This Psychic Reading given by Edgar Cayce at the office of the Association, Arctic Crescent, Virginia Beach, Va., this 4th day of May, 1944, in accordance with request made by the self - through mother - Mrs. [...], Associate Member of the Ass'n for Research & Enlightenment, Inc.

Present: Edgar Cayce; Gertrude Cayce, Conductor; Gladys Davis and Jeanette Fitch, Stenos.

TEXT

1. GC: You will go over this body carefully, examine it thoroughly, and tell me the conditions you find at the present time; giving the cause of the existing conditions, also suggestions for help and relief of this body; answering the questions, as I ask them:
2. EC: Yes. These are very sad and serious. The better manner here is that of arousing the spiritual awakenings in this body for its hindrances and pressures through the use of locomotories for body reflexes in the brain.
3. As we find, the pressures in the brain are of such nature, that operative measures may not be practical for the body, yet there may be help if there are the spiritual tenets, not as to become a zealot or one oversensitive (for the body is oversensitive at present), but one letting the spirituality shine through, as in the association with and the reading of Unity, and with especially the prayers of the Unity groups.
4. This would bring greater aid to this body, when the body accepts same as a part of its own activity and uses its abilities that it has in the mental reflexes at the present, to bring better conditions for someone else.
5. For each soul should learn to help self, to help someone else, for they that would have life, must lose it. They who would have love must give it; they who would have friends must give friendship; they who would be healed, who are in the condition of meeting their own self, must rid themselves of the conditions which in their experience have produced same.
6. These are caused from a rising in the head that has produced the pressures on the reflexes in the upper portion of the brachial centers.
7. Do that and better conditions should come.
8. We are through with this reading.

   Two copies to Mother (one for Unity)
   Copy to Ass'n file
   Two under case number for indexing
   (If you are not familiar with the work of Unity, we would suggest that you write to one of our members who is very active in Unity, sending her a copy of the reading and describing the conditions: Mrs. Louise Chisholm, % Unity Farms, Lee Summit, Missouri.)

