For anyone who's experienced it, what's it like to have your trigger phrase activated?

Also, how does a hypnotist actually go about implanting triggers? Is it really as simple as telling a hypnotized person something like "when you hear the word 'x' you will do 'y' action"? Or is there more nuance and complexity I'm missing?
Also how effective can triggers be and what are ways to enhance their effectiveness?

Also would love to hear other people's questions about the subject, as well as ofc answers to all of them.

And if people just want to share their general experiences about having triggers used on them, would love to hear that too!

I have a trigger with a very nice dominant, and activating it is like... there's a kind of static that appears except its a woolly feeling in my head, and actually everything just becomes so unutterably distant and irrelevant but to pay attention to her, and I relax instantly.
My vision .. uh, visibly sharpens too. It's quite pronounced. And then there's just a nice soothing warmth as more of the words come in.

Reinforcing it feels sooo good.

As for how it was implanted, you'd have to ask her.

Oh neat, thanks for the description. I'm surprised that you find your vision sharpens. By reinforcing do you mean just repeating the trigger or is it restating what the effect of the trigger is supposed to be?

I'm curious, what makes up your trigger? To be clear, I'm not asking what your trigger is (doubt you'd actually want to share it lol), more is it like a simple command (like stereotypical 'sleep' command) or is it like some kind of phrase or code or even a made up word? Or do you not even know what it is until your dom says it to you?

Can it be activated anywhere at any time? If so… that’s super interesting.

It's only activated by her, but anywhere. And it is a phrase, I guess?

Reinforcement is just any time you use it. Using it keeps its effect strong. It's just a trance trigger, not for anything cool like a behavior, but I find it remarkable how real and immediate the mental changes are.

Now I wanna hear from other people!

As do I. This topic has always intrigued me so any type of information anybody that is willing to provide is greatly appreciated!




I'm curious abut this; that concept is threading a fine line.

I have always wondered if there is a good I dont know, video that gives a cool trigger word that you yourself can use. I do not trust anyone enough to use a trigger word so having one I could use myself would be fun.
For what I've seen I cant find any self use ones, anyone got a vid of a fun self use trigger.

Look up Nimja and Ultrahypnosis on youtube. They both have some videos that allow you to trigger yourself, rather than someone else doing so. You may have to dig for them, but they're there. I think there's a couple other channels that do the same, but I'm not remembering their names currently.

Oh, as a hypnotist myself, I can answer this one.

So to answer the first question here, I'm going to be intentionally vague: it depends on what the subject is like. Usually, it IS as direct as getting a subject deep enough into hypnosis that they accept long-standing or post-hypnotic suggestions. At the end of the day, that's arguably what a trigger is; a latent post-hypnotic suggestion.
However, some subjects like their suggestions given indirectly, or in a more subversive way. But ultimately, the effect is the same. And that is just to suggest, one way or another, that X effect will happen when Y condition(s) are met. There's many ways of going about it, some straightforward, others more nuanced. And the possibilities are endless.

It also depends on what type of effect the trigger will have. The more complex it is, or the more loosely it's left to interpretation... the more guidance the subject may need to experience the intended effect. This goes for much of hypnotic suggestion, though, and can be discussed at length with no clear answer, as it's subjective (heh). Some subjects like adapting and letting their mind come up with things; others like rigid, explicitly laid out directions to follow. It just depends. But I'm always down to chat about it!

Side note: a responsible hypnotist will usually put restrictions, limits, and safeguards in place. Specific safeguards I use tell the subject when, where, and how the effect will be allowed to happen, basically. Reasons why should be obvious, but I can elaborate if you'd like. Said safeguards are as follows:
-Only I can use the trigger. (This ensures that no random stranger, or even a friend, may intentionally or otherwise use the trigger phrase or action.)
-The trigger will only work in specific places or under certain conditions, such as being in private, or in a setting where the subject is comfortable with its use.
-The trigger will only work if it is physically safe for it to take effect. (This ensures it won't work while the subject is driving, for example.)
-The trigger's effects will only last as long as intended, and if all else fails, the subject's mind will revert completely to normal if I or the subject fall asleep or unconscious (or if I am no longer capable of attending to them, unless otherwise specified), other conditions are no longer met, or if the subject is no longer comfortable with the suggestion associated with the trigger's effect in the moment.

