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When you think of the word "hypnosis" what comes to mind? For most people, it invokes images of a man with a goatee swinging a pocket watch and saying "You're getting sleeeepy", or some evil mastermind holding a spiral in front of some helpless woman stealing her thoughts; because many people only know of hypnosis from movies and TV shows that inaccurately depict what hypnosis actually is, and how it really works.
Hypnosis is a very powerful tool that if applied properly can be very beneficial for training slaves / submissives, improving behavior, instilling new habits, healing past trauma, and more.
In my blog post today, I'm going to talk about what hypnosis is, how it works, what erotic hypnosis is, how it can be applied in the D/s lifestyle, and how we utilize hypnosis in our relationship.
So, what exactly is hypnosis? If you look on the internet, you'll find thousands of different definitions, and hundreds of opinions from people on what it is. Many of which, are confusing for beginners to understand, and some just sound downright frightening. So for simplicity sake, I'm going to give you the definition of hypnosis that I was taught:
Hypnosis is a state of increased relaxation, concentration, and suggestibility.
Simple, yes? That's really all it is! When you experience hypnosis, you are very relaxed (incredibly so in some cases), you still remain aware of everything going on around you, but you don't really seem to care much about it; your attention is focused on the words the hypnotist is saying to you, and while in the state, you are open to accepting new ideas that are presented to you by the hypnotist which are called suggestions.
It's a completely natural state of mind that we enter in and out of throughout the day, the only difference between the natural form of hypnosis and the guided form of hypnosis, is that the guided form is often deeper and more profound. When we enter into hypnosis naturally during the day, it's lighter, but noticeable if you know what to look for.
A few examples:
Have you ever become absorbed while reading a book? Became so attached to the plot of the story, only to glance down at your watch and realize that 2 hours have passed? That's hypnosis. You were relaxed, you were so focused on the words of the story, you lost track of time (That's called time distortion by the way, when minutes can feel like hours or hours feel like seconds.)
Have you ever stared off into space and started daydreaming? That's hypnosis too. Your attention is filled by your memories and imagination, external stimuli fades into the background, and your attention is focused inwards.
When you drive, especially on long, boring journeys, that's known as highway hypnosis. After you drive for awhile, it becomes "second nature" to you and your subconscious starts doing the driving. Even though you are not paying attention to where you are geographically, you are driving safely. Your subconscious mind is also protecting you, because you are keeping a safe distance between your car and the car in front of you and you are subconsciously paying attention to the oncoming traffic. Hence you can arrive and not remember how you got there, or what you did along the way (hypnotic amnesia).
So, how does hypnosis work / how do you hypnotize someone?
The process of guiding someone into hypnosis, is known as an "Induction". It sounds scary, but it's really not. Basically, the hypnotist uses soothing words, imagery, and various relaxation techniques to guide you into a very deep state of physical and mental relaxation. Sometimes, the hypnotist will softly touch you on the back of the hand, shoulder, neck, or back to help relax you further.
There are many different styles of inductions, and each type of induction works differently for different types of subjects. For example, my Mistress responds the best to Progressive Relaxation inductions, she goes very deep, very quickly for those. I respond best to tactile inductions, any induction that utilizes physical touch, movement, etc will take me very deep.
Inductions utilize different senses or techniques such as counting, breathing, movement, and will cause people to relax in different ways. There is no one right induction that works for any one person. Sometimes hypnotists will try several different inductions with a subject to get a feel for which technique is most effective for bringing them into the hypnotic state.
Once the hypnotist completes the induction, they will normally recite what's known as a deepener. This can be something as simple as a 10 to 1 countdown, or as complex as reciting another induction. This is just to help further deepen the hypnotic state to ensure full absorption of the suggestions.
Once the hypnotist completes the deepener, they may do what's known as convincers. These are small testing suggestions that serve 3 purposes. They convince the subject that they are experiencing hypnosis, they convince the hypnotist that the subject has reached the depth desired, and to get the subject involved with the process of being hypnotized.
Some hypnotists choose to do them, others do not. I myself don't always do them if I see other signs of deep trance phenomena.
At this point, they may do another deepener or go straight into giving suggestions.
When the hypnotist begins giving suggestions, it's important to note that your subconscious mind will only accept suggestions it feels are most beneficial to it. If you don't want to follow a suggestion, you do not have too.
You will not reveal anything in hypnosis that you do not wish too either. In fact, you don't even have to stay in the hypnotic state if you don't wish too -- it may feel like you do, because you don't want the wonderful relaxation to end, but if you really want to come out, you can at any time.
Before the hypnotist awakens you, they may give you what's known as a trigger word. This is simply a word or a phrase that the hypnotist will say which brings you immediately back into the hypnotic state. This simply makes the process faster and easier the next time you wish to enter hypnosis.
When it's time to bring you out of the hypnotic state, it's as simple as the hypnotic counting upwards from 1 to 10 slowly while giving positive suggestions for happiness and well-being.
