Hypnosis Terminology
Like any specialized practice, hypnosis (and especially kinky hypnosis) has its own set of terminology: words that have specific meanings in this context. Think of this page like a small dictionary, defining terms that are common in the field of hypnosis and hypnokink.
- Abreaction
- An unexpectedly intense emotional reaction that can occur while hypnotized. These are often negative reactions (crying, trembling, etc) to traumatic past experiences. Despite the discomfort of going through an abreaction, they can often help people to process this trauma and deal with it better in the future. See this page for more information.
- Agency
- A person's ability to make decisions and control their own actions and reactions. Hypnosis subjects do have agency, even when they are hypnotized.
- Amnesia
- Loss of memory. In the context of hypnosis, it usually refers to “post-hypnotic amnesia,” where the subject comes out of a hypnosis session and cannot remember what happened during that hypnosis session. Amnesia caused by hypnosis is usually temporary.
- Boundary
In the context of kinky activities, a personal boundary (or just “boundary”) is a rule that a person chooses to put in place to control or limit their own behavior. The concept of boundaries acknowledges that it's not possible to control the behavior of other people, but it is possible to control your own behavior, and you can use that to influence the behavior of other people.
For example, if you have a kink experience with someone, and that person does not respect your limits, a reasonable reaction is to set a boundary that you will not engage in kink experiences with that person in the future. If they do not respect your decision, you can set another boundary that they are not allowed to even interact with you in the future; if they attempt to do so, you will ignore all of their attempts to do so, and remove yourself from the situation.
- Brainwashing
- Long-term mental changes resulting from repeated hypnosis sessions. A common trope in hypnosis fantasies and erotic fiction, brainwashing is often depicted as dramatically changing a person's thoughts, “washing away” their old personality and beliefs and replacing them with new ones. The reality is different: repeated exposure to hypnosis, especially deep hypnosis with the same hypnotist every time, can cause long-term mental changes, but these changes occur slowly and do not replace a person's personality.
- Catalepsy
- The sensation of your body being rigidly fixed in place. Eyelid catelepsy is a common indicator of hypnotic trance: the feeling that even if you try to open your eyes, they refuse to do so.
- CNC
- An acronym for “consensual non-consent.” CNC play involves a submissive person giving their informed consent to a dominant person, allowing that dominant to do certain things to the submissive in the future without needing their consent again. CNC play can be scene-based (time-limited) or indefinite (no time limit), but is generally scoped by topic or activity. For example, a submissive could give consent to a dominant to spank him and treat him roughly in the future, regardless of the context and situation, but that does not mean the dominant has consent to play mind-games with the submissive. This is sometimes also called “blanket consent,” because it covers a wide range of activities across a range of time; as opposed to “narrow consent” or “specific consent,” which only covers a specific activity at a specific time.
- Conversational Hypnosis
A style of hypnosis where the hypnotist gives suggestions to a subject during the course of a conversation. While a “formal” hypnosis session generally follows a standard set of steps (such as induction, deepener, suggestion, emergence), a “conversational” style relies more on the hypnotist observing the subject, noticing their reactions, and using whatever hypnotic language fits best to encourage a certain mindset or reaction in the subject.
Conversational hypnosis can be covert, but it doesn't have to be. The subject can be quite aware of the hypnotist's intentions, and can willingly continue the conversation, knowing that it will quite likely lead to a form of trance.
- Covert Hypnosis
- A form of CNC play where a hypnotist attempts to give hypnotic suggestions to a subject without the subject noticing, or being aware that they are being influenced by the hypnotist. If done correctly with a receptive subject, the subject can be hypnotized without their knowledge during what appears to them as just a simple, innocent conversation. This is sometimes (mistakenly) called conversational hypnosis; covert hypnosis is almost always conversational, but not all conversational hypnosis is covert.
- Dominant
- In the context of kinky activities, a dominant is a person who enjoys exerting control over another person, often in order to provoke reactions out of them. The inverse role is a submissive. A kinky hypnotist who uses hypnokink as part of their dominance is called a hypnodom.
- Erotic Hypnosis
- The use of hypnosis for erotic purposes.
- Fractionation
- Bringing a subject into and out of trance multiple times in succession. When done correctly, each trance affects the subject more strongly, so fractionation can result in very deep hypnotic states.
- Himbo
A fantasy architype of a man, involving three particular characteristics: physically impressive (large & muscular), dumb (not “book-smart”), and kind. The male form of a “bimbo”.
