Friday, May 28, 2010

Types of Hypnosis


Even clients that I see who have some experience with hypnosis usually have questions about its application, purpose, and success rate as well as questions about my style as a hypnotist. Of course I also did a podcast on hypnosis a while ago, but so many of my playmates have moved beyond those first tentative steps and need something a little more.

Most of the time when a new playmate approaches me about hypnosis, they are in fact asking about something more akin to stage hypnosis or hypnosis role play than actual therapeutic hypnosis. Now there is nothing wrong with either kind, but the perception seems to be that genuine hypnosis is preferable somehow or will result in a deeper submission. This is not always the case, though. And they don't have to be used separately either. They can work together to deepen submission and give a more enjoyable experience.

What I will call here "therapeutic hypnosis" is what a therapist might use to help a client overcome some mental block or resolve some traumatic issue. It is driven by a clearly-stated goal, towards which the client is directed via the hypnotist's word choices and post-hypnotic suggestions. The goal is to change behavior or perceptions to allow the client to lead a happier, more fulfilling life.

Generally the script for this type of hypnosis has a longer induction and uses more analogies. There is also more repetition. Language is used to empower the client to change his behavior and perceptions using his own innate abilities. However, as the client obviously does not know how to bring about these changes on his own, he is actually less in control of the session and script than a client interested in hypnosis role play might be. The script also tends to be less sexual, but more sensual in that it plays upon the senses to deepen trance. For example, lighting, music, and scents might be used to ease the transition into trance.

Though I'm calling it role play hypnosis, this type of hypnosis often does result in the client actually entering a trance. However, the only goal is ongoing enjoyment. There is no goal that can be met that will end the client's interest in hypnosis. It is about the fantasy of losing control to a beautiful woman who tinkers with your thought processes. Rather than being discreetly led, the client gains satisfaction from being controlled and feeling helpless.

The client who is interested in role playing hypnosis will have certain expectations about how he will feel once he has been hypnotized. Often this fantasy includes post-hypnotic amnesia. I had one client complain that he wasn't experiencing it, to which I simply responded, "How do you know?" As the client is chasing a feeling with this type of hypnosis, he is often more involved in developing the script, a minor paradox since he wants to feel controlled. The script is often more sexual with less time spent on the induction than on the body and more dirty words are used. For this type of hypnosis, I'm more likely to use a prop, like a pendulum or pocket watch, since the focus is on the sexual and using something like that allows the client to focus on the prop, which is often swinging back and forth before my decolletage!

While in the context of dominance and submission hypnosis is purely recreational (if you are genuinely looking for therapy, you need to see a licensed therapist), I would say that role play hypnosis is more entertaining than therapeutic hypnosis. Both types of hypnosis are useful tools for deepening the submission of a playmate and invite a special intimacy between hypnotic mistress and hypnotized slave.