12 Hours - 6. Chapter 6

Ben’s research:

The Hayloft:

Ben knew the bar from occasionally stopping by there, especially to see an old movie. But he certainly wasn’t in the place as often as Gene, and Ben was curious to see how it might seem to outsiders, like members of the jury.

From The Voice Los Angeles: THE HAYLOFT – 11818 Ventura Boulevard. After 17 years (March celebrated their anniversary) the Hayloft is still one of the most warm hearted, comfortable, and dedicated-to-traditions bars in the Gay Community – and, by definition, the most unique. A western bar, with sawdust on the floor, benches, and popcorn, it also sports a wide screen that shows movies dear to all of our hearts, every day of the year, every year – with a complete schedule written out on a blackboard with chalk and with surprises to be announced.

It wouldn’t surprise me to walk outdoors and see a rutted country road instead of Ventura “Neon Light Show” Boulevard. There’s beer, soft drinks, and delicious, hot mocha coffee. Add to that, one night recently, the original Robin Hood with Errol Flynn and the swashbucklers, and you anticipate a rare evening at a bar. That night, the former president of the Council of Motorcycle and Social Clubs, and now Captain of the Warriors M/C, was a pleasant neighbor as we watched Robin outwit his enemies. We both chuckled often, and I hear there’ll be a similar but double bill for New Year’s Eve.

The Hayloft is famous for showing released films mixed in with older ones, and no one knows how they get copies of the new ones. Also on sale at their bar are copies of their famous poster, a reprint of a January 1972 ad from California Scene magazine. The poster has a white and red border, and the image depicts two men wearing jeans and no shirts, one holding a pitchfork, in front of a farmhouse with a barn in the background. The image, of course, is a parody of Grant Wood’s famous 1930 painting, “American Gothic.” But hot.

Hayloft, 11818 Ventura Boulevard in Studio City is one of the oldest and most popular beer bars. Western-oriented decor but attracts every type and age. Full-length feature films every night, but especially on Sunday, when it’s jammed. Difficult to cruise when the film is on, but watch the eye contact when the reels are changed, and wait till the film is over! Also packed after hours most nights and on weekends. Dress butch.

Hayloft, 11818 Ventura Boulevard, North Hollywood, California. Current Events: Sunday – 5 & 9 Feature Film. Monday – 6 PM Opera Recording. Tuesday – Jacket Night, Levi style or leather. Thursday – 10 PM Feature Film. 5th Anniversary Party March 1st

Sunday, July 2, 11818 Ventura Boulevard, The Hayloft, along with the movie, Casablanca proudly presents MACHO MAN CONTEST. A Free Buffet at 6 PM. Contest begins at 9 PM. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will receive the following prizes: Cash Prize – Trophy – Bar Tab. Plus all contestants receive complimentary tickets to the Upcoming VILLAGE PEOPLE Concert on July 7.

Robert F. Craig became owner of The Hayloft, a Studio City gay bar, by the early 1970s. “It was both a good investment and a birthday present,” Craig remembered. He’s a longtime gay political activist, businessman, and owner of the Los Angeles-based weekly newsmagazine, Frontiers.

Born on May 22, 1934, he’s a Los Angeles native who attended North Hollywood High School and is a long-time resident of the San Fernando Valley. He served four years in the US Air Force, assigned to the military police, before entering the University of Southern California, where he majored in accounting. Before The Hayloft, he ran other businesses, including a flower shop and a messenger service.

In 1978, Craig co-founded the Valley Business Alliance, which serves as a chamber of commerce for gay and lesbian business owners. By the 1980s, he was president of Christopher Street West, which organizes the Los Angeles gay pride parade and festival. In 1982, Craig helped found Frontiers with Greg Carmack and Jerry Hyde, but Craig eventually became the sole owner. He expanded the publication from a 16-page tabloid to a 168-page magazine with a circulation of more than 86,000 in Southern California, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.

Shortly after starting Frontiers, Craig joined the drive to incorporate the West Hollywood neighborhood into a city, and in 1984, he was elected chairman of the West Hollywood Incorporation Committee. In 1985, Craig helped establish the Lobby for Individual Freedom and Equality – also known as LIFE AIDS Lobby – to fight in Sacramento for gay civil rights. The group successfully battled for increased AIDS funding and an extension of protections under the state hate crime law to gays and lesbians.

