Trancesylvania
Trancesylvania is a peer-to-peer Hypnosis Kink skill share meeting the Third Thursday of every month. We bring together those interested in hypnosis kink to learn from each other, practice our skills as hypnotists and subjects, and grow together as a community. Each meeting begins with a workshop, demo, or discussion presented by a different member of the community, followed by two hours of open time to practice and play. We believe that, with hypnosis especially, teaching is an invaluable way to learn and build confidence. We encourage everyone to consider volunteering to present a workshop, demo, or round-table discussion at one of our upcoming Trancesylvania skill shares. These skill shares are open to hypnokinksters of all skill levels, but will not be comprehensive 101 classes.
Community Norms
* You must be a legal adult aged 18+
* You must be sober while in attendance.
* Keep it confidential. No outing or stalking.
* No photos are permitted at this event.
* No nudity or sex at this event.
* Consent is absolutely mandatory and important. Negotiate and obtain consent for all trancing, kinking, or physical contact up front and do not "negotiate up" mid-scene.
- Consent may be revoked at any time.
- Do not involve yourself in other people’s scene uninvited. This includes trancing to someone else’s scene that you are observing.
- We rely on people to self-report consent violations. Do not assume someone did not obtain consent while you were not looking.
- “No” and “Red” are always safewords in this space.
* This is a learning environment and community event, not a play party.
* Respect all people of every race, color, gender, sexual orientation or lackthereof, body, neurotype, religion, nationality, and so forth. Bigotry will not be tolerated.
* Do not harass people.
* Respect the venue. Respect other people’s belongings. Respect each other.
- No smoking or vaping indoors
- Dress vanilla outdoors
- Do not share the address
* No therapy. This is recreational kinky hypnosis. It is entirely different from hypnotherapy. We do not cross the streams.
* Respect that this event is organized by unpaid volunteers with outside lives, disabilities, jobs, etc. our capacity to dedicate ourselves to your needs is limited.
Far-From-Comprehensive Glossary
Hypnosis:
“An altered state defined by absorption, dissociation, and suggestibility”
- TheSecretSubject“Using any kind of communication to play with someone’s focus, thoughts, and feelings as tools to make people experience amazing things.”
- Sleepingirl & GleefulAbandonRecreational Hypnosis: The school of hypnosis we do, AKA Kinky Hypnosis, HypnoKink, Erotic Hypnosis. Hypnosis that is just for fun. Recently there has emerged people who do vanilla, recreational, non-kinky hypnosis, but this school of hypnosis has its origins from the HypnoKink community.Hypnotherapy: NOT the school of hypnosis we do. Don’t cross the streamsInduction: Any method of putting someone in a state of hypnosisDeepener: Any method of strengthening the hypnotic trance stateSuggestions: The effects we’re trying to accomplish through hypnosisWakener: The process of bringing someone out of hypnosis. Also called “emerging.”Absorption: To be completely focused [on the hypnotist] (aka Hyperfocus). A key defining component of hypnosis.Dissociation: To distance yourself from a part of yourself or the world mentally. A key defining component of hypnosis.Catalepsy: Semi-involuntary immobility, a common sign of hypnotic trance.Fractionation: To rapidly shift someone back and forth between two states, typically trance and wakefulness.Fractionated: The semi-altered state some experience when they’ve been doing a lot of hypnosis in a short amount of time. One who is fractionated is absurdly easy to tranceAbreaction: An unexpected reaction to a suggestion (usually negative, but not necessarily)Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): Sometimes considered the most basic method of induction, where the subject in instructed to slowly relax each muscle in their bodyEye-Fixation Induction: The classic “watch my pocket watch/pendulum/finger/etc.” inductionPlay: Doing kinky things together.Scene: The session or period of time during which play happensAftercare: Time spent after a scene to take care of each other and return to baseline normal.Negotiation: The process of collaboratively planning your scene so that you can both consent to it. With hypnosis, you should not "negotiate up" mid-scene.Consent: Affirming explicitly and in a sound state of mind that yes I want this. Ethical hypnosis requires you to obtain consent to hypnotize the subject and for each suggestion you intend to give. Consent to one thing does not imply consent to anything else, nor does it automatically imply standing consent to doing the thing in perpetuity.Standing Consent: When someone says to another “You always have my consent to do this, without asking first.”Consensual Non-Consent (CNC): When two people negotiate a method by which one consents to things being done to them without obtaining consent, or even in express violation of apparent consent, such as being “forced” to do something. As heard in the sentence “we have a CNC dynamic.” People do entire classes on just this topic.Trigger: A suggestion that activates when a key phrase is said or thing happens. A common type of suggestion often used by beginners.Anchor: Like a trigger but rather than being a specific X happens when Y, is more of an abstract feeling. "Touching you here reminds you of this certain feeling or state of mind"Modality: The utilization of different senses such as visual, auditory, touch/kinesthetic, smell, taste, etc. The idea that people have "a primary modality" has been scientifically debunked but you'll still encounter this a lot in the community. Using a lot of different modalities together can be quite effective though.Aphantasia: The inability to visualize things in your imagination. A lot of people with aphantasia have trouble with certain hypnotic techniques and need adaptation. More common than you think.Subject Agency: the ability of the subject to exert influence over their own experiences of trance and hypnotic phenomena. I probably should fine a way to squeeze this into the paper glossary cuz it's very important but like, idk what to cut. I'll figure it out.Phenomenon/Phenomena/Phenomenal/Phenomenology/Phenomenological: Wooooo we love jargon. This is like, things that you Experience. Experiences. Your conscious experience of the world. Hypnosis lets us fuck with it :)Transderivational Search: A "what the fuck" moment where a pattern has been interrupted and in that split second moment your attention can be grabbed and redirected and suggestions can be given. Used for instant inductions.Zonk: To drop someone into trance, usually quickly.
