I have always loved the ocean. But in recent years I have developed a phobia of it.
I am adding this because I was afraid of posting it at first for fear no one would believe me: I think I was hypnotized into having a phobia of the ocean by a family friend who was an expert hypnotist. She put a mild tranquilizer into a cup of tea and I foolishly drank it. When I started to fall asleep, she used verbal prompts to put me under hypnosis. I believe she did it at my mother's request to keep me from moving to the beach. It wasn't necessary as I'd already changed my mind about moving to the beach because it was too far from my job and friends. But that is why I think it was done. How I figured it out is a story in itself and of no real interest. I began to suspect it when I started having strange nightmares about the ocean and the local beaches.