The Old Disney Estate:

Ben didn’t know anything about the old Disney estate or even that there was one and had been a newer, larger, even more sophisticated version since the early 1950s. He didn’t really care, either, since he wasn’t in entertainment law, and the estate wasn’t an important part of Gene’s case. But a name like Disney gets the public’s attention – in this case, again, the jury’s – so he wanted to be prepared.

In the summer of 1932, Walt and Lillian Disney had their Los Feliz home built at 4053 Woking Way in Los Angeles. Disney worked with architect Frank Crowhurst to design the Tudor-and-French-Norman style house, which cost $50,000 to construct and was built mainly by unemployed Depression-era workers. Disney said, “Freelance workmen showed up at the site each morning hoping to be selected for a few hours of paid work.” The house was built in a mere two-and-a-half-months to be ready for the arrival of the Disneys’ first child, and this is where they raised their two daughters, Diane and Sharon. This storybook-like home provided the inspiration for Walt’s animated fairytale films like Sleeping Beauty, and the family lived there until 1950.

The approximately 6,300 square feet home was originally on almost 1.5 acres and features a large rotunda entry, a two-story living room with a vaulted ceiling, original colored-leaded glass, an interior “Juliet” balcony, a library/study, breakfast area, sleeping porch, two bars, four bedrooms, and five bathrooms. Disney said, “We’d been living in a little place where I couldn’t turn around. So I made the architect add three or four yards to every room in the house. I also found a graduate of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts and had him paint my whole ceiling!” In addition, the house has a panoramic hill top view and a broad lawn that goes down to the street in an area with winding, narrow, and sometimes steep roads. “Walt hung this swimming pool on the corner of the darn property,” said his older brother Roy. “It’s a granite hill, and we were taking bets to see if it would stand. But 35 years later, it’s still there.” Over the years, part of the land was sold, including the section with the original pool. That’s now part of another property, but the pool still remains on that land. The present pool that exists near the Disney house was built in 1963.

The house has had renovations – including changing Walt’s workout room to a nursery and finally to a billiards room. He had one of the bedrooms converted into a screening room primarily to view dailies – film footage shot on a particular day for later review – from his first live-action film, Song of the South (1946). “The making of this picture was the reason for the conversion of the downstairs guest room and bath-library wing to a projection room and small wet bar,” his older daughter Diane said. “Dad wanted to be able to watch the dailies at home.” She also remembered a special, memorable gift when she was in elementary school in 1937.

“On Christmas, Santa brought us a playhouse that just appeared in our backyard. It was this darling little cottage designed at the Studio as a replica of Snow White’s dwarfs’ house, with one room about the size of a good-sized closet, little leaded-glass windows, and a tiny mushroom chimney, though there was no fireplace. It also had a sink with running water, a little cooler all stocked with tiny canned goods, and a telephone that connected with our phone in the kitchen.” The cottage still exists today though the original interior was changed years ago, and the tiny house is now mostly overgrown by trees. In the surrounding garden, Walt had created terraces out of rock to hold land back and often chose native California plants.

A very sad historical sidenote, unrelated to the Disney family, is that Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, both victims of the Charles Manson murders in 1969, were living at the Woking Way house at the time of their deaths.

Jessica Seong (pronounced “sung”):

Because so much of Gene’s testimony was going to be based on the reinforcement of what he could remember under hypnosis, and because Ben knew that so many people still regarded therapeutic hypnosis as a trick, he needed to know what Jessica Seong’s training, reputation, and credibility were.

From Jessica Seong’s brochure:

There are many reasons you might be seeking psychotherapy or hypnosis. Feelings of stress, anger, sadness, or frustration may feel overwhelming. You might feel stuck in patterns that are unhelpful, or perhaps your current way of handling life’s challenges is no longer working. Maybe you’re searching for more meaningful connections to yourself and to those around you. My hope is that you’ll reach out. We’re not meant to go it alone.

I provide a caring, non-judgmental space for you to explore your concerns in a collaborative setting. I wish to help you identify and nurture your strengths, as well as to explore meaningful relationships and experiences from the past and present. I’ve had the privilege of working with many clients, on many different issues, so please get in touch with me if you think I might be helpful.

My specializations include: Self Empowerment. Relationship Enhancement. Anger Management. Anxiety and Stress. Behavioral Addiction. Fears and Phobias. And Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

My education includes: a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Psychology, from the University of California Davis, and a Doctor of Psychology degree in Clinical Psychology, from the University of California Los Angeles. I currently teach at California Lutheran University and am a featured writer for Consumer Health Digest, Eligible magazine, and Psychology Tomorrow.

