“So...” she said as she looked down. “Why exactly did you just place a 50$ bill on the table? Seems outrageously generous as a tip. I mean… We only ordered 2 drinks!”

I chuckled.

“That would be outrageous indeed! Although it would probably make the waitress’ day…” I said. “But no, you don’t have to worry, I’ll leave a proper tip once we leave. The 50$ isn’t for her.”

“Oh it’s for me?” she said with a big smile. “You shouldn’t have!”

 

I laughed.

“Hold your horses!” I said. “Don’t plan on spending it just yet.”

“Yeah… I figured that with you this wouldn’t be simple...” she said with a wink. “So what’s with the 50$?”

I leaned in. 

“Not everything is always what it seems.” I said in a low voice, theatrically waving my hands.

“Oh psshhh!” she said, rolling her lovely eyes. “So this is a fake or something?”

I laughed

“Maybe…” I said, watching her eyes narrow. “Or maybe it’s not even a 50$ bill at all.”

“What are you going on about?” she asked as she looked down at the table again. “Of course it is! You laid it out flat on the table so I can clearly see ‘50′ written on it!”

“Sure…” I said with a smile.

Which gave her pause.

“Ok spill it.” She finally said. “What are you playing at?”

I let the moment linger as I looked into her eyes. It didn’t take long for her body language to get defensive.

“I want to make a bet with you and that 50$ bill is what you get if you win.” I finally said as I leaned back in my chair.

Her eyes visibly sparkled.

“So this IS for me then!” she said with a smile. “What do you get if you win? I’m not coughing up 50 bucks for some silly table side bet.”

I smiled even more.

“You don’t have to! I said. “If I win, then I obviously keep the 50$.”.

“Well duh…” she added with a smirk.

“The way you honor the bet is by letting me hypnotize you tonight.”

She rolled her eyes

“That again?” she said.

“Yes that again.” I said smiling.

“You’ve been bugging me about it for weeks!” she said.

“Well I wouldn’t say that I’m bugging you…” I said.

“Remind me…” she carried on. “Have I ever said yes? Even ONCE?”

“You haven’t… But I have to point out that you never explicitly said no either. Which makes me believe you are curious about it.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Ok sure! I can admit as much.” She said, “I love listening to your little play by plays when you’ve had a fun session. I can’t deny that I’m curious about what you do and how it all works. But that’s where my curiosity stops.”

“Really?” I said leaning forward on the table. “What if I told you that you would get this 50$ after the session?”

She looked at me, clearly not believing me.

“What kind of bet is that?” she finally said. “You are basically paying me to wager with you.”

I chuckled and leaned back in my chair.

“Well if you put it that way… Sure.” I said. “It’s still a bet though. If you win, you get something and if I win, I get something.”

“True…” she said. “Ok then. It’s your 50$ to lose so what are we betting on?”

My smile turned devilish.

“Well…” I said as I extended my hand towards the table. “We are betting on whether or not there is actually a 50$ on the table in front of you.”

“What?” she said as she looked down at the table. “What are you talking about?”

I didn’t move and simply waited for her to look up. Which she did a few moments later, eyes narrowing with renewed suspicion.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“What are you trying to pull here?”

I tried hard not to laugh.

“Well my dear…” I said. “Is there, or is there not, a 50$ note on the table in front of you? It's a simple bet really.”

“Simple?” she asked. “Nothing with you is simple…”

She looked back at the table and smiled.

“Did I forget you owe me money or something? Is this your twisted way of paying me back?”

“Not that I know of…” I shrugged.

“Oh come on!” she said. “You can’t be serious about this! The note is right there! How the hell could we both see it as plain as day and bet on whether or not it’s there?”

“Who says I can see it?” I asked.

She blinked.

“What?” she asked.

“I said…” I started to say, but she cut me off.

“I know WHAT you said dummy.” She said and I chuckled. “Are you telling me that you DON’T see the 50$ on the table? This one RIGHT HERE!” she said, pointing down.

I smiled deviously again and nodded.

“Maybe I do see it… Maybe I don’t…” I said.

“How the hell could THAT be possible? It’s right there!” she said, still pointing to the table.

