Hypnosis is a very subjective experience. Because trance is so personal, it’s as unique as each individual’s perception of reality. Yes, we can all agree on some shared aspects – the focus, the pleasure…but the experience itself – that is purely your own. In the same way, my perspective of what it is like to hypnotise someone is subjective and relates purely to my own perceptions and experiences.
I feel that I get an excellent perspective of this subjectivity as a hypnotist. I am always excited to work with people and to encourage them how to effectively utilise this amazing ability which they have to trance. To show them just what they are capable of achieving and experiencing.
My own background has largely revolved around live sessions – either in person or remotely via phone or Skype. I have lost count of the number of people I have hypnotised. Some of those people already had a lot of experience with hypnosis, whilst for others it was a totally new adventure. I’ve worked with skeptics and believers, novices and old hands….with each person I have always learned something new and loved the opportunity to unleash my creativity.
In live sessions, I never use scripts. Instead, I begin my chatting to the person – talking and asking questions to find out what they know about hypnosis and what their expectations are. If there are any gaps and/or misconceptions I can address these and it allows for a certain level of trust and rapport to be built. I get to know how and what you think and you get to know and understand my style, how I work and how I can help you. Discussions are also had on boundaries and what is to be achieved during the session, and I also take the time to answer questions which may arise.
Then comes the fun part…being able to fully unleash my creative passions. I’ve discovered over the years that just about anything can be utilised for an induction so I do like to experiment. Sometimes I will opt for conversational inductions…sometimes confusion inductions…other times a mix and/or myriad of different styles which crescendo together to deliver you to the mindless abandon of trance.
Some people appear to have a natural aptitude for trancing….it doesn’t matter if they’ve never been tranced before in their lives – if you get on their hypnotic wavelength (so to speak) they’ll drop almost instantaneously, even without realising what’ happening. In general, it’s those who are used to trancing who drop more quickly as they know what to expect, but for those with the natural aptitude, as I said, it can be almost instantaneous regardless.
For others, it can take them a little longer to discover their innate talents. To me this is equally enjoyable as I get to be party to the slow, gentle descent whilst finding original ways to help them to learn to recognise how it feels to go into trance…to identify the uniquely personal signals their body shares as they slip deeper. Either way, the end result is always the same….the almost inevitable descent into deep trance.
Personally I enjoy watching the subtle signals which let me know that the descent has begun and is ongoing. They vary from person to person, though there are some common themes: the breathing will become slower and more even, the speech more considered and the body generally becomes more relaxed as the mind becomes calmer and more focused. Beyond that, some people find themselves blinking more as their eyes get heavier…others feel heavy or light.
One interesting side effect I have noted among some men is they can at times achieve an unintentional erection. Many find this confusing as whilst they may not find the trance experience itself arousing, they’re experiencing a physical reaction which is traditionally a result of arousal. This can create some confusion, but in reality I suspect it is simply a result of the body relaxing, your breathing deepening and the resultant oxygenation of the blood leading to dilation in blood vessels results in a physical reaction (erection). Of course this then confuses the mind which can’t work out what the source is, so assumes it must be the fact that hypnosis is arousing. Some men accept this, others remain confused until it’s explained at which point the body usually adjusts, the issue resolves itself and the guy simply drops even deeper into trance.
Personally I love the fact that everyone I work with is different…I get a real kick out of helping people discover and enjoy their first ever trance experience or those who believed for whatever reason (either assumed or had been told by someone) that they would struggle to achieve hypnotic trance (the manic grin, slightly confused and glazed eyes and “oh my god I can’t believe that just happened – it’s amazing!” never gets old). There’s also the way that rapport and trust develops, and how over regular sessions you can learn and achieve more and more. All of these things are so special, and I am so grateful that I am able to share in such uniquely intimate experiences with people.
If you have any comments, questions or feedback please do not hesitate to get in contact. It’s always a pleasure to hear from people who are as passionate about hypnosis as I am.