be offended, but your experience was a, uh, perfection of the traditional ‘fat farm’ concept.” “Julia, there is nothing you can say that would offend me as much as the body you helped me get rid of. If it was a fat farm, then I was the perfect candidate,” Shannon responded. “Thank you, Shannon. In Kathy’s case, there was a specific phobia or group of phobias that pushed her behavior far outside the norm and threatened her marriage. Immersion had a different purpose in each case. For Shannon, it meant isolation from everything that could distract from the goal of building a new lifestyle. For Kathy is meant bombarding her with the things she feared until they began to seem normal and right. Is that distinction clear to everyone?” “Brilliantly stated, as usual, my dear,” Frank said with obvious affection. “It appears, then, that we would need to have different programs for different needs. What are some of the different programs you envision?” Julia took a moment to compose her thoughts before answering. “Obviously, the first is the makeover program - let’s call it the ‘Shannon’ program. That is not meant to trivialize what you went through, Shannon, but we need a simple designation. That is the one most likely to be effective for a group.” “What we did for Kathy may represent the most difficult to apply to a group. The range of possible phobias is just so wide. The best we could do is target frigidity or sexual repression.” “I think another area with great promise is troubled youth. Suppose we worked with the courts to offer our program as an alternative to typical incarceration. We could do that for both boys and girls.” “Wouldn’t there be terrible problems controlling these kids?” Carolyn asked. “I think the secret is that we wouldn’t even try. Either they control themselves, or back to the courts. On the makeover side, we only talked about women, but there may be opportunity for men’s programs, as well. I haven’t put much thought into it yet.” “One program for men that I have thought about is what I call the ‘asshole program.” That got the predictable snickers. “Consider this scenario: a man is accused of sexual harassment at work and is about to be fired, even though he is an otherwise outstanding employee. The employer gives him an out of successfully completing our program. Or another case: a wife is about to divorce her abusive husband, but gives him another chance if he completes our program.” “Do you people have any idea what a privilege it is to live with a mind like that?” Frank asked playfully. “Then how come so much of your attention is directed well below my mind, lover?” This crack from Julia brought howls from their friends. “I need to emphasize that working with abusers adds another whole layer of complexity to the challenge. At this point, I would rather try to build a program that would help the abused recover. That, however, would probably be all charitable.” “Speaking of the abused,” Shannon interjected, “Terry’s good friend Eric Kasten and his mother escaped an abusive situation. They spent some time at the home of Dex Madison, who has a strong interest in helping the abused. Dex’s wife, in fact, runs the major battered women’s shelters here in town. From a few chats with Eric, it may be a good idea to talk to the Madisons about what they are doing. According to Eric, his mother’s life turned completely around in about a week at Dex’s house.” Alex followed up on his wife’s comments. “I know Dex a little. He was a basketball star at Addison some years back. I agree we should talk to him.” Kathy chose this time to interrupt. “Julia, I’ve been sitting her thinking. I believe there should be an asshole program for women, too.” She waited for the surprised looks to settle down. “You were right about me. I had some serious phobias. The result, though, was that I acted like an asshole to my family.” She had Julia’s complete attention, now. “Instead of agonizing over the perfect treatment for each person, like you did for me, why not just treat us all as assholes first. You know, thankful as I am for what you all did, in a way it was punitive, and it certainly was humiliating. Regardless of my phobia, I deserved the punishment for my actions. Aren’t we all supposed to act decently and normally towards others no matter what fears we have?” Julia was not often caught by surprise, but this was certainly one time. “Kathy, you make some brilliant points. In my profession, we try very hard to target our treatment to the needs of individual patients. The mass approach you are suggesting...” Gerald let out a big laugh, then said to Kathy, “Kathy my dear, I wasn’t aware you had an MBA?” Misreading his meaning, Kathy blushed and said quietly “Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said...” “No, no, no, Kathy. What you said was brilliant. We are faced with not just a treatment problem, but a business problem. Frank’s original question was if we could translate yours and