“Well… There are a lot of possibilities if you consider string theory or philosophical debates… What is true reality and all that… But one possibility I’m partial to is that you, or I for that matter, might be having a negative or positive hallucination.”

She looked up at me and frowned.

“A what now?”

I chuckled again.

“A negative hallucination is a false perceptual experience characterized by failure to see something while looking directly at it, as in failing to perceive an object or person in response to hypnotic suggestion.” I intoned. “In this case, I would be unable to see the 50$ on the table while you can obviously see it.”

She blinked a few times before looking down again.

“Right…” she finally said. “So you're telling me what exactly? That you got hypnotized to ignore the 50$? That doesn’t make sense!”

“Well it does and it doesn’t.” I said. “Because really, this could also be a positive hallucination.”

“Ok you lost me…” she said. “You aren’t making any sense…”

“Bear with me...” I said. “A positive hallucination is a false perceptual experience characterized by the perception of something that is not there. Or it could also be a different perception of what is actually in front of your eyes. In this case, I could be seeing a 20$ bill while you see a 50$. Or vice versa. OR… I could be seeing 50$ when there is no money at all.”

“What?!?” she asked. “That’s insane!”

“Is it though?” I asked. “Anyway… If you are THAT confident, then the bet should be easy to win right?”

She looked back at the 50$ on the table and smiled. She lifted her glass and swirled the contents as she pondered my words.

“Seems easy enough… But like I said before, with you…” She said as she looked up at me. “Nothing is that simple.”

I laughed.

“It often isn’t… But maybe this time it is… Who knows?” I said.

“Ok then…” she said as she took a sip. “I’m game to bet with you.”

“Excellent!” I said. “So what will it be? Is it real? Or is it fake?”

“Before I choose…” she said as she put her glass down. “I want you to tell me what you see.”

She looked into my eyes and I could tell she was aiming to see if I would lie. I smiled.

“To my eyes…” I said carefully. “There is no money at all on the table. Just our drinks.”

She looked at me for a long moment, but I held firm and didn’t waver. Her eyes eventually narrowed into a frown before she looked back at the table.

“Well you are either a very good liar or someone spiked my drink because there is clearly a 50$ bill on the table in front of me.”

“Really?” I asked. “You can see a 50$ note on the table? How odd… I’m sure no one spiked your drink so maybe you spiked mine while my back was turned?”

She smiled at me.

“Or…” she said playfully. “One of your hypnosis sessions backfired and you are under a suggestion to ignore large bills!”

We both laughed.

“Hypnosis can’t ‘backfire’ my dear.” I said. “But you are certainly right, maybe I am under a powerful hypnotic suggestion to ignore large bills.”

“Somehow…” she said. “I find that very unlikely. I think you are trying to gaslight me and make me lose the bet. I certainly wouldn’t put it past you to play dirty tricks like that.”

I looked at her for a moment, savoring the gears I could see spinning behind her lovely eyes.

“That is a very real possibility.” I said. “I could be lying through my teeth. I probably am, right?”

“Right…” she said carefully.

“Or…” I said. “I’m not lying and YOU are experiencing a positive hallucination brought upon by a powerful hypnotic suggestion. You see a 50$ bill on the table in front of you when in fact, there is no money at all.”

“WHAT?” she said as she looked back at the table. “No, that's impossible! It’s right there!”

“How can you be sure?” I asked. “If you were experiencing a positive hallucination, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. You would be convinced it was real.”

She blinked a few times as she tried to wrap her head around what I was telling her.

“No wait…” she said looking up with a smile. “That would imply that I was hypnotized right?”

I nodded.

“HA!” she exclaimed. “Well I know THAT never happened so I’m calling bullshit!”

“If you say so.” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

“Of course I say so!” she said. “You can’t fool me!”

“I can’t fool you huh?” I said, smiling deviously again. “So what if we talk about your belief that you’ve never been hypnotized then? You are convinced you have never experienced one of my inductions before, correct?”

“Of course I’m convinced!” She said, trying to sound confident. “Don’t you remember? We were JUST talking about how annoying you are about asking me if I would let you hypnotize me! Didn’t we agree that I never said yes?”

I nodded.

