Trance is fun. A lot of fun. As it should be. Embracing trance opens doors to all sorts of amazing possibilities that would perhaps otherwise elude you. The sheer amount of opportunities hypnosis offers is awe inducing, yet many people fail to capitalise on this.
But why?
There could be any number of reasons for instance (and not intended to be an exhaustive list):
- The subject has struggled to achieve trance so their total focus is one achieving the one thing that has eluded them. They’re so focused on simply being able to achieve trance that they forget all the other amazing opportunities that exist.
- The hypnotist hasn’t explained the sheer scale of possibilities that are available. I’ve found oftentimes clients need some ideas if only to use as a springboard/fire up their imagination.
- The subject doesn’t believe that they’re capable of achieving what they want so are reluctant to ask for it.
All of the above issues can be overcome. As a subject you can help yourself by:
- Taking your time and researching different hypnotists. Check their experience, whether you like their style and seek out testimonials from other clients. Research is boring but it will pay dividends later.
- Having faith in yourself and what you’re capable of. Just because you may have previously struggled to trance, it does not in any way, shape or form mean that you are incapable or somehow a “bad” subject. I really cannot emphasize this enough. Take your time and find the right hypnotist for you. I promise you it will be like finding the right key to unlock your mind, and when that happens you’ll be amazed by what you’re capable of accomplishing!
- Asking questions. Lots and lots of questions. It’s often best to think these through/prepare them in advance so you’re not worrying about it in the moment, but also if you’re having a chat with a hypnotist, take notes and if something they say makes you think of other questions, don’t be afraid to ask those as well. The more you know, the more empowered you will be and the more comfortable you will feel. You’ll feel more at ease and have a much better insight into what’s possible.
- Added to note: It is important to make sure that you compensate the hypnotist for their time – we are professionals after all. Asking one or two simple questions over email shouldn’t be a problem, but anything more in depth ask them if they offer consultations (e.g. I offer a 15 min consultation for exactly this reason) or if there is another preferred way that you can compensate them for their time/expertise.
Yes, in an ideal world your hypnotist will engage you with a good, well thought out pre-talk that includes managing expectations of what the trance experience itself is like, as well as the possibilities trance offers however life is not always perfect, so it makes sense to take matters into your own hands (to a degree at least), and the best way to do this is research.
If you go into your first session with at least a basic understanding of what to expect in terms of what going into trance feels like, as well as an idea of what you can expect to achieve in or through trance then you will be gifting yourself a much more positive, productive experience.
You don’t have to have a hundred questions ready to go. No one is expecting you to know what you don’t know, but having a few well thought out questions to kick start your experience will be really useful and help you to make the most of your hypnotic experience.
Some potential suggestions for questions and things to consider are (please don’t take this to be a comprehensive list – it’s simply a springboard for you to fire up your mind and get you thinking):
- If you’ve previously struggled to trance previously, do you have any insight into why this may be?
- What does it actually feel like to go into trance and be in trance? If you’ve struggled/not yet achieved trance or are wondering if you have actually achieved trance but aren’t sure then it may be you have unknowing misconceptions or erroneous expectations regarding what to expect and how the experience should feel/what you’ll experience. Talking things through with an experienced hypnotist can be really useful in such situations.
- If you could achieve and/or experience anything with hypnosis, what would it be? Create a wish list. Don’t worry about whether it’s possible or not – allow your imagination to run wild and have fun with the list.
I hope you’ve found this blog post useful. If you have any questions, comments, etc please feel free to leave them below.
If you’re curious about enjoying a live hypnosis session with me over Skype, you can find everything you need to know on my “Live Sessions” page.
