on request - reference/lessons/etc

I was asked recently by a lovely co-twitterer NookieNotes about whether I've got some material to help with learning hypnosis, specifically reference, lessons and so on.

so, not to waste any time, I'm going to simply put some links here which should help folks find out how to get started.

1. YouTube: simple one, learning by copying is how I got my start. Just like any kind of complex skill, you have to master the basics before you can get fancy. Find a simple video of an induction, something you think you can follow, and watch it, over and over and over again. Then try it on your friend/lover/coworker/brother. Over and over and over again
   Brian David Phillips - nice simple easy to follow inductions
   katherine Anne: a bit fancier but shows you can start young.
   learn the inductions, practice them on friends, then take them apart, start changing parts to get your own style and learn what works and what doesn't.
   eventually you can move onto more complex stuff, NLP less direct inductions, once you get the feel for what people's minds are doing as you bring them down.
   Derren brown's stuff is probably the more complex showy stuff, that you'd like to strive towards (and surpass ?)
   
2. Warpmymind: This one is a bit more interesting, if you'd like to experience some easy free hypnosis, there are a ton of (fetish mostly though not all) files here. most will not work as well as a live hypnotist, try the plain inductions (bubble induction, blink induction are both good starters) learn them feel them out, if they affect you, then Great! enjoy them. if not, they still affect others, nearly everyone can be hypnotized, but not everyone respond to common methods.
3. Blogs!: You're reading one now! and there's also a few more in the "Other People" section to the sidebar here!... yes, go check them out... yeah I'll wait.
   read a few? interested? good.
   what these give you is a sense for what other people who are just in your position (just want to experiment / learn / enjoy it) are doing. I try to find the most interesting material and link it there, all stuff that I follow. I use an RSS reader like Google Reader to keep up with the slower updating ones (the faster updating ones I can check every day myself) there are others out there, if you find them out, I'd love to hear about them.

I hope this is at least a little enlightening to all here, I'd write more but it is getting late, and I cant do ALL the work for my readers.

I'd love to hear what resources other people have and what they use to find information and enjoy reading.
One thing I didn't mention are communities, this is where you meet the other people interested in this subject. There are quite a few but they are generally not hypnosis oriented, twitter, myspace, and the usual places you hang out at are probably the best, because the people who mention this interest along with their real life are most likely to be the trust worthy ones (they have little to hide)

Above all, have fun, learn, share, and be safe

- Sharky

Hmm... A new name on the list?

Hello to all of Sharky's loyal readers! I'm sure a new post is exciting, seeing as he's been quite negligent as of late. And though it isn't from the big guy himself, I hope a new voice is just as exciting. :)

You can call me any variation of my alias (though Red is most preferred), but here I am!

I've actually been in contact with Sharky for four months prior to this intro. We've experimented with so much that I have to admit to forgetting half of what we've done. (Whether or not this is Sharky's doing, I can never be sure. ;) )

It all began with my insatisable curiousity about our favorite subject -- hypnosis. I'd been following several blogs and was thoroughly ready to experience some hypnofun of my own. Fortunately for me, I found this little site that belonged to a certain Curious Hypnotist. I read through the posts about twenty times, giving me plenty of time to gather up the courage to say a meek "hi". But Sharky was incredibly friendly and more than eager to try out his skill on another victim.

Erm...subject. I said subject, Sharky. :)

That night -- or a few later -- he brought me into my first trance through text. Since then, we've done most of our trances over videochat. This accounts for some of my memory loss, as there aren't any chats to go back and glance at. But, I'll be posting things as I remember them, so you should get a variety of amusing stories. At my expense. But hey, so long as we're all laughing. :)

I'm sure Sharky is more than willing to share stories of the embarrassment he's caused me, though. Never fear -- you shall hear all about our trances!

Anyway, that's all for now!
Hope this was a nice little intro for ya
Until next time
~Red

what do you want? - or some things about how and why hypnosis works

Most people imagine hypnosis as some sort of mind control.



Most people that are INTO mind control fetishes seem to think hypnosis is the best answer.



The truth is actually somewhere else entirely. Hypnosis, from what I've experienced has been a lot simpler than originally imagined. There really are two parts, focus, and trance, once you have both, you have Hypnosis.



Focus is what it sounds like, a person putting all of their attention on only one thing. The hypnotist in this case. To get people there all you have to do is say "pay attention to me", it's that simple, and of course some people comply and others look at you and ask why, the thing to remember is that as with everything if you want to get a person to do something, asking them to do it isnt always the best way.



The second part of Hypnosis is trance, and that's also fairly simple. In trance a person is put in a mental state where they stop thinking and just do things automatically. People enter into a trance all the time and dont even know about it; Watching TV, driving a familiar route, getting "in the zone" at work or doing some hobby are all trance, the key is the automatic reactions and lack of critical consideration on every step.



All together, Trance makes people react, and focus means people pay attention, when you put them together, you have hypnosis, the hypnotist suggests, and the subject acts. Its all very simple.



So what does all of this have to do with mind control? well, that's the part that gets turned off, or at least down when you're hypnotized. The part of your mind that thinks about things before doing, and that is paying attention to everything at once. Even when hypnotized, it's never completely shut down, and can be awakened by various things. The main one being forcing the subject to try and go against their own morals or fears.



So it comes down to this, Hypnosis works because the person hypnotized is deeply concentrated on the hypnotist, and in a state where commands are followed automatically. People who want to be mind controlled, enjoy this state and like accepting any suggestion regardless of it's nature... unless it steps over a mental boundary of some kind (phobia, moral objection) In short, hypnosis is not supernatural, entering hypnosis is almost entirely the subject's choice and remaining in it depends on basically what they are willing to do and feel comfortable with.



Some people can be convinced to do things they wouldn't always do while they are under, they CAN NOT be convinced to do things that they would NEVER do.



So, before and often during a session, the question to ask someone is "what do you want". If you'd like to keep someone in hypnosis, the key is to give them a ride they'd enjoy, to at the very least use what they like.Ask them what they're into, you can ask them what they think hypnosis is like, either way a good hypnotist always makes sure that the person going under knows what they are in for, even if it means they know they are in for a surprise.



Whether you're interested in being behind the swinging watch or in front of it I'd love to hear what else people would like me to talk about, so this is an official question for commenters.What do you want?



Happy Trancing.



- The Curious Hypnotist