IS ALL HYPNOSIS AN ACT OF SUBMISSON?

In order to answer this question, it's important to understand the fundamentals of hypnosis.

According to the majority of experts, hypnosis is simply a heightened state of concentration and focused attention. During this time, the subject is more responsive to suggestion because their mind is more open and less critical or disbelieving. Essentially, the hypnotist, acting as a guide, assists the subject to tap into the power of his/her mind. Sometimes this occurs through specific suggestions, at others by stimulating the imagination through the use of imagery.

In addition to guided hypnotic states, there are several examples of non-externally-guided hypnotic states. We take ourselves into hypnotic states all the time, sometimes consciously, sometimes without actively realizing we are doing so. Meditation is a form of a self-guided hypnotic state. Getting lost in a book, so focused on what you are reading that you are completely unaware of what is going on about you, is an example of a light hypnotic state. Another would be those times when you're simply "lost in thought", focused on a current, future, or past event.

If the above is true, the hypnotic state alone cannot be an act of surrender or submission. If this were the case, then who would be in control of the subject during self-hypnosis? Would the subject surrender to him/herself?

Does this mean that hypnosubmission is a myth? Of course not. Surrender of power to a dominant can occur during hypnosis just as it does outside of hypnosis, but it remains an active transfer of power. The hypnotist may choose to guide the subject into a submissive state, but the submissive still maintains the ability to choose if and when they will surrender and to what degree they will surrender.

The power does not rest with the hypnotic act. It's held, as always, in the dominant's hands - a gift from the submissive.

A dominant hypnotist can use this tool to lead the submissive subject to a greater degree of devotion and to decrease inhibitions by open the doors of the mind to help remove those constraints. It can heighten mental play, amplify or modify feelings of erotic sensations, and help in conditioning specific responses in the subject.

In some of my MP3s, I've worked to condition the response that pleasing the dominant feels very good. "Obeying feels so very good. That's right... you're such a good boy. " (Smiles) Sound and feel familiar? That nice feeling you experience when you hear me tell you what a good boy you are or when you read those words... that's a conditioned response.

While not everyone who enters a hypnotic state is submitting, for those who do... it's an unbelievably exciting, fulfilling encounter because... whatever you think... whatever you can imagine, you can experience. The possibilities are limitless.

References:

Mayo Clinic
Hypnosis Network
Hypnosis.com