THE END OF THE WORLD IS (ALWAYS) NIGH
Dreams of the Future – Chet B Snow
This book came to my attention courtesy of Paul McKenna, who recommends it in his debut book The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna, published in 1993.
Dreams of the Future, 1989, by Chet B Snow is a psychonautical-hypno-sandwich: Chet’s personal journey from 1980s disillusioned civil servant to 2067 Space-Christ disciple is ‘the bread’; ‘the filling’ is hypnotic-future-life-progression-queen Helen Wambach’s ‘research’ on prophecies of humanity’s future(s).
The ‘research’ constitutes a series of group hypnosis experiments on 2,500 volunteers, held in several US states, into ‘future-life progression’, led by Wambach (until her death aged 60 in 1985) and, subsequently, by Chet.
Let’s start with Wambach as, really, this book is Chet completing her work, post humorously, irrespective of his spiritual-sandwich…
I’m not satisfied I can find credible sources on Wambach, but, between the book and poking about the internet, Dr Helen Wambach, 1925-1985, was a clinical psychologist at JFK University in California. Initially a sceptic, Wambach became interested in hypnosis and ‘past-life regression’ in the 1970s in the aftermath of the Bridey Murphy case. Wambach wanted to prove whether ‘hypnotic regression’ was pure fantasy or related to ‘past lives’.
Chet meets Wambach in 1983, when she is practising as a hypnotherapist specialising in ‘past-life’ and ‘prenatal’ (before birth) ‘regression’; presumably she is satisfied at this point in the veracity of ‘regression’. Chet, then aged 33, is disillusioned in his career as an archivist and writer of military history for the US Air Force, and is experiencing physical and other health problems. He sought Wambach out based on her reputation for curing current problems through ‘past lives’ and via ‘prenatal memories’.
My impression is Chet was a dream client and hypnotic subject. His issues, over the course of several sessions, improve via their exploration of his ‘past lives’. This sparks his interest in hypnosis and Wambach’s work. Soon, from the salubrious setting of the “sagging bed” in her “spare room” hypnosis studio, Wambach is offering Chet a hypno-trip to the future…
Wambach hypnotically ‘progresses’ Chet 15 years into the future to 1998, on the day of his birthday. He finds himself in a desolate, survivalist scene in “scrubby”, uncharacteristically cold Arizona in an “old wooden corral”. He’s eating bland oatmeal and is surrounded by serious, silent strangers. There’s a sense of foreboding; a coming apocalypse.
That’s pretty much the sum of the first session, which, Chet admits, left him a good deal disturbed; Wambach had him wait with her for some time after the session to ensure he was safe to drive home!
But Wambach’s dedication to divining our future(s) was not deterred by abreactions that would give many a hypno-pioneer pause – Chet makes further trips into his Arizona future. He reports back on everything, from the evils of plastic containers for food storage (courtesy of a suspiciously detailed ‘verbatim’ speech by their leader, Patsy) and the doom and gloom of the TV news, to the experience of his own death.
Meanwhile, back in real life, Chet does what any sensible hypnotherapy client does – he qualifies as a hypnotherapist in his own right, quits his job, and starts working with his therapist in her noble quest to democratise prophesising.
This brings us to ‘the filling’ of the book – the ‘research’ into possible future(s) conducted from late-1984 and using 2,500 volunteers in group sessions dotted across the US.
These hypnotised subjects foretell of possible futures between 2100 and 2500, spanning quaint New Age settlements and high-tech cities dependent on artificial environments, to primitive terraforming survivalist communities and space-farers.
I hope my prolific use of single quote marks indicates my scepticism when it comes to ‘future’ (and ‘past’ and ‘prenatal’) ‘lives’. That aside, Wambach’s work is clearly biased and flawed. Subjects are attracted to Wambach & Co because they share New Age views or curiosities; they choose suggested possible futures and timelines via a form that they fill in while hypnotised; and they are asked obviously leading questions.
