When Anna B. first came to see us she was 23 years of age. Having recently married her childhood sweetheart, Anna had her 23rd birthday not long after she was married. The wedding, by all accounts, was a happy affair and Anna said the reception was very enjoyable. They had a chamber orchestra at the reception and Anna and her husband danced all night [Track 1 – Unification]...

Soon after the wedding, and just prior to her 23rd birthday, Anna said that she was daydreaming as she tended to the sort of affairs that newlyweds tend to do, when she started having curious yet distinctly odd thoughts – Anna started to ask herself what her life would be like if her husband was dead [Track 2 – Complication]. However, Anna dismissed these thoughts as merely the sort of thing any newly married young lady would ponder, although the thought did trouble her – after all she said she loved her husband dearly...

On the day of her 23rd birthday, Anna, still troubled by thoughts of what her life would be like should her husband be dead, indicated that she started hearing voices in her head – very disturbing voices – one male and one female voice as far as Anna could tell [Track 3 – Ramification]. Anna said that she couldn’t at that time make out what the voices were saying to her; however Anna distinctly felt that she was going insane...

Over the following few days the voices intensified; becoming scarier and more aggressive. Anna said that at that point she got the impression that the voices wanted Anna to kill her husband so that the voices could have Anna all to themselves. Anna also said that the voices insisted that Anna acknowledge them and do as they requested in order for Anna to be happy [Track 4 – Manifestation]...

After some time hearing the same voices in her head, Anna said that she tried to tell the voices that she truly loved her husband. Anna said she tried to find her ‘happy place’ and think of how much she would miss her husband should he be gone, but eventually Anna gave in to the voices; reluctantly agreeing to kill her husband [Track 5 – Capitulation]...

Anna said she didn’t find it hard to kill her husband – in fact she quite enjoyed it. Armed with all manner of firearms, Anna said that she stalked her husband like a feral cat on heat and not just killed him, she annihilated him [Track 6 – Annihilation]...

After murdering her husband, Anna said that she did feel some remorse for his death. Anna said she was upset that her husband had a button-down collar on his shirt – Anna said that she never liked button-down collars and often told her husband that they simply are not fashionable any more. Anna seemed particularly upset that her husband had chosen to die wearing a button-down collar – the fact that the tie also clashed with his suit didn’t help matters [Track 7 – Lamentation]...

Anna said she didn’t really mourn her husband’s death at first as the voices in her head gave her plenty of attention and seemed to be quite friendly to her once she had killed her husband. Anna likened the attention the voices gave her as if she was a fox being chased in a hunt – Anna indicated that she found the attention quite exhilarating [Track 8 – Consolation]...

Over time, Anna said she managed to take control of the voices by pretending everything that happened was just a dream. In this way, Anna was confident, had cured herself and no longer felt like she was insane – in fact Anna felt she was actually quite normal and acted like any newly married young girl would behave [Track 9 – Melioration]...

But, Anna said she started missing her husband after a while. Now that she had control of the voices in her head, Anna felt that they weren’t as stimulating as they once were. Therefore Anna decided that in order to be with her husband again she would need to kill herself – Anna said that she often talked to her dead husband and dreamed of death for herself [Track 10 – Reunification]...

Ultimately this was why Anna came to see us: not because she had been hearing voices in her head; nor because she had murdered her husband; not even because she intended to kill herself – Anna came to see us as she didn’t know what she should wear when she killed herself. Anna said that was when she knew something was horribly wrong with herself as she said she had always had a good sense of fashion and instinctually knew what she should wear for any occasion...