To start with, a popular misconception: Hypnosis is not a magic tool to force someone to do whatever you want. Stage shows, and shows like those of Derren Brown, might make you believe differently, but those shows usually start with a careful selection of participants. But: with a willing partner you can certainly achieve magical results!

WHAT COULD HYPNOSIS BE USED FOR?

Before discussing hypnosis in more detail, I would first like to say a bit about BDSM and hypnosis. What could hypnosis be used for? After all, if there’s nothing in that area that you like, you can stop reading here

One option is conditioning your partner. For instance, having an orgasm on command, or assume certain positions on command. Assuming the position, while not forced, becomes a subconscious process. Of course, conditioning is quite possible without hypnosis, but using hypnosis it can be done a lot faster and easier. For using the command (often called “trigger” in hypno-lingo) your partner doesn’t need to be in hypnosis. The conditioning takes place in hypnosis, but the command will work even when your partner is out of hypnosis again. This is also called a “post-hypnotic suggestion”.

Another option is sensation play. For instance, magnifying or dampening of sensations. You could, for instance, give the suggestion that a whip will hurt more with every stroke. But you also could gag someone hypnotically (make them unable to talk) or bind someone (not being able to move). The age old stage hypnosis trick with the voodoo doll can be used perfectly in BDSM: everything the doll feels, the subject feels, every move of the doll by the hypnotist, the subject will make as well. Use your imagination!

Thirdly, you liven up role play. Instead of just playing that schoolgirl, you could become her in hypnosis, and truly feel like that girl. And you could really see your partner as that angry teacher. The same goes for all popular forms of role play, whether you wish to turn your bedroom into a prison cell, or turn yourself into a pirate.

Finally (well, there might still be other options), there are possibilities that touch more on the normal, therapeutic side of hypnosis. Hypnosis is a perfect instrument to work with fears. In hypnosis, someone can, guided by a hypnotist, deal with the causes of his or her fears, or learn to approach them differently. It’s not unthinkable that a hard limit for, say, “needles” could disappear. If someone finds it hard to submit to a dominant, you could use hypnosis to find out what’s preventing his submission, and perhaps take away the root causes. Of course, these options involve more knowledge of and experience with hypnosis than the previous examples. Hypnosis, by the way, doesn’t have to be limited to the bottoms. Dominants could profit from hypnosis just the same. A little extra confidence never hurts, does it? And what if you, the Dominant are afraid of using needles? Hypnosis is, first and foremost, a powerful tool for self-improvement!

WHAT’S HYPNOSIS?

Still reading? Then now is the time to explain a bit more about the phenomenon of hypnosis.

Hypnosis a state or a condition in which the subject is highly susceptible to suggestions. It’s a state that can look a bit like sleep (hence the name hypnosis, from the Greek word “hypnos”), but in which one is fully awake and often highly concentrated. Hypnosis is also often associated with a high level of relaxation, but relaxation is not truly necessary. It’s a very natural state. A lot of people go into hypnosis daily while being totally consumed in a book or film, or, when driving, realise that they “missed” a big part of the ride.

A few misconceptions about hypnosis keep coming up. To bust a few myths:

You can’t stay “in it”. If the hypnotist were to drop dead, you would come out of trance naturally. In the worst case scenario, you would fall asleep… and wake up normally.

The hypnotist will not force his will upon you and doesn’t have any super powers.  If something really goes against your deepest morals, you are likely to just pop out of trance. In hypnosis, you will not fall asleep and stay fully aware of what’s happening (except perhaps for very deep trance levels).

Almost everyone “can do it”. Only a small percentage of the population is hard to hypnotise or can’t go in hypnosis at all. Some people, however, go into hypnosis easier and deeper than other people. Not all induction techniques work for everyone. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of fitting the right induction to the right subject.

HOW DOES HYPNOSIS WORK?

Generally speaking, a hypnosis session consists of several phases:

• During the induction, someone is guided into hypnosis
• During the deepening, the trance level is deepened
• Subsequently, suggestions are given (and possibly post-hypnotic suggestions for after the session)
• Finally, the subject is guided out of hypnosis again

There’s many, many methods to induce hypnosis, varying from the long and often tedious “imagine lying in a wide green meadow” progressive relaxation induction to super quick shock inductions, and just about everything in between. There’s not a single best way. The best induction to use depends both on the hypnotist (who has to have mastered the induction) and the subject (for whom one method will work better than the other).

