First I would like to point out that everyone has a different view point and explanation of what hypnosis is and how it works. This is just my take based on my 6+ years of experience as both a hypnotist and a hypnosis subject. I would also like to note that I am not licensed or professionally trained so take my view with a grain of salt and if you are still skeptical research the topic more before delving into the fetish and entertainment side of hypnosis.
What is hypnosis?
The basics
Based on my own research and personal experience hypnosis, as I understand it, is a guided experience where the subject and the hypnotists are taking steps to achieving a state of trance for the subject. What is trance, you ask? Trance is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as a noun described as being in a sleep-like state (as in deep hypnosis) usually characterized by partly suspended animation with diminished or absent sensory and motor activity; a stupor, or daze.
When I describe hypnosis to some I like to point out that it is a guided path to trance and trance is a state of mind everyone has been in before, even if they don’t realize that they have. Everyone has daydreamt before and this is similar to being in a daze or a trance. I feel like comparing daydreaming to trance does an injustice to how powerful the mind is and what it is capable of. So I would continue on to describe trance in everyday, mundane tasks. Such as highway hypnosis. A lot of people experience this when driving great distances on long, boring roads. They may even experience this when traveling down a road they frequent. The person drives and reacts to external stimuli in a safe and predictable manner, but by the time the drive is over they have no recollection of all or a majority of the drive.
This is what trance truly is. Focusing on one thing to a point that you drown out everything else and leave yourself in a very blank and dazed state of mind. Either intentionally, unintentionally, or by having someone guide you down to this state with hypnosis. The thing you’re focusing on could be something as simple as a voice talking to you or much more complex like driving.
If people still have doubts then I ask them if they have ever meditated before. Mediating is similar to putting yourself into a state of trance. In fact, people who do self hypnosis often follow meditation guides to help them achieve the state of trance they are after. Then they just give themselves the suggestions they want.
Okay, but when do you start making people cluck like chickens?
That’s the thing, stage hypnosis and real hypnosis are drastically different. First of all a lot of stage hypnosis is stage-ed. However just like hypno therapy is vastly different to the way fetish and entertainment hypnosis is. Hypnosis isn’t as simple or as easy as they make it appear on TV, in movies, or at a magic show and very few people are that susceptible to suggestions even from someone they trust very well. You will rarely hear someone going into a single hypno therapy session and being cured of their cigarette addiction with one single sitting. It takes time and effort from both sides to achieve the goals.
People often listen to a hypno audio file once and after seeing no immediate effects they give up and convince themselves they cannot be hypnotized, but that is simply not the case. Have you every stopped to wonder why so many hypno file descriptions recommend repeated listens for effects to start showing or taking hold? That is because hypnosis often works best with repetition. It’s what helps suggestions stick in the mind. It’s why a hypnotist can’t say “relax” once and boom your under, they have to repeatedly say it and even switch up words so it doesn’t get boring for the subject. Repetition isn’t the core basis of hypnosis, however, I will go into more barriers you might face in the next sections.
But how do you implant the suggestions?
It is believed that when the mind is in a state of trance, especially when having been guided down with hypnosis, it opens itself up to being more suggestible. The idea is that while in a state of trance the conscious mind is suppressed or put to sleep and the subconscious mind becomes more active and awake. Since it is believed that the subconscience handles all the impulses that are not accessible to the conscious mind then we can exploit this new state of mind, or trance, by giving the subconscience the desired suggestions… like to have the conscience think it is a chicken…
The suggestions can be more complex than this though. It is just the example I used since I mentioned it earlier.
Tell me more about the hypnosis audio files.
Hypno audio files are perfect for listening to repeatedly and is why a lot of people swear by them. It’s much easier to set a file to loop while you sleep or to listen to it a few times a week to get the intended results, rather than bugging a hypnotist, who might charge you for sessions, to do the same session over and over until you see the results stick. Some hypnotists have even managed to make files that you can have on in the background while you do your daily routines.
Hypnosis files aren’t for everyone though and the only way to know for sure if it is for you is to try out some free files to see if they work on you or not. Hypnosis isn’t black and white and what works on John might not work on Jane. Some people can listen to files and have them work wonders, but then they try one on one sessions with hypnotists and nothing works. Vice versa.
What else can you tell me about hypnosis?
First and foremost the very foundation of hypnosis should be on how much the subject trusts the hypnotist. It is always recommended you make friend and not hypnotists or subjects. This way a layer of trust is built up so there should be no room for any suggestions or trances failing to work. It’s often a complaint for people that they cannot trance for every hypnotist, yet they fail to realize they need to trust the hypnotist first before their mind is comfortable enough to allow their suggestions in.
