So, I’ve been learning hypnosis. It’s one of those things that have fascinated me for a long time.

And that’s one of the really cool things about London. You want to learn anything at all, say, underwater origami or touch-typing with your toes, there WILL be somebody willing to teach you.

My usual attitude of “oh, sounds interesting” got me into some very interesting courses, ranging from spiritual (energy work) to very hands-on stuff (massage). I’m looking at doing some yoga for my back in the future. And I’ve signed up for a coaching qualification later this month.

Part of this is relevant because while I like learning stuff, I especially like learning stuff that could get me ideas for books or characters. I don’t want to write about writers and bankers for the rest of my life, so I better learn something outside writing/finance. (I’m also running out of French Foreign Legionnaires.) Massage was pretty cool, because there’s a huge difference about writing about massage with no clue in the world and actually knowing what a good one feels like – both giving and receiving. Too bad the massage school died before I got qualified – but they did teach me how to give a rocking full-body massage. And you can be damn sure that the next massage scene I’ll do is 100% based in fact.

The last really interesting course I did was hypnosis. Now, hypnosis has featured in too many crime novels for us to not have some preconceptions when we hear the word. Somewhere, there exist several bookcases full of Victorian novels where the hypnotist/mesmerist is evil. Often, sexual shenanigans ensue (I read one of those for fun, and it got pretty hardcore pretty quickly, with incest and lots of same-sex stuff going on).

I’m sad to report that real hypnosis isn’t like that. (Or it might be and I  just haven’t found that perv button yet.)

Actually, hypnosis is shockingly normal. For one, you don’t feel “hypnotised”. You’re still in control. And an ethical hypnotist will always make sure you’re 100% comfortable.

If we say that hypnosis is the skill of inducing “trance” in another person, then we’re basically surrounded by hypnotists every day.

Because, see, trance is a natural state of the brain, and in my opinion, readers and writers are extraordinarily good at it.

Ever read a book and felt you were there? Or suddenly the book was over and it was 5 in the morning on a work day? That was a trance.

Because yeah, we can totally go into trance with our eyes open, just like we sometimes get out of the car at our destination and can’t really remember how we got there. Ever got on a bus/train and literally cannot remember whether you locked the door? That was a going-to-work trance. The subconsciousness is quite happy taking over while the conscious brain switches off.

And the flip-side for writers: Many authors says they “fall into the story” or “see a movie” or “don’t remember writing that”. Writing trance. I love those.

According to the guy who trained me, there are very few people who absolutely cannot be tranced. As a rule, the more intelligent, the better at visualisation, the better at trancing (ultimately, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis).

Personally, as a writer who sees a movie while writing and zones out all the time, I’m addicted to trance. It makes writing easy and fun, and I take any excuse to go away in my own head. A hypnotist looks at me sharply and I’m out and away in seconds.

I was sold on hypnosis the moment the trainer said that to trance somebody, you gotta trance yourself. Sounds like the perfect day job for me, to be honest.  And with all my practice, I wasn’t surprised that my first trance session with a “client” (read: another trainee) was really good fun. We spent four days trancing each other out.

When I left the course, I was pretty confident that I’d be able to do it on my own. And the coolest thing: I did.

There’s nothing quite like putting somebody in trance with nothing more than a handshake and a “sleep!” This is Derren Brown stuff. Awesome. Really good fun. And interestingly enough, massaging somebody also induces trance (it’s when you work for 3 hours on them and they are very surprised it was more than say, 40 minutes). These days, I can put my self into a trance whenever I want. One of my most useful skills when I’m waiting for something – or for writing.

I’m still exploring the possibilities. What I really want to learn is putting somebody back into a past life, but I want some very experienced guidance on that (after all, normal trance doesn’t put you back to how/when you died, say).

I’d still make sure to get an ethical, well-trained hypnotist, but if you can’t afford one, but I’ve also had great effects with a hypnosis CD or download from Audible. A medium to deep trance is a great way to explore your own mind, relax and talk to the part where the writing’s coming from. I’d heartily recommend it. I’m actually going to trance a whole group of writers in Berlin in late May, when I do guided meditations at CritShop. Those are specifically designed to help writers, because I want to apply what I’ve learned, it feels good and trance is hugely powerful to get the effects you want.

And, yeah, I’ll write about a hypnotist. Possibly even a naughty one. Because even though you are in control when being tranced, it can be fun to convince yourself you’re not. But that’s a different blog post.

And as I count back from five, you can return to your own full awareness. Five, four, three, two, one.

Welcome back. How are you feeling?