Spiral or Spoof?

Postby questioneverything » Thu Apr 16, 2020 4:44 am

With the understanding that different people respond to different methods, is there anything to the use of spirals in an induction, or is it just Hollywood tripe?

Assuming the former, what does the subject do with them? Passive observation, or something more interactive?
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#1

Postby moonlightress » Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:33 pm

They're just for eye fixation. Because they move in often fascinating ways, they might hold the gaze a little longer than a static object, but essentially, they're just something to focus on to tire the eyes, while the induction does the work.

Many of them are pretty, though.
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#2

Postby questioneverything » Sun Apr 26, 2020 1:25 pm

Interesting...and what should the conscious mind be doing during this time?
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#3

Postby moonlightress » Sun Apr 26, 2020 1:36 pm

questioneverything wrote:Interesting...and what should the conscious mind be doing during this time?

Following the instructions of the hypnotist. :)
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#4

Postby questioneverything » Sun Apr 26, 2020 4:16 pm

I walked right into that one, didn't I?

What I was actually meaning was, am I supposed to have any conscious thought about the spiral itself? At times, depending on the design of the spiral, I get the visual illusion of traveling toward the center, sometimes emerging from it, sometimes it splits into two images, depending on where my eyes shift perspective, sometimes it blurs, sometimes the periphery blurs. I'm usually thinking at this point "Is this normal?", "Should I try to not have the illusion so I can pay attention to the hypnotist?", "Should I encourage the illusion along?", "Should I not be thinking anything at all?", "How CAN I not be thinking anything at all?"

I'm of the opinion maybe the last thought, because what winds up happening is that the hypnotist completely gets lost in the shuffle.

Maybe the spiral is just getting in the way? I don't know what on earth I'm supposed to do with it.
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#5

Postby moonlightress » Wed Apr 29, 2020 9:41 am

questioneverything wrote:[...]am I supposed to have [...]
[...] "Is this normal?" [...]
[...] "Should I try to not [...]
[...] "Should I encourage [...]
[...] "Should I not be thinking [...]
[...] what on earth I'm supposed to do[...]

See the pattern here? ;)

There is no "should"; there isn't anything you're supposed to be doing.
What your eyes do with the spiral is not the point. What your "conscious mind" thinks is not the point. Following what the hypnotist says to do and letting whatever response happens, happen, is the point. And at the risk of sounding like a Zen master, which I totally am not, you are already where you need to be.

This is probably a frustrating and unsatisfactory reply and forgive me if you've been told what I'm saying, before. It bears repeating.

You're overthinking it and expending your efforts in a less-than-useful way. Each person experiences trance differently; there isn't a correct way to do it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you are most likely expecting trance to feel vastly different from what you experience. This expectation is getting in your way. For many people trance simply feels like relaxation, at least at first. Your "conscious mind" will still have thoughts. You'll be just as aware and awake. It's not a mystical or "different" state. It is a safe bet you've been in trance innumerable times; perhaps what you mean is you haven't been in trance in a formal hypnotic induction setting - and even this is arguable.

It's possible, and likely, that what you experience is a light trance. Deeper trance is a learnable skill with practice, and a more useful mindset. But that is a conversation I would prefer to have in private. You're welcome to PM me.
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