In the context of hypnosis and hypnokink, a significant number of men enjoy the fantasy of being transformed into a himbo: giving them the focus and motivation to work out and become stronger, while being mentally focused on providing (sexual) pleasure and happiness to those around them, without the burden of intelligence.
- Hypnodom
- A dominant hypnotist, who enjoys using hypnosis to dominate other submissive people. Can also be spelled “hypnodomme” to refer to a female (or feminine) dominant hypnotist.
- Hypnokink
- The use of hypnosis for kinky purposes; often sexualized, but not always.
- Hypnosis Session
- A period of time where a hypnotist and a subject practice hypnosis together. A single session usually contains only a single trance, but can contain more; particularly if fractionation is involved.
- Hypnosub
- A submissive subject, who enjoys being hypnotized as a way of submitting to others.
- Hypnotee
- Another term for a subject. The word implies a joined pair; “hypnotist” and “hypnotee”.
- Hypnotist
- A person who guides another person into a hypnotic trance.
- Induction
- The process of inducing a trance state of mind in another person. An induction is typically done by a hypnotisthypnotist, with the goal of hypnotizing one or more people. There are many different types (or styles) of induction; some are slow and calming, others can be nearly instantaneous, or stressful, or exciting. All inductions involve getting and directing the attention of another person: the person intended to be hypnotized.
- Limit
- In the context of kinky activities, a limit is an issue that a participant feels strongly about; usually referring to prohibited activities. For example, if a subject says “You can hypnotize me, but I want to remember afterwards,” then the subject is expressing a limit on post-hypnotic amnesia. When someone attempts to ignore or bypass a person's limits, the response is usually to set boundaries.
- Post-Hypnotic
- Any kind of effect that is set up in a subject's mind while they are hypnotized, but that takes effect after the subject comes out of the trance state of mind. These can include post-hypnotic suggestions and post-hypnotic triggers.
- Reinforcement
An action that anchors a trigger more deeply in the mind, strengthening the connection between stimulus and response. The strongest form of reinforcement is another hypnosis session, but that's not the only option; triggers are also reinforced by successful execution of the trigger, as well as by positive thoughts and memories of the trigger. Daydreaming about your triggers can literally make them stronger!
Reinforcement can prevent triggers from fading over time, extending the duration that they affect the subject. Theoretically, triggers can be reinforced indefinitely, making the trigger last as long as the subject wants.
- Stage Hypnosis
- Hypnosis performed in front of an audience, for the purpose of entertainment.
- Sub
- A shortened word that can refer to a subject or a submissive, depending on the context. Not all hypnosis subjects like to be submissive, and not all submissives like to be hypnotized, so this term can be ambiguous!
- Subconscious Mind
- The part of your mind that processes emotion and desire, as opposed to your conscious mind. Hypnosis generally involves communicating with the subconscious mind, whether that is for resolving conflicts between the conscious and the subconscious, or for using suggestions to ask the subconscious to cooperate in doing fun and interesting things to the conscious mind. More information available here.
- Subject
- A person who enters a hypnotic trance, usually facilitated by a hypnotist.
- Submissive
- In the context of kinky activities, a submissive is a person who enjoys giving control to another person. The inverse role is a dominant. A submissive who enjoys being hypnotized as a part of their submission is called a hypnosub.
- Suggestion
- An idea proposed by one person, intended to guide the thoughts of another person. Suggestions may be worded as commands, but they are more often phrased in a more gentle way, allowing the listener to decide if they want to accept the guidance or not.
- Tee
- A shortened word for hypnotee.
- Tist
- A shortened word for hypnotist.
- Trance
- A semi-conscious state of mind, commonly associated with (and resulting from) hypnosis. Can also refer to the process of inducing such a state of mind.
- Trigger
A stimulus-response combination, set up in a hypnotic trance. The “stimulus” can be anything that the subject recognizes, including a word or phrase, a touch, a gesture, a memory, etc. The "response" can be similarly broad, but most often involves some kind of action (or reaction) that is visible to others, so that the hypnotist can determine if the stimulus successfully provoked the expected response.
Triggers fade over time, which causes the connection between stimulus and response to weaken. A weaker connection means that when the stimulus happens, the response will be slower, less intense, and less likely to happen at all. Reinforcing a trigger will strengthen the connection and make it last longer.
- Unconscious Mind
- A part of your mind outside of your conscious awareness. Depending on who you ask, this may be the same thing as the subconscious mind, or it may be another part entirely.