That's the standard rules I set in place before AND after any trigger is "installed" so to speak. It ensures the safety and peace of mind of the subject, and establishes another very important level of trust and rapport between hypnotist and subject.

Now to answer your other questions:
Triggers can be as effective as any other hypnotic effect. It depends on a variety and plethora of factors, but once again I say, "it depends". (I'm copping out a teeny bit, sue me.)
Basically, it depends on the experience level of the subject AND the hypnotist, how well the subject and hypnotist's preferences and skills match up, how creative the subject is, how well the hypnotist established and described the effect, the depth of trance, how suggestible the subject is, and many other factors. But ultimately, again, triggers (or any other hypnotic suggestion, for that matter) can be as effective as the hypnotist and subject can collectively allow for. If a suggestion doesn't stick, it's not just the subject's "fault". Hypnosis is a two-way street, and both/all parties are contributing factors to success and failure. You win and lose as a team.

As for how to reinforce triggers, that's a much simpler answer: humans are very complex in many ways. But in a few ways, we're still very simple. We often learn best from repetition. Either vicariously or personally experiencing something makes it stick.
The best ways to reinforce a trigger and its effects are simply to do both of the following actions:
-Get the subject back into hypnotic trance and go over the trigger, suggestion, and effects again with them on a regular basis.
-Use the trigger often enough that it becomes second nature to the subject's mind to act on it.

The more you do those things, the less reinforcing is technically necessary, but keeping up with it is still good practice. If given enough time, even the most reinforced triggers will fade from the most suggestible subject's mind. My record for getting one to last without use or reinforcement (and still be fully effective) is... I want to say 2-3 years. But it was a very simple effect. (It's called "Icy Hands" and it just makes the subject feel like my hands are ice-cold when they touch the subject. Consent to touch was established both before trance and during to really cover all the bases.) More complex suggestions/triggers will need more reinforcement, as you may have inferred.


So yeah, that about cover it all? I think that covers the majority of the stuff I can most directly answer without making this a full essay on real hypnosis. I can answer more if you want. Also YMMV. Every hypnotist will have slightly different answers based on education and experience. So will subjects. Just FYI.

Oh, cool. Down to chat? I'd love to discuss and learn about it. I don't mind if its a full on essay lol. Currently I'm drafting up follow up questions to your response.

Yea, for sure! I offered, right? Haha.
I have a packed schedule this week, so I may be slow to reply, but I'll get back to you when able!

I have a few in me... probably the most noticeable one would be a drone-like headspace... usually triggered by having a specific person drape a semi-see-through shawl over my head.

Its like a slow drip... thoughts slow down, emotions aside from happiness fade into the background. Still there but hard to notice. The specific person I'm talking about becomes.... more. More important, bigger... they become everything. From then, most of my thoughts are just an echo of whatever task I've been given most recently, or a very simple picture-book-like slideshow of this person.

The headspace is very... heavy. Mostly visualized as a weighted curtain blocking "me" off from myself. Far too heavy to lift on my own

We have the standard safeties of it needing to be safe to start, she has to be the one to do it, or explicitly allow it. And if I'm actually needed, I can just undo the mental curtain myself.

Aside from that, I have a few trance triggers, and we're working on a puppy play trigger :)

Oh that's cool to see a non-verbal trigger, was hoping to see some of those shared here. I can definitely see how the shawl would be such an effective trigger, tying in your curtain visualization quite literally: complimentary but simple, very clever (in my recent researching into this topic, turns out I've been overcomplicating so much about how triggers work and well hypnosis in general). Does the shawl have to stay over your head or is it just to activate the trigger?

You said only a specific person can activate the trigger; what happens if they're not the ones pulling the shawl over you? Like would nothing happen or would you react a certain way since you do know its your trigger but know its not your specific person. Or like what if your person was the one doing it but you didn't realize it was them (like say they came from behind- or is part of the trigger seeing your person approach you with the shawl so you're already preparing to enter that drone state and that 'coming from behind' hypothetical is irrelevant)?

