How do you experience trance?

[livelonger8]

I've been wondering about others experiences. Although many will state that each and every experience is discrete to others - and conscious experiences are distinct also - but should have some form of consistency. Personally, my trance's are often similar to those occuring when falling asleep; I would essentially begin to fall unconscious, with my thoughts and perceptions becoming intricate and are interpreted consciously via metaphors, whereas other trances may be a complete state of focus, although I would lack conscious awareness - I would still be somewhat unconscious, lacking literal communication.

I'm wondering if other's experiences are similar - do you fall unconscious, do your thoughts become odd and are your perceptions no longer literal, and ultimately, do you feel sleepy in a trance?

[Jeshi]

It feels like a very relaxed feeling.
Like I just relaxed my body as much as I could.
Like my body is surrounded in warmth that goes "Sure you COULD move your body, but you won't, and you aren't going to, and you don't want to" and if I do somehow move my arm or something then just that arm feels like it came out of trance, but it quickly falls back into the warmth.

And in my head, I'm always thinking "Am I going deeper? Did I relax enough? am I paying to much attention to the words?" not realizing that by doing so I'm not focusing on the words but just the sound of the voice, and then my mind will trail off "I wonder what other files I should listen to" and then I'll suddenly realize I trailed off and I'll start focusing on the voice again, then worry that I'm paying to much attention to it but find that I can't stop listening to it or force myself to trail off again, then after 5 minutes {Feels like 5 minutes, probably less} without realizing it the entire thing starts over again, until the wakener which always comes during the end of the loop when I realized I trailed off, and I'll feel my body cooling, and it goes "That warmth was getting a little hot anyways" and then when the hypnotist says "1" or "awake" or whatever he says, My eyes snap open and my mind is fully aware and my body is normal temperature and I know "I'm awake", unless there was a suggestion to forget I was in trance in which case it's more like a "Did I blank out for a bit?....Was I in trance? No I wasn't in trance I wasn't in trance I wasn't in trance, Windows media player isn't open {Even though it is, I have already closed it without thinking before I think this} so I couldn't have been playing a file, I should listen to a file then go to bed"

Usually however by the next day I remember having been in trance, and unless I specifically try and remember waking up from it like right now, I don't even remember forgetting I listened to it.

For me, Suggestions related to memory loss wear off really fast.

[livelonger8]

Thank you for that post - I highly appreciate it. Your trance is interesting - often, I experience this when falling into the hypnotists words although after, without succumbing to the worry of falling deeper or listening to the words of the hypnotist, I would fall unconscious - almost completely unaware or completely when without conscious thought or behavior. The reason for creating this thread was due to difficult in finding a consistency for the mind. Personally, my trances are similar although I'll fall into a sleep state in which my thoughts are intricate, often shrouded with peculiar images that can be decoded consciously in ways similar to dreams. When a suggestion works - and becomes a process subconsciously, I will experience whatever the hypnotist suggested without any form of control or awareness upon the mechanisms responsible for producing the experience - whatever is suggested becomes inevitable, although if another portion of my mind recognizes that it's correlated with a desirable experience pertaining to my conscious mind, it will as a consequence, awaken. But still, nonetheless, hypnosis still works, but there has to be a consistency in individual trance's - the ones that produce hallucinogenic experience (e.g. the actual feeling of something (e.g. an orgasm), seeing, smelling or hearing) or enhancement of either cognitive or bodily components - a trance that isn't just relaxation but also cascades a desirable effect.

I hope for others to post their experiences also - hopefully a pattern can be recognized from individual experiences.

[hellion0]

Very rarely do I get the "lost time" type of trance. Most times, it's a feeling of very deep relaxation, floating between consciousness and unconsciousness - I could move, but I just don't feel a need.

[livelonger8]

[demigraff]

[Alien4420]

[livelonger8]

*bump*
These are a great read! Thank you to all who have posted their experiences so far! :D

However, can any experience hypnotist or other individual define a consistent basis for hypnosis? To clarify, I mean -- does falling unconscious but hearing the hypnotist's voice define a deep state of trance, the feeling of "floatness", interpolated belief systems or obedience - or perhaps a mixture of all, define an effective hypnotic trance?

[MN_FriendlyGuy]

[livelonger8]

[MN_FriendlyGuy]

[zapnosis]

Hmm... for me trance involves a feeling of relaxation and numbness all over my body... after some years of experience and probably more than 1000 proper trances, I find it easy to completely empty my mind... when it comes to actually remembering the session, it is rather like remembering a dream in that I can't always remember details, but I can usually remember the impression they made on me... I rarely remember enough detail to piece together the whole session, unless it's one of my own sessions of course cos then I don't even need to think about it...

