Introduction
Here, you can read some notes for use of the #hypnoticdreams channel on the sorcery irc network.
We're not big on formality, rules, regulations and such. These notes exist so that we don't have to explain the same things over and over.
As usual, it's wise to hang out for a bit and get a feel for the culture of the room, until you have an idea what to expect.
If you are prepared to transform, welcome! Choose "Chat" from the menu above. Let's play...
Values
- Ethics over rules
- Real Life over fantasy
- Common courtesy and empathy are encouraged.
If in doubt, follow Plato's suggestion: "Be gentle. Everyone you meet is involved in great struggle."
Focus. Pay Close Attention.
The channel is most strongly oriented towards the practical exercise of hypnosis and related phenomena using IRC itself. We are not kidding.
Hypnotic language and behavior is to be expected on channel. Sometimes this will be obvious, sometimes not.
If you want to 100% avoid letting us mess with your mind, go elsewhere. In fact, better stop reading this now, before it's too late...
The channel is also strongly oriented towards real transformation, especially the expansion or realignment of 'gendered' behavior.
In very many cases this has a therapeutic dimension, and we love to be part of the process of people liberating themselves from their 'demons', but the channel is no substitute for professional psychotherapy or spiritual counselling.
If you have serious spiritual, mental, emotional or psychological problems, consult a professional.
States of consciousness achieved through means such as fasting, sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, 'floatation tanks', meditation, prayer, contemplation, drugs and alcohol may also be discussed occasionally. Go elsewhere if you wish to avoid these topics entirely.
Faux Pas
This is not a BDSM channel. Really. Ops are not Dommes, Masters or whatever. You're not required to call us Ma'am or Mistress. Just be respectful.
'Playas' are unwelcome. Don't mess us about. We can usually spot fakers in a very short time.
Roleplay is ok for laughs. As a garnish, not the main course.
We can't prohibit one-handed chat, obviously, but it is not well appreciated. Yes, we do mean THAT.
If you are into any of that stuff, you are still welcome, but please go elsewhere to play those kinds of games. You are already well-served, and if you feel otherwise, start your own room.
If you are underage, DON'T GET CAUGHT. For legal and ethical reasons we will ban known minors.
Artless trolling will not be tolerated.
Friendly teasing is preferred over trolling, by far, and often welcome.
Hypnosis
- Yes, it's a real thing.
- Yes, it works over the internet too.
- We are amateurs.
- We do it because we love it.
- We're good at it.
- We do it when we can.
- We are always learning to do it better.
- We love to play with it.
- We want to share it with you.
- We want you to learn how to do it too.
- If you can do it, play with us!
- Sometimes we don't do it. Be patient.
- If you want to command our full attention, be charming, witty and kind.
- Above all, be kind.
Transgender
We're all located somewhere on a spectrum of gender. It's not an either/or proposition.
We would love to help you move about the spectrum. It's healthy, fun and enlightening.
We are not trying to turn men into women against their will. That's a porn storyline, you're thinking of. (And why are you thinking about that, eh?)
We think transgender play is sexy too, but we're not going to spin sex fantasies for you.
You don't have to identify as transgender when you start coming to #hypnoticdreams. Not immediately, at least... :)
Safety
Very little in this world is 100% safe. IRC is no exception.
We make efforts that the channel is a fairly safe place, even if we may seem a little scary sometimes.
We are very interested in the ethics of what we are doing. We have thought about it a lot. Let's talk about it.
Hypnosis can manipulate your convictions, but please apply some common sense.
If people get hurt in our channel, it does not amuse us at all. On the contrary.
Enable logging on your chat client, if possible. You may need the logs to make sense of what has happened.
If you are stalked or harassed by someone who is in the room, please let an op know.
We won't (and can't) promise to 'protect' anyone in PM, but we aim to keep the room relatively safe. Be careful whom you chat with privately. There are no guardian angels.
Generally speaking, if someone is an op in #hypnoticdreams there is a good chance of a safe and ethically aware experience.
If things start getting out of hand. Take a walk, eat, sleep, get a change of scene. Do something else for a while.
If this all seems too dangerous, go elsewhere, or quit the server entirely.
Your Nick
You can use whatever nick and title you wish. We have no policy about capital letters or whatever.
Assumptions are unavoidable, but no conclusions about authority should be arrived at on the basis of nick semantics, beyond the IRC convention that ops are often designated with a @ or a % character.
We strongly recommend that you register your nick, to avoid identity theft, and to gain full access to the server features offered by the sorcery network.
The command for registering your nick is /ns register choiceOfpassword youremail@address.com
One useful advantage of a registered nick is that you will be able to send and receive memos to and from other registered users even when they are not logged in.
Power and Control
The actual, and formal founder of the channel is Pamela. She has the final word.
Auto-Ops are the acting authority if Pamela is absent.
In other words, rely on the standard channel op hierarchy.
The Ops may constrain the channel talk in whichever ways they regard as appropriate.
If you want to 'fully exercise your free speech', you may be asked to leave or shut up, for example if there is a trance going on, or if you insist on discussing matters that the Ops regard as 'off topic'.
You may (of course) join and frequent whatever other channels you like. We are not jealous, although we may be curious.
Privacy and Security
PM is sacred. The 'P' means 'private'. We take the word literally.
The channel has no wish to constrain, influence, steer or audit what you do privately.
Just as we can not protect your mind in PM, neither can we protect your passwords and other sensitive data. Again: Be careful whom you chat with privately. There are no guardian angels.
If someone bothers you in PM, use the /ignore command, that's what it's for. Or quit the server.
The higher authority for PM issues is the sorcery IRC ops, but ask on #square first (sorcery's help channel).
Don't hassle the sorcery IRC ops about personal or emotional problems.
IRC was not designed with high security in mind. We recommend that you do not share sensitive information such as contact information, bank details and such, unless you are prepared for this to be intercepted.
Sorcery permits SSL connections (on ports 6697 and 9999), which can provide some protection from prying eyes.
Keep your chat client up to date. Pay special attention to security updates.
Assume that sorcery IRC ops, law enforcement officials, and any number of government spooks can see everything.
Take a few minutes to learn a handful of basic IRC commands. You will probably need them sooner or later. You could start here
Busy times and quiet times
Most of the regulars, especially including the ops, are based in North America and Western Europe. We love visitors from elsewhere too!
Our visitor demographic influences how much activity may be going on in the room.
At the moment, the busiest time is between 16.00-01.00 (GMT), 11.00-19.00 (EST) or 08.00-16.00 (PST). For whatever reason, Mondays seem to be marginally more popular. We're peaking at around 14-15 visitors.
Some times are very quiet. Our bot, coppelia may entertain you a little if you refer to her by name, but while she has a large number of responses prepared, she is very stupid.
Notes for Hypnotists
Hello! If you already know a little (or a lot) about hypnosis and related activities, you are welcome to use the room to explore, experiment, discuss or observe.
We love chatting about hypnosis, NLP, teaching stories, therapeutic strategies, teaching, learning, anecdotes, influence, rhetoric, PRopaganda, spin and any techniques which construct meaning, steer behavior, or manipulate convictions.
Playful hypnotic effects are more than welcome. But unethical hypnotic behavior on channel will not be regarded well.
Share your experiences, tricks, successes and failures. There are no books about this stuff. We love to learn, and we love to share our knowledge.
Please consider the 'ecology' of the hypnotic subject. IRC conceals many important details about this ecology, so you may have to ask your subjects more questions than you might do in RL.
If you don't know what ecology has to do with hypnosis, you ought to learn at the earliest opportunity, before you harm someone. Ask us.