Dang, again really love and appreciate the description you guys give. Really helps get the sensation across! Them becoming 'more-more important-bigger-everything' is such a fantastic detail (makes me a bit jealous lol- wish I had someone I could do that with- as in make them experience that sensation...and maybe if they were the right one I'd let them do that to me too).
Could you elaborate on that 'picture-book-like slideshow' bit- love that phrase but I guess I just want a little clarity on what that means? Also, in this state do you feel like she could get you to do or say anything (not that they would, just if that you feel you would/could do anything for them)?

Like I said already, it's really impressive how you connected your trigger to your visualization, did it take you guys long to come up with that? Or I guess how did you go about coming up with this trigger? Did you play any part in coming up with the idea or was it purely her? Similar to one of my initial questions: was it really as simple as her just telling you 'when I pull this shawl over your face, you will become a drone' while you were entranced (or you don't know since you were hypnotized and I'd have to ask her lol)?

I have learned about the necessities for safeties on triggers and it is fascinating and reassuring how it seems many take this aspect seriously.
Did you ever have like an accident with your triggers (with any of your triggers not just this one) like: she didn't make a trigger respond to only her and someone else set it off, or was there a time your person unintentionally set one off (a friendly hypnotist educating me on the topic shared a story of how they accidentally triggered 4 of his friends at his apartment at the same time by saying a sentence w/ the word 'freezer' and their trigger activated on the 'freeze' part)? Or were you two always careful about it- which if that's the case, where did you learn/who did you learn from on how to do it safely? You part about 'needing to be safe to start reminds me of the same hypnotist I mentioned early how he had another story about a friend who had her trigger have a delayed activation for couple hours because it went off in public and she waited till she got home before it went off and put her under,
And it always amazes me how people can be so engrossed in the trance with 'no way to get out of it' and then just snap out of it 'if you're actually needed'

Lol that sounds like a fun one.

Awesome, I've been trying to get in touch with hypnotists as I've researched this topic as I'm interested in actually learning how to do it. (and sorry for taking so long to respond)



So I guess the real question I'm asking then is: how do you get a subject 'deep enough'? (and by that I mean, I'd love to learn how to).
Also, how do you know is 'deep enough' to accept 'long standing or post hypnotic suggestions'?
Side tangent: I've chatted with a different hypnotist (or maybe you're the same one on deviantart, in which case: *waves* hello again sleepy, a lot of these follow up questions will probably be redundant lol) and he brought up anchors which was really easy for me to understand because it was basically just classical conditioning. Like he gave the example that he would rub his girlfriend's ear whenever he kissed her and after several months of doing that, now whenever he rubs her ear, she is compelled to kiss him. And that was so straight forward to me cause I instantly thought of Pavlov's dog. But that type of conditioning takes months to achieve, so how does hypnosis make that work after one just hypnosis session? (Or am I wrong in how I'm thinking about it?)



Okay while I get straight forward approach now, it just was baffling initially to think that really all you'd have to do is just tell a hypnotized person something like: "whenever you hear me say 'sleep' you will fall back into a trance" and it'd work right away- like it's so simply and such a big stereotype in the community that I assumed there had to be more to it than that.
For fun; could you give an example of the more nuanced/subversive ways? Like really just how endless? Like what's the most creative/ out there way you planted a trigger on a subject?

Like I'm thinking of the varieties of triggers I've seen in fiction. From seemingly random phrases like "suns getting low". To computer like activation codes like "Melanie-five-echo-tango-echo". To ambiguous questions like "when you think of my eyes, do they tempt you?". To ambiguous commands like "walk through the velvet doorway". To physical triggers (like the one mentioned here of pulling a shawl over the subject's head).



That makes sense, and I imagine how experienced the subject is with hypnosis also affects how much guidance is needed? While I assume if you work with the same subject long enough you figure out their preferences, so how do you handle someone who's new? As in both: someone who is new to hypnosis but also when you have someone familiar with being hypnotized, just new to you.
And yes I'd very much like to chat about it if you're available!



