Quick Start

Path A — Try the AI agent right now (5 minutes)

You don't need to have read a single lesson. The agent will guide you through a short session on its own. You just need Python 3.11+ and an Anthropic API key.

1. Get the code

   Download the zip from /download, or if you have git:

   # Download the zip from https://hypnosis.mikee.ai/download/
   # (or right-click the Download button and Save Link As)
   
   unzip ~/Downloads/igor-hypnosis-v0.1.0.zip
   cd igor-hypnosis

2. Create a virtual environment and activate it

   python -m venv .venv
   
   # macOS / Linux
   source .venv/bin/activate
   
   # Windows (Command Prompt)
   .venv\Scripts\activate.bat
   
   # Windows (PowerShell)
   .venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1

   Your prompt should now show (.venv) at the left. If it doesn't, see the troubleshooting page.

3. Install the package

   pip install -e .

   This installs igor as a command on your path (inside the venv). It takes a minute the first time.

4. Add your API key

   cp .env.example .env

   Open .env in any text editor and replace the placeholder with your real Anthropic API key:

   ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-...

   Don't have a key yet? Get one at console.anthropic.com. The free tier is sufficient for learning.

5. Confirm the knowledge base loaded

   igor kb-info

   You should see a summary of the course modules and technique files bundled into the agent's knowledge base. If you see errors, check the KB missing entry in Troubleshooting.

6. Try the offline MBL generator

   igor mbl "anxious" "calm"

   This runs entirely locally — no API call needed. It generates a set of Mind-Bending Language questions that pivot from the problem state ("anxious") toward the resource state ("calm"). You'll see something like:

   Who is it that is not anxious, that's calm?
   When are you not anxious, that's calm?
   How is it that you are not anxious, that's calm?
   ...

   These are the same question patterns the agent uses mid-session. See the glossary entry for MBL for what's happening here.

7. Start your first session

   igor chat

   The agent will introduce itself, ask for your consent, and invite you to share what you'd like to work on. It will guide you through a short Sanctuary exercise. You can type "stop" at any point to end the session safely — the agent will always acknowledge this and bring you back to a normal state.

   Budget 10–20 minutes for a complete first session. Find somewhere quiet if you can.

After the session, the agent will ask you what you noticed. Take a moment to actually answer — that debrief is part of the technique, not just politeness.

Path B — Learn by doing (15 minutes)

If you'd rather understand the foundation before running the agent, start here. The first three lessons are short and you can do the exercise on yourself.

1. Open Lesson 1 of the course

   Head to course/index.html and open Module 1. It covers the core distinction between Hypnotic Context and Social Context — the conceptual foundation everything else rests on. Read it actively: pause when something surprises you.

2. Find a quiet 15 minutes — phone face-down

   Seriously. The exercise at the end of Lesson 3 asks you to close your eyes and follow a sequence of instructions. Notifications will break it. Give yourself the conditions to actually notice what happens.

3. Read Lessons 1, 2, and 3 in sequence

   Lesson 1 introduces Hypnotic Context and the Mental Posture of "imagine and pretend." Lesson 2 unpacks the HABS formula — the skeleton inside every induction. Lesson 3 introduces the language patterns (Power Words, pacing, leading) that make suggestions land. Three lessons, maybe 20 minutes of reading total.

4. Do the Lesson 3 induction on yourself

   Lesson 3 includes the Magnetic Hands exercise. Sit comfortably, hold your hands out, rub them together for 10–15 seconds, then hold them apart and follow the steps as written. Don't try to make anything happen — just follow along and observe. The point is to notice where the response feels voluntary versus where it stops feeling voluntary.

   You are both the hypnotist and the subject here. That's fine. Self-experimentation is how this course was designed to be learned.

5. Come back and journal what you noticed

   Open a notes app or grab a piece of paper. Write — even two or three sentences — about what you experienced. Did anything feel involuntary? Did you feel any resistance? Was there a moment where you "forgot" you were following instructions? These observations are the raw material the rest of the course builds on.

6. Continue at your pace

   There is no deadline. The course is self-paced. Ideally you do at least one exercise per session — reading without doing produces understanding but not skill. The exercises are short enough that you can do them alone, with a partner, or (eventually) with the AI agent standing in as a practice partner.

What to do if it didn't work

The agent session felt flat or generic

Two likely causes: the knowledge base JSON files are missing (run igor kb-info to check), or your responses during the session were very brief. The agent calibrates its language to what you give it. One-word answers produce shorter, less personalised responses. Try a full sentence when it asks how you're feeling.

The hands exercise produced nothing noticeable

Completely normal for a first attempt. The "imagine and pretend" frame takes practice to enter — most people spend the first few tries half-watching themselves from the outside. Try again with your eyes closed for the rubbing phase. Also: "nothing happened" is itself useful data. It usually means the social context is still running (you're observing yourself rather than participating). Lessons 1–2 explain exactly why this happens and what to do about it.

The session raised something uncomfortable

If you touched something you weren't expecting — a memory, an emotion, something that didn't resolve — that's not a malfunction. It's the technique working. Give yourself 10 minutes before doing anything else. The ethics page has guidance on when to loop in a professional. The short answer: if it's still with you in a few hours and feels bigger than you can handle alone, talk to someone you trust, and consider a licensed therapist.

Technical problem?

See the full Troubleshooting guide or the Installation guide for platform-specific help.