200.05 - Managing Expectations

Managing Expectations

Erasing Failure

When you’re starting (either as a subject or hypnotist,) failing to respond as you’d like can really put a pretty big dent in the ego. This is going to sound like some therapeutic bullshit, but really - these ‘failures’ that we experiences are the exact responses we need to improve response. (Also, if you become as obsessed as I am, when something doesn’t work as expected they turn into cool puzzles where you can break out your whole toolkit and investigate.)

I’m straight up jacking Wordweaver’s toolkit for this from A note on failure. Go give it a read - you won’t regret it - but… as quick reminders…

• There is no failure, only response and information. Highlight and savor successes.
• This is an experiment - or a test run. Let’s see what happens! We can change course, or practice.
• In hypnokink - failure is a comedic banana peel. Or - even in a therapeutic setting - sometimes shit just happens. An induction will fall flat, you’ll have indigestion in the middle of your induction, or the pet cat will pounce and precision pound your subject’s nuts while they’re zonked. It’s funny - roll with it. (And maybe provide an ice pack.)
• This is a skill that improves over time - so long as you’re actively engaging in improving. Something will stick. Even if the theory is true that some parts contributing to response may be physiologically hard-wired, there’s a ton we can maximize.