Shannon’s experiences to a group. I believe we had concluded yours was not appropriate to a group. You, however, suggested a way to make it work. Please, don’t think I was ridiculing you. Far from it!” “Oh.” When no one else spoke up for several seconds, Frank took over again. “Several different programs have been mentioned, all of which sound like they meet a real demand. We need to start with one to prove and refine our concepts. Which one should it be?” “Let me answer that, Lover,” Julia spoke up. “In my mind there’s no doubt we should start with the Shannon program. I am sure it has the greatest demand. The psychological aspects are also more straightforward - no offense intended, Shannon.” “I agree,” said Frank. “Gerald and I came to the same conclusion. This will be a non-profit enterprise, but the ideal would be for it to break even or return some money to the Foundation. Starting with the most salable program makes good sense. Now, I need to ask how salable it will be. I don’t want to get into a big discussion of nudity right now, but let’s assume it will be an essential part of the program. Will we ever get any clients?” “Honest, folks, we didn’t plan this as the Frank and Julia show.” Julia got another laugh out of that. “Personally, I have no doubt we can fill up any size facility we want. The number of desperate women out there is greater than you can imagine. The lengths to which they will go to change their lives is astonishing. Shannon, why in the world did you accept Greg’s plan? Frankly, you surprised us all.” “In my case,” Shannon replied, “it was the alternative to suicide.” That brought an audible sob from Carolyn. “I’m sorry to shock you, Mom, but I looked at that bottle of pills every night and debated if it was worth waiting another day. In my case, I knew my children would be better off with you than with me. In fact, everyone would have been better off with me gone.” “Now, every woman’s situation will be different,” Shannon continued, “but I think the common factor is self-image. When Greg found me, mine was microscopic. That was mainly my own doing - along with the drugs. Other women may have been beaten down by husbands or family or co-workers.” “When I finally decided to accept the plan, I decided that the humiliation of being naked was no worse than the humiliation of just being who I was. At least with Greg, I saw a chance for the humiliation to end.” “Thanks, Shannon,” Julia told her. “I believe the clients are out there, dying for what we can do for them. Our challenge is to find them. I don’t think money will be a problem, and I don’t think nudity will be a problem. Our only problem is getting the word out, and then producing results.” “OK,” Gerald interrupted, “what are our target markets?” “I can think of a few keys,” Julia answered, “although clients and markets are not terms us shrinks are used to dealing with. Women facing divorce because they are no longer appealing to their husbands are obvious targets. Those in therapy because of repeated failures to change themselves are another group.” “Actually, one of our problems will be weeding out potential clients who can afford us but don’t really need us. For example, the affluent mother who wants to lose twenty pounds before her daughter’s wedding is not our target. Sure, the revenue would be nice, but there are many other organizations who can meet her need. Now, if that same woman is on the bottle or snorting coke to escape her depression over her looks, we are closer to our target.” “I don’t want it to sound like we will just be running a nudie fat farm.” Julia had to pause for the laughter after that quip. “A svelte woman with zero self-image could fit in well. An anorexic would be a perfect fit. In other words, our makeover must not be just the body. We want women to leave with assurance of their own capabilities, desirability, and importance.” “That, my dear, sounds like a worthy challenge,” Frank told his wife while giving her a quick hug. “I want to put off talking about the specifics of meeting that challenge until our next get-together.” “Among this group, Julia and I and Gerald and Elizabeth will obviously be closely involved with Transformations. Alex will be directing the physical side of our programs, and Yvonne the nutrition side. Greg is considering a management role.” “Carolyn, Jim, Kathy, and Ted: I would like to ask your help as reference sources. You have been beneficiaries of the ideas we are building on, and have, in fact, helped shape many of them. Would you be willing to meet with potential clients and share your experiences.” “Frank, you don’t even have to ask,” Carolyn said before anyone else could respond. “We have been given an unbelievable gift in the restoration of our family. We consider it a privilege and an obligation to help others receive similar gifts. We live down the road a ways, but we are perfectly willing to host anyone who can benefit from our story.” “Mom, the