Everyone from the office was there -- Rick and his girlfriend Louise, Jack from accounting, our host Mark and his wife Pamela, and several others. Our office is very casual, and we all get along well, so the evening was very pleasant, and the dinner conversation spirited. Pamela, as usual, was the perfect hostess, taking our coats as we walked in, filling our glasses during dinner, and carrying out course after course, which must have taken her all day to prepare. "How did you train her so well?" joked Rich, as Pamela filled his wine glass.
"Hypnosis," said Mark, and we all laughed. Mark has a great sense of humor, and we were all well lubricated by that point.
After dinner, we all sat around the living room sipping coffee, and someone (I think it was Jack) said during a lull in the conversation, "Well, what shall we do now?"
"Pictionary," said Louise.
"Trivial Pursuit," proposed someone else.
"Let Mark demonstrate hypnosis," said Rick. "I'm curious to see how he trained Pamela to be so obedient."
"No!" said Louise. "He was just joking. He doesn't know how to perform hypnosis. Do you, Mark?" she asked gullibly.
"Oh, yes I do," said Mark, arching one of his thick eyebrows. "I've been practicing it for years."
"Really?" said Louise, looking around at the rest of us to see whether to doubt or believe.
"Don't believe him, Louise," said Jack. "Hypnosis is bunk. That stuff you see on TV is all an act."
"That's not true," said Rick. "It's amazing what hypnosis can do. For instance, they use it for operations instead of anesthesia, you know. Imagine being in the dentist's chair, with no anesthetic, except for being hypnotized!" He made a sound like a dentist's drill. "I've read all about it."
"You shouldn't believe everything you read," said Jack.
"Well, Mark can prove it to us, unless he's pulling our legs," said Rick.
"Quite right," said Mark with a smirk on his face. "Now you're talking sense."
"Let's do it!" said Louse. "That sounds like fun!"
"Are you willing to give us a demonstration of your powers, O swami?" asked Jack. "Or is it all talk?"
"Sure," said Mark, "if you want. But you'd better be serious. This is no joking matter."
"Well, if you're really going to carry on with this hocus-pocus, who will be the subject?" asked Jack.
"Not me," said a voice in the crowd.
"Well, I'd like to," began Louise. "It sounds like fun... I've seen on television where people do just what the hypnotist tells them to do... quack like a duck, or whatever. What does it feel like? Will it feel like I'm acting against my will, helplessly obeying your commands? Or will it feel like I'm just behaving normally, doing what I want to do, except that what you tell me is what I think I want?"
"It can be either way," said Mark.
"Will I be the same afterwards or will the experience change me permanently? How will I know? Will I remember what you tell me?" asked Louise.
"Some people are naturally good subjects, and experience amnesia on their first trance. Most people don't the first time, but that's something that can develop with practice," Mark said.
"Some people change, don't they, Mark? What about people who use hypnosis to quit smoking?" said Rick.
"Yes," said Mark; "it depends on the motivation of the subject. I can't make anybody do anything they don't want to do. But like any form of training, like learning to serve in tennis, practice can make new behavior patterns become habitual, reflexive, unthinking."
"Wait, I've changed my mind," said Louise. "I don't want to be hypnotized after all. It's all too interesting: I want to watch and see what happens instead."
"Well, I won't do it," said Jack. "I don't believe in this mumbo jumbo, so I can't be tricked into behaving foolishly, and I won't play along."
"I'll do it," said Rick.
"No," said Jack, "that's not a fair test. You said you believe, so you'll pretend to be hypnotized in order to prove your point. It has to be someone neutral."
I had tried to avoid attention by not speaking, but now, just as I had dreaded, all eyes turned to me. There was a pause, and I had to say something.
"I don't want to quack like a duck," I said.
"Don't worry, Mike," said Mark. "I can't make you do anything you don't want to do."
"But are you sure you don't want to quack like a duck?" quipped Jack.
"We'll all be here watching; we'll make sure he doesn't do anything to you to mess up your mind while he has you under his power," said Louise.