“But we also agreed that you never explicitly said no…” I said. “Who’s to say I haven’t already hypnotized you before?”

“Impossible.” She said as she moved in her seat. “Nope. You never tried your little hypnotic techniques on me before.”

“And how exactly would you know that?” I said as I leaned on the table. “Maybe I did and used my hypnotic powers to make you forget all about it. That is certainly something I CAN do. I told you about Rachel’s last session didn’t I?”

She stared at me for a moment, clearly starting to doubt.

“You did…” she said softly. “And I asked her about it afterwards… She remembered how clueless she was during that session with you. For a long while, she was convinced that the session hadn’t started.”

“See?” I said leaning back. “So maybe that’s what I did with you. I made you forget all about it so I can play with you today. Delighting in the fact that I can make you hallucinate a 50$ bill when I clearly never carry such an absurd note in my wallet. Why would I even HAVE a 50$ bill in the first place? Wouldn't it make more sense to carry a few 20s?”

“Well you make a point…” she said as she looked back at the table. “I… I was pretty surprised to see you pull it out earlier…”

I could see she was trying to untangle everything I was saying and I smiled when she moved to grab the note.

“AH AH AH!” I said as I lifted my hand to stop her. “I’m not dumb enough to let you take it in your hands before we settle the bet!”

She laughed nervously.

“Oh come on!” she said, taking her hand away. “Don’t you trust me? Besides… I’m getting that 50$ note regardless if I win or lose right?”

“True…” I said. “But I wouldn’t want you to refuse the session tonight because you already have the 50 bucks in hand so… No touching until we settle the bet!”

She looked at me for a moment.

“You talk as if hypnotizing me tonight is a done deal.”

“Isn’t it?” I said. “I mean you are clearly doubting what you are seeing right now so I’m confident you’ll get it wrong and I’ll win.”

My confident smile gave her pause.

“Bullshit.” She finally said. “You are just trying to gaslight me! But it won’t work!”

“Won’t it?” I said. “How can you be sure?”

“Stop it!” she said with another nervous laugh. “This is ridiculous!”

“Maybe it is…” I said with a shrug. “Or maybe it isn’t and I’m telling the truth. Maybe I did hypnotize you before and I know exactly how this bet will end. Maybe I’m doing a session with you that mirrors what I had Rachel experience and you are the one that’s clueless. And Maybe…”

I paused dramatically to lean on the table.

“Maybe we aren’t even in a café right now…” I whispered. “Maybe we are back at your place and you are currently seeing what I want you to see... Experiencing a powerful positive hallucination just like Rachel did.”

“What? No!” She said as she pushed away a little. “That’s impossible!”

“Is it?” I asked. “It certainly was real for Rachel… She DID tell you about her session right? Remind me… Where did my hypnotic powers make her travel to?”

“Hawaii…” she whispered as she lifted her hand to her mouth. “She told me she could have sworn she was on a beach in Hawaii… She told me she could feel the hot sand beneath her feet and the warmth of the sun on her face… She could even smell the ocean breeze…”

“See?” I said, leaning back in my seat. “So maybe we are in your kitchen… Or my living room… And I’m crafting this hallucination for my entertainment.”

“But why would you even do that?” she asked.

“Because it’s incredibly fun to play like this.” I said. “Don’t you agree?”

She blinked.

“Well it was pretty funny to listen to Rachel describe how clueless she was…” she said with a soft smile. “Plus… She DID seem like she really enjoyed the fake beach…”

She looked around and I saw her smile widened.

“BUT!” she said, looking at me. “That means that if you did hypnotize me, which you didn’t, and you are making me hallucinate all this. Then I would have to say that you are pretty lame. Where’s the beach? Why do I get a crowded café and she gets Hawaii huh?”

I chuckled.

“Only you would twist this around like that!” I said.

“Yes sir I certainly would!” she said with a smile. “So this all means that you are either jerking me around because you hypnotized me to believe I was on a boring terrace, or you are just being a jerk by trying to gaslight me into making me question reality itself!”

“So basically…” I said. “In either case I’m just a plain old jerk right?”

“Exactly!” she said with a bright smile.

