This was my whole first experience being hypnotized.

It had been a few minutes since the last coworker had left for home. It was lunchtime, and at last I was alone in my workplace. Glancing at the clock, I started preparing the setting. I took all the phones to another office, put my mobile on airplane mode, and waited for him to make his appearance.

This was the third time we had arranged for him to hypnotize me. The first time had been completely unworkable because I was so nervous about the idea that I collapsed, and the second hadn’t been possible because of scheduling problems. Would the third time be the charm? I was about to find out.

At least this time I was more relaxed. I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt and adjusted my hair so it wouldn’t get caught in my jacket collar. But of course, that’s normal, isn’t it? What does an average person know about hypnosis? Maybe their first contact was like mine, with Scooby Doo. And beyond that? Some TV show where a hypnotist hypnotizes the pretty woman of the moment? On TV everything is staged, right? It’s easy to think they’re just actors playing a role for a more or less gullible audience.

Ever since I met him and he told me about his hobby, I had felt attracted to it to some degree. I’m a sub. By heart and by nature. And this new form of submission was peculiar and suggestive. His honesty never made me doubt for a second that hypnosis was real, and driven by curiosity, I started asking him questions. Understanding what hypnosis was and how it worked wasn’t easy, but over time I became familiar with words like suggestion and induction. He explained himself well, learning the ins and outs of hypnosis from him gave me confidence, but it still wasn’t enough to completely calm me.

The only thing that could do that was actually knowing what it feels like to be hypnotized, and that’s very hard to describe. All that was left was to roll up my sleeves, dive in, and find out for myself. It wasn’t going to be easy, like anything else beyond my comfort zone, but I was determined to try.

“Let’s go,” he said simply when he arrived.

He wasn’t the most expressive or the funniest man, but he was a trustworthy one. Pressing my lips together, I sat down in my office chair, tucked my hair behind my ears, and nodded.

“Go ahead,” I replied.

His demeanor conveyed confidence, and that was all I needed in those moments as I ventured into unknown territory. Outwardly, I managed to stay relaxed—maybe a little tense—but by now my heart was already pounding hard inside my rib cage.

“I want you to take a deep breath. Hold it to three, and exhale,” he instructed softly.

“Inhale.”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

“Exhale and feel yourself relax.”

Instinctively, my eyes were already closed, and obedient as I am, I followed his instructions to the letter, my hands resting on the table.

“Once more.”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

“Exhale. You’re more relaxed.”

I repeated the process with him. My pulse was still racing, but, paradoxically, the rest of my body, mind included, was relaxing.

“Let the relaxation flow down your body like a wave. From your head to your feet. Relaxing your whole body as you focus on my words.”

I visualized in my mind what he asked and let those waters flow down just as he told me.

“You’ve already been hypnotized in many ways, naturally. While driving... While reading a book... And you’re remembering those feelings of peace and tranquility.”

“Feelings of relaxation.”

“Feeling very good. Focused on my words.”

“Letting the relaxation invade
your
whole
body.”

With my eyes half-closed I stared ahead, struggling to see. My heartbeat hadn’t slowed, but the rest of me was in a relaxing, strange, and confusing stupor.

“Let your mind relax. You’re in a safe place.”

I imagined myself in bed with my master, embraced by him, the blanket pulled up, feeling warm, sheltered in a home made of skin and caresses.

“It’s safe for your mind to wander as you hold your breath.”

I held the air in my lungs. It was very good to be in my master’s arms.

“Calm
slow
relaxing.”

“Letting your body become heavy. Very comfortable in your office chair.”

Yes, my chair was very comfortable…

“It’s a safe place.”

Yes, that embrace that rocked me was the safest place in the world…

“A place where you can let your mind wander and relax.
Understood?”

“Yes.”

“Very good.”

“Your mind slows down.”

“im grogggy.”

My vision pulsed, like it was moving closer and farther away, as if every heartbeat trembled across the surface of perfectly smooth water. I tried to focus, but my eyes wouldn’t obey.

“Let your mind work slowly.”

“You’re safe. You can allow yourself to be slow.”

Safe, comfortable, warm…

“Feel another part of your body relaxing
relax more
you’re safe
you don’t need to think.”

My head drooped forward. I lifted it, only for it to fall again like a roly-poly toy. My heart was still racing.

“afrad of flling asleep…” I managed to mumble thickly.

“You’re fine, you’re relaxed but alert. Focused on what I say.”

“You feel the relaxation throughout your body, right?”

I nodded clumsily and exaggeratedly.

“Body heavy. Relaxed and heavy. Say it and feel its effects more and more.”

“relxed… eavy.”

“You’ve probably noticed, but my words relax you more and more.”

“Each new word takes you down
heavy.”

“But your head is light. It’s a nice feeling.”

“To feel taken, right?”

“ys.”

It felt so good like that, yes…
That foggy sensation was very pleasant…
There was nothing but his words and my owner’s warm, protective embrace…

“Feel yourself relax twice as much
feel the power my words have over you.”