"Besides," said Rick, "we're all friends here. If you quack like a duck, we won't tell anyone else -- but in private we'll rib you mercilessly about it for the rest of your life!"
Everyone laughed at that.
My heart was pounding with fear and excitement. Was I willing to take the risk of placing myself in his power? I had so many questions. But the others were all laughing at me, so I had to respond. I felt as though I couldn't back out now without losing face.
"Say yes," said someone.
"Just say yes," said Mark, "and we can begin."
"Okay," I said, "I'll do it. Yes."
The laughter in the room turned to quiet murmuring. There was a tension in the air as they all waited with great interest to see what would happen next.
Mark pulled a chair into the middle of the room, and indicated for me to sit there, which I did, while all the others gathered around, staring intently.
"Okay... what must I do?" I asked.
"Nothing," said he. "I will do it all. You just need to relax, and let it happen... don't resist, but accept what happens. Now, settle into the chair, so that you're perfectly comfortable... I want you to be able to focus on what I say, without being distracted by physical discomfort. That's right, sit back and relax, and let the tension drain from your body... Breathe calmly and steadily... in... out... in... out... that's right... Very good. Just follow my instructions, and let relaxation steal gradually over you." It was working; I could feel myself relaxing as my breathing grew slow, smooth and steady. "Very good, now I want you to let yourself drift... relax, forget about your daily worries, don't think about what you have to do tomorrow or haven't done today... let that constant inner voice become quiet... If it helps, watch my hand go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth... it's so relaxing... That's right, just let your thoughts drift away... my hand goes back and forth, back and forth... It's as easy as falling asleep." My thoughts were growing increasingly sluggish. I felt so relaxed and peaceful that I didn't want to move or think. It was as easy as falling asleep. "Your thoughts are becoming still, your mind is growing empty... that's right, it feels so good to relax... everything else drifts away except for the sound of my voice..." It was like being asleep, except for hearing Mark's voice quite clearly. "You're almost there now... almost hypnotized... I will count down from three and touch your forehead... when I do, you will drop into a deep trance... you will be deeply hypnotized... aware of nothing but my voice... three... two... one..."
To my strange, passive state of mind, his hand seemed to grow as it approached, filling my field of vision. It engulfed everything. I felt it touch my forehead; and everything went dark. I was alone with Mark's voice. It was warm and peaceful. I felt very relaxed and comfortable.
"Can you hear me?" said Mark.
"Yes," I said, though it was difficult to respond. I didn't want to do anything. I just wanted to relax and remain in a state of inertia.
"You are deep in trance, aren't you. Just say yes."
"Yes," I agreed thickly.
"On a scale of one to ten, how deep is your trance?"
"Eight," I said.
"You are a very good hypnotic subject. You went very easily into trance. Now your trance is becoming even deeper, isn't it?"
"Yes," I said. I was a good hypnotic subject, so it must be true.
"What is your level of trance now?"
"Ten," I said.
"Very good, Mike. You are a very good subject. I am pleased. You should be proud of your ability to obey hypnotic suggestions. Not everyone is as suggestible as you."
Part of me felt shame that I wasn't more strong-minded when I heard that, but another part of me was glad he was pleased. His praise made me feel so warm and comfortable and good.
"Now, Mike I want you to listen very carefully to what I am about to tell you. I'm going to tie a helium balloon to your wrist. Can you picture it in your mind? Feel it tugging on your arm. Can you feel your arm rising?"
I pictured it clearly in my mind, and to my amazement, I felt my arm starting to rise! I had no sensation at all of lifting it voluntarily; it seemed to rise all by itself.
"That's very good, Mike," he said, and I felt a rush of warmth at his praise. I thought I heard clapping in the distance, but that must have been an illusion, because I was alone with Mark's voice.
"Okay, you can lower your arm again. Now put your hands together. I'm going to put handcuffs on them. Can you feel it?"