“Only you would think I was being a jerk by offering you 50$ in the hopes of tricking you into letting me hypnotize you. Besides…” I said leaning on the table. “I’m a hypnotist. That’s kind of my whole deal you know… Fucking with people’s heads!”

She burst out laughing.

“I can’t argue with you there…” she finally said through her cheery tears.

I made a show of digging around in my pocket before pulling my hand out and slapping it on the table, which made her jump

“Drowsy Latte…” I said cryptically.

“What the fuck are you talking about? Drowsy Latte? Isn’t that a bit contradictory? Is it supposed to mean anything?”

“Maybe…” I said with a wink. “It just might be a post hypnotic trigger I implanted inside your mind!”

I laughed when she rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, let’s make this even more interesting then.” I said as I pulled away my hand.

I waited for her to look at the table and smiled when she frowned.

“Exactly how are you going to make things more interesting?” she asked.

“Double or nothing of course!” I said with a smile as I leaned back into my chair.

“What?” she said looking back at the table.

“Double or nothing. Can’t you see the 50$ bill I just put on the table?”

“WHAT?” she said as she looked at me. “No you didn’t you dummy! Stop fucking around!”

“Why would I stop when we are having so much fun?” I asked before looking towards the waiter. “huh… Which reminds me that this would be even better with a drowsy latte…”

I let my voice trail off and watched from the corner of my eye as she looked up at me sharply.

“Wha…” she started to say before swallowing. “What did you just say?”

“Hmm?” I said as I looked at her. “I said we were having a lot of fun!”

“No not that…” she said. “I mean… You said drowsy latte again… Why would you say that? drowsy lattes aren’t a thing…”

I smiled.

“Really? Huh…” I said, musing. “I was sure this place served drowsy lattes…”

“Stop saying that!” she said, clearly a little upset.

“Why?”

“I…” she said. “I mean… You said it was a trigger or whatever right? So stop dicking around!”

“I did say that it was a trigger… A post hypnotic trigger I implanted inside your mind if you want to be precise about it.” I said. “But according to you, I haven’t hypnotized you yet, so me saying drowsy latte shouldn’t do anything to you right?”

“Right…” she said weakly.

“Unless something IS happening when I say drowsy latte?” I said. “Like I don’t know… Maybe your mind feels just a little more confused? Fuzzy? Blank even?”

“I don’t…” she said, staring intently into my eyes. “I mean… Maybe… No… That’s ridiculous!”

Her hand was lightly touching her drink and I gently moved my own towards it.

“It’s ok… I can already see how confused you are getting. ” I said as I gently squeezed her hand. “But you don’t need to worry one bit. Rachel always loves to feel fuzzy and blank.”

She didn’t pull away from my touch and continued to stare into my eyes.

“Yeah…” she said softly. “She never shuts up about it…”

“I bet she does.” I said smoothly. “That’s because Rachel is such a wonderful hypnotic subject. She is always so relaxed and open to my words when she comes over for a session. She always sits comfortably on my sofa, you know the one right? The big comfy one that could arguably be a little firmer. I mean… Every time Rachel sits in it, she seems to just sink down into it.”

“Yeah… I know the one…” she said softly. “It’s super comfortable…”

My fingers were lightly stroking her hand now and she showed no sign of noticing.

“It is, right?” I said and she slowly nodded. “Rachel always looks incredibly comfortable when she leans back and lets the sofa take her weight while I start the induction. Her whole body slowly relaxes into it, soothing her surface thoughts until there is nothing but the sound of my voice. Her whole body just melts into it… Completely drained of tension as she drops in a trance. It’s quite fascinating to watch.”

She didn’t answer and just kept looking straight into my eyes.

“Her surroundings melt away and she is left in a deep state of trance where her mind can fully rest. Much like when you are in a deep sleep. Rachel has told me time and again that her sessions always leave her feeling amazing. She told you as much, right?”

“Yes…” she said.

“She always feels jazzed and blissful when the session ends and she leaves. Much like you felt at the beginning of this conversation. You felt so happy. Energized and playful right?”

“Right…” she agreed with a soft smile.

“Not surprising since you just awoke from a trance.”

Her brow slightly frowned at that.

