#meehu

[tennfan2]

Hi! I’m back.

It’s been a weird few months, and I’d like to tell you about it. Please be warned that I’m going to be discussing consent violation issues, in case you avoid such things.

So. I’m going to Entranced.

Some context: these days I don’t get to go to cons much. Life doesn’t allow it. It’s been hard for me to leave the community I love so much behind, but that’s life as a grown-up.

I’d planned to take the whole year off this year, but then the stars aligned and it looked like Entranced was doable for me. I decided to go, and I was overjoyed. I made a whole list of classes I might want to teach or co-teach, the whole thing.

But nothing’s that easy. Around that time, I found out that someone who had previously violated my consent (and the consent of many others, as well as other non-consent-related but still significantly not good things) would be coming to the event.

I was pretty shocked that this person was being welcomed back - they had left the hypnosis community a few years ago after some pretty egregious missteps, though they had remained very active in other kink scenes. But their departure from hypnosis wasn’t forced or a punishment - they just kind of went off the radar to lay low.

Turns out I wasn’t the only one surprised to hear about this. I found out that other friends and acquaintances had experienced consent violations by this person, of varying degrees of severity.

Many of us who were hurt by this person spoke with members of the committee that organizes Entranced about our concerns - some through filing official complaints, others just in conversations. All of us expressed pretty significant concerns about this person’s attendance.

There’s a lot that went on in the time after that, but the short version is that the committee dismissed the complaints (and ignored completely any that weren’t made “officially”) and offered no meaningful insight into how or why the decision was made to let this person attend, other than a belief in “restorative justice.”

The committee then suggested that the person in question would like to speak to those whom they hurt in “mediated conversation” though it was unclear who would mediate that or how.

To say the process was handled poorly would be an understatement; it was actively bungled in just about every way possible. I am not getting into the details to protect others’ privacy, but it’s fair to say that for some folks, the mismanagement of the process hurt worse than the original issue itself.

What I can say is that this situation caused - and continues to cause - an immense amount of anguish for me and others. This is my one chance to see so many people who are important to me this year, and maybe for a few years. It’s also the only chance I have to do any meaningful hypnosis stuff in person. The love and affection I have for this event is potent - my first MEEHU literally changed my whole life.

It has been hard for me, because I believe strongly in not supporting organizations whose values don’t align with my own, and it’s clear that Entranced’s values don’t currently - and I wonder if they ever did - align with mine. But to choose not to attend would hurt me way more than it does Entranced.

So, yes. I’ll be there. I’ll also be constantly looking over my shoulder for someone who embarrassed me and violated my consent years ago. They’ll move freely through the event, and I’ll spend my energy avoiding them. They’ll be welcomed back warmly by people who don’t know what they did, and I’ll be over on the edges keeping an eye out.

I won’t be teaching or presenting, because I don’t want to expend my labor for the organization’s benefit. I won’t be buying an extra ticket this year that goes unused to support the organization giving scholarships to others. I’m not staying in the organization’s hotel block because I don’t want them to accrue any benefit from my presence.

I have no problems with or judgment for anyone who is presenting or remaining engaged in the event, by the way - there are a bunch of classes out there by some amazing folks that sound great, which I will happily attend. There are even people involved with the event I still know and trust. I’ll see new and old friends and have a grand time, I hope!

I’m going to focus on what I want to get from this event, and I’m not going to let anyone stop me from doing so.

Anyway, if you’ve wondered where I have been, that’s where. And if you wonder where I’ll be in July, it will be near Chicago, at a chain hotel in the suburbs having fun and doing hypnosis in spite of Entranced, not because of it.

[ellaenchanting]

hi! 38 and 45!

38. What are your feelings on pleasure triggers?

It’s complicated! As I stated before, I’m in a monogamous relationship, so anything to do with sexuality is tricky. I did Hysterical Literature last Entranced with pleasure triggers and that was a really rewarding thing to be able to learn to do. (Thank you again to the people who helped me with that btw- you know who you are!) I also had a really incredible scene at con that involved using that desire and denial against me in a REALLY satisfying way.