same goes for us,” Ted added. “Right now, I can’t get involved in the business side, but we are anxious to share our joy with others.” “I expected no less, but thank you,” Frank told them. “Folks,” Gerald spoke up, “that’s enough business for tonight, at least officially. Next time, we will add some of the folks mentioned earlier to learn from their experiences. I hope you will all give this some thought and research in the meantime. Now, our hot tub is quite large and clothing optional. If any of you wish to indulge in some nostalgia, feel free.” ------- Chapter 2 A week after the initial discussion of 'Transformations, ' an expanded group assembled at the Magnuson mansion for another fine meal. The new guests included Elise and Dex Madison, Kirstin and Gary Blum, Sandie Kasten, Sandie's son Eric, and Morgan Shaughnessy. The newcomers had all been briefed on Shannon and Kathy's stories, and the plans for Transformations. The original group had heard only sketchy accounts of the newcomers' stories. Gerald initiated the proceedings this time. "Thank you all for joining me again. Thank you especially to our new friends. And I don't use that term lightly, believe me." "In my life, I have been privileged to meet many remarkable people who have made tremendous impacts on their fellow humans. Sometimes, these people go about their work so quietly, they are almost invisible, except to those whose lives they impact. Elise, you are one of those invisible saints." "Since our first meeting, I have spent a good deal of time with Elise and Dex. I have visited the shelters and talked to the employees and the women they help. I am ashamed of how little I knew of the problems they dealt with. I am also committed to changing that. Well, tonight, we are here to talk about Transformations, so I'll let Frank take it from here." "At our first meeting," Frank started, "I said we would defer discussion of the nudity issue. Well, tonight we will address it head on. All of you here have something substantive to contribute on the issue. Our new guests know about immersion therapy and the importance of the subjects being naked. I'd like Julia to start off with a discussion of the psychological basis for that." "Is this going to be another Frank and Julia show," Julia asked. As she had hoped, the resulting laughter lightened the mood immediately. "Well, for a subject with such strong prurient interest, there is surprisingly little research data available. There are no double-blind, publication-quality studies that I know of. There are, however, some very credible analyses based on individual subjects or small groups. The Foundation has already spent many thousands of consulting dollars on expensive experts on the subject. I will give you some of my conclusions based on these sources and my own observations." "One subject on which there is analytical data is the effect of nakedness on honesty. A person normally clothed is far more likely to lie or prevaricate than is a naked person. The corollary to this is a cornerstone of my approach. Clothing aids a person in denying or ignoring reality. Without facing reality, there is no possibility of real, lasting change. I see you nodding your head, Shannon. Care to comment?" "I sure do," replied Shannon. "I knew how awful I looked, but with clothes on and by avoiding mirrors, I could go for periods of time without thinking about it. In other words, I could pretend I was OK. At Greg's, with no clothes and lots of mirrors, I could never pretend I was OK. It kept my problem right in front of me all the time." "So, you would say being naked was important to your turnaround?" "Absolutely critical. For me, the ability to pretend was the ability to ignore the problem and put off action." "Shannon leads right into my next point." Julia nodded toward Shannon as she continued. "One function of clothing is to support pretense. Padded shoulders or bras, slimming colors, elevator shoes, and girdles are all obvious examples of what I mean. Gang colors or Goth outfits are less obvious examples, but they serve the same purpose. Clothes allow us to project to the world an image that we want. Naked, we can only project what is really there." "Another function of clothes is as a barrier. They help keep others from getting too close, and they keep us from letting too much of ourselves show to others. Some other fairly good studies show that naked people are more willing to share personal details, thoughts, and feelings than when they are clothed. Similarly, they are more willing to listen to the thoughts and concerns of other when they are naked. Appearing naked before someone is a way of pleading for acceptance. It is also a way of saying 'I accept you." The entire group was quiet for a while, apparently mulling over what Julia had said so far. When she continued, she changed the tone. "So far, I may have given the impression that nudity is the key to the perfect society. There certainly