Frequently asked questions about hypnosis
Q: Is this jawn real?A: Yes And. It’s a real experience people are having, and it’s also all in your head. Numerous scientific studies have observed that when you do hypnosis on people, hypnosis seems to happen. What exactly that means is highly contested. In a sense, we are manipulating the way that brains are squishy and prone to doing weird stuff that doesn’t make sense in order to achieve even weirder kinkier stuff that makes even less sense. We love to nerd out about the different theories here, so do ask.Q: Can I be hypnotized into doing something against my own will? Like rooting against the Eagles?A: You can always be manipulated and pushed into doing things that you don’t want to do, even without the involvement of hypnosis. Your ability to resist a hypnotic suggestion that you don’t want to follow is about the same as your ability to resist doing something that someone tells you to do under normal circumstances. Having a strong sense of agency as a subject is important, in the same way that, in general, it's important to have the confidence to enforce boundaries and say no to people in your life.Q: What does hypnosis feel like
A: It’s different for everyone, but we can all agree that it feels “different” and that it feels “good.” The way that you frame the trance is going to change how it feels too. We usually frame hypnosis as a relaxing experience, but it doesn’t have to be. So some trances can feel very different from other trances, even for the same person.Q: How do I know if it's working?
A: You might know immediately that the hypnosis is working, or it might take time to become confident in what trance feels and looks like. Both of these are common experiences. Just look for any changes in your baseline/the baseline of the subject. That should be enough of a sign that something is happening. Once you can accept that, you can stop asking if it's working and start asking how to have fun with it.Q: Can I use hypnosis to make my penis bigger?
A: You can certainly use hypnosis to make your penis bigger if thinking about hypnosis gives you an erection (ba-dum tish). But actually: No. You can’t make a biological change to someone’s body using hypnosis, or do anything that’s physically impossible.Q: Can I use hypnosis to cure my anxiety?
A: Ask a hypnotherapist. This is a kink space and we deal exclusively in kinky hypnosis that is for fun only. Do not cross the streams. Do not use kinky hypnosis for therapeutic purposes. It is incredibly dangerous to mix them and blur the lines. Do not try to "help" using Kinky Hypnosis. Even very seemingly innocuous things can be incredibly damaging. This is just for fun. Stick to having fun. Do not try to fix your friends/partners. Do not play therapist for people in your personal life.
In-Person Classes
SirAerius/EH Academy Classes & "Mix and Mingles" (On Hiatus)First Saturdays by SirAerius at the Nest. We highly endorse attending these classes and recommend them wholeheartedly to beginners. They are sometimes posted under the name EHAcademy. There is typically a 101 class followed by a "speed trance" style paired practice/meeting event. The format sometimes changes or is special month to month but they are usually also shared in this server with descriptions of that month's format.Trancesylvania @ The NestThat's us!! Third Thursdays at 6:30pm at the Nest. We don't always have classes but we sometimes do! We don't teach The Intro to Hypnosis 101 class but we do have workshops on lots of other hypnotic skillsHypnosis Skill Share @ Baltimore PlayhouseFourth Sundays at the Baltimore Playhouse. This is an event a city over similar to Trancesylvania which often has really good classes. They have a server called The Trancey Crab you can get in if you are interested and their events are also typically shared in this server. Wiseguy and other famous educators are local and attend this event so they get a lot of Big Deal classes.