That in a nutshell, is the the basic process of how a hypnosis session is done. This brings us to our next topic - What is Erotic Hypnosis (and Hypnotic Dominance)
There are 4 different forms of hypnosis: Stage, Therapeutic, Recreational, and Erotic. Erotic hypnosis, is... pretty much just what it sounds like. It's hypnosis that is used for sexual and erotic purposes. The suggestions given in Erotic Hypnosis are sensual, sexual, and arousing with the end goal nearly always being to achieve orgasm.
Hypnotic Dominance, is hypnosis used for improving submissive behavior, changing undesired habits, replace past beliefs that lead to a submissive thinking about something in a way that does not seem logical or rational.
Hypnotic Dominance can also be used by the dominant to create a scene while hypnotizing a submissive or slave and can have that submissive do certain things during the scene using suggestions e.g. telling a submissive that he or she is bound tightly when in fact he or she is not in order to create the illusion that bondage is being used when the submissive has problems with longer term bondage because of health problems.
Hypnotic Dominance can also help alleviate fears about certain types of play like for instance wax play. Wax could be a real fear for a submissive and taking the submissive or slave through several steps of first recognizing where the fear is coming from, then looking at that belief, changing the belief, creating a scene in the mind of the submissive and reinforcing the belief that the wax is not dangerous and is pleasurable. This could take several sessions under hypnosis though.
This brings us to an often testy topic when it comes to hypnosis - Safety. Like with all forms of BDSM, there needs to be safety when using erotic hypnosis and/or Hypnotic Dominance. While you cannot immediately be made to do something under hypnosis you wouldn't normally do, after several sessions of given repeated suggestions, I can tell you from first hand experience that it is possible to reach that point. I cannot stress enough to remain Safe, Sane, and Consensual when doing hypnosis of any sort.
Always talk about what suggestions you want to give your subject / submissive with them BEFORE they are in trance. The subconscious mind cannot answer complex questions like "what do you want to do now?" while in trance.
Always have a plan of action, and STICK TO IT. It's extremely unsettling for someone new to hypnosis to be told "This is what we're going to do" then when they're in trance do something entirely different.
Respect limits. There are some limits that can of course be pushed, but discuss these with your submissive beforehand. Do NOT push limits they do not wish to have pushed.
Do not do hypnosis with a subject who has any serious medical conditions such as epilepsy. Hypnosis can at times trigger epileptic episodes.
When in doubt, leave it out - No matter how kinky it may seem, If your not sure if a suggestion could potentially emotionally / mentally injure your subject, don't do it.
Don't push a subject past what they're physically capable of - Yeah, hypnosis can be very powerful with certain things, but it cannot make you fly, lift a car, or anything like that. Please be cautious when you give suggestions that involve doing anything physical.
With that said, I'm going to move onto the last topic of this post which is how we apply Erotic Hypnosis & Hypnotic Dominance in our lifestyle. As a certified hypnotherapist, hypnotic-hobbiest, and hypno-somnambulist of 18 years, I personally taught Mistress the process of how to safely induce the hypnotic state, and give proper suggestions.
With the skills and knowledge that she obtained, she began working with me to eliminate habits from my life that she felt were undesirable for the relationship, and/or unhealthy for me to have.
She began incorporating hypnotic mantras such as "Can't Resist... Must Obey". Anytime she says "Can't resist..." a wave of obedience and feeling of profound submission wash over me, and I instinctively recite back "Must Obey".
I do have other mantras that she has used with me before, but I cannot recall them at this time. Each mantra has helped to instill a mentality of complete submission and obedience to her. Whenever I feel myself begin to misbehave or get urges to do something that I know is inappropriate, those mantras stop me in my tracks
I've used hypnosis numerous times to help her relax or help her calm down from feeling overwhelmed, and she's used hypnosis to help me feel happier, more upbeat, and positive.
Hypnosis has a number of both theraputic and erotic applications that can be used to enhance any D/s relationship, but the key is to be safe, and smart about it. Remember, you are dealing with the human mind, if you harm it... there can be long term effects that can truly ruin someone's life.
I recommend taking a class or two in hypnotherapy if you plan on using it therapeutically with your submissive, just so you can get a firm foundation of the basics before delving into more adventurous applications. Once you have a firm grasp of the basics, safety, and techniques... the only limit then... is the imagination.
When you drive, especially on long, boring journeys, you can daydream too. In this case, your subconscious is doing the driving. Even though you are not paying attention to where you are geographically, you are driving safely. Your subconscious mind is also protecting you, because you are keeping a safe distance between your car and the car in front of you and you are subconsciously paying attention to the oncoming traffic. Hence you can arrive and not remember how you got there, or what you did along the way (hypnotic amnesia). - See more at: http://amindmatters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66&Itemid=86#sthash.M3HbLxi2.dpu
When you drive, especially on long, boring journeys, you can daydream too. In this case, your subconscious is doing the driving. Even though you are not paying attention to where you are geographically, you are driving safely. Your subconscious mind is also protecting you, because you are keeping a safe distance between your car and the car in front of you and you are subconsciously paying attention to the oncoming traffic. Hence you can arrive and not remember how you got there, or what you did along the way (hypnotic amnesia). - See more at: http://amindmatters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=66&Itemid=86#sthash.M3HbLxi2.dpuf