Hypnosis and B&D

By David Goode

When I read a book or article on a subject that interests me I like to understand a little about the author, this helps me get some perspective on their viewpoint and also allows me to evaluate the article's content. In keeping with my own views I thought that I should give a little summary on myself so that you have some idea of what the author is about when you read any of my articles.

I am a 43-year-old male Dominant living in the United Kingdom with my submissive partner, Jan. We have both had previous marriages and are now happily enjoying the adventure of exploring our darker sides. During my youth I became interested in hypnosis and dabbled in what was then a mystical art that seemed to be frowned upon by anyone you cared to talk to. This hobby was soon replaced by the more mature (and more expensive) hobby of dating!

My main career was field based for a blue chip company and I fell into the security and drudgery of what became a mundane job. When my marriage failed I decided to use some of my free time to re-explore hypnosis, as a result of this I took the required training and passed both sets of exams and I am now practicing as a hypnotherapist, with the prospect of working towards a psychology degree next year.

Hypnosis and BDSM

In recent months a career change has enabled me to step back and take a little time to think about various issues that had previously been curious questions that I really didn't have time to dwell upon. One of those queries was based on a casual conversation with a colleague who was wondering how I could be a hypnotherapist and help people when I had a lifestyle that they considered perverse, "Surely there would be a conflict?" he asked me. I explained that part of my role is to help a client understand themselves better and guide them towards their own goals, not hypnotize them to become part of the BDSM scene. This left me wondering if there was any connection between hypnosis and power exchange.

In order to look to see if there were any similarities between the two subjects I tried to define what they were. Here was the start of my problem - there is no single definition of hypnosis that is conclusive. The medical profession have been debating the subject for years along with the scientists who want to be able to measure hypnosis to show that it exists. I resolved myself to stick with the definition I felt most comfortable with, that being: -

'Hypnosis is a condition of profound relaxation which you allow yourself to enter, during which time there is an altered state of conscious awareness'

By relaxing effectively and therefore removing the need for critical reasoning by your conscious awareness, then allowing yourself to consider different input (usually from a hypnotist) you can change the way you have previously thought about almost any subject, the usual things being those annoying habits that you just can't seem to stop no matter what you do. This is in effect bypassing your conscious awareness.

There are two key elements to hypnosis, one is the client's perception, and the other is the rapport between the client and the hypnotist. The catalyst, relaxation, fuels these.

If we look at BDSM in context with the previous paragraphs all we need do is change the labels from 'client' to 'submissive' and 'hypnotist' to 'dominant'. In any scene there is the element of safe, sane and consensual (ssc), which usually means that serious levels of trust are involved. This indicates that there is a 'rapport' between the dominant and submissive.

When a scene occurs the submissive is effectively surrendering power to the dominant because they want the scene to happen, even expect it to happen, and they are certainly allowing it to happen.

So far the similarities are significant.

In hypnosis there are six stages to the session: -

• Induction - Initial relaxation and acceptance
• Trigger - A signal to help affirm the trance
• Deepener - Method used to relax client further and deepen the trance
• Ideo-Motor Response - Visual signals from client for Yes/No/Don't Know
• Therapy - Change of thoughts or beliefs with subsequent change of habits
• Termination - Bringing client back to full consciousness

In BDSM we find a similar course of events to those above, although they could be widely different in description. One example could be: -

• Induction - submissive restrained to bed - relaxes and accepts what is coming
• Trigger - Signal from Dominant that play is beginning, perhaps music or the placing of a blindfold etc.
• Deepener - The use of various toys mixed with the effects of adrenalin usually creates a very relaxed state of mind.
• Ideo-Motor Response - The traditional safe word or signal
• Therapy - This could be interpreted as the encouragement given by a dominant that the submissive is really doing well and can really break through the barrier for those last ten lashes, in effect changing thoughts or beliefs.
• Termination - At the end of the scene it is the dominant's responsibility to see that the submissive is kept safe while they return to normal behavior patterns.

Clients usually experience temperature changes under hypnosis, which can be either a severe drop in body temperature causing them to physically shiver once they are fully awakened, or they sweat profusely during the trance and feel quite warm when awakened. I have found this to be the case with submissives too, some return from 'sub-space' feeling cold, others are sweating.

By looking at these features alone my personal conclusion is that sub-space is a form of self-hypnosis and that there is indeed more than a passing resemblance to hypnosis. This means that dominants need to be even more aware of their words and actions when their submissive is in sub-space as it is the dominant's duty to protect them, not just physically but mentally too.