How Long Do Triggers Last?

This is somewhat of a “how long is a piece of string?” question as there are many factors that can affect how long the effects of a trigger last.

Some of these can include:

  • The skill of the hypnotist who implants the trigger
  • The willingness of the subject to accept the trigger/how comfortable they are with the trigger
  • How easily the trigger can be integrated into day to day life (e.g. if it is simple/beneficial and can be used regularly then it may well last longer than a strongly sexual trigger that the subject is not entirely sure about and can only be used in very particular situations.

Personally speaking I have one hypnosis subject who I tranced many years ago (before becoming professional). I gave him a fun trigger to have a pleasurable response upon seeing a particular candy bar. Years later (approx 2-3 years after I had ceased hypnotising him ) he sent me a message to say that the trigger was still as effective as ever.  More recently I have had clients come to me for a live session after a lapse of a few months and been surprised at how effective the triggers I gave them in previous session/s still are.

As a hypnotist, if you want a trigger to be effective and to last then you need the clients subconscious to be on board with what you’re asking – after all, it will be the subconscious mind who will be implementing the response to the trigger.

Firstly, keep the trigger simple – don’t make it overly complex or with multiple steps to take effect. Simple is effective and easy to implement.  Secondly, allow the trigger to be pleasurable. We all want to enjoy pleasure, right? So give your subject a new opportunity to enjoy pleasure with the trigger. This can be sexual or non-sexual pleasure (there’s a myriad of different types of pleasure you can make use of), but if you are aiming for sexual pleasure for the love of god think very carefully about when/how the trigger will be implemented.  You don’t want your subject to be accidentally triggered at an inappropriate moment.  This is one of the reasons why almost all the triggers I give my subjects only work when I say them. For those that aren’t, I ensure that I word the instructions for the trigger in such a way that there is no way they will cause problems and/or embarrassment. Typically a statement along the lines of the client enjoying the trigger only when appropriate to do so. If saying something like this make sure that you have a good understanding of what the client considers to be appropriate. If in doubt, don’t give them the trigger.