BACKGROUND

1. Born in Michigan, 9/23/22; single; disabled veteran.
2. 10/22/43 Mother's letter: "I am writing this at the request of my son, who had written you and received your encouragement and literature. He has been honorably discharged on a CCC., and arrived home September 19. He is afflicted with a very serious nervous disorder which has run into a fixation. He is constantly conscious of his hands. Only to see them is unbearable, and to use them for anything whatever seems utterly impossible. He is most anxious to get to work, and so trying to put in time, hoping for this condition to clear up, drives him almost to distraction.
   He feels very sure of your reading and the follow-up. You can well understand he is in great need of a Physical Reading immediately, as waiting his turn would make the condition physically intolerable. Every day seems to wear him down more and more. I feel very sure you are most anxious to help a discharged soldier who has given our country his all. So, may I request that others ahead of him whose needs are not so urgent, be served a little later. Both my son and myself have great faith in your reading, and so will be expecting almost immediate results. If it could help to have us in a prayerful receptive mood while the reading is being given, will you please advise us of the time? Have you read the article in October's Reader's Digest, 'There Is No Shell Shock'? In Africa, doctors are treating similar cases with Pentothal Sodium, with good results, but no such treatment was offered my son. Will be awaiting your reply. If you are unable to give a very early reading, will you please return enclosed check, as we shall have to look elsewhere for help, and the money will be sorely needed."
3. 10/27/43 EC's reply: "I have yours of the 22nd... I notice that you request the return of your membership fee if we cannot give the reading very soon. The first open period will be in May, so we are returning your check... I am sorry not to have the opportunity to try and help, and trust that you will find just what is needed for your son."
4. 11/03/43 Mother's letter: "...I wish to say that I am sorry indeed that my request for a Physical Reading for my son cannot be taken care of until sometime in May. I had hoped to get across to you the seriousness of this dreadful affliction, and that in some miraculous way you could give him an early reading. He has tried so many forms of treatment, without relief. You doubtless have had other cases where there has been a dreadful fixation, and know something of the suffering involved. Besides the suffering, this hand fixation incapacitates him for any work; therefore, he is unable to be employed in anything, whatsoever. Otherwise, he is in very good physical and mental condition, and he is very upset over the fact that the nervous reaction he gets when he uses his hands about floors him. There may be some simple thing which will clear this up, and he feels very sure you will find it. Therefore, he has decided to take the May appointment, if you find it impossible to work his reading in earlier. Because of this decision, I am returning the check. Because of the fact that he is so conscious of his hands, it is impossible for him to ever read more than a few minutes at a time. So his days are endless, and his nights eternities. Please register for my son your earliest possible reading."
5. 11/23/43 Mother's letter: "...We are indeed sorry to have to wait so long [for a reading]...with such a pronounced hand fixation, renders him absolutely incapable of being employed; even to tie his shoes, comb his hair, or spread his bread, is almost intolerable to him. When he takes a bath, he has to wear rubber gloves... I am praying that he won't crack up completely before May 4. As there is nothing that holds any better hope, all we can do is wait..."
6. 3/03/44 Mother's letter: "...If hope for a reading were removed, I know he would give up the struggle for life... You understand, this obsession with his hands has completely incapacitated him. He is unable to look at them without a complete nervous reaction which seems to light even into his vital organs, especially his heart and stomach. If this obsession is removed, I am sure everything else would be taken care of, in time. When a young man of 21, who has given all he had to his country, is so crippled, I'm sure you'll feel with me, that few cases could be more urgent. He has been home 5 whole months, and in all that time, hasn't done one thing requiring the use of his hands. I am praying daily, for you and your wonderful work..."
7. 4/17/44 Mother's letter: "...As I have stated before, this is a very tragic case of psycho-neurosis, and but for the hope held out by your work, I'm sure he'd have been in an institution or ended it all himself long 'ere the present time. His suicidal tendencies are very strong right now, and so we never leave him alone. His greatest difficulty is almost constant consciousness of his hands, which, he says, the mere thought or sight of, so stirs his emotions, that his nervous control is almost nil. This condition has made it such that he is unable to use his hands which are perfectly normal... He has many friends who have attempted to help him in numerous ways, even to offering him very worthwhile employment, but the mere thought of using his hands throws him into such a state of nervous exhaustion that for days thereafter, he suffers a severe nervous setback. He has steadily, since coming home, taken the best nerve medicine doctors seem able to prescribe, which I believe has held things in check. Besides this hand obsession, he is also obsessed with the idea of 'baldness at 21'; his hair which is naturally curly has been quite a source of pride, although the hair line has somewhat receded. I feel his nervous reactions may be somewhat responsible. He also has the idea that it is impossible for him to live long, and that he is faced with a horrible death; therefore, the suicidal intent. He has an unusually competitive nature, and a very keen mind, so that having been held back since he was 15 with a heart ailment which finally led into these obsessions, has been almost too much for him. He graduated from High [school] at 17, and had planned on taking up medicine. I feel that if he could realize success at almost anything, his self-confidence would be restored. As it is, he suffers almost complete frustration. He has had religious training from infancy and has prayed so long and so earnestly for help that he's begun to wonder. I pray almost constantly for my boy's restoration...his whole life plan has been service; therefore, his interest in medicine and surgery. Could you give suggestions for his diet (both food and drink) and a plan for his life work?..."
8. 4/23/44 [5042]'s letter: "I have a reading for May 4. Several days ago, I received a letter asking if there were any questions I would like to have answered. Any of them you do not answer, I realize are not important in my recovering. I was discharged from the army several months ago, for a nervous condition that prevented me from continuing, and has kept me from being able to work. I have gone to nerve specialists as well as regular doctors, and they can't find any way to help me recover.
   I can't use my hands for working, simply because I am so conscious of them that when I try to use them my nerves get so bad I have to stop or else have them go all to pieces, much the same as after a shock. This condition came on me while I was recovering from a serious heart condition, and I haven't been the man I should be, since. The doctors tell me my heart is now normal, although it does act up an awful lot, which probably is due to this nervous condition. I am literally a nervous wreck. I have heard of operations on the brain being given in cases such as mine, and I would like to have your advice on the matter. I realize this is a very strange mental case, but I hope you will understand because otherwise I am perfectly normal mentally, but there might be physical conditions that aggravate it. There are several things I would like your advice on:
   (1) What type of work can I be most useful doing? I would like to find a field that I could succeed at, if I can regain my balance. I also lost a girl because of this condition that meant the world to me, but of course, I wasn't the man I should be, and had to try to forget her, which I haven't been very successful at doing. I wonder if you can give me a suggestion whether it would be advisable to keep on trying to forget her, or try to bring back the good old days. Her name is [...], and she works in ... book store...if that helps any. I know this seems far fetched, but it is very important to me. I wouldn't want to cause her any unhappiness, but if I could make her happy, that's for me. I have been losing my hair and like anyone else, I would like to prevent baldness, if possible. If there are any suggestions, I would appreciate them. I also would like some suggestions for exercises to help rebuild myself. I realize you might not answer all these questions, possibly I have written twice as many as I should and on irrelevant subjects, but they all seemed important as far as I know. Any help that I may receive will be greatly appreciated, and I hope I'll be able to rebuild a useful life out of a wreck." [This letter was written in [5042]'s own handwriting which was very legible.]
9. 5/01/44 Mother's letter: "This is to let you know that my son and I will be sitting in quiet meditation...May 4, while his reading is in progress. This reading is of greater importance than most anyone could imagine, for on it hangs the chance for an obsessed mind to be straightened out, and a very talented young man to resume his life work. Besides the obsession with his hands, he is obsessed with the fear of baldness, and refuses to even go into the yard without a hat..."

REPORTS

1. 7/06/44 Mrs. [1152]'s letter to EC: "...I was quite surprised to receive a letter from Mrs. [...] of Detroit, Michigan enclosing one of your readings which told of her son [5042] sending to Unity for prayers. Hereafter, instead of writing me it is very much better to write directly to Silent Unity for help as they will take the matter up directly with the patient and if I were consulted the letters would often have to be left unopened awaiting my return. I got in touch with May Rowland, the head of Silent Unity, and read her your reading, a thing which is very new to them all, but she said she would put his name on their list immediately and would write to him. I have heard nothing since my letter to Mr. [5042]'s mother..."
2. Note: The final reading on this case is a Check Physical, given 2 1/2 months later.

Edgar Cayce Readings © 1971, 1993, 1994, 1995 by the Edgar Cayce Foundation