Deepening the trance level can be good idea for several reasons. For instance, because someone who is in hypnosis only lightly could come out of trance after a while, but also, for some applications like seeing things that aren’t there, a deeper level of trance is required.

The suggestions, of course, can be anything. For instance, there are suggestions for during the hypnosis session (what to feel/do/experience/etc) and post-hypnotic suggestions for after the hypnosis session, like having orgasms on command. This is kind of the core of the session, where the kinky stuff takes place.

Getting someone out of a trance is an important part the session. After all, the subject must be able to function normally again after the session, and for instance be able to drive a car safely.

SAFETY

Hypnosis in and of itself is perfectly safe. It’s a harmless natural state that won’t hurt you. Some psychiatric conditions, however, can be a contra-indications. If you have one, please discuss it with your physician or psychologist before experimenting.

What you do with hypnosis can be dangerous. What you do with hypnosis van vary from harmless bed games to heavy edge play, and – as with all forms of BDSM – you will need to discuss wishes and boundaries in a way that fits your relationship. Also, you need to formulate triggers carefully and make sure they aren’t fired unintentionally. Making someone get horny from drinking a cup of tea can be great fun, but it might be wise to make sure it won’t lead to unintended, possibly harmful, results at work the next day.

Preferably do hypnosis with someone you trust. For starters you will likely go into hypnosis easier and deeper, but it’s also nice if you can trust your hypnotist not to do strange things with you. If you use an mp3 from the internet to go into hypnosis by yourself, make sure there are no hidden unwanted suggestions in it. There are mp3’s with suggestions of buying more mp3’s but you also could get other unwanted triggers installed. It’s wise to listen to such an mp3 without going into trance first, or have someone else screen the mp3 for you.

Also, when you go into hypnosis, there might be a negative reaction, in which the subject feels very bad or responds very emotionally while in hypnosis. This could happen, for instance, during a spontaneous regression in which the subject, without any suggestion, goes back into the past, and not necessarily to a pleasant point in time. Although the chances are slim that you will have this occur, the hypnotist should know what to do – and what not to do – to handle such a situation.

LEARNING HYPNOSIS

Learning how to hypnotise someone is not very difficult. On YouTube only,there are hundreds of video’s demonstrating various induction techniques.

But learning hypnosis should be more than that. You should learn how to formulate suggestions effectively and safely to increase your chances of success. You also should learn how to get someone out of hypnosis and how to deal with spontaneous negative reactions.

The wisest course of action is probably a workshop or course in hypnosis. There are one-day hypnosis courses that can give you a decent foundation to start experimenting with the simpler applications of hypnosis. Often these courses are presented by companies or trainers who also teach broader hypnosis or NLP courses. If you want more depth, you could take an extended course in hypnotherapy. There are many available, from 7 day to three-year professional courses.

If you are unable to take a course, you could always try to find someone in the scene who has the knowledge and experience. On Fetlife, there are several groups on BDSM and Hypnosis, like Hypnose Nederland and Erotic Hypnosis, where you can ask for advice. Otherwise, at least try to get a good book on hypnosis. There are plenty of them, both more therapeutically oriented ones, and ones explaining hypnosis for stage shows.

If you have any questions about this article, feel free to contact me.

SOURCES

NGH, Hypnotherapie: Opleiding tot gediplomeerd hypnotherapeut.

FURTHER READING

FetLife – Erotic Hypnosis
FetLife – Altered States of Consciousness
Erotic Hypnosis – Sample Self Hypnosis Files
B.E.S.T. slave Training – Hypnosis and What is Hypnotic slave Training?
SelfGrowth.com – Erotic Hypnosis – What is it Good For?
SexPert.com – Erotic Hypnosis – Safety & Consent Tips

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This article by Guilty first appeared on the Guiltied Blog. This work is shared under the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) License. You may share the work, unedited, for non-commercial purposes as long as a credit to the author and a link back to this original is included.