The aim of Hypnotherapy Trainer is a simple one: to teach its players some things about clinical hypnotherapy. Not something you see every day, so I figured I’d give it a go.

My own experiences with hypnotherapy haven’t been in a clinical context. It’s something I’ve read about every now and then, rarely in a serious sense. One time I was a volunteer for a show where a hypnotist asked members of the audience to do things like wrestle an inflatable alligator. Such shenanigans!

There are no alligators in Hypnotherapy Trainer, inflatable or otherwise. But oh, yes, there is hypnotherapy.

You begin on the island of Mesmer, a rather large map with a rather slow walking speed. That’s alright. Take your time. Watch the dance of sunlight on the water, smell the sea salt in the air, feel the grass tickling your feet… Relax. Take a deep breath. After a nice, meandering walk south you come upon the legendary trainer, who leads you on this magical journey. With the trainer’s words of wisdom and your own critical thinking skills, you set out to solve the problems of Mesmer’s three or so inhabitants.



This is done through choosing the most appropriate dialogue option for what stage of hypnosis you’re on. Failure results in going back to the dialogue choices, but if you’re conducting an actual session rather than being quizzed on theory or convincing the villagers you’re not a threat, then failure can end the session. In that case, you just get sent back to the trainer for a recap and then try again. The worst that happens is taking another stroll through Mesmer.

It’s relaxing. Take a deep breath. Yes, right now. In through your nose, to a count of four, then exhale through your nose, to a count of four.

Surprisingly, there’s a sense of progression, a real difficulty curve.



I messed up several of the later sessions, as you go from making fairly simple suggestions like “Imagine yourself eating slower” to narrating a series of chronological events. But this, too, was fine. Just another learning experience. After level 3 you gain access to a shortcut, which turns the wandering into wondering. You see, Hypnotherapy Trainer asks the real questions.



Imagine that you’re on a beach. The temperature is just right -- warm, with a slight breeze to calm the heat. Seagulls cry out in the distance. The waves lap at your feet, cool and gentle, and you walk in the sand, leaving footprints in your path. These are a mark of where you have been, not where you are going. The waves wash them away as easily as you make them.

Sometimes the wondering may lead you to question what the trainer tells you.

In Hypnotherapy Trainer you learn about more than just hypnotherapy. The ideas expressed were familiar to me. Many times I felt as if I were back in school with stock images of folks my age plastered all over my textbook, helping me understand the principles of cognitive behavior therapy. Memories of colorful boxes, multiple choice questions, and theory upon theory as to how we think, feel, live.

Sometimes I would raise an eyebrow.



This is, perhaps, why hypnotherapy has had little personal appeal to me. You can only do so much to change faulty thinking, and the physicality of my body informs my mental state in an ouroboros of cause and effect. I devour myself; I am devoured. Neither male nor female, I exist in a liminal state. Hypnotherapy is a process by which one enters a liminal state, neither asleep nor awake. A world of in-between and endless possibility.

It was jarring, then, to be presented with a choice of male or female character at the start of the game. To see a world spoken of in he or she, with not a trace of the gender-neutral they. In a game about utilizing the potential of the in-between, the power of hypnotherapy, it was an irony I doubt the creator would have considered.

Inhale, 1-2-3-4. Exhale, 1-2-3-4. Remember, all through the nose.

Where is this path on the sunlit beach taking you?

I learned from my time with Hypnotherapy Trainer. About hypnotherapy. About myself. Perhaps, even, about humanity. It was only an hour, maybe two. Rest, relaxation, and the principles of guided imagery. For those with a bit of spare time and a passing interest, this game will do what it sets out to do. Nothing more, nothing less.

Imagine yourself browsing RMN. You see a game page. There is a review -- you read it. Then you realize what you must do. There it is, the download button, grey and familiar. You feel confident. Like you know what to expect from the game you are about to download.

You click the button.