"Yes," I said. I could picture it so vividly that it almost seemed real.
"Your hands are now bound," he said. "You cannot separate them if you try. Go ahead and try, but you cannot separate your hands."
I tried, and once again I was forced to obey his commands: my hands felt as though they were bound, and though my muscles tensed, my hands refused to obey my commands. I marvelled at Mark's power, and my lack of control over my own body. It was sort of -- fun, exciting, I'm not sure what the right word for it was.
"Very, very good, Mike!" You are such a good subject, I am very pleased! Now, when I count to three and say the word 'release,' your hands will become free. One, two, three, release!"
My hands suddenly became free again. (Once again, I thought I heard the sound of distant clapping in the background.)
"Now I am going to give you a suggestion, Mike, which will remain in effect until I release you from it. You are deeply hypnotized, and my words sink directly into your subconscious mind without any conscious control or choice. Your subconscious mind remembers and believes everything, as you learned in our previous two exercises. Remember that you are a very good hypnotic subject, and it is impossible for you to disobey my commands. When I snap my fingers, you will be unable to remember my name. The sound will be like a string snapping, and the connection to your memory will be broken until I restore it. You will not be able to resist this command. These words are sinking deep into your subconscious, which remembers and believes everything. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I said. I was a good hypnotic subject and would be unable to resist his command.
"Also, when I say the word 'apple,' you will raise your left arm. You will be unable to disobey this suggestion. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I said. "I will raise my left arm..."
"Now I am going to waken you gently from your trance, but the suggestions that I have given you will still be in effect. When I rouse you, you will feel wide awake and refreshed, having enjoyed your hypnotic experience. But you are still under hypnosis, and when I touch your forehead again and say the words 'sleep now,' you will return immediately to the state of trance. Okay, you will awaken when I count to three. One -- rising slowly to consciousness -- two -- nearing the surface -- three!"
My eyes opened and I returned to the real world. The others were all standing around grinning. I felt wide awake and refreshed, having enjoyed it.
"What was it like?" asked Louise, perhaps a little too eagerly.
I was strangely reluctant to answer. The experience was too personal; I felt that it was almost intimate between Mark and me. Besides, I felt strangely embarrassed to admit how much I had enjoyed the strange sensation of being controlled by Mark. Carefully, I said, "It was a little bit like being asleep. I felt so relaxed that any voluntary activity was too difficult to undertake."
"What about the handcuffs?" she pressed.
"Mark's voice came to me as if in a dream, and I could picture so clearly what he described that it seemed to be there." I stopped there, unwilling to say any more.
"How do we know it wasn't all an act?" asked Jack.
"Not convinced? Well, the demonstrations not over yet," said Mark. "Hey, there's plenty of food left. Would anybody like an apple?"
"Fresh off the tree?" I asked, raising my arm in a gesture as if to pick an apple.
I stopped, astonished, my arm still in the air. My remark was pretty stupid; I realized that it was my subconscious mind that had attempted to rationalize the behavior created by Mark's suggestion. His power over my mind was astonishing, disturbing.
There were murmurs from the others.
"The will is a weak thing, and easily influenced," observed Mark. "It happens all the times in subtle ways, and in less subtle ways. You can lower your arm now, Mike, you know."
Ashamed, I lowered my arm. It had not occurred to me to do so before.
"That's not fair," I said. "You caught me off guard. If I'd been thinking about it, I could have resisted."
"You think so?"
"Make him do something, but tell him in advance so he can prove whether or not he can resist," said Rick.
"Yes, make him take off his shirt!" said Louise. The others laughed, because they knew Louise though I was attractive.
I feared I would have no choice in the matter.
"And now," he said, snapping his fingers, "you have forgotten my name, haven't you, Mike."
The sound was like a string snapping.
"No, of course not, ... uh," I said.
"Well, what is it? What's my name?"