My mission is solution-focused and designed to help you improve your well-being, enhance your ability to communicate, provide useful tools for problem solving, and empower you through self-worth and confidence. My hope is for you to break through to the actual issues which are complicating your life.

You’re the connection to the life you want to have. Don’t let another day go by. Now is the time to make the change.

Testimony:

I will never forget the first time I met Dr. Jessica Seong, it was four days after my wife had left me after nine years of marriage and I was heart broken. My sister had been a patient of Dr. Seong’s for some time and suggested that I go see her. The minute I met Dr. Seong I knew I had found the right therapist for me. Dr. Seong is so warm, smart, kind, understanding and honest. I committed to my sessions, I am currently still seeing Dr. Seong, and I look forward to all my sessions with her. Dr. Seong is amazing. I don't know any other way to say it!

I’m really thankful that my mom sent me to Jessica. I really like her comfy, cozy, and calming atmosphere and personable approach. She really helps you understand what is going on in your head and makes you fee like you’re not crazy it’s just how your brain works. Thank you Jessica for helping my relationship with my mom be better and helping me be a better person.

I went in to see Jessica because I wanted to try a different therapy approach than sitting with a psychologist. I have seen psychologists on and off for over 10 years. What Jessica did in two hypnosis sessions, no other psychologist has ever been able to do. I had a breakthrough with stage-fright; speaking in front of groups of people is my worst fear. Usually, I have high anxiety, with palm sweats and nausea, but on July 11th, it was a different story. I didn’t fixate, I got up there and did my presentation and actually received compliments after. The regrets, self-doubts and sabotage just were not there. Thank you, Jessica!

About 3 months ago Jessica gave me a hypnosis session to help prepare me for an operation I was going to have for rheumatoid arthritis. I had been suffering from it for 11 years and I was more than ready to finally heal. I’d tried everything imaginable. I felt that the operation along with hypnosis would be the solution that would do the trick. I was right! I’m now feeling better than I ever have. Jessica is very kind and gave me a special recording, made just for me, with music to follow up with. I probably listened to it about 10 times before going into my operation. After years of my feet acting up so much that I could hardly walk, I figured there must be some element of psychological subconscious going on so I reached out to Jessica. She helped me release whatever was going on and helped me move past it so I can fully enjoy my excellent health. I can’t wait to listen to her recording again tonight. Thank you so much, Jessica!

i am very grateful for jessica. i have known her for five years and my life has not been the same since then in a best possible way. she is my mentor and teacher and every time i need to work on the progress and changing my limiting beliefs she is right there by my side. no matter how many books i read or coaches i follow she is the one who actually helps me to make progress fast compared to the time i would spend doing it on my own. even though i am a transformational coach myself i realized we all need that coach in our lives to make things right. highly recommended.

My experience with Jessica Seong was truly life changing. Her passion for what she does shines through in all of her therapeutic interactions. She’s very knowledgeable and intuitive, and her goal is to help people tap into their full potential. Her attention to detail and her fluidity of working with the roots of the issues really creates a healing and effervescent atmosphere of deep inner work. Her approach to traditional therapy, mixed with her signature style, truly makes her uniquely Jessica.

I have know Jessica for nearly 5 years, and she is one of those people, who once you get to know her, you feel like you have known her your whole life. She is a dedicated human being whose commitment to helping others is top of the top. Jessica is always striving to learn more, understand better, and go deeper than many therapists will take time to do. I have had several sessions with Jessica , and I always come away the better for it, learning more about myself and becoming aware in a new and better light.

I was at a training once with Jessica, and she said something that has stayed with me. She said, “Hypnotherapy is a great tool to help your clients, but ultimately, it’s your commitment and devotion that is most important in helping them achieve their goals.” Thanks for that gem.

Jessica Seong is REALLY good at what she does. And you can tell she really really REALLY Cares. She is powerful, thoughtful, and when she enters a room, she gives it her ALL– she leaves nothing behind. She uses tools, tricks, and tips from her hat to escort you to the healing you need. I had her as a professor and our classes would often go over because she would answer questions and dedicate special time to those in need. Even in the parking lot after class, she would talk with us way past closing. She taught me what PASSION for what you love to do looks like. Jessica cannot get enough of hypnotherapy, and when you’re near her, her enthusiasm and pure expertise pours over. We are lucky to have had her – She is so MUCH better than the “gurus” you read about or see on TV.

