The simple solution:

Talk with a subject about everything and anything you could possibly want to do now and in the future before you start the session.

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Implied consent in normal relationships

Consent is a complex issue even for normal relationships as most of the time it is implicitly given.

Think about it. Have you ever asked "Can I kiss you now?" before you did it?

And, even in normal relationships, it goes wrong every now and then. With awkwardness at best and abuse/rape at worst.

Consent and Hypnosis

When hypnotizing someone, you do not have the luxury of implied consent. You need explicit, informed consent before the trance itself, because the person's will is compromised when in a deep trance (or subspace).

For example the question: "Do you want me to kiss you?" - Could be yes because the person feels in a nice state of mind, a bit romantic and happy. But in trance, that person does not think about other factors that may be relevant. So the answer could still be "No" even though the want is there.

And yeah, talking about intimate things before you start something with someone can be awkward as hell and very uncomfortable. But with any type of trance-play, or anything else that would impede someone's ability to think, it is essential.

It's not enough to ask: "Can I kiss you while in trance?"

What about the details? Kiss where? With or without tongue? And try to replace kissing with a more intimate act and you'll quickly find out that getting consent for one act, does not imply consent for all others!

The simple solution

So yes, the only option you have if you want to trance safely and ethically, is to discuss anything you would want to do during a session before you start.

It is possible that you click so well with a subject that a session quickly moves to the edge of what has been discussed and consented. When this happens, consider that consent in trance is in an impaired headspace. Don't do it then, but remember what you'd like to do and discuss it before a future session.

Remember, it's the hypnotist's job to cover consent and to check if it has been correctly understood (informed consent).

From the subject's perspective

You are always responsible for your own body and mind. You decide who you let into your head and who you allow to control it. As such, it is very helpful learn ways of speaking up when things go wrong. Stopwords and other mechanisms to communicate during a trance are very important and you can discuss with your hypnotist what works for the two of you.

Remember, it is always okay to say stop or no!

You can also educate yourself on the consent discussed, to more easily lead the hypnotist into a mutual place of understanding.