are negative aspects, as well. Probably the biggest negative is the use of enforced nakedness as a form of humiliation or punishment. We humans seem to have a natural aversion to exposing our genitals. When forced to do so involuntarily, it becomes a form of abuse. Dex, I think you have an interesting story on the two sides of nakedness." "Yes, Julia, I do, and I learned a lot from it, painfully. One day when I was fourteen, I came home from school and my father dragged me to their bedroom. There, my mother was tied spread-eagled and naked on the bed with her crotch shaved. She was gagged, but I could see the terror in her eyes, and I lost it. Somehow, I struggled enough to get my father to leave, then freed my mother." "After we both went through some shock reaction, she was still naked and I tried to cover her with a blanket. She would not let me, and instead, made sure I saw every bit of her. She declared that she wanted to be naked with me whenever possible from then on. My appreciation of her naked body was important to her. It was one of the few positives in her life, and helped alleviate my father's ridicule." Kirstin Blum jumped into the conversation at this point. "I can verify what Dex said from the other side. During a bad time in our marriage, I was badly overweight and Gary, uh, belittled my looks a lot." "Let me interrupt, Darling," Gary broke in. "You tend to downplay how terribly I treated you, and I want to set the record straight. I heard that in planning Transformations, you are considering an 'asshole' program. Well, I fit the profile exactly. I did things to my wonderful wife that I still can't believe, and that will keep me awake nights forever." "Yeah, but you're a recovered asshole," Kirstin said to him with a hug. "Not recovered, recoverING," Gary corrected her. "Just like alcohol, it's something I will always have to fight. And I will fight it, dammit!" "Anyway," Kirstin continued, when I took the kids and fled, we ended up at Dex's house. The very first night, Morgan hauled all of us women naked into the hot tub. It was relaxed and natural and it felt good. When we came out, we were just wrapped in towels, and Morgan got us in a little kick line in front of Dex and Eric. Until bedtime, I wore nothing but that towel. It was embarrassing, but it felt sexy and that was something I hadn't felt for a long time." "First thing the next morning, I met Eric by the workout room. He wanted to work out, but didn't want to with Jessica there - I'll tell about Jessica later. I asked Eric if he'd join me in the hot tub, then suggested we skinny-dip. He told me later that he realized it was important to me, so we did. Our hot tub session got pretty intimate, and it gave me a huge morale boost." "So, Kirstin," Julia asked, "for you, getting naked was a plea for acceptance and approval?" "It sure was! I guess I did a lot of pleading, 'cuz I became pretty much an exhibitionist. And you know, folks must have gotten pretty tired of seeing this fat slob bouncing around naked, but no one said a thing. It was wonderful." To everyone's surprise, the stately Gerald broke up the crowd with, "Kirstin, dear, please feel free to indulge your exhibitionist urges at my house." "Sandie," Julia said after the laughter died out, "I understand you have a similar story about acceptance of your body." "Well, I never had the nerve to go nudist like Kirstin, but you're right. It was very important to me at that awful time in my life. We arrived at Dex's in the afternoon, and I was a mess. Eric held me and comforted me until I finally slept. That night at bedtime, I had Eric sit and watch as I undressed. I purposely took a long time getting by nightie from the suitcase and putting it on. Soon, I wore nothing in our room. Having my loving son look at my body with love and excitement - it was like a medicine I had to have." "Acceptance, again," murmured Julia softly. Then she addressed Eric. "Eric, you accepted Kirstin's body without any negative comments, and even some compliments. She thought she looked terrible, didn't you think so?" "Hey, just look at Kirstin!" Eric said. "Excuse me, Kirstin, but you're a babe. I could tell that, even with the extra weight. Besides, until the day before, I had never been face to face with a naked woman. It was a thrill no matter how much she weighed." Chuckles from the group greeted his self-deprecating remark. "Well, when she asked you to skinny-dip, did you jump at the chance?" "No way! I got, uh, aroused just at the question. I was terrified to think she would see me like that. No female had ever seen me naked, and I wasn't at all proud of my body." "Not proud? You look good to me." "I've, uh, had a growth spurt and worked out a lot since then." "So, if you were terrified, why did you go with Kirstin?" "The day before, Dex had a long talk with me. He told me some things to do to help Mom. He mostly said to do anything she needed, even if was tough for me. Well, when