A Personal Journey Through D/s Hypnosis – Part 2, The Sub-Conscious

The sub-conscious is a fantastic thing to explore and I’m still not really sure what it actually is.  In recognising what I call my sub-conscious it has certainly given me more understanding and confidence both with hypnosis and beyond.

When I go under hypnosis it’s like my mind is encouraged to split in to two parts.  What I would consider to be the conscious mind is encouraged to move to one side.  It doesn’t shutdown as many people might expect under hypnosis, it can whirl away at high speed on some abstract chains of thought.  In moving to one side it raises the threshold for external stimuli, meaning that it shuts out sounds from the local environment that are not part of the hypnosis.  It’s not dangerous because I know that any emergency will breach the threshold and I can leave the hypnosis.

So what’s the other part of the mind ?  It is the sub-conscious to which the actual hypnosis is directed.  She talks to my sub-conscious underneath the whirling conscious mind, which absorbs and acts on the suggestions over time.

The part that can sound crazy is that I’ve reached the point where my sub-conscious actively conspires to keep the contents of a session largely hidden from the active conscious.  During a session my conscious mind is very much aware of the suggestions, albeit as an observer, yet as she counts me back out of hypnosis the sub-conscious puts up the shutters and the conscious mind loses all but the most vague impressions of what was covered in the session.

The activation of suggestions and triggers happens under the hood, so to speak.  Occasionally an idea or a thought crops up in the conscious mind and it speaks ‘this didn’t come from me’.  When I recognise those times, I might even hear the thought in her voice, with her giggle.  It brings a smile because I know she gets a kick out of hearing this reaction.  You might think it could be frightening to realise that there’s thoughts floating around that might not be yours.  It’s not, because of the really remarkable quality of the sub-conscious.

As I’ve gained experience with hypnosis, I’ve come to marvel at the power of the sub-conscious.  Not just how it can be used to process and implement suggestions, but the incredibly important function of protection.  When starting out there was a fear that hypnosis would make me do things I would not actually want to do.  And then I discovered how my sub-conscious works to protect me.

During a session it parses, interprets and filters everything.  What it agrees with it lets through and eventually hides it from the conscious mind with a fog of amnesia.  When it disagrees with something it not only doesn’t let it through, it leaves a marker for the conscious mind.  At the end of the session this information is available to the conscious mind to discuss it with her and let her know that some part of the suggestions don’t pass muster for one or another reason.

And yes, I have the confidence to discuss it.  By itself that’s quite remarkable.  It’s often difficult for a sub to raise concerns and I’ve been somewhat guilty of that in the past.  The confidence gained from the sub-conscious is amazing.  If it speaks to me, then I know it’s important and significant and that I have to have the conversation about why it’s speaking to me.  I’m able to initiate the conversation without guilt and that’s a new thing gained from the hypnosis.

The confidence that the protective and active sub-conscious has given me with regard to safety from hypnosis has spilled over to other areas.  I find that I have the confidence to discuss so many other things.

It’s a wonderful feeling.

There’s the saying ‘listen to your body’.  To that I can add ‘listen to your mind’.

My sub-conscious has given me the confidence that I can’t be made to go where I don’t want to go.  I can protect myself from negative or harmful suggestions.  And in being able to discuss what doesn’t work I gain increasing trust that she has no dark agenda, that she’s there to work on and reinforce the positive.

This is perhaps the most intangible of all things to result from the hypnosis.  To understand how my sub-conscious mind works, both the limitations and the potential, has spilt over in to so many other aspects of my understanding of being submissive.  I would even say that I might not have had the confidence to start this blog without the freedom that the sub-conscious has given me.

Melody has blossomed under that confidence, even the male side has seen benefits.  At the outset, I had no idea where the hypnosis would lead, even if it would have any effect.  It’s been one of the best decisions in my life that has lead to the active inclusion of my sub-conscious in my outlook and decisions.

My domme may wince at the confidence she’s given me, melody can be gobby, sarcastic, irreverent, poking fun and popping bubbles.  I would counter that that is far more interesting than sullen, closed and unprepared to open up emotionally.  And I have to say that she puts up with it with remarkable grace and sanguinity.