"It's... oh my..." It was on the tip of my tongue. I knew it, but I was drawing a temporary blank, such as sometimes happens when you're really tired. "It's..." I felt if I tried, it would come to me. It was just below the surface, but my tongue felt so thick. "M... Ma..." That sounded right. "Master!" I concluded triumphantly -- until the others laughed and I realized that my subconscious had betrayed me again, providing the word it seemed to feel was appropriate when the correct word escaped me. I flushed red at the revelatory nature of this slip.
"That's right," Mark said -- I remembered his name now -- "and you are an exceptionally obedient subject! As you will see when you are back in trance. Sleep now!" he said. His approaching hand filled my field of vision and when he touched my forehead, everything went dark and I was alone with his voice again.
"That's right," he said. "Now that your mind knows the way to this place, it is very easy to return, and you will return whenever I cue you, by saying the words 'sleep now' and touching you on the forehead. That's so, isn't it?" he asked.
"Yes," I said thickly. It seemed to be true, and it was too much effort to disagree.
"Each time, your trance will become deeper, and it will be easier to obey my suggestions and harder to resist, as our rapport deepens, and you become more and more comfortable with it.
"Now, Mike, I want you to relax deeply... imagine yourself on a relaxing vacation... you are on a tropical island, relaxing... alone on the beach... no one is around.. it is warm and relaxing, isn't it."
I could picture it all perfectly, just as he said. Warm and relaxing.
"So warm.. the sun is shining brightly... you're so warm, you want to take off your shirt.. it's okay, there's no one around, you're alone on the beach..."
It was true, it was very warm on the beach.
"You want to take off your shirt and enjoy the sunshine..."
I took off my shirt. I felt the sun's warmth vividly on my skin.
"From the next lagoon, you hear a faint sound. You listen closely. What do you hear?"
"I hear..." I didn't know. It was too faint. I waited for him to tell me.
"It's hula music, Mike. As you listen more closely, you hear hula music."
"Yes..." As I listened more closely, I made out the strains of Aloha 'Oe. (I recognized the tune, but didn't know the name of the song until I looked it up later by surfing through sound samples from collections of Hawai'ian music on Amazon.)
"It makes you want to dance, doesn't it, Mike. It's okay, you're alone on the beach now. Relax and enjoy the music. This is the voice of your own thoughts speaking. You want to dance."
I waved my arms. The music made me want to dance. There was no harm in it, no one was watching, and I felt like dancing. In the distance I heard laughter. The people in the next cove must have been having fun too. I felt warm and relaxed, and I was glad they were having fun too.
"That's right, Mike. Now the music is fading, and you can rest. The sky is growing dark and the sun is setting. Return now to the present and awaken, feeling refreshed and alert, when I count to three. One... two... three!"
I felt a sense of lifting, as though the weight of his hand lifted from my forehead where he had touched me. I opened my eyes and I was back in Mark's living room, bare to the waist, while the others all looked at me, grinning (especially Louise).
I flushed. It felt a little bit like the dream you have about being naked in public. Except that I wasn't completely naked; but I had been dreaming in public, in a dream conducted by Mark for all to see.
"Well, I'm convinced," said Jack.
The others all agreed. There was nothing I could say; Mark had showed his ability to influence my mind in spite of my resistance. He had made me dance like a puppet on a string.
"And now for one final demonstration that I think you'll enjoy," said Mark, "you will return to trance. Sleep now!" His hand approached; I tried to avoid it, but it filled my field of vision and when he touched my forehead everything went dark.
"Your subconscious mind has shown how obedient and docile it is. It obeys without thinking, without judgment. It does not have the capacity for critical analysis; that faculty is sound asleep, and falling deeper asleep every time you obey my commands. Your subconscious can only accept my words unquestioningly, absorbing them as if they were your own.
"It is a pleasure to obey, in fact. The relationship between hypnotist and subject is quite intimate; no one else comes so close to your thoughts, your innermost being. It is a warm feeling, a feeling of trust. You should feel grateful."
I felt grateful. Warm feelings for him washed over me.