Mom undressed for me, she looked real scared. I could tell it wasn't because she was scared of me seeing her. It was because she feared I wouldn't like what I saw. Well, she looked great and she could tell that I thought so. I saw this look of relief on her face, and it made me feel good." "When Kirstin wanted to go in the hot tub, I saw that same look of fear. I just knew I had to do it for her." "But you hardly knew her." "I guess. But I watched her the night before. I could tell she was fun and a pretty strong person. She's hard not to like, you know. And it felt so good to feel like I'd helped Mom, I wanted that feeling again. I felt sort of, I don't know, protective of all the women. I watched Dex and thought that was the way a real man treated women." No one said a thing after that comment. "So, your hot tub session wasn't the end of your morning, was it?" "God, no. Kirstin got me to go back downstairs naked with her. We were laughing away when we met Morgan and Jessica at the bottom. Jessica is about my age, and she was mad at the world over what happened to her. I thought she hated me." "Let me tell you about Jessica," Morgan interrupted. "This is another negative use of nudity - exhibitionism. Oh, not like you, Kirstin!" Both women giggled at that. "Jessica's father exposed himself to her regularly. In fact, toward the end, he went around the house bottomless much of the time. At night, he would come into her room erect and try to get her to undress. When Carol, Jessica's mother, would try to stop him, she would be beaten or raped." "Carol stayed on after Jessica left. When Jessica came to Dex's, she was totally beaten down and negative on all men. When we all ran into each other that morning, I had to hold her to keep her from running away. Eric, sorry for the interruption. Go ahead." "OK. Thanks for explaining, Morgan. By the way, for those of you who don't know, Morgan is a genius. She's not a psychiatrist like Dr. Waxman, but she always got these spur of the moment ideas, and they all worked great. I didn't think I would live through it at the time, though." Eric shook his head as he said that. "Morgan whispered in my ear that Jessica really needed it and begged me to stay. So, we just stood there having this conversation like there was nothing unusual. Then Morgan started asking Jessica about her father's penis - how it compared with mine. I had just started to relax a little when she said that. Jessica mumbled something about her Dad's was never soft and hanging like that. I thought I was embarrassed before, but Morgan reached down and got me hard and I wanted to fall through the floor." "Why didn't you just get out of there?" "Morgan begged me again to stay. She told me again that Jessica needed it. I lived with the abuse, too, you know. I could imagine what she must have gone through. I figured showing my hardon was nothing compared to what had happened to her. I figured Morgan was probably crazy, but she's pretty persuasive." "So, you had quite a morning." "It wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot. Morgan watched how Jessica reacted and got this bright idea that Dex and I should serve breakfast naked." "Morgan, what was you theory there?" Julia asked her. "This may sound silly to a professional. I guessed that penises were part of what the men used to terrorize those women. For Jessica and Sandie and Jessica's mother, that turned out to be true. I didn't know how long the women would be with us, but I didn't want them to leave as afaid of men as when they came. It could ruin sex for the rest of their lives." "It was my thought that being around naked men who were kind, caring, and friendly would help ease their terror of penises. I couldn't believe it when Eric agreed. I already knew Dex wouldn't have a problem." "Why did you agree, Eric?" Julia asked him. "Well, it wasn't out of exhibitionism, I'll tell you that. Not with my body. Like I said, Morgan is pretty persuasive, and Kirstin worked on me, too. I saw Jessica's eyes. Instead of being pissed at her attitude, I started feeling sorry for her. She was scared stiff just looking at me." "The hardest part was Mom. I saw her the night before, but she hadn't seen me. Morgan helped me with that part. Then, Mom was right with me when I went up to breakfast." "So, was it worth it? Did Jessica warm up to you? Do you think it helped the other women?" Julia asked. "The women told me it made an impression, and I believed them. Before we all broke up, Jessica and I got to be friends." "Did you get to see her naked?" "No. I never expected that." "Why not. That doesn't seem fair." "Nothing that happened to her had been fair. If I expected to see her as a reward or something, I'd be as big a jerk as her father." "Folks, what you've heard from this teenager is a level of maturity most men never attain," Julia told them. "Sandie, you should be very proud." It was evident from Sandie's expression that she