In the best and very deepest trances, I feel little shocks of pleasure that shoot up my arms and legs... sometimes the whole length of my body... this has been known to build to a completely blissfull high... and my thinking becomes "mechanical" - I don't know of any better way to describe it.

On occasion, in very deep trances, I have felt like I am falling over backwards. One of my more spiritual friends has told me that this is the first sign of an "out of body experience" - the "soul" floats up, but the head is the last bit to disconnect, but I don't know... When I have gone very deep every day for a week or more, I've sometimes felt a pressure at the front of my head when not in trance, just at the top of my nose, that is almost uncomfortable... pushing my head back, like the same thing is trying to happening again. Still, I don't read too much into it - the mind is a very complex thing!

[Zorque]

I've never gone as deep into trance as I'd like to have, but for me it's always a sort of paralysis. It's not that it's impossible for me to move, but it's really hard to work up the will to do so. I get a little dizzy and disoriented too, but I don't really notice until after I've come out of it.

[livelonger8]

[blu4eva]

I have been listening to EMG's files and have felt so incredibly relaxed, almost like I am actually sinking or being sucked into the bed (Think Nightmare on Elm Street but in a good way!!) I am conscious of his voice totally but am also unable to move although I feel a REM like state with my eyes because I get totally absorbed in the background noises of the tape as well. I feel his suggestions and get stirrings in my body similar to working up to an orgasm almost 8O I feel so in tune with what he is saying and find it hard to move, primarily because I think that I don't actually want to! My only issue so far has been not wanting to come back when I am counted back as I am so happy and relaxed. This has only happened once though and I think that I was kind of fighting against the suggestion as it meant giving total control over :?
When I did come back though I felt overwhelmed by emotion and felt shaky and out of control. I don't consider this a negative experience though merely a step along the right path. Thank you EMG xx

[kitsukat]

Normally when I trance, I can still move around a little. Mainly things like turning or touching in order to get more comfortable, though I try to resist. I may try some freeze files to help with that.

Triggers are really effective with me, especially if I'm addicted to the file. Lately, I've also been listen to memory play which has been really good in training me to trance better. I still don't get the lost time feeling, but sometimes, I'll completely forget having even listened to the file if I try to recall it.

I tend to get this buzzy feeling in my head when I go deeper. Sort of like that feeling you get if you yawn, and every once in a while, I'll see swirly pictures behind my eyelids, but that's only if I'm really deep, but still conscious.

[BobbyS]

I seem to have a million different responses...

When listening to recordings, I find I can usually only enter a light trance. This is just a feeling of being very relaxed and, with any luck, my mind locked onto the hypnotists' words.
At this level of trance, only behavioural suggestions have consistently reliable effects.
Much as I'd like otherwise, I have NEVER had any results with files that cause you to feel sexual arousal or orgasmic feelings. (Still get a momentary woody on the way down though. ;-) )

The only time I've been hypnotised in person felt completely different. Still relaxed, but with a kind of purposeful stillness and calm.
This may be because I lie back in loose and/or casual clothes to trance. This time I was sitting upright on a chair in my work attire.
Unlike when listening to recordings, my head didn't slouch and it was like my body just left itself locked in the position it was when it went into trance, rather than droop into a relaxed heap.
Still definitely an altered state, but very different.
Don't know how deep I went as it was just a taster. Arm levitation worked, and after locking it in place, my arm was pale, still and waxy. My eyes were rolling about beneath the eyelids, which is meant to also be a good sign.

I think I actually had my deepest trance last night though.
I can't think of how to describe it other than it was like being asleep but conscious that you're asleep at the same time.
Also, it felt like the front of my brain was 'buzzing', which was weird.
I had a weird kind of dream at one point, and it took me a while to realise that I was actually visualising a suggestion from the hypnotist.
At the end of the session, you're given the option of waking up when the background music stops, or remaining in trance (in case you have another file queued or something).
Despite there being nothing else on the playlist, it felt so nice I opted to just stay in trance. I didn't care how long for as it felt wonderful.
After what felt like ages, I woke up. I'd remained in trance for an extra 15 minutes.

(If anyone's interested, the file was Drop Like A Rock by Ember Larimar. It's a trance trainer file with a re-induction trigger that's used repeatedly over the course of the file. Femdom overtones also.
I think she worked so well with me as she puts all her files up for free so there's no question of being tranced to buy stuff and thus a sense of trust, and her style is just what I'm looking for - soothing, calm, silky smooth but with an air of authority.)