"Now I am going to reward you for your trust in me. I am going to grant you the power to feel pleasure all over your entire body -- every inch of your skin will be susceptible to feeling pleasure -- wherever my hand touches you. The brain is the center of pleasure; I am connecting it to every inch of your skin. Think about it: you can feel pleasure if I touch you here, can't you?" He put his hand on my shoulder.
"Oh-hh!" I groaned ecstatically. My entire body shivered with the pleasure that seemed to radiate from my shoulder. I tried to rub my shoulder against his hand like an animal. He gripped my shoulder strongly, and the waves of pleasure almost overwhelmed me. "Oh, yes, Mark!" I cried out.
"And what about here?" he said, moving his hand to the muscles on my chest. The origin of the waves of pleasure moved to my breast, but did not abate. He pinched my nipple, and I was crying out, "Oh god, oh god Mark!"
"It feels so good," he said. "And now you feel satiated... the pleasure diminishes, and you feel completely satisfied... return to your normal state; your skin no longer causes anything but the normal sensations... This ends the demonstration of the power of hypnosis for today. When I count to three, you will return to consciousness. You will feel alert and refreshed, and you will continue to feel the sense of satisfaction. You've obviously enjoyed hypnosis very much... so much you'll probably want to do it again sometime! Now, awaken... one, two, three, awake!"
Again, the weight was lifted from me, and I was back in Mark's living room, surrounded by the people from the office. I felt great. Some of my friends were grinning fiercely, grinning with a knowing sort of glee, but others seemed to have a troubled look. I suppose I had just had an orgasm in front of them, and I ought to have felt more embarrassed, but I felt so satisfied, and we were all friends here... I expected a ribbing on Monday, especially from those who were grinning, but it was worth it to have been through what I experienced.
"I guess you could all tell that I enjoyed hypnosis very much..." I began, feeling that I owed the others some kind of explanation. A few grins got wider. Rick laughed aloud, and Louise gave me a little squeeze on the arm.
It seemed, though, that Mark's last demonstration had crossed the line of good taste for several of the people there, and after a little perfunctory conversation, people started making their excuses and leaving. I lingered, unwilling to go, until I was the last. Pamela brought me my coat, and Mark shook my hand at the door. "Thanks for being such a good sport," he said.
"Oh, no, Mark, I enjoyed it!" I said.
"I know," he said, and winked.
Monday finally came, and the ribbing I expected. "You were really 'under the influence' last Friday!" said Rick.
"Yes," I replied. "I really enjoyed it."
"I could tell!" said Rick.
I saw Mark from a distance several times during the course of the day. I would meet his eye, and smile at him, and he smiled back. But I was somewhat embarrassed to speak to him. What do you say to a man who has controlled your mind, and laid open your private thoughts in front of a crowd? But I felt a bond to him arising from our shared experience, and I felt warm and grateful when he returned my smile. The knowing gleam in his eye told me that he understood what I was feeling.
Later in the day I approached him at the water cooler.
"Hi, Mark," I said.
"Hello," he said.
"I can't help thinking about how you hypnotized me the other day."
"No, I expect you can't," he said.
"I really enjoyed it... it makes me feel sort of special... about you, I mean," I said haltingly.
"That's called 'transference,'" he said. "It sometimes develops spontaneously in the subject, but it can also be deliberately encouraged, of course."
"Yes," I said. "And I suppose you did that."
"Yes," he said. "Of course."
"Well, I really enjoyed it... and I was wondering if you would be willing to hypnotize me again." I didn't know until I said it that that's what I really wanted, but I realized that was part of what was making this interview so awkward for me.
"Sure," said Mark.
We went to a seldom-used conference room at the back. Mark hung out the "in use" sign and locked the door for privacy.
"Go ahead and sit on this coffee table," said Mark. "Now, relax and watch my hands... this will go a lot quicker, since your mind is now trained to find its way into trance, and we have built up a rapport... your breathing slows, your mind grows empty, and you are entering the trance now." His hand grew to fill my field of vision, and when it touched me on the forehead, everything became dark.
