Avis' Subject Symposium: Dumbing Down Dread
Art by Acro @sodalite96/https://twitter.com/sodalite96 Used with their permission. Go check them out!)
Recently and for basically my whole time producing Jock/Jock Adjacent Hypno content I’ve gotten a variation on the same question.
“Is it possible to listen to your files without losing my I.Q. Points?”
I’ve gotten it on discord, Tumblr Asks and DMs, Patreon messages, the works.
I've always said this, but I.Q. is perhaps one of the worst ways that we've developed to measure intellect. Highly rigid and dogmatic, Deeply contextual to certain societies, developed as tools of eugenicist movements, and overall being relatively limited and restrictive to the type of intelligence that gets valued. (Here are some links and citations for further reading because one doesn't just make claims 1, 2, 3).
But it's good as short-hand and it is kind of alluring to imagine something as complicated as intelligence being twisted and manipulated like a knob on a console; raising and lowering a number.
Lots of really good tf stories have that hook. I'm even guilty of using the term once or twice in my files or my captions(though always with a disclaimer attached)
But overall I get the question that’s really being asked. You're basically worried that by using my files you're suddenly going to be zonked into a drooling incapable Moron and that scares you for some reason.
Well, first to assuage the fears of both you and many others. If you don't want it to happen (either consciously or unconsciously) then you probably have nothing to worry about. Any tist or file-creator worth their spirals will always tell you that your brain is fully capable of refusing most suggestions, and at any point you can say "No" or revoke consent.
That's the simple answer to your question.
However I'd like to use this as an opportunity to ask those of you with this similar concern to consider some alternate perspectives.
I've worked with a fair few people who would be considered very intelligent by the standards of most intellectual purists. College educated, Diplomas. Some with doctorates. Lawyers, actors, presenters, writers, More than one Biomed student.
All of whom have enjoyed Dumbing in one form or another. I've even partook of some of my own work like the Painted Himbo file and Enjoyed that Pink haze of ditzy dumbness myself. It is incredibly enjoyable. Freeing. Reducing your thoughts and vocabulary. Allowing that Uninhibited Fratty-Ditzy-Drooly Dumbness to overwhelm you.
One will note that the people I am talking about, myself included are not drooling invalids at this point in time.
That is because most people who go for dumbing do it as a part of a singular experience. A passing high like the buzz of a drink or a Smoke. They enjoy it and then they return to their baseline of competence, occasionally bringing along some of the more fun aspects of reduced capacity with enough Listens. Because as anyone who has done any form of hypnotic programming will tell you, in order to see long-term effects you've gotta listen consistently and put in the work yourself . Otherwise you're not gonna see any changes.
The majority of people will probably experience Dumbing Hypnosis in this fleeting, fun, experiential way, so there is nothing to be worried about for the majority of you. Go listen. Enjoy. Zonk to your hearts desire.
However there is another perspective. Another question to ask.
Is it really that bad to be dumb?
Societal expectations and typical modern value systems prize certain forms of intellect because they are associated with productivity. In short, Smart people make slightly less smart but more ruthless people more money.
If you want to live within this system that’s more than ok. It's not bad to be smart. It has its perks.
But in my experience many of the subjects with whom I've worked who have been tempted by and decided for themselves to plunge deep into the realms of permanent dumbing have almost invariably come back out of it happier, healthier, and without an ounce of regret.
Men who had achieved the societal expectation of intellect but were never fulfilled by it. In fact were ravaged by the anxiety and dissatisfaction which it so often brings.
Who relished the chance to finally give up that life and reduce their cares along with their Vocabulary. Restrict their anxiety in addition to their interests. To indulge in blissful ignorance and uninhibited joy. But even these people didn’t completely ruin their lives.
Can it truly said to be ruination if at the end of the day you have a smile on your face and a newfound appreciation for life?
Its just a pivot. A change.
Being smart is right for some people in the same way university might be right for some people.
But it's not right for everyone.
So perhaps one should question if its ever been right for you, or if you might instead prefer to be like one of those Happy few who gave up the chains of expectation and lived for themselves for once.
Perhaps one should question how much your “High I.Q.” has really contributed to your overall happiness.
Perhaps you should give a few of my dumbing files a listen, cause surely Smart guys like you will be able to appreciate some of the arguments now that you know you have nothing to worry about.
Thanks again to Acro for letting me use their Art, definitely go and support them on twitter. And If you want to support the creation of more hypnotic experiences that you know you can trust, then you can do so by subscribing to my Patreon, or to my Youtube channel. And if you want to interact more closely with me and my supportive community you can join my Discord server.
And check out my file archive on my website!
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