Recorded Classes
Erotic Hypnosis: A Total Beginner’s Introduction
MesmeroticYouTube, Free, 45 minute videoHypnoKink 101 Full Self-Guided Asynchronous CourseHypnoStory & PandaPetSelf-Paced Online Course
Sliding Scale ($35-$80)This is a self-paced virtual course in hypnosis spanning 13 video lessons, an hour long demo scene, four handouts, reading materials, and more—taught by two of the most beloved HypnoKink educators in the community, known for touring city to city teaching amazing HypnoKink 101 workshops (including Philly!)Pacing, Leading, & Ambiguity
SleepingirlPay-What-You-Want (Minimum $10)
54 Minute Recorded WorkshopA lovely high quality recording of one of Sleepingirl’s famous workshops taught at HypnoCons across the country. This one focuses on several hypnotic language patterns and techniques sure to enhance any hypnotist’s toolbox.How To Hypnotize Someone (Inductions 101)
TheSecret Subject
Free 2.5 hour recorded YouTube classTheSecretSubject teaches amazing 101s at cons and has now put a recorded stream of her inductions 101 class on her youtube channel. Highly recommended!
Beginner-Level Books & Guides
Mind Play: A Guide to Erotic Hypnosis, 2nd edition
Mark “Wiseguy” Wiseman, 2022 editionPublished via CreateSpace
Available on Amazon as an eBook or paperback
(and most other places ebooks are sold)The Book on kinky hypnosis. It’s put on a pedestal for a good reason. Much more comprehensive than the free online guides, but still highly digestible. Please do be mindful to grab the latest edition for the best experience. This is the Newtonian Physics of Hypnosis.Learn HypnoKink
Sleepingirl & GleefulAbandon, 2023Learn HypnoKink WebsiteFantastic free guide available online and as a free downloadable ebook. They have a lot of different approaches than Wiseguy, which can be immensely valuable to newbies. In addition to the guide, this website hosts several other beginner-friendly articles by the authors. This is currently my personal favorite resource to direct beginners to as I love the framework used by Sleepingirl and GleefulAbandon.From Newbie to Hypnotist
Binaural-Histolog, 2018 (Revised 2023)Online GuideAnother fantastic free online guide. This one is more science and cognition theory oriented in perspective, focused on giving you a framework to build from. Check out his blog too for a lot of great hypnosis theorycrafting, science, history, and philosophy. If you're a theory and science of hypnosis nerd you will love binaural-histolog.Hypnonauts
Khatsha & VictoriaWebsiteAnother free online guide with a variety of articles written by frequent and well-loved presenters at cons.Mastering Erotic Hypnosis: A Comprehensive Manual for Erotic Play, Fetish, and Kink
James Gordon & Rebecca Doll, 2019Self-Published.
Available on Amazon and other online bookstores in print and paperbackIntended for more of a mass-market. Gordon and Doll sell this book as a “comprehensive course.” It’s 450 pages, which is a pro or con depending on who you are.
Intermediate & Advanced Books
The Mind Play Study Guide
Mark “Wiseguy” Wiseman, 2015Published via CreateSpace
Available on Amazon as an eBook or paperback
(And other ebook storefronts)The sequel to Mind Play, covers more intermediate material and is intended to be worked through with a group (but you can learn from it by yourself too). Lots of fun ideas for things you can do with hypnosis in here.Hypnotic Amnesia: The Book You Remember How to Forget
LeeAllure & DJ Pynchon, 2016Self-Published
Available on Amazon and other online bookstores in print and paperbackIt’s an entire book about creating hypnotic amnesia! The format is transcriptions of actual scenes the authors did together as they build up DJ’s ability to forget things on command, with each chapter being its own scene prefaced by LeeAllure explaining her techniques and DJ Pynchon reflecting on what it was like to experience them. A delightful read even if amnesia isn’t your whole entire kink. It also just demonstrates good rapport, negotiation, etc. really nicely. It doesn't teach you the Hypno 101s which is why I put it under Intermediate but I do think it's very accessible to newbies.''Kinky NLP: Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Erotic Hypnosis
Sleepingirl, 2021GumroadDo you want to get especially good at those particularly delicious hypnotic language patterns that just seem to ensnare the mind? This is the book for you. Assumes some existing knowledge of hypnosis, but otherwise beginner friendly.# The Brainwashing Book: Hypnotic, Erotic Behaviorism and Beyond
Sleepingirl, 2019GumroadA very comprehensive and science-forward book on making long-term behavioral changes to consenting partners. Or, in other words, brainwashing. A book for advanced hypnokinksters who are okay with the idea of changes that are less than completely reversible.
HypnoKink Conventions!
NEEHU: The World’s First and Longest Running Hypnokink Convention, happens every Spring in Connecticut New Hampshire. NEEHU WebsiteCharmed: The World’s Largest Hypnokink Convention, happens every January in Maryland and virtually, Charmed WebsiteBeguiled: The Midwest’s Newest HypnoKink Convention, happens in Illinois every Summer. Beguiled WebsiteDeepMind DarkWood: AKA “Camp Mindfuck.” Less of a convention and more of a retreat. The smallest and most intimate of hypnocons, involving camping out in the Berkshire Mountains every autumn. DMDW Website
Discord Servers
There are often free hypnosis classes held via discord servers. Our Trancesylvania discord server has a directory with invite links to recommended HypnoKink discord servers.