That makes sense. The other hypnotist I've chatted with said similar things and explained how it helps sets the subject's mind at ease and establishes the trust between hypnotist and subject. And describing the effect is well...to make sure they know what they're supposed to be feeling. Is there something else I'm missing (don't hesitate to elaborate if you want)
Also is this talk supposed to be happening while the person is entranced or prior to putting them under?
And I wonder if a subject has ever asked for fewer safeguards? (like say they enjoyed the thrill that their trigger might go off unpredictably)



And again, just to make this clear for myself, you really are just straight up listing these things as directly as possible.
Interestingly enough, the other hypnotist I mentioned above shared a story of when he accidentally didn't place those safeties on a trigger for one of his subjects and she heard her trigger in public but she didn't react to it. Instead, the activation was delayed till she got home, where she dropped into a trance. And that hypnotist explained how subjects can choose to block/reject triggers if they're not in that environment they consider safe (which brings up the question of subjects activating their own triggers intentionally or accidentally). But at same time, he also made it sound like she was more experienced with hypnosis so I feel a newbie to hypnosis wouldn't be able to resist their trigger like she did.
He also shared that from now on he incorporates this (imo) really brilliant idea for his trigger/safety. That if the subject hears their trigger from someone else, they will recognize it is their trigger but not activate it and instead remember how good they feels when their hypnotist triggers it for real, thus reinforcing the trigger without risking it going off in public.

Also do how often do people intentionally try to use other people's triggers?


Yeah I remember when there was a forum post on here where people were upset there was going to be a radio hypnosis show and them bringing up that "it could be dangerous for people driving in cars" (granted I kinda rolled my eyes at that because to be completely truthful, prior to beginning my research on the topic I was extremely skeptical of 'real hypnosis'. Like I love hypno and mind control content but always chalked it up as fantasy over reality and at best it was like a placebo effect/being psychosomatic- which from what I've learned isn't too far off since 'all hypnosis is self-hypnosis')



I feel whether or not to include a length on the effect depends on what exactly the trigger causes. But then again I guess similar logic applies to the other safeties, Like if you're doing a hypnosis show and you're wanting the subjects to play around with each other's trigger, you wouldn't a limit on who can use it, but you would then include something like that the triggers will stop working as soon as the show is over or maybe for the next 'x number of hours.

But I'm intrigued by that 'if all else fails part'. Like does that happen? How often? What would be the consequences if you don't add in the "the subjec'ts mind will revert completely to normal" measure (like that line does sound kinda ominous)? Would it be like in Office Space where the subject is permanently under the influence of that trigger? But I also remember reading somewhere that just going to bed usually undoes post hypnotic suggestions or is that wrong?

That also reminds me of the other hypnotist sharing another story where he unintentionally triggered 4 girls in his apartment at the same time by saying 'freezer' in a sentence when their trigger was 'freeze' (which opens up another tangent of how fast do triggers work? Like these girls weren't expecting to hear their trigger and it really was just they heard their word within a larger word and the hypnotist claimed them reacting to it was instant...also for a trigger that makes a person not move; what happens if they're off balance? or have an itch? Are they really just not even able to shuffle in place? Or catch themselves if they fall?). Anyway he didn't notice for several minutes... so like would they just be stuck there till he noticed or would they eventually snap out of it?



So like the girl I mentioned before who rejected/delayed her trigger when hearing it in public.

But yeah, definitely as I've studied this more, the more surprised I become on how much power the subject has (though it does support my initial theory how hypnosis works like a placebo) instead of the stereotype that the power lies in the hypnotist. And I know- I've heard hypnotists tell their subjects "I can't make you do anything you don't want to do" but always felt like that was a....not necessarily a lie but a trick to get them to lower their guard and if they did perform an activity they wouldn't normally do, they'd just chalk it up as 'well I guess I did want to do this since the hypnotist said he can't make me do something I don't want'.



lol should've kept reading before asking about when to set the rules.
Have you ever had it where you did all these safeties and yet still something went unexpected?



