I don't like labels, but...

I have often spoken about how many things
are hypnotic, even when not labeled as
such. I talk about it because many times
I have found that people get into some
trouble with something that is hypnotic,
but don't know what happened, or understand
why it did.

I suppose being aware is a good thing.
The problem is becoming aware of the thing
you don't know you didn't know. How do you
know what to look for, or what to find out
if you don't have a "label" to search for?

I bring this up at the moment because there
is a lot of talk lately about how payment
processors are shying away from allowing
vendors to use any words with "hyp" in them.
Apparently it seems that they're not telling
hypnotists to stop doing hypnosis, but to
stop calling it that.

I have heard about this more in the erotic
hypnosis world than I have in the mainstream
one, so I don't know how the effects will
be rippling. However what seems to be clear
is that it is the word HYPNOSIS itself that
is the issue.

I have heard on occasion about laws that
could prohibit or limit the use of hypnosis,
and I have often wondered how anyone could
do that, given how prevalent it is in our
day to day life. It doesn't just happen
in official trance. Hypnotic effect doesn't
just happen when it is labeled "HYPNOSIS,"
or by someone labeled as a "HYPNOTIST."

I figured it would almost be a joke of sorts
if anyone ever really tried to regulate it
because it would just have those who knew
anything at all to be more covert in their
actions. Even a look can be hypnotic. The
only way one could absolutely prevent
something hypnotic from affecting another
would be to have people isolated from the
world.

So now, even though it is a legally viable
thing, it is in some way being regulated by
those who have the money. It sounds like the
banks are saying no to those using them to
have payments made for things labeled as
hypnosis.

As a result, they are forcing it to become
even more of what they seem to want to avoid,
as they've also used language, saying that
it must be clear that whatever "it" is called
is consensual. It has been questioned how
consensual can an experience be if a person
isn't truly aware of the effects of a particular
person, recording, or dynamic.

When does "consensual" begin? Is a person
saying to another when he calls that he
consents to whatever the other person wants
to do with him?

I can only guess that if this trend continues
there will be substitutes that will come into
play that will one day also be unacceptable.
Some would say this is censorship in action,
and I am not sure they'd be too far off.

At the same time, whenever one "plays" with
another, one must play be the other's rules,
especially if they want to play with what
the other has. So, to some degree, I must
sadly understand what the companies are doing.
They are setting their own rules for the
reasons they see fit - just as I do.

But...

What they are doing isn't so much saying we
won't play, but rather if you call it by
that name, we can't play. So what they're
really doing - and want those who "play"
in the profession to do - is play with
perception.

As much as it makes sense in one way, it
makes things worse in other ways. Any way
this gets sliced, it does not feel like we
are headed in a direction that is helpful
to anyone, even if we all agree to the
illusion that it could be helpful to
someone.

*Sigh*

As always, I suggest that you do what you
can to become aware of what can happen,
especially when you expect it least of all.

As with anything, I think this could turn
out to be good, as it could help people to
see that hypnosis isn't a separate thing
that is chosen, but rather one that is a
regular part of life in a myriad of ways.

Or...it could, devoid of a label, help
everything to blur in such a way that
people don't take the effort or time
to realize that something is going on
under the surface of their day to day
interactions, and therefore be more at
their effect.

Personally I prefer the first option, but
if we do not collectively become aware of
what is going on we may sadly be at the
result of the second one.

All together now...
1,2,3,4.5 Awake AND Alert!

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