Just like at #SpellboundCon last year, I did almost no hypnosis at #HYDE — but I actually don’t feel disappointed about that. When I attended #Darklands about a month ago, I didn’t spend any time in the darkrooms, and I think this is the same principle. I’m learning that, while I enjoy and value these fetish conventions, I use them mostly as an outlet for socializing and teaching, not for engaging in fetish or sex. Maybe I just need a different context for that, and that’s OK.

Going into this event, I felt a bit nervous — the #SpellboundCon event that I attended last year was fun, but emotionally difficult for me, and I fully expected to feel the same difficulty at #HYDE. I was wrong. I don’t think the difference was in the events, I think it was in me: my experience, expectations, and openness to others who are different from me. Knowing some of the attendees from Spellbound was also a big help — and knowing what to expect from an all-genders hypnocon!

Just before we left #SpellboundCon on Sunday, a female attendee pulled me aside. We had chatted a little bit during the weekend, and I had a very positive impression of her; she told me that she felt similarly towards me, and asked if I would hypnotize her briefly, just so she could experience my style of hypnosis. Nothing sexual, just relaxation. I checked my emotions, and realized that I was happy and eager to do so!

I’ve started examining that idea in my mind, and it’s not one that I’m proud of. Everyone at #SpellboundCon was so friendly and welcoming, and we all share the same kink. I’d like to open up more and explore this with more people; it doesn’t have to *only* be gay men, especially considering the wide range of gender expressions that I saw at the con.

The #SpellboundCon organizers did a great job with ensuring there was plenty of downtime for getting to know other attendees, and plenty of opportunities for hypnotic play — including an actual play party on the con schedule! I got to know several other people, and made some friendships that I hope to maintain in the future. But I did remarkably little hypnosis; the three-way trance with @Frank_NL and @deepunder was the only significant session I did for the entire weekend.

Many people taught classes at #SpellboundCon, so there were plenty of opportunities to learn and get inspired! I taught a class as well: the same “Intro to Erotic Hypnosis” class that I’ve taught at #Darklands many times. However, at Darklands, most people were unfamiliar with #hypnosis; at Spellbound, everyone knew the basics already, and I realized (while standing in front of the audience) that I didn’t have enough content to teach an actual class about the topic.

#SpellboundCon was a lot larger than I expected: roughly 80 hypno-kinksters! The event went from Friday to Sunday, and included meals and accommodation: we were assigned shared bedrooms when we arrived. @Frank_NL and I were assigned to a 3-person room, with one other guy that we didn’t know.