#downthestaircase

[darkpagesworld]

[tennfan2]

A Walk In The Woods (Or, Tennfan Meets A Friend)

Isn't it nice to spend a day with someone who loves hypnosis?

Of course it is. And spending the day with my good friend Natalie, better known as downthestaircase, was a genuinely lovely thing.

She'd never met someone she knew online before, which made for a little nervousness to start our time together, but it was eased by a walk through the campus of her university, which she names, but I won't.

We headed for the university gardens, which she'd spent a lot of time on Skype calls talking up, and which lived up to the hype! They were a great place to walk around and enjoy some quiet. We ended up settling onto a large sloped lawn and spending time talking shop and life.

But, of course, you're here for the hypnosis, aren't you?

Some highlights:

We spent a lot of time working with kinesthetic-focused inductions, which she'd never had a chance to play with. As any of us who have been in that place before know, it's always a little bit mind-blowing when you realize how much you can do with them. I did some kinesthetic inductions and deepeners, and she returned the favor. It goes without saying, but she's a very skilled hypnotist for someone who's new at this stuff, comparatively.

I actually hadn't been hypnotized outdoors, ever, a realization that hit me long after we went our separate ways. It's something I'd like to do more of (he said, looking in the direction of people who he'll be seeing in the months ahead).

We talked a lot about how to use touch in hypnosis as a tool to help make the trance more profound. She wrote a great (and ridiculously flattering) post about that here.

My two favorite moments were these, though:

Natalie studies German, and after some discussion about my bi-lingual experience at MEEHU, we had chatted a bit about the idea of her hypnotizing me entirely in German. This created a few possible hiccups, since I speak not a word of German, and she's not fluent herself (yet). But she found a script and ran it by her professor.

We settled into a little nook in the library and she had me focus on a spot on the wall – thankfully my unconscious figured out what should nominally happen in that situation, and more helpfully noticed that the induction included a count of some sort. I was so focused on the spot and processing the words, Natalie's intonation really did a great deal of the work. As I picked up on the rhythm of the words and her speech it became very easy to follow what was happening.

It was not the deepest trance I've ever experienced, but it was one of the most interesting. I do wonder if having a lot of hypnosis knowledge makes it easier to experience a trance in a language one doesn't speak – a familiarity with the rhythm and pacing certainly helped me.

My favorite moment of the day came when Natalie mentioned off-hand that she didn't like the “famous” butterfly fingers induction. The hypnotist who “invented” it performs it with a great deal of flourish, but also a ton of physical aggression and loud, fast talking. While I intrinsically get the point of doing that way, it also feels almost confrontational to watch.

I mentioned off-hand that there's no reason to do it that way – the point of the induction is just another pattern interrupt. (It's also why I scare quoted “invented” above.) So I told Natalie I'd do the induction with her in a way she enjoyed. Instead of speaking loudly, I spoke softly. Instead of jerking her arm around, I held her hand lightly and moved it gently. Instead of moving my fingers quickly, I moved them with control and rhythm. I synchronized the way I moved her arm and the way I moved my hand and then I crossed them up, which caused her eyes to cross and a word and a gentle tug sent her ridiculously deep.

I love the story because a) it is never not fun to blow someone's mind with hypnosis. b) it is never not fun to do an induction that works just like you wanted it to. c) it is never not fun to find new ways to use things in hypnosis. d) it is never, ever not fun to help someone who loves this stuff find new ways to think about it.

So that's the story of a delightful day with a good friend. I'd remind you to read her blog, but I'd be shocked if all of you weren't already.