6 months on

It was 6 months ago last night that I performed my first hypnotic induction; Wednesday, 17th September 2008. Looking back it's hard to believe just how much has happened in such a short period of time, and in fact it feels like far longer. I felt that a quick summary might be in order.

My first induction was 10 days after I first decided to learn hypnosis, and it worked perfectly. I remember the excitement I felt as I talked my friend's hand into the air, and the expression on her face when she opened her eyes in amazement at what was actually happening. That sessions was just baby steps, but it was no less intoxicating for me than anything else that was to follow.

I started off with inductions from Reality is Plastic, but I soon picked up others including my two favourites; the 8-word induction and the Ericksonian handshake. Most recently I have begun to accept the concept that an induction, any induction, is merely window dressing for a far more fundamental principle based upon expectation and taking on the role of being the hypnotist.

It was a whole two months after that first induction that I decided to start this blog, encouraged by other blogs that I'd come across. I can't believe that I've already been writing for over 4 months, and that I seem to be averaging in excess of 10,000 words a month, which based on my university standards is absolutely crazy!

I think the biggest single boost to my development as a hypnotist was meeting other hypnotists at the first London HypnoMeet, arranged through UncommonForum. That meet and several meets that have happened since have been a great incentive to develop my skills and a great way to share experiences and techniques with an wonderful group of like minded people. This all culminated in the opportunity at the last meet, in Oxford, to perform impromptu hypnosis on complete strangers in a pub, which was an enormous buzz.

Then of course most recently there has been the significant development my own ability as a subject in the last couple of months. I went through a real low at one point around about new year when found myself facing the agonising possibility that I could not be hypnotised, that I would never get to experience any of these amazing phenomena for myself. Of course I have since come to learn that it is absolutely possible to learn how to be a better subject through practice, and I have every intention of doing just that.

I think if anything my only regret is that I didn't come across hypnosis earlier in my life. In particular I really wish that I had discovered it in time to take it with my to university and I have real envy for anybody who has that opportunity ahead of them.

Someone said to me recently "once you open the hypno-door, there's no going back". I think that a truer word has not been said, but then who said anything about going back? I still have the hypnosis bug, no less so than when I first started, and it's showing no signs of going away any time soon.

I can only wonder what surprises and experiences the next 6 months will hold.