“What? No… I wasn’t in a…” she said slowly.

“Trance?” I interrupted. “Of course you were my dear. You just don’t remember it. The proof is in the post hypnotic trigger and the positive hallucinations you are currently experiencing. Because we already agree that every time I talk about drowsy lattes, you feel a little more confused and your thoughts are a little more fuzzy. Correct?”

“I… Wait… I mean… What?” she asked, trying to make sense of my words.

“You feel confused right now.” I stated. “Correct?”

“I huh… Maybe… Yes… A little…” she said.

“And that’s perfectly normal since I’m talking about drowsy lattes.” I said with a smile. “And we know that when I mention drowsy lattes, it triggers your mind to feel more and more confused and fuzzy. Slowly becoming blank as it slowly sinks back into the trance you were in before.”

“I…” she said, trying very hard to think. “I was in a trance?”

I smiled.

“Of course you were my dear!” I said brightly. “And that’s perfectly normal too! I mean… How else would I be able to make you hallucinate that there is one 50$ bill on the table?”

She frowned again.

“Didn’t you say… huh…” she said slowly. “That there were 2?”

“What?” I said. “No I didn’t. I said that I could see one, remember?”

“I…” she said, frowning a little more. “Didn’t you… I mean… There was one… Then you… huh…”

“Said your trigger and placed my hand on the table?” I finished for her.

“Yes…”

“The same trigger that makes you confused and blank?”

“Yes…”

“See how confused you are when I mention drowsy lattes?” I said. “Your mind can’t resist the pull those words have on you and that is perfectly normal. I hypnotized you, remember? That’s exactly what the post hypnotic trigger is designed to do.”

Her eyes weren’t alert and sparkly anymore.

“I don’t…” she started to say, but I interrupted her.

“Remember being hypnotized? That’s completely normal my dear.” I said, still stroking her hand. “I told you before that I was doing a session like I did with Rachel. You are just clueless about the fact that you were hypnotized early today. In fact, you are still in a trance right now.”

“I…” she said with a light frown. “I’m in a trance?”

“Of course you are!” I said. “A very light one… Almost awake in fact… But since I’m using your post hypnotic trigger and I keep talking about drowsy lattes, you are slowly slipping back deeper into your wonderful trance. The same blissful trance that Rachel experiences every time we do a session. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“I’m… Confused…” she said. “Weren’t… Weren’t we talking about a… A bet?”

“We were?” I asked. “Huh… The trigger must really be getting to you because I don’t remember talking about a bet.”

She frowned at that.

“But…” she said, still looking into my eyes. “Weren’t we talking about… huh… The 50$ bill on the table.”

I smiled.

“I can see my drowsy lattes are working marvelously and your mind is inching closer and closer to being completely confused and blank.” I said sympathetically. “I’ll help you untangle all your thoughts my dear. Just look down at the table and focus on what you see.”

“Ok…” she said and slowly looked down.

“Now just listen… Exactly like you did so expertly before when I tranced you… Just focus and listen to my voice… What do you see?”

“I… I see a fifty dollar bill…” she said.

“Good…” I said, still stroking her hand. “Very good… Now you told me that you thought there might be 2 bills on the table. But that isn’t the case right now is it?”

“No… There is only one…” she said.

“Good… Now I have to tell you that in fact, there is no money whatsoever on the table. You can trust me, just like before when you let me hypnotize you, that I am telling you the truth. You trust me right?”

“Yes…” she said softly. “I trust you…”

“With a few words, I can create a positive hallucination and trick your incredible mind into seeing something that isn’t there.” I said. “Isn’t hypnosis amazing?”

Her soft eyes started to sparkle with wonder. If only a little…

“Yes… Hypnosis is amazing…”

“I’m glad we agree!” I said. “Now I want you to really focus on the bill and try, with all your blank and confused mind, to see through the post hypnotic suggestion. Try to relax and really see that in fact, there is nothing on the table. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes… I can do that…” she said slowly.

I watched her take slow steady breaths as her eyes completely glued themselves to the table.

“That’s it… Just relax your body and your mind will follow. The confusion of the drowsy latte slowly floats away and leaves your mind blank. Just like it did before. It’s a path you don’t remember, but a path you already know. Your subconscious mind already walked it with me as you focus on my voice and only my voice.”

