"Yes ... there we go. You're relaxing deeper and deeper. There's no need to think ... no need to worry. I've got you. Just keep listening to the sound of my voice. Focus on how good it feels to relax and obey."
I had a partner who used to talk to me like this while we were gettin' down during playtime. He'd speak to me in a low, soothing, enveloping tone until I'd melted onto the floor, eyes closed, focused only on his words and where they took me.
Combining this with sex and BDSM made for some fantastic sessions. I came more easily with him than previous partners, and felt enticed to submit more deeply than in the past. Because of the way he spoke to me, the vibe felt uniquely intimate when we played. I became rabidly addicted to our bedroom shenanigans.
That was my first experience with erotic hypnosis, and it sparked my recent desire to explore the practice more deeply in my local BDSM community. I'm here to share what I've learned so far while dabbling.
I began my hypno-community adventure by attending an erotic hypnosis munch at Wicked Grounds, SF's friendly neighborhood kink café. The instructor there defined hypnosis as follows:
A manipulation of an altered state of consciousness for a desired purpose.
You can glean a few main points of erotic hypnosis from the keywords here:
I'm a neurology nerd, and my humble layman's knowledge has led me to believe erotic hypnosis is far more than just hippie woo woo. And, by golly, real researchers with fancy degrees happen to agree! Numerous studies have shown hypnosis to have measurable and significant impacts on the brain.
If you find stuff like this fascinating, you might like to know a bit about brainwaves and how they're affected in those experiencing hypnosis. (If stuff like this bores you and "you're getting veeeerrry sleeepy" already, feel free to skip this bit.)
Neurologists have recorded five distinct types of brainwaves, which they measure using a machine called an electroencephalograph (EEG). (Say that garbled mouthful five times fast!)
These brainwave types operate at different frequencies and are all present in different areas of the brain at all times. However, one type will be dominant depending on our state of mind, which is determined by what we're thinking about and how relaxed we feel.
Here's a quick rundown of the five brainwave types:
So, hypnotists are basically magicians who use words to manipulate our pliable minds. During sessions, they guide their subjects from a beta state down to a calmer alpha, theta, or delta state where the open playground of the subconscious mind reigns. Anxiety burns off and someone may experience deep relaxation, vivid hallucinations, suppressed memories, or uncover core beliefs they were previously unaware of.
In this relaxed state, individuals may also become highly suggestible, meaning they become more receptive to new ideas and are more willing to suspend critical reasoning. They may also feel less inhibited than usual. This is due to dimmed activity in the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex, which is linked to deduction and reasoning. Simultaneously, activity in the right hemisphere increases, allowing the creative and impulsive subconscious mind to take over.
As you'd imagine, these effects make hypnosis a valuable tool for BDSM tops seeking to influence the minds of their subs. The experience of trance also blends beautifully with subspace, an extremely pleasurable state of consciousness in itself.
How exactly do those crafty hypnotists get bottoms like me melting like butter with their smooth gabbin'? As it turns out, they follow a general framework during sessions. The process was described to me like this:
Although the skeleton of a hypnosis session is straightforward, the exact words spoken can vary each time, making the possibilities for different types of play endless.
Pop culture tends to portray those undergoing hypnosis as if they're unconscious and robbed of all agency. They cluck like chickens, say ridiculous things they don't believe and remember nothing once they've awakened from the trance.
This impression always made me nervous, even after experiencing trance a handful of times. I relayed my fears to a friend who offered to hypnotize me at a recent play party.
"It's basically mind control, isn't it? Seems like I might start doing and saying crazy things."
He laughed. "Only if your mind is open to doing them."
And he's right, when I think about it. I've never felt forced to do or think anything during hypnosis that I wouldn't otherwise. I've felt relaxed, focused and incredibly connected to my partner, but never out of control.
The instructor at the munch I attended explained that those being hypnotized have to actively participate for suggestions to take root in their minds. No one can force our minds to believe or feel compelled to do something.
I've also never forgotten the details of what happened while I was hypnotized. Being so completely immersed in trance to the point of amnesia is apparently not something that happens automatically, but instead is a goal many work toward and request from experienced tops.
My friend, who also bottoms with one of his partners as a participant in hypnosis, explained it's a goal of his to be able to forget who his top is one day while tranced out during a scene.
I frowned. "Why would you want to forget who your partner is while she's topping you?"
"Because she's a very consent-focused person, and I'm into consensual non-consent. I want to trick my mind into actually feeling afraid of her."
As you can tell, some practitioners out there don't take erotic hypnosis lightly.
Here are some examples of goals practitioners might have for their erotic hypnosis scenes:
The holy grail of erotic hypnosis, from what I hear, is to be able to induce orgasm in some without physical touch. This is extremely difficult to achieve, they say, and requires a serious investment of time and practice on the part of both participants.
If you're thinking, "Damn, such powers could easily be used for evil," then ding ding ding, you're correct!
A lot of hypnosis resources echo smarmy pick-up artists who use shady tactics to seduce people without their knowledge. Coercion's not a nice thing and no one wants to be "that guy," so it's vital to make sure intentions are pure and informed consent is enthusiastically given.
Here are some safety and consent tips hypnosis tops can use, especially while getting familiar with new partners:
Overall, you never want to exert influence over your partner's subconscious on the sly, such as while they're asleep. They need to understand hypnosis and its risks in order to willingly participate.
Like anything else, mind control is all fun and games until it isn't. Here are some things to be aware of before you decide to dive deep:
Cases have been reported of hypnosis being used against unwitting participants for purposes of sexual abuse and other crimes. Imagine looking down and discovering your clothes have been removed but having no recollection of what happened. No good at all!
While erotic hypnosis is specifically meant to arouse participants, it's NOT a carte blanche for tops to do whatever they want while their partners are in a pliable and vulnerable state of mind.
Don't agree to be hypnotized by anyone who hasn't given you extremely good cause to trust them. If you start to experiment, take it slow and be on the lookout for red flags.
As Ayzad points out in his blog, Freud abandoned the use of hypnosis with his patients because he was unable to effectively control their subconscious minds in reliable ways.
The vast majority of erotic hypnotists in the BDSM scene aren't trained psychiatrists with proper awareness of what they're doing. So ask yourself, do you trust them more than Freud?
The mind is a powerful and unpredictable enigma. You have no way of knowing exactly what will happen if you let someone go digging around in your subconscious, proceed with care!
Hypnotists often suggest triggers to participants. For example, "Every time you hear the words 'good girl,' you'll feel an uncontrollable urge to suck my cock."
Now imagine having to swat your horny sub off your dick at the park after she overhears some stranger praising their dog.
OK, that might actually be fun (tee hee hee) but similar occurrences can and do happen. Take care while working with triggers and consider all possible ramifications of absorbing them.
Personally, I'm a risk-taking kinda gal and look forward to exploring erotic hypnosis more thoroughly in the future. So far, the people I've met in this corner of the scene have shown me that with planning, practice, safeguards and a commitment to ethical play, consensual mind control can be a fun tool intimate partners can use to dive deeper (and deeper and deeper and deeper and deeper...)
If you're the curious type and would like more info, check out this detailed guide for newbies to hypnokink, written by a friend with years of experience teaching as a hypno top.
If you're interested in getting involved in the community, search online for hypnokink events and classes in your local fetish community.