certainly was. Eric spoke up again. "I guess I should wait somewhere else while you talk about your business, huh?" "Not on your life!" Gerald shot back. We need the input of a man like you." "I agree," added Julia. "Don't be afraid to speak up, Eric. Gary, I think you can tell us a little about the use of nudity as humiliation and punishment. "Unfortunately, I can," Gary responded. "Uh, how much detail do you want?" "Every detail," Julia told him. "Let's all refresh our drinks and enjoy a sexy story." Gary let out a groan. "I just have to remember that I deserve this. Sandie, Eric, Morgan, Dex - you're probably tired of hearing this, but here goes." ------- [Author's note: read 'Gary's Gauntlet' for the full story] For almost an hour, Gary told the story of the ordeal, the 'gauntlet, ' Kirstin had put him through to win her back. He had to meet, naked, with four groups of Kirstin's friends, all of them clothed. He had to divulge all the intimate details of what he had done, and what their sex life had been like. He had to convince those people to recommend reconciliation to Kirstin. Gary stated the one of the hardest things was listening to the stories of the women visiting him who were abuse victims. Knowing that he was lumped with the men who did those things was devastating. The last group to visit him was Kirstin's parents and unmarried sister, with whom he had had excellent relations until the abuse started. His mother-in-law was heavy, though not mean like his own obese mother. She stunned him by being naked under her coat. She challenged him that Kirstin might look like her someday, and he should decide right then if he could live with it. She remained naked throughout the meeting. "Never, ever!" Kirstin interjected emphatically at that point. "I love my mother with all my heart, but I won't be her." At Kirstin's insistence, he had slept with Morgan, with one of the abused women, and with his sister-in-law on three consecutive nights. He passed all the tests, and their reconciliation on the weekend was the stuff of romance novels. "I take it, Gary, that your nakedness was important to your turnaround," Julia said when Gary finished his tale. "No, it was critical!" Gary insisted. When Julia asked why, he continued. "Sitting there exposed to those people, sometimes even with a hardon, there was no way I could fool myself that I was anything but scum." He saw several people nodding, recalling Julia's dissertation the previous week. "I wanted Kirstin back, but I needed to make some real change before I was worthy of her. Before I could change, I had to admit how bad I really was." "I don't know if the nudity was the key or not," Elise interjected. "I just know the result. Gary has been a Godsend to the shelter. He is absolutely faithful, and the women, who are uniformly gunshy of men, trust him easily. He and Kirstin have housed victims almost constantly." "Well, I started it because I had a lot to make up for," Gary responded, "but as I'm sure most of you know from experience, helping people is infectious." ------- After Gary's story, everyone took a break. When they were all seated again, Frank led off. "We really appreciate the insights all of you have brought tonight. Next, we're going to get into some of the nitty-gritty of how Transformations will operate. Any and all of you are welcome to stay, but please feel free to leave at any time." Eric looked at his mother, and they started to get up when Julia spoke to Eric. "If you can, Eric, I would particularly like for you to stay." Looking just a little puzzled, Eric sat back down while Sandie wore a proud expression. "Last week," Frank said, "we established that we would start with the 'Shannon Program, ' the women's makeover program. We agreed that constant nudity would be an integral part of the program, but there are many more things we must decide on." "I think a workout program and nutritional guidance are givens, and we have the best experts in those areas. We need to address the intellectual and social needs of our clients, as well. Our objective is to give our women a whole new image and a whole new self-image." "Part of the self-image is feeling more comfortable and more productive in their environment. Part of that is having fewer areas where they feel ignorant or out of touch. One example is use of the Internet. We believe many women feel out of touch, particularly with their children, because they are either afraid of or uncomfortable with the Internet. That will be an obvious area of concentration." "Another area is finance. If a woman knows nothing about what is going on financially in her household, she will feel isolated. We can certainly help with that." "We should offer the option for the women to learn more about 'guy' subjects, such as sports and cars. This can help improve communication and togetherness with other family members." "For mothers of teens, a survey course in popular music and performers could