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 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.

The Lightning Talks also came together at the last minute, as I hoped they would! Despite only one person signing up before the start of #HYDE, we had 12 presentations by the start of the Lightning Talks event, and they went very well! A wide variety of interesting topics, and several people told me that they really enjoyed attending the talks, as well. Maybe next year, it will happen again!

I really enjoyed the conversations I had during #HYDE — the unexpected connections over meals, board games, or sitting around the fire pit. Getting to know many people very different from me, and yet linked by our passion for hypnosis. Talking about the classes we attended, the experiences we’ve had, our excitement for the next activity or class. It was so simple, and yet it was the best part of the event for me.

I was really glad that @Frank_NL was at #HYDE with me, as well. I felt his care and concern for me the whole time, checking in on me every so often to make sure I was alright, and I really appreciated it. I also enjoyed playing with him one-on-one during the event, including an *intense* fractionation scene on Saturday night that led to a multi-orgasmic experience; it’s one that I don’t think he will soon forget. 😈 (Want details? Ask him!)

The only substantial criticism that I have of #HYDE is that, for an event focused on #EroticHypnosis, there wasn’t much content that was actually erotic or sexual. Full nudity was not allowed in the venue, which meant that flirting was about as far as things could go in a sexual direction. The focus on safety and consent had an unfortunate chilling effect, blocking lustful urges in favor of something that felt more “family-friendly” at times.

But then, this seems to be the culture of all-gender fetish events — at least, the limited number that I’ve experienced. I prefer the raw, lustful sexuality that I encounter at fetish events dominated by gay men; where a blowjob is as common as a handshake, where consent is understood by body language and context rather than by a lengthy discussion. I find it simpler, and certainly more familiar. But I’ve learned to codeswitch, and I see the value of all-gender fetish culture as well.