Another oversight people miss is that, for most people, the mind already has some safe guards built into it. That is why you need to build that trust first. As a general rule of thumb hypnosis cannot force suggestions in your mind that you wouldn’t normally want or make you do things you normally wouldn’t do. Hypnosis isn’t as black and white as this is though and if you’ve read title of the section you might have already guessed that. I will be going into more details about these last two paragraphs there.
If at first you don’t succeed try and try again. You will get better at going under a subject the more you go into guided trance. It’s recommended you start with simple files and work your way up to the more complex ones. That way when you go to try the complex ones you already have your bearings and know how to go into trance in your own way.
Never give up or doubt yourself. The mind is an amazing thing and simply thinking you aren’t susceptible to hypnosis can be enough to make you more resistant. Sometimes it is the person’s doubt or the lack of trust that is making someone resistant rather than them “just being resistant”.
Sometimes it’s the lack of overall practice as a subject or lack of attempts at a single file that makes things not stick in a subject.
Just remember what hypnosis isn’t black and white and what works on your friends might not work on you. If you find a certain hypnotist, style, induction, etc doesn’t work on your it’s not your fault. Something as simple as the tone of the voice, pacing, inflection, or even accent can turn the mind off to these things. Sometimes it can just be the themes that are being used or any number of other things like your own self doubt.
I’ve heard horror stories about people having their minds wiped from hypnosis. Is that really possible?
The parts of an everyday hypnotic trance
The Induction
To put it simply the induction is the part of the file that is going to bring your mind and body down to the state of trance where you are most susceptible to the suggestions of the hypnotist. You might commonly know this as the “deep breathing” part of a file, because that is the most common induction people use since it is one that works on the broadest range of people. However, it can be more complex than this or completely different.
Examples
Read some inductions I pulled form some of my previously commissioned hypnosis scripts. Listen to some inductions I have recorded.
The Deepener
A less often talked about part of hypnosis is the deepener, which is the part between the induction and the body. The only goal of the deepener is to bring you deeper down into trance to prep the mind for the suggestions that lie just ahead of it. You might know this part as “the countdown” where the hypnotist counts down from 10 to 1. This is the easiest way to deepen a subject during a trance and is why it is the go to method for a lot of hypnotist. The deepener, just like the inductions, can be more complex or completely different than the example provided.
The Body
The body is the meat of the file. Its where all the suggestions, triggers, and any other intended results will be. The suggestions are often repeated or re-explained in a few different ways to help it stick to the mind. Remember that repetition can be a big part of hypnosis and what can the thing hay ultimately helps it work. It is also why you might not see or experience any effects the first time you listen to a complex file, or sometimes just any file. I especially love to use repetition to help everything stick as best as it can.
Some people choose to listen to the body of a file at low volume as a type of subliminal for their mind while others will que it into a playlist to lengthen their listening session without having to worry about the awakener and induction interrupting them.
Examples:
Read some of my previously commissioned hypno scripts or listen to some bodies I have recorded.
The Awakener
The awakener is simple what wakes you up. You might know this as the “count up” where the hypnotist counts up form 5 to 1 and you’ll be fully conscious and aware again. This can be achieved without the count up, but it’s the best way to make sure the subject fully wakes up from a trance. There aren’t many ways to make this more complex than a count up so almost all awakeners are the same or very similar.
Hypnotic triggers
A hypnotic trigger is something that triggers the indented effects of a hypno file you listened to. A (hypno) file sometimes uses time delays to activate, deactivate, and even re-activate the effects they are trying to give you. A (hypnotic) trigger does the same thing only it can be triggered in the same way you trigger a light to activate by flipping the switch. Hypnotic triggers can use many things to active the effects of the file. It can range from hearing or reading a simple phrase, wearing a certain item or garment, to meeting very specific criteria like being home alone or being in your room.
I will use my Kobold Plushie Transformation file as an example. Rather than making the file in such a way that a subject would have to listen to the file every time they would want to experience being a plushie and having it deactivate after a certain time, I have given the subject a trigger to freely active and reactivate the effects. The trigger is a phrase that can be activated upon hearing or reading it and a separate one is used to turn off, or deactivate, the effects. So if the subject wanted to become a plushie they can say their activate trigger, or have someone else say it, then once they are done they say the deactivation trigger, or has someone else say it. They can do this any time they want, as many times as they want. This helps give them the freedom and control of when and where they can experience the effects.