When I’m topping, I get nervous about using pleasure triggers because I don’t want to paint myself into a corner with sexuality suggestions that I can’t follow up on. I will do things with non-sexual pleasure more often. I also tend to give praise more than have specific pleasure triggers.

45. Have you been to a hypnocon and did you like it?

Yes! But only to 2- MEEHU last year and Entranced this year. Both cons had notable highs and lows but I really enjoyed them for the most part. I’d like to go to more in the upcoming year, but I’m not sure if that will be possible. I know Charmed is out, sadly. We’ll see!

Thank you for the questions! (And thank you also for the earlier compliment on my blog- I’m glad that you enjoy it! ☺)

[scarlettred912]

Deadline for Class Proposals - June 1, 2017

If you’re going to @entrancedhypnocon you may be interested in presenting.   If so, this post on FetLife confirms a June 1 deadline for submitting your presentation proposals.

[ellaenchanting]

Presenting at Entranced?

So- I kind of have a hankering for trying to present at Entranced this year. Unfortunately, nothing is coming to mind as far as a topic to present on.* For those of you who know me (or even who read this blog enough to feel like you do)- is there something that I have knowledge of that you’d like to learn? Anything here that might be of interest to others in the community? 

Please let me know!

*And yes, I am aware this is a pretty compelling reason NOT to present. This will only be my second con so I may just go to other people’s classes and put it off another year. But- if there is something I have to share, I’d like to think about teaching it!

[scarlettred912]

July 2017

NEEHU 8 is over, finished!   If you read tags #NEEHU and #NEEHU8, you’ll see some posts about New England’s longest-running springtime funtime hypnosis convention.  And if you know of more great reports to share with the rest of the class, please do let us know. But what’s next?

Entranced - formerly MEEHU - is July 14-17, 2017, smack dab in the middle of summer convention season.   It’s near Chicago in Northbrook, IL at the Northbrook Hilton, rather than a club or dungeon.  It’s $60 a head if you buy your tickets now, with the pricing going up in June (and again in July.)

[tennfan2]

Don’t Drop... Yet

I looked across the room at @zanythoughts, and our eye contact communicated an unequivocal shared message:

“What the fuck have we done?“

You see, we were about five minutes into the hypnosis “game show” we led/hosted at MEEHU, called Don’t Drop... Yet. I’ll let the class description explain the premise:

Join us, won’t you, for a unique game of hypnotic skill. Your hosts ZanyM and Tennfan will guide the room through a group hypnosis experience that’s part tease, part trance. The goal of this game is to wait as long as you can to go deeply under for us… a mission you’ll find delightfully difficult. Contestants will be asked to write one hypnotic wish they want fulfilled on a card, and the last contestant to drop into trance will have their wish granted - on the spot. Of course, everyone’s a winner because losing means a delicious ride through trance with your hosts. Remember, though: the only way to get your wish is to drop… just not yet.

Because we are just the right amount of self-confident and slightly delusional, we spent a lot of time discussing and focusing on things like the prizes for the event, various badge ribbons for participants, and how we would grant the winner’s wish. We had not totally thought out the actual process of hypnotizing people.

So it was that we were sharing a moment of existential dread with a room full of people hellbent on not going into trance at that particular moment. We had suspicions about who would hold out, but were flying incredibly blind.

Not long after that, though, our first winner appeared, with a head gently slumped down to their chest with a sign of relief that was definitely accompanied by one from the hosts.

Our expert judge for the class, @soundshypnotic, was keeping a close eye on the proceedings, and frankly, once we had our first drop, the energy in the room changed and things began to swing our way a little bit.

It was, frankly, an incredibly hot experience to hypnotize a room full of people who were actively (if playfully) resisting our efforts. I talk about what a perfect partner-in-crime @zanythoughts is, but like: this was exceptionally fun.

