So you want to experience erotic hypnosis, perhaps with a partner, but maybe you’ve heard that it can be risky. Maybe you know hypnosis has a strange reputation with certain websites for content.

Let me assure you that erotic hypnosis is by and large not only a safe way to explore fantasy and kink, but an incredibly wholesome one, with a community of dedicated creators and fans, hypnotists and subjects who very much care about consent, safety, and empathy.

That said, there are some common pitfalls to avoid, so let me help you navigate the world of hypnokink and give you the best opportunity to enjoy erotic hypnosis without risk.

Trigger Happy

Something you’ll encounter early in your hypnosis journey are triggers. Triggers are words, phrases, sounds, images, any specific stimulus that has an attached suggestion. For example, you may discover that someone snapping their fingers makes you feel sleepy. That’s a trigger.

Mostly, triggers are a way to prove the hypnosis works. A method of showing you that yes, you have been affected by the trance you were, or are, in. If you respond after a trance to me saying ‘cake’ by thinking of, oh let’s say a cute butt, then you’ve been affected by a post-hypnotic suggestion that is ‘triggered’ by a word.

When hypnotists use triggers they can choose whether or not to make them open. This is where the risk comes in. An open trigger is one that anyone can use, or that can affect you anywhere. For example, if you had a trigger that made you take off your top when someone said ‘take it off’. The hypnotist would be wise to caveat that with ‘when it is safe and you feel comfortable doing so’ or ‘only when I use that phrase’.

The two issues with open triggers are giving anyone, including someone malicious, the chance to use them, and the potential for them to come up in regular vanilla life. Open triggers aren’t inherently bad if they’re carefully used. I include some in files including being mildly aroused by the colour red, and feeling pleasure upon hearing the Wilhelm scream, as absurd as that sounds.

What can happen however, with open triggers, is that they’re simply too broad. Too common a word and you could have someone reacting to it in public when they don’t want to. Most likely common sense will prevail because our minds are powerful, but hypnotists should be careful with these aspects of the kink, because it can cause distraction and frustration in real life.

Open triggers that can be used by anyone maliciously are a little worse. If a subject is used to a trigger being used, and they speak to another hypnotist or just an opportunist with bad intentions, they can find their play or scene escalating into something they don’t want, quite quickly.

Being vigilant and being careful about trigger use, and for subjects, about who to trust, is crucial to successful play.

Roleplaying Game

But maybe you think this is all roleplay. This is a common response when someone shares an interaction where a subject says that someone used their triggers against their will. ‘Oh, you can just say no.’ ‘You’re roleplaying.’

And of course you can, and hypnosis is not mind control. It cannot actually force you to do things you don’t want to do. Being aroused can. Arousal clouds judgement, and in that state, seeing a trigger that’s been established with you can lead to you going further, faster, than you may like.

This is not necessarily because of hypnosis, it’s because of conditioning, which is slightly different. We condition ourselves all the time. We learn behaviour with reward. If I clean my house today I will buy myself a treat. If I do this every day for a month, I am now conditioned to associate a treat with cleaning. I am Pavlov’s dog and I now own 30 handbags I don’t need. I drool mindlessly over their leather curves.

I digress, conditioning is real. Hypnosis is too. Do enough hypnosis and you can condition responses. Such as from triggers. The sudden rush of arousal or feeling of mindlessness that a specific trigger can bring is quite powerful, if the subject has become conditioned by it.

They will still have agency, it’s highly unlikely that in a public setting if you hear a trigger you’ll respond with anything more than a raised eyebrow and a sideways glance, but, if you want to follow it – you probably will.

That applies more in kink spaces. If you meet a new play partner who knows your triggers, you’re already in the mindset and the space for them to use them, and if they wish, exploit them. Blind trust is dangerous, and can lead to someone being manipulated – same as any other relationship – but add in a kink for feeling helpless, and you create vulnerability.

So it is crucial to exercise agency, and caution. Bad people exist in every space. Bad actors occupy every kink. Not everyone has your safety in mind, and no matter how safe you feel, no matter how confident you are that you’re just roleplaying… sometimes we let the wrong one in.

Bad Actors

This applies regardless of triggers, regardless of hypnosis, frankly. Being submissive, in particular, opens you up to certain dangers – though anyone can be at the brunt of someone’s negative attitudes and behaviour.

It’s important when finding someone to enjoy this kink or any kink with, to make sure they’re willing to engage in a way you are comfortable with. Don’t jump straight to the scene. Talk it out. Tell them what you’re willing to do, share your limits clearly. If they don’t want that conversation about consent, move on. If they show any sign of ignoring or pushing your limits, end the scene and move on. The block button is a powerful tool and ‘no’ is a complete sentence.

Yes, it’s hard to find someone to enjoy a niche kink with. It’s not worth being pushed beyond your limits for.

You can generally lean on the community you’re in to find people. There are places on Reddit, on Discord, and other outlets that have active groups who share your kink. You can often ask someone if anyone else can vouch for them in these spaces. If they’re new, and you’re new, perhaps try to find someone more experienced before you dive in.

I am fully aware it is difficult to engage this way. Not only does it feel transactional, but when you’re desperate for a chance to jump into your fetish and you find your people at last, you don’t want to waste any more time, but you do not know the person on the other side of the computer, and we largely find people online.

Do not automatically trust someone. Do not assume they are who they say they are. I’ve had impersonators try to scam people with my avatar – taking advantage of my personal desire for anonymity to exploit others.

There are bad people, and that goes for absolutely every space you can be in. Erotic hypnosis gives them a chance to be extremely nasty because it’s niche, we’re all excited about it, we all assume if someone found this weird, actually wholesome little kink, that they can’t be that bad.

But they can. So be vigilant and be smart. Don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable.

Addiction

There is one other aspect of this kink, and any kink really, that you need to be aware of. Addiction.

Sex addiction, porn addiction, these are real issues for people and erotic hypnosis is no different. You feel a high when you experience it, mentally and physically. That can become reward, and you coming back constantly to enjoy it can become conditioning.

I’m not talking about just listening to audios or having hypnokinky fun with a partner every day. That’s a hobby, a fetish. Addiction is better defined as when you are so conditioned to engage in a specific behaviour, that it interferes with other aspects of your life.

If you find you’re neglecting your health, family, friends, job, to engage with erotic hypnosis, it’s time to stop, and step away from it. You can take a break and come back, or for some, you simply need to accept that you can’t have a healthy relationship with this kink without some assistance from a therapist or counsellor.

If you feel that you may have developed compulsive behaviour with hypnokink, seek help from outside the community. Sex therapists can assist, and being honest with the people in your life can lead to support you wouldn’t otherwise get.

Stay Safe Out There

Erotic hypnosis is a relatively safe way to enjoy your fantasies. It’s a pretty wholesome, and intimate kink. It’s about the most gentle way to have an erotic experience I can imagine.

All that said, words and the human mind are powerful, and bad people can and will exploit that. Whether you were into some extreme kink or something gentle, bad people would take advantage if they could, because for some their kink is in doing so.

So do not trust everyone. Do vet play partners. Do step away from situations that make you uncomfortable. Do stop the file if you think something isn’t right. Do take a break or seek help if your behaviour becomes compulsive. Do watch out for open triggers. Do prioritize your safety.

Do engage proactively, and safely. Be aware, and be safe, and you get to enjoy one of the most fun, interesting, and unique experiences you can have in a sexual context, safely.