I could tell she was relaxing more and more, which made me smile.

“You are such an amazing hypnotic subject my dear. I would never be able to guide your mind to such incredible experiences if it wasn’t for your natural talent and trust. Drowsy latte is just a fun way to coax your mind into reaching the place you already know and love. A place deep inside your mind where you drop into a deep trance. Drowsy lattes help you get there.”

I noticed her shoulders relax a little at the sound of her trigger.

“You are doing very good… Now tell me, can you see beyond my post hypnotic suggestion? Can you see the empty table? Or can you still see the 50$ bill?”

“I can… I can still see the 50$...” she said in a soft voice.

“That’s perfectly normal my dear.” I said. “It simply means that your mind has been deeply hypnotized and that my post hypnotic suggestion has rooted itself deep inside your mind. It means that a lot of fun and incredible things are possible for you through hypnosis…”

She smiled.

“Now my dear…” I said, taking the hand I was stroking into my own. “Look here.”

I lifted her hand up so it ended up between us. She slowly blinked and looked up.

“Focus on your index finger.” I said as I closed the rest of her fingers, only letting her index point up.

“Ok…” she said.

“Now as you focus and let the drowsy lattes make your mind progressively blank and blissful, you will feel the post hypnotic suggestion to hallucinate a 50$ on the table slowly dissipate from your mind. The more you stare and focus on your finger, the more you will feel that deeply implanted suggestion uproot itself. Allowing you to finally see that there is no 50$ bill on the table at all.”

Her breathing and blinking were very steady now while her eyes were laser focused on her finger. I casually placed my hand on the table and folded the 50$ laying on the table, slowly pocketing it without her noticing.

“You can easily feel it can’t you? Feel the suggestion disappear more and more as you focus on your finger.”

“Yes…”

“Good… Very good…” I said. “So easy and simple to follow my voice and trust in my words. Feeling confused can be so tiring. Listening to my words as I guide you back into a trance feels so much better. Isn’t that right?”

“Oh yes…”

“Of course it does.” I said softly. “Now to prove just how easily your mind follows my hypnotic guidance and responds perfectly to my words, I want you to look down at the table and see for yourself that your mind is now free of the post hypnotic suggestion.”

I tapped my other hand on the table to emphasize my point. She slowly let her eyes slip down to the table.

“And what do you see now?” I asked.

“Nothing…” she said with a soft smile.

“See how well your mind responds to my hypnotic influence? Every time I say drowsy latte, you can FEEL your mind slip back down into that wonderful trance. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes…” she said.

“It feels good doesn't it? Just relaxing and letting go?”

“Yes… It feels very good…” she said, eyes half closed, still looking at the empty table.

“Now look up my dear. Look at your fingertip again and focus.” I said.

She blinked slowly and lifted her gaze to her finger, which I still held slightly pointing towards her face.

“Good… Very good…” I said. “Now you know exactly what happens when I say drowsy latte. Don’t you?”

“Yes…”

“What happens when I say drowsy latte?” I asked.

“I become… Progressively more confused… Then… Blank… In a trance…”

“Good… Very good…” I said again. “I’m so proud of you my dear.”

She smiled a little at the compliment.

“Your mind is already there. Already in a light trance…” I said softly. “You are right back on the edge of dropping back into your deep blissful trance. And just like with Rachel, you know exactly what it takes to drop you deep into your trance. Don’t you my dear?”

There was a moment where I could see that the confusion she was experiencing clouded her thoughts. But then it passed and I just had to smile.

“Yes…” she finally said.

“And what would that be my dear?” I asked.

“I repeat my trigger… drowsy latte… And move my finger towards my forehead… Once I touch… I… I…”

“Will drop into a deep blissful trance.” I finished for her.

“Yes…”

“Just like Rachel, you want to fall back into that wonderful trance. Feel that bliss… That peace enveloping your thoughts as it fully relaxes and refreshes your mind. Exactly like Rachel feels every time she trusts me and I place her in a deep hypnotic trance. You want to feel that too, wouldn't you my dear?”