be very helpful. We could probably come up with lots of other subjects." "Besides just education in general interest subjects such as I just named, we want to provide a chance to advance individual interests. The women will be there for an extended time. Part of the value should be as a retreat where they can polish their skill in music, writing, dance, or whatever." Gerald interrupted at that point. "If all of this sounds expensive, you're right. Our intention is to be upscale. Frank is the Director of the Foundation, and I am Chairman of the Board. We are committing a lot of money, a LOT of money, to make this happen. If it takes a long time to break even, that is fine. Someday, we may be able to offer more reasonably priced programs, but that is a concern for later." When Gerald finished speaking, Frank addressed Julia. "Darling, tell us your ideas on staffing." "To just lay it out up front, I believe the staff should be primarily male." When the ripple of surprise died down, Julia went on. "Remember, most of our clients will be their to restore their appeal to men. I would like to see men from 16 years old on up on the staff, working with the women constantly." "Why so young?" Elizabeth asked. "It is a recognized fact that being sexually appealing to sons and grandsons is very important to women. I believe being naked in the presence of young men will have even greater impact than with men of their own age. Remember, the aim is not humiliation but incentive. Maybe their own sons won't notice, but if our staff guys show appreciation, it will fill that incentive gap." "Wow!" Elizabeth comment. "Will the staff men be naked, too?" "A good question," Julia answered. "Here is my current thinking. The men will generally be clothed. However, there should be times when they are naked - natural, obvious times, such as the pool, hot tub, and showers. We certainly are not set on all of those procedures." "Remember Gary's story. After the reconciliation, all the people from his 'gauntlet' found ways to be naked with him. It was a way of showing their acceptance of him as an equal." "Being naked around others who are clothed is inherently submissive - the clothed person is in control. For our women, that is true, but it is not the central reason we want them naked. Having the men naked at least some of the time decreases that dominance/submission feeling." "Will you actually be able to find men and boys who will do that?" "I think Eric is a perfect candidate. After talking with Shannon, I believe her son Terry is another. I can't imagine finding men in other age ranges will be that difficult. Eric, can you think of any other guys you could recommend?" "Sure. Mark Ventri would be great, but I don't know if he could do the naked bit." "Terry, Eric, and Mark are members of the Nice Guys' Club," Shannon explained. My daughter and a group of her friends came up with the idea because of the way the guys treat girls. There are some neat stories of how they got nominated." Elizabeth asked another question. "Julia, will the men's programs be staffed mostly by women?" "Absolutely. It is just a fact that many of the men will hold arrogant or even misogynist feelings toward women. An aura of dominance/submission will be beneficial there. Of course, there will also be men who are warped because of domineering mothers. The demeanor of our staff women will be crucial in erasing those scars." "Will you start with 16-year-old girls, too?" "Definitely. For many of the same reasons." "Will the women spend some time naked, like the male staff?" "Aha! Very perceptive, Elizabeth. The short answer is 'no.' This is one of those situations where the natural difference between male and female responses to sexual stimuli must be recognized and accommodated. I explained why men would sometimes be naked with the women clients. I truly believe the effect on the women will primarily be a feeling of acceptance, not promotion of lust. With the men, however, we risk losing any psychological benefit in the face of unbridled lust. Face it, a man naturally reacts to female nudity as an invitation to sex. That's not to see women don't, but all evidence indicates the reactions are much different." "Look, we know we will have to be extremely careful with female staffers for men's programs, particularly the Asshole program. That's one of the reasons they won't be our first offerings." Gerald took advantage of the ensuing lull in conversation. "Let's call a halt to this session for now, and we can listen to stories informally. Just so you all know, we think we have found an ideal facility, so this is all much closer to reality than we expected. This will probably be the last meeting like this, but I'm sure we will all be seeing a lot of each other." "Hot tub, anyone? Clothing optional, as always." ------- The End ------- Posted: 2004-05-18 Last Modified: 2004-05-19 / 12:00:00 am ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------