So you want to experience erotic hypnosis, perhaps with a partner, but maybe you’ve heard that it can be risky. Maybe you know hypnosis has a strange reputation with certain websites for content.

Let me assure you that erotic hypnosis is by and large not only a safe way to explore fantasy and kink, but an incredibly wholesome one, with a community of dedicated creators and fans, hypnotists and subjects who very much care about consent, safety, and empathy.

That said, there are some common pitfalls to avoid, so let me help you navigate the world of hypnokink and give you the best opportunity to enjoy erotic hypnosis without risk.

Trigger Happy

Something you’ll encounter early in your hypnosis journey are triggers. Triggers are words, phrases, sounds, images, any specific stimulus that has an attached suggestion. For example, you may discover that someone snapping their fingers makes you feel sleepy. That’s a trigger.

Mostly, triggers are a way to prove the hypnosis works. A method of showing you that yes, you have been affected by the trance you were, or are, in. If you respond after a trance to me saying ‘cake’ by thinking of, oh let’s say a cute butt, then you’ve been affected by a post-hypnotic suggestion that is ‘triggered’ by a word.

When hypnotists use triggers they can choose whether or not to make them open. This is where the risk comes in. An open trigger is one that anyone can use, or that can affect you anywhere. For example, if you had a trigger that made you take off your top when someone said ‘take it off’. The hypnotist would be wise to caveat that with ‘when it is safe and you feel comfortable doing so’ or ‘only when I use that phrase’.

The two issues with open triggers are giving anyone, including someone malicious, the chance to use them, and the potential for them to come up in regular vanilla life. Open triggers aren’t inherently bad if they’re carefully used. I include some in files including being mildly aroused by the colour red, and feeling pleasure upon hearing the Wilhelm scream, as absurd as that sounds.

What can happen however, with open triggers, is that they’re simply too broad. Too common a word and you could have someone reacting to it in public when they don’t want to. Most likely common sense will prevail because our minds are powerful, but hypnotists should be careful with these aspects of the kink, because it can cause distraction and frustration in real life.

Open triggers that can be used by anyone maliciously are a little worse. If a subject is used to a trigger being used, and they speak to another hypnotist or just an opportunist with bad intentions, they can find their play or scene escalating into something they don’t want, quite quickly.

Being vigilant and being careful about trigger use, and for subjects, about who to trust, is crucial to successful play.