I imagine Chet’s training as a military historian made for a persuasive case among many a reader; his writing can be compelling. But, as an archivist, he packs the ‘research’ with data and stats, which – irrespective of the methods and ‘results’ – undermines, IMO, Wambach’s interest in prophecy; the need to ‘prove’ something seems to have trumped what could simply have been presented as an intriguing qualitative project.
The desire for detail is a key bias and flaw in the ‘research’ – though the dedication to discovering what subjects are wearing and eating makes for an entertaining read! Most people are dressed in spangly, skin-tight jumpsuits (blue-silver being the most popular hue) with matching knee-high boots a la – surprise! – Star Trek and other popular-culture depictions of the day (by Chet’s own admission). Similarly, there’s the occasional flowing cream tunic or toga with brown leather sandals for the more primitive settlements. The former group typically eat synthetic food cubes and vitamin pills, while the latter dine on natural and abundant own-grown fruit and vegetables.
Chet seems particularly fascinated at how frequently sporks crop up as the eating tool of choice. While I was fascinated that white-gold miniskirts and capes with matching kinky-boots remain a practical choice of apparel for lady-terraformers.
Fashion and food aside, though, the struggles and concerns of these future peoples very much mirror the current events and angsts of mid-1980s. (Also by Chet’s own admission when reflecting on his Arizona experience.) Riffing-off what’s current and pressing to, say, revile plastics and predict that a few (unspecific) earthquakes might happen along the way isn’t quite Nostrodamus.
What is genuinely surprising, and heartening, though, is how often subjects see themselves as gender neutral or androgynous in the future. (Though these participants were not representative of the general US population.)
Ultimately, I felt that Wambach’s quest had heart – and teeth. Here was a woman plagued by poor health, who’d experienced trippy near-death experiences during her decline and, finally, died an untimely death from a heart attack aged 60. I can empathise with the allure of the far future, and applaud her desire to democratise prophesising. And, boy!, did she have a stomach for abreactions; coaxing people though apocalyptic experiences and horrifying deaths – and having them come back smiling and with a sense of relief! From 1990s nuclear holocausts and natural disasters, to manmade catastrophes and alien annihilations, the end of the world is ALWAYS nigh!
Much of the book is a medley of New Age hits. There are frequent references to US clairvoyant Edgar Cayce; plus the excellently named Dr Leo Sprinkle, whose primary interest was UFO encounters, and controversial parapsychologist Dr Rupert Sheldrake (no relation to Kev!) were involved in the ‘research’. We skip from ancient tribes, UFO encounters, and The Hologram Universe, to The Lost City of Atlantis, quantum-wotnot, and The Second Coming in Chet’s framing and explanatory sections.
The final chapter describes Chet’s 2067 incarnation as ‘Mark’, who’s witness to The Second Coming of Space-Jesus. We’re left with the message that humanity is at a crossroads between “a violent apocalypse of conflict and destruction, or a global spiritual awakening”. We face a choice as to which path we take.
That message, as well as Chet’s journey from real-life 1980s disillusioned civil servant to Wambach’s star pupil, and then from imagined late-1990s doomed Arizona survivalist to 2067 Space-Jesus disciple could be taken literally – or, of course, metaphorically.
Personally, I felt the subjects were generating meaningful, and sometimes motivating, narratives via their ‘future lives’ that they could bring back to their current realities – if only that they’d had a novel hypnotic experience.
Similarly, Chet grows from client to student to teacher to prophet in the course of this book – had he experienced futures in inconsequential lives, in situations and places the average American had never conceived of, I’d be more open to this being anything other than metaphor, fantasy and self-help.
I guess we’ll find out though, come the 2050s, when the “figures” in “shiny silver jumpsuits” from star system “D-629” start arriving in their spaceships, greeted by crowds of cheering humans – including future-Chet’s ‘Mark’. These ‘beings’ are recruiting to clean up the planet and to teach interdimensional navigational techniques – “all coordinated through the Christ”.
I’ll be in my late-70s or early-80s and will be wearing my sparkliest miniskirt, cape and boots!
See you there..?