I WILL :P



So it wouldn't be advisable for a new hypnotist to work with an experienced subject? Or would that be preferable since they know what they're looking for and can guide the new hypnotist in how to hypnotize them better?
Though how much does "preferences" and "matching up" come into play? I feel if both parties are experienced enough, they can make it work even if they don't necessarily match.
Also I'm getting that its implanting a trigger is simply, the trick is getting the subject to the point of accepting it (which still need to learn that)



Like if the hypnotist rushes the hypnosis process or makes the trigger the subject doesn't like, or if the subject is being resistant for some reason (like they're just not in the mood when it started)?
That is interesting how you and the other hypnotist frame it like the hypnotist and the person they hypnotize are a team when like the popular trope in this community is more like a master/slave relationship where the subject is at the mercy of the hypnotist.
Also how you just are very matter of fact about it, 'heh, you win some, you lose some'.
Also just a cheeky thought...by 'two way street' do you mean like the subject can hypnotize the the hypnotist back? (uno reverse that shit lol)




Well vicariously works to a limit. Like dancing, you can watch a dancer infinitely but if you never try to do it yourself, you'll never come even close to replicating what they do
(which random tangent: if you hypnotize/trigger someone to do something they have no experience with, would that just fail? Like I remember watching a hypnosis show where a girl was hypnotized to belly dance and I know enough about belly dancing to know thats not something you can just pick up- its not like twerking lol- but she was doing really well like it looked natural to her....so what would you think is the case there? Like it really was just since she's seen belly dancing she that was enough for her to dance that well while hypnotized? Or was it like stooging, where the hypnotist knew she could belly dance already but didn't let the crowd know that so her dancing skills would seem as if they came from the hypnosis...though I feel that would make the hypnosis irrelevant at that point since she'd probably wouldn't need much coercing to begin with to get her to belly dance since from my experience those who can belly dance aren't shy about showing off....wow sorry for that random tangent lol)

But yeah what you're talking about is just like classical conditioning....but triggers are supposed to work right away, aren't they? Like how does the trigger affect them differently prior to it becoming "second nature in their mind" to afterwards (like you're making it sound like there'd be a change for the subject)?



Okay that makes sense and is cool to know about the ballpark for longevity of triggers.
Hmm, so simple in the sense that its one very basic and easy to understand trigger. Cause getting someone to trick their body into feeling cold is very complex I'd imagine. No-no- I'm overthinking stuff lol.
I should really just tell myself "you (the hypnotist) make the hypnosis and triggers simple, let the subject handle the rest".
I'd assume the consent was just part of the natural small talk you do before conducting the hypnosis session. Though...do you mean that after those 2-3 years you made sure to ask her about touching her and attempting to use the trigger before using it? If that was the case, feels like you were using that to remind her of the trigger, thus priming her for it, thus improve the odds it'd work.


Yeah thanks for sharing all that. I don't mind an essay, like I legit would love to learn how to do this. And yeah I probably got even more questions but atm I am really tired so they elude me.

Once its "on," its on. Things tend to fade a bit over time without meaningful interaction. Intrusive thoughts become more common, Emotions peek though, and so on. but generally i'm stuck in that state until guided out or something i'm really needed to be aware for happens.



We tested this once! It was like a small shock. Like someone showing up unexpectedly.... and then when i realized it wasnt her, it was just a shawl. Her *allowing* someone else to do it, with me knowing her intent, ended up working properly though. The person triggering me had.... read/write access compared to admin priviliges? If that makes sense? I'd obey them, but there was a filter. A bit of extra processing that usually isnt there, considering the safety of their commands.



She quite literally could do anything she wanted to me. But thats only because I've known her for years, and I know she wont abuse it. If that feeling of safety ever faded, so to would those compulsions to obey.... As for the slideshow, its.... hard to describe. Thoughts are weird down there. they generally just become "her." Her face, her smile, her orders, and so on. If I dont have something to repeat, i tend to focus on a specific look she tends to get when she's in control.





Would you believe this was spur of the moment on her end? my brain ended up filling a lot of the gaps, and she just rolled with it.





She's generally very careful. mindful to not do anything in public unintentionally.... I'm a bit looser as a hypnotop. what started as a puppet-string scene ended up becoming, over repeated uses, a full pseudo doll personality. We discovered it while texting each other while she was on a subway. thankfully nothing bad happened. "doll" was aware enough to tell me that something was different.

After getting her up, we decided to lean into it. with her version of "safe for doll" being "with her doll maker," We've had a lot of fun tying it to wind-up music boxes, and spandex skinsuits. Honestly the doll is an entirely separate conversation we could get into. And really proves how hypnotists are just guides. If you're not specific with what you want, the subject *will* fill in the gaps for you. its turned into something so much more than either of us intended, but with every check in, we're enjoying what its becoming.... so we keep going.