“Erotic hypnosis has a way of enhancing the things that the subject already enjoys. It can draw things out that would otherwise stay hidden, allow the hypnotee to be more sensitive, and lower inhibition if that’s what they want,” hypnodomme and certified hypnotist Katherine Dire tells mbg. “It’s a way of playing with sexuality in a way that is a little indirect.” Then, the hypnotist suggests you into a trance. During hypnosis, a person’s attention leaves their immediate environment and clings to “inner experiences such as feelings, cognition, and imagery,” according to research1 by hypnotherapist Ann Williamson. You enter a consciously induced trance that mirrors lighter trances you already experience at least twice a day. When we wake up and run off our list of to-do’s, when we recap our day before bed, and when we zone out mid-drive and miss our exit—all are types of trances. How you experience a trance depends on the suggestions the hypnotist makes. Your relaxed state of mind can resemble sleepiness, grogginess, fuzziness, or floating. “Everyone experiences hypnosis differently. Some get extremely relaxed, some get turned on, some don’t experience anything, and some get amnestic,” says Dire. You stay in that deep state of relaxation until the session is over or something snaps you out of it. “You will never do something against your core values,” NLP-certified hypnotist Syren Rayna tells mbg. You drop your inhibitions, but you don’t lose your morals or who you are as a person. For example, she says that if you’re an animal lover and your hypnotist makes the suggestion to run over a rabbit on your way home, you’re going to snap awake because the suggestion doesn’t click with your core being. The entire process is voluntary and meant to leave you feeling lighter than before. Still, having a hypno-orgasm is an enlightening experience. “The orgasm is all in the mind,” says Kanaan. “So doing a hypno-orgasm gets someone to realize the largest sex organ is actually their brain.” Your body is a human tape recorder that remembers everything you’ve ever felt. Erotic hypnosis lets you exchange your physical expectations for inner sensations. “Erotic means sexual arousal,” Rayna tells mbg. “It doesn’t mean orgasm. It can, but it’s not built in.” It’s normal to do an erotic session without any goal to have an orgasm. Sometimes it’s about empowering yourself, feeling good in your body, or showing yourself that your mind is powerful. Audio porn and ASMR are also related concepts, though they’re not exactly the same as erotic hypnosis. Audio porn is audio content featuring or describing sexual situations; it’s like pornographic videos, but audio only. ASMR, which stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, describes a euphoric feeling experienced from hearing certain satisfying sounds or seeing certain types of videos. All three experiences present you with a way to let go and connect to your internal frame of mind. “Audio erotica creates a blueprint for your mind to decorate the way it likes,” Gina Gutierrez, the founder of erotic audio platform Dipsea, tells mbg. If that’s the case, then ASMR is the interior designer, and erotic hypnosis is the property manager. They have unique roles as well as the potential to fit together and use subtle and specific stimuli to ignite your deeper, innermost sensations. Not everyone who practices erotic hypnosis has the best intentions, which is why research is so important. The phrasing of a hypnotist’s suggestions is paramount to a safe session. Watch out for any hypnotist who tells you to be “beholden only to them” outside of agreed-upon power play. And “realize that any suggestion that goes against your moral fiber, you can kick out,” Kanaan adds. With a unique view on life, she taps into her own experiences to guide folks to live life for themselves, empowering them to explore their inner wild and find their own way in adulthood. Her weekly newsletter is a tiny way she furthers her mission to hold space for the unfathomable, romantic, and messy parts of life that make it that much more beautiful.