“Yeeesss…” she said.

“Then listen to my voice… Focus on your finger and feel your mind slip back down into your trance. Drowsy latte…”

“Drowsy latte…” she repeated.

“Drowsy latte…” I said.

“Drowsy latte…” she repeated.

“Drowsy latte…” I said.

“Drowsy latte…” she repeated.

“Continue to repeat it as you focus and pull your finger towards your forehead.” I said. “You can FEEL your mind sink deeper and deeper… Feel how deep you will drop once your finger finally touches your forehead. It will feel so good… So perfect… Exactly like you felt before… You don’t remember it, but you already felt this incredible hypnotic bliss and your subconscious knows it.”

“Drowsy latte…” she repeated.

I could feel her hand gently pull against my grip and I offered little resistance. Just enough to feel the pressure of her effort.

“More and more, you feel your conscious thoughts reach the edge… Ready to drop and fall into your perfect trance. You can already feel how wonderful and welcoming it will be to let go once your finger touches your forehead.”

“Drowsy latte…” she repeated.

“Exactly like the switch Rachel has.” I said. “Your finger will press on your forehead and drop you back into a deep trance. Your subconscious knows exactly what is about to happen and just like before, it welcomes it with open arms.”

“Drow… sy… Lat…te…” she repeated.

“You can’t wait… Knowing deep down how incredible it will be to experience that deep state of trance again…” I said as I noted that her repetitions slowed down and got progressively quieter.

“The more you repeat your trigger and focus on your finger, the deeper you slip to that wonderful edge… Where… Exactly like Rachel… The softest tap on your forehead will send you into a deep hypnotic trance.”

Her finger was now barely an inch from her forehead. She was still pulling softly against my grip and I smiled as I noted how heavy her eyelids were as her eyes completely crossed while she tried to focus on the tip of her finger. It made her look so stunning and mesmerizing.

But it also told me that she was more than ready.

“Just one touch from your index finger… And you drop into a blissfully blank hypnotic trance…” I said.

“Drow… sy… Lat…te…” she mumbled softly.

“3… 2…” I started to count down, but didn’t wait to finish before releasing her hand.

I watched with pure delight as she suddenly poked herself on the forehead. Her eyes fluttered and rolled back before her head slumped to her lovely chest, arm falling to her side.

“Good… Very good my dear…” I cooed. “Deeper and deeper now…”

I began a well-rehearsed deepening routine and smiled as I thought about all the fun we would have in the near future.

The combination of belief and gas lighting can be a powerful thing and I was excited to try out this new technique. She already knew a lot of my more conventional hypnotic techniques and I was happy her mind caught onto where I was going with my induction. Having her say, in her own words, what it takes for her to drop into a trance is like the ultimate affirmation that she WILL fall into a trance. It opens the door and all that was left was to let her walk into it.

I took out the 50$ bill I pocketed and flipped it a few times between my fingers and smiled. Regardless of if this induction had worked or not, making her believe she had lost the bet would have been pretty easy and I would have ended up hypnotizing her anyway.

I flipped the bill a few more times before watching it disappear in my hand. I guess learning magic tricks in high school can pay off in the most surprising ways.

I chuckled and made the bill ‘reappear’ before placing it back into my pockets before taking out my phone. I snapped a quick picture of her and sent it to Rachel with a quick text.

‘Looks like you owe me 50$!’ I wrote.

I continued to go through my deepener routine for a while before my phone vibrated.

‘O M G ! You actually tranced her? WOW! I knew I shouldn’t have bet on you failing to put her under!’

Betting with Rachel was just my way of ensuring that my 50$ didn’t go to waste. I already knew that she was a very good hypnotic subject from all our talks on the matter. Which is why I was so eager to hypnotize her in the first place. Although… Judging by the way she reacted to my induction, I could probably make her forget about the 50$ all altogether.

I smiled as I started to muse about her level of suggestibility.

Isn’t it the dream of any hypnotist to work with highly suggestible subjects?

I know it is certainly one of mine and I couldn’t wait to see the depths of the fun we will get ourselves into.

“Now that you are deep into your hypnotic trance…” I said. “Let’s talk about what comes next…”