"Before we begin, I'd like to describe the goals we're going to be working to achieve with today's session. If these goals don't interest you, or if you don't feel safe and comfortable with them, you can simply make the choice to stop listening and find a different experience to enjoy. You are always in control of your trance state, and any suggestions you hear will only apply if you feel safe and comfortable accepting them.
"The goal of today's trance is to train you to experience hypnotic paralysis on command. This may be in response to a verbal trigger, or in response to any one of a number of stimuli negotiated between you and the hypnotist you consent to invoke this state in your body. There are no specific hypnotic triggers I'm asking you to accept--we're going to teach your mind to recognize situations that are invitations to freeze, and to enjoy those situations when they occur. This is more flexible and open-ended than a trigger, and may result in you experiencing hypnotic paralysis unexpectedly... although, again, only when it is safe and comfortable for you to do so.
"Although there are points in this session where you may be encouraged to pay less conscious attention to the hypnotist, there are no direct amnesia suggestions incorporated into this session, and no suggestions or triggers that are intended to be forgotten after the session is over. Even so, spontaneous amnesia does happen to some people during hypnosis, so you may find yourself experiencing difficulty recalling details of the trance experience. If you enjoy forgetting your trances, your mind is going to work to make that happen. You have permission to remember or to forget as much of this session as you want--again, within the boundaries of what is safe and comfortable for you.
"This session contains permissive language directing you to disrobe and touch yourself. If you believe you will have difficulty resisting these instructions, please wait until you have some privacy to begin. If you do not feel safe or comfortable following any of the described suggestions or instructions, this would be a good place for you to stop. Otherwise, please get comfortable for me so that we can begin.
"And I'd like you to begin by taking a moment to think about what relaxation really is. Many hypnotists will simply start their induction by telling the subject to relax, but that's a word that has a lot of meanings to a lot of different people. Maybe the first thing you picture when you think about relaxing is lying in a warm, soft bed, letting the dark and the quiet gradually ease your mind closer and closer to deep, restful slumber while the tension in your muscles slowly, gently unwinds and your thoughts drift away one by one. That's a lovely kind of relaxation, and there are times when that peace and calm are exactly what you want and need.
"But it's not quite what we're looking for. After all, if you were asleep, you couldn't listen to the sound of my voice as I paint that lovely picture in your mind, could you? You'd be too drowsy to really pay attention, so limp and loose and tired and languid that everything would just fade away into a blissful dream. And while that's very pleasant, and you can already imagine that loose, drifty sensation of pleasant exhaustion brushing up against your thoughts and slowing your breathing into long, lazy breaths... in... and out... you can find a different kind of cozy, dreamy feeling to see inside your head. A nice, restful middle ground between sleeping and waking. We can go into it together, in fact.
"In this happy, comfortable daydream, you can picture yourself resting in a cozy reclining chair, one that's just exactly as soft and padded and restful as you can imagine. It's tilted back just a little, just enough to allow all of your muscles to unwind their tension into sweet, sleepy lethargy without moving at all. Not quite so far that you fall asleep, but enough to let you settle back and really enjoy the peaceful, passive feeling washing over you. The room is exactly the way you like it--maybe it's got a little bit of warm afternoon sunlight coming in, not so much that it bothers your eyes but just the right amount to soothe and calm you. It's a safe place to rest. You can probably see it inside your head right now, can't you?