We weaved in and out among the attendees, occasionally focusing on some person teetering on the edge of trance to help them win, maybe with a little squeeze of the neck or nudge on the shoulder or just a well-placed word.

As people started to drop and others put up larger fights, things got more fun and more complicated. That said, we had some excellent tools at our disposal, namely @soundshypnotic and everyone’s wishes.

My personal highlight was having one attendee who seemed to be holding out a little too well, and remembering that his wish was to take a hypnotic vacation to Hawaii. A few well-placed words about how much our attendees deserved a trip to an island were enough to get him.

I was not aware of what people’s endgames looked like for the class, though we were able to root out a shameful cheating scandal (I think that makes us the Olympics of hypnosis, @zanythoughts!) so bad the offending parties didn’t even bother to show up.

There were a few people not feeling trance in the class, which is fine! I’m glad they were there to enjoy the experience, but the final three were very close, and the last two literally came down to a photo finish.

Your top three finishers were:

3) @dancercoder​

2) @lizzidoll

and in a surprising first place finish: @thehypnobunny!

Perhaps they will share the secrets of their success with you. Stay tuned for more on when we’ll play the game again, coming soon to a hypnosis event near you, unless that event is not one that we are both at, in which case, tough luck.

[tennfan2]

Peace in Cacophony

I walked out of the elevator on the 10th floor, and like every time was surrounded by my other family. It was loud and boisterous and people were seeking my attention from many directions. As much as I become a far more social animal at these events, it was pretty overwhelming.

And then a hand grabbed my arm with some urgency.

“We need to talk about something,” @zanythoughts said.

I was confused and a little nervous. The tone was familiar, and frankly one that sets me reeling when I hear it. I followed closely, as if I had a choice.

We turned the corner down the hall, and then another corner by the back stairwell. Why did we need to go here? I was confused and getting anxious.

And then I saw them. Huddled together were three more forces of nature: @enscenic, @soundshypnotic and @lizzidoll. I was standing in front of four intense and amazing people, and I had no idea why. None.

“You always hate missing out on things, but there was one thing that happened at WEEHU that you clearly missed more than other things,” intoned @enscenic, with a giant grin.

There it was. Clarity. A spark of realization. I believe it was @hypno-sandwich who told me I should probably sit down as the four of them arrayed themselves in a square around me. (I was so happy he was there to see and hear this and have a chance to relive his own experience.)

It’s a blur. I can’t recall who started singing, though I suspect it was @enscenic. it didn’t matter. As one voice layered on another, I heard glimmers of words. My brain was listening and understanding without hearing in that way we often talk about with hypnosis but rarely ever truly feel.

Down. Down. Down.

My brain spun with some combination of glee and gratitude and sheer joy. I wish someone had snapped a picture of my face in the moment, because while I couldn’t see it, I felt the dumb grin that comes out at the best of times. Then I realized that this version was made for me. The references to East Tennessee, the mockingbird and the poplar hit me in a way that was so overwhelming.

Down. Down. Down.

I was overwhelmed by the beauty and strength of their voices, which should not have surprised me but it still did. The emotion and the power and the repetition:

Down. Down. Down.

Wave after wave kept flowing and rolling and thoughts were more fleeting and I’d hear a word or have a glimmer that I couldn’t hold onto.

Down.

“I don’t deserve...”

Down.

“This is too much...”

Down.

“This is so good.”

Down.

“This is so good.”

Down.

“This is so. Fucking. Good.”

Down. Down. Down. Down. Down.

In the last verse, I heard it was ending as the voices faded one by one, completing their rounds. I wanted more. I needed more.

I was in shock a bit, as they surrounded me in an embrace. It was so quiet. Peaceful. We shared words and more hugs and i slowly returned to some simulation of consciousness.

It wasn’t until we returned to the din and motion of the consuite that I realized how much peace could be found in cacophony.