I took a few of Jessica’s classes at Cal Lutheran, where she’s an adjunct instructor, and she was hands down, one of the best, most enthusiastic instructors I’ve ever met. I always found her to be very sincere and approachable, and I highly recommend her for pretty much anything, especially hypnosis. She’s an absolute a master at her craft! She also was a fellow nerd when we had a bio-feedback demonstration.

Jessica Seong is one of the nicest, most caring individuals I know and has truly been a godsend. She takes time to teach and guide not only through life’s struggles but also to remember and expand on your own experiences, and I’m grateful for her wisdom and experience. The way she’s helped me and how I’ve watched her help others is amazing! Beyond words! Jessica, you definitely practice what you teach, and your visible example is so inspiring. Thank you for your help, hypnosis, biofeedback – all of it! If you need someone to be in your corner, she is the one.

Jessica does a great job in her courses. She’s sharp, funny, intelligent, and as magnetic as anyone you’ll ever meet – which makes her an incredible instructor. But more importantly, she REALLY knows her stuff, is very passionate about it, and knows how to catch unspoken signals of personality.

I participated in a demo in one of Jessica’s classes, and it changed my life! Hypnosis is especially amazing for trauma. In the demo, she helped me release about 40 years of trauma, and I didn’t even have to look at it! Immediately after the experience, one of the teaching assistants for the class pointed out to me that my voice had changed! I’m a singer, so that’s huge! If you want to do something healing and positive for your life, you WILL book an appointment with Jessica. And then you'll be among the legions that she’s helped in life changing, sublime ways! Do it! You'll be as grateful as we all are!

I took Jessica Seong’s classes, absolutely life changing. The information I learned and have been able to apply in my life, I can’t even put into words how grateful I am. It has changed the way in which I live my life, the way I perceive experiences in life, and the way that I feel. I am so passionate about what I learned in Jessica’s classes. It’s something I believe everyone should learn, understand, and apply. This is knowledge that when learned is like a doorway or portal, and when integrated into your life correctly can and will bring you so much more joy through everything. If I do one thing for anyone reading this, it would be to help you to know when you say Yes to taking Jessica’s class that it is one of the best decisions you could make!

Hypnosis:

And supporting the information Ben had learned about Jessica Seong, he needed to know how professional psychologists felt about hypnosis.

American Psychological Association

Hypnosis continues to show promise in reducing pain and soothing anxiety, though the first task for many psychologists is telling patients what it is and isn’t. If you watch TV or the movies, the subject always ends up clucking like a chicken, being naked, or assassinating a president. Even though these hypnotists have damaged the public image of hypnosis, growing scientific research supports its benefits. But hypnosis isn’t a therapy by itself, and most people wouldn’t regard it that way.

Hypnosis can create a high state of concentration and has been used for centuries: during the Civil War, surgeons hypnotized injured soldiers before amputations, and hypnosis helps patients reduce their distress and have positive expectations. There isn’t any magic or mind control.

People vary widely in their ability to respond to hypnotic suggestions, so hypnosis may not succeed or can be detrimental, especially in retrieving memories, when suggestions can produce false or distorted ideas. People may also believe hypnotically induced memories are more reliable, mirroring a mistaken belief that hypnosis acts like truth serum. But hypnosis is on thin ice when used to recover memories.

It got an especially bad name when some therapists convinced patients they’d been abused as children, when no evidence supported these induced memories. As a result, innocent people were wronged in court cases. That whole issue has fallen by the wayside now because of advances in research.

Still, the Supreme Court of Canada established a precedent that post-hypnosis evidence is inadmissible because of its unreliability: a witness changed the timeline of events following a hypnosis session, and the jury wasn’t told that the witness had been hypnotized or that her recollection had been changed .

In sum, while it’s generally accepted that hypnosis doesn’t always produce reliable memories, it’s not clear how to distinguish between fake memories and accurate ones. Also, schools lag behind in training to incorporate hypnosis in psychology programs. Anyone can go anyplace for a weekend and get hypnosis certification. But actual certification requires at least forty hours of American Society of Clinical Hypnosis-approved workshop training, twenty hours of individualized training, and two years of independent practice using clinical hypnosis.

Mayo Clinic

Hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a trance-like state in which you have heightened focus and concentration. Under hypnosis, you usually feel calm and more open to suggestions.

Hypnosis conducted by a trained therapist is considered a safe, complementary, and alternative medical treatment. However, be cautious when it’s proposed as a way to work through stressful events. This practice may cause strong emotions and can risk the creation of false memories.