“It’s almost like you’re sinking. Sinking deeply into your mind. Feeling very good.”

“Almost like an anchor pulling you
Deep, deep into your mind.”

My owner’s arms were pulling me down with him, and it was so sweet and lovely to let myself be dragged to the bottom…

“Let my words take you deeper and deeper into hypnosis.”

“Now we’re going to count slowly backward from 10 to 0.
When I say 0 you’ll reach the bottom.
10… Dependent on my words.
9… My words are truth.
8… Just relax.
7… You don’t need to think.”

I don’t think…

“6… Falling deeply into your mind.
5… My words have the power to hypnotize you.
4… You depend on my words.
3… You’re so good, so deep.”

Very comfortable like this, embraced…

“2… You’ll want to come back to this depth again. With my words.
1… Completely relaxed. Mind blank.
0… Very good.
You’re very deep.
Completely hypnotized.”

Embraced…

“In a safe place
relaxed
blank”

“Right, Hécuba?”

“can’t open myeyes…”
My head hung forward, words coming out slow and thick…

“In a moment I’m going to wake you. But when I do, you’ll feel it’s impossible to get up from the chair.”

“You’re completely stuck
as if you were coated in the strongest glue you can imagine
your body and the chair are one thing”

My butt was perfectly still on the seat. I tried to pull my back from the backrest, but the only part I could barely move was my shoulders…

“I’ll count to 5 and you’ll wake up completely stuck to your chair.
1... You start to come out.
2… Feeling good.
3… Feeling great.
4… Almost there.
And 5.”

“Good morning, Hécuba.”

“mrrning…” I managed to say as a greeting without moving my lips much.
“its hard to thnk…”
“Think…”
“Try to get up from the chair.”

I pulled my back forward, but only my neck did. I tried several times.
I couldn’t manage…

“scrw you, ican’t…”
“or i dn’t wantto…”
“i dont know…”

A deep place in my mind I couldn’t access held the doubt about why my body wasn’t obeying me.
Was it really that I couldn’t do it?
What if I’d forgotten how?

“And now you can get up from the chair. NOW.”

As if someone had taken my arms and pulled me forward, my body separated from the chair and I placed both hands on the table, my head still bowed, some loose hair over my face, breathing deeply and ostentatiously.

“Damn…” I managed to say, looking up.
“Everything’s fine. Everything as you said.”

I didn’t straighten up, still standing leaning against the table.

“You seem to be a great hypnotee. I didn’t even need to fractionate you or deepen.”

I smiled faintly at the compliment.
“I wanted to fall asleep, but I was scared,” I explained what at that moment seemed like a very distant experience.
“My heart, from the nerves, took longer to relax than the rest of my body.”
“It was really nice,” I added with a smile.
“I feel like jelly.”
“Very disconnected.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” He was always so brief. Charming, but sparing with words.

I sat back down in the chair, clumsily, with slow, ungraceful movements.

“I still feel groggy.
A little.”

My vision was still like before, a little blurry and pulsing.

“Inhale. Exhale,” he said naturally, though I didn’t quite share that calmness.

“I don’t know if I’m still hypnotized,” I said, feeling my head a little strange.

“Sleep.”

My hand dropped into my lap and my head slumped at his command. Without thinking. Without reacting. Without resistance. Like a robot unplugged with a firm, sharp pull.
I’m conscious.
I’m not asleep.
I’m disconnected.
And I feel very, very good.
Wonderfully good.

“I’ll count from 1 to 5 and you’ll wake up completely.
1
2, feeling good.
3, feeling great.
4, almost awake.
And 5.”

“Wake up, Hécuba. Good morning.”

“Good morning,” I replied cheerfully and almost in surprise.

I felt myself smiling. I was thrilled. Radiant. Happy. I liked it. A lot.

Almost laughing, I got up from the chair and began stretching my whole body, like I’d just gotten out of bed after a long, refreshing sleep.

I looked at him with a tender, grateful smile barely showing on my lips, as if keeping a secret.

“Just to be clear, I’m out, right?”

“Completely awake.” He said it, and I believed him completely.

“Because I thought I was before you unplugged me,” I clarified to explain what I really meant.

“Well, you’re awake, but with nuances,” he added, and although I couldn’t see his mouth from my position, I knew he was smiling. “Right now you’d fall very easily. I’d just have to say that word I already told you, the one starting with S.”

I narrowed my eyes, evaluating what he said, incredulous. I had just experienced it firsthand and still what he said didn’t seem plausible. How long had we been at this? I looked at the clock, knowing I had to get back to work soon. When I saw that an hour had passed since we began, I couldn’t believe it.

“An hour!” I exclaimed.

“And you were only more or less half of it hypnotized.”

I couldn’t believe it and covered my mouth completely with my hand. I could have sworn it had been no more than twenty minutes.

“I’d love to do it again!”

“Next time you’ll go under even more easily.”

He still hadn’t eaten, and my office mates would be back soon. Just as he came, he left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

The rest of the afternoon and the next day I spent remembering my first hypnosis. And I smiled, oh yes, I smiled.