"Very good, Mike," he said. "You have learned very well. Each time, it becomes easier, more instinctive to enter the trance. Practice makes it automatic. You should feel proud of how good you are becoming at entering trance!" (I was.) "Now your conscious mind is asleep; your will is dreaming; and I am speaking directly to your subconscious, which accepts my words uncritically and without thinking. I want you to remember the beach you were on last week..."
"Yes," I said, "I remember."
The light slowly grew and I was back on the beach. The sun came out from behind a cloud, and it was broad daylight again. It grew hot, just like the last time, and I had to take off my shirt.
"Now it is growing even hotter. You are thirsty," he said. "A drink would taste so good right now... but you are alone; the island is deserted."
My mouth was so dry. It was so hot, and I was terribly thirsty.
"Now I am coming to you. I am there on the beach with you. I will bring you a drink. You feel so grateful to me, because you are so thirsty, and I am the one who comes to bring you relief."
The sun gleamed on his body as he came towards me carrying a drink on a tray. I was so grateful to him; he had come to quench my thirst. I thirsted for him, this man who cared about me, who made me feel so good. The sun shone around him like a halo.
"Imagine a delicious drink that will quench your thirst, served in a beautiful coconut shell. You must drink through the straw. Here, let me help you. Close your eyes and I'll bring it to your mouth."
He put his hands behind my head and guided it forward. I felt the straw touch my lips, and I opened my mouth to let it in, but it was not what I expected. It was warm, thick, and hard. My perceptions adjusted. I realized that it was a carved wooden straw. Curiously shaped, with a broad rim, it must have been carved by the young men of the island to pass away the idyllic days... Yes, it all made perfect sense.
"This is a very special straw. Let me explain how to use it. You must suck on this straw carefully, using your tongue and lips but not your teeth... But you are so thirsty... suck, keep on sucking, if you want the drink! Keep sucking, and it will come."
I did as he said. I was so thirsty; I wanted that drink. His fingers clenched on the back of my head, pulling my hair. I knew that meant that I was doing it right. He set my rhythm, pushing my head up and down. I followed his rhythm.
"Oh, yeah," he said. "That's right!" I sucked and sucked. I was so thirsty. "Oh, yeah! Oh, god!" he said in a voice that was growing ragged. "Oh, yes, Mike! You are completely in my control! You would do anything I told you to do, wouldn't you! You must obey me! Yes! Oh, god! Unngh! Unghh!" he grunted.
His hands tightened convulsively on the back of my head, forcing it down onto the straw, and creamy coconut milk squirted down my throat in great spurts. I was so thirsty, I swallowed it all down. He quenched my thirst. I was so grateful.
"Very good, Mike," he said, after a few minutes. His breathing seemed steadier now. "I hope that you have enjoyed this day on the beach. I know I have. Now it is time to return to the office. You will remember how much you enjoyed this experience. You will feel a warm glow, a sense of contentment, that will stay with you for the rest of the day, and will return to you when you recollect your experience today. You will feel warm and grateful towards me for making you feel this way, and it will make you want to be hypnotized again. Now, return to consciousness on the count of three... one, two, three, awake!"
I was back in the conference room with Mark. Strangely, the memory of my illusory day on the beach seemed highly significant. I knew that it was just a hypnotically induced daydream, but yet there seemed to be something terribly important about it that I needed to remember... if only I knew what. I knew that I would treasure this memory, and return to Mark to be hypnotized again... and again.
"Thanks, Mark," I said, with understated gratitude.
"You're welcome, Mike," he said magnanimously. "I'm glad you like being hypnotized. We'll have to do it again sometime, won't we?"
"Oh, yes!" I breathed.
That night, I had the strangest dreams. I dreamed that I saw Mark half-naked, with his pants down around his ankles, and he was saying, "You are completely in my control! You would do anything I told you to do! You must obey me!" In the morning, I had a piss hard-on, and I had to jerk off.