Choose a therapist who’s certified to perform hypnosis, seek recommendations from people you trust, and learn about any therapist by asking questions. Your therapist will review your treatment goals, and then, when you’re in a receptive state, the therapist will suggest ways for you to achieve your goals.

Contrary to how hypnosis is sometimes portrayed in movies or on television, you don't lose control over your behavior. You also generally remain aware of and remember what happens, and hypnosis can be used to help you gain control over undesired behaviors or to help you cope better with pain or anxiety.

British Society of Clinical & Academic Hypnosis

Hypnosis can be seen as a waking state of awareness, in which a person’s attention is detached from their immediate environment and absorbed by inner experiences. Hypnotic induction involves focusing to the point where what is being imagined feels real. By the use of suggestions, the clinician and patient construct a hypnotic reality.

Everyday ‘trance’ states are part of our common human experience, such as getting lost in a good book or while in prayer or meditation. When in these states, our focus is predominantly internal but doesn’t necessarily lose all outer awareness.

Depending on the suggestions given, hypnosis is usually a relaxing experience, which can be very useful with a patient who is tense or anxious. However, the main usefulness of the hypnotic state is access to unconscious processing. Hypnosis doesn’t make the impossible possible, but it can help patients believe goals might be possible for them to achieve. Recent advances in neuroscience have enabled us to understand what might be happening, so evidence is building for hypnosis as a useful tool.

When patients are highly anxious, they’re operating at emotional, rather than analytic levels and can use their imaginations to create possible catastrophic scenarios. These can generate even more anxiety and spiral into panic. But if the health professionals can direct that imagination to some positive past experience and give positive suggestions, then the patients will start to feel calmer and more able to cope.

There is no statutory regulation of hypnosis training or practice in the United Kingdom, and many organizations offer training which may be of varying quality.

Time magazine

Is Hypnosis Real? Here’s What Science Says

Look into my eyes. The phrase calls to mind images of a psychotherapist swinging a pocket watch. But setting aside pop culture, hypnosis is a well-studied and legitimate form of treatment for conditions ranging from pain to anxiety and stress.

But what does it actually entail? That’s where things get murky, and if you ask ten hypnosis experts, you’ll probably get ten different explanations. But almost everyone agrees it involves two stages.

During induction, the subject is told to relax and focus, and this stage can last from a few seconds to ten minutes, the goal being to quiet the mind and focus its attention.

Suggestion involves talking the hypnotized person through hypothetical scenarios intended to help address or counteract unhelpful behaviors. Patients are invited to experience imaginary events as if they were real, and the type of suggestions depend on the patient’s unique challenges.

In some ways, hypnosis can be compared to guided meditation, the idea being to set aside normal judgments and reactions and enter a deeper state of receptiveness – like when a person is completely absorbed in what’s being read or done, and the world fades away. While most people fear losing control in hypnosis, it’s actually a way to enhance control. Instead of allowing pain or anxiety to rule, hypnosis helps people exert more control over thoughts and perceptions.

However, there’s still controversy over how that works. Originally, it was theorized that hypnosis weakened the barrier between the conscious and subconscious, but that’s largely been abandoned. And while some researchers attribute the power to the placebo effect, others theorize hypnosis causes people to enter altered states of consciousness. Though talk about “altered states” sounds a little spooky, it’s just another way to say people are more mentally responsive.

Still, not everyone benefits equally from hypnosis. While about 20 percent of people show a response, the same percentage doesn’t respond at all. The remaining 60 percent lands in between. But even people with low suggestibility can benefit, so it’s important to view hypnosis as a supplement to other forms of therapy. Finally, don’t expect hypnosis to work after a single session. Some experts say that one shot can be effective, but others argue that a single session is unlikely to be much use.

The New York Times

Hypnosis has become a common medical tool, used to reduce pain and help cure people of phobias. But scientists argue whether the hypnotic trance is a separate state or a product of a hypnotized person’s expectations.

A recent study offers evidence for the first explanation, finding that parts of the brain function differently under hypnosis, and this change involves focused attention and the evaluation of a person’s environments. These findings might explain the intense absorption, lack of self-consciousness, and suggestibility that characterize the hypnotic state. They might also explain why hypnosis is an effective tool for getting people to look at problems in a new way.

Still, some researchers continue to argue that hypnosis is a state produced by people’s expectations – a self-fulfilling game or a skill you haven’t used yet. It has capacities people are just figuring out. But until you play with or practice them, they don’t work.