The majority of the effects on the market now days that are called 'Mentalism' ARE NOT! At best they are Mental Magic and in most instances they hold far closer to Bizarre Magick than anything else - Bizarre & Geek type Magick is what Blaine & Angel actually introduced us to, even though Mentalism type effects were a part of their mix. 'Mentalism' is generally clean, presented as being 'real' whether you're doing the Mega Memory type act Human Lie Detector or some sort of NLP horse pucky the effects are presented as a means by which to validate your claims or, in the case of Psychic Entertainers like I, we strive to create the idea that what we do is genuine psychic prowess or, as with my case, a matter of Intuition - a natural 'sense' we are all born with. narrowing the one big line between Charlatan & showman.

all great tricks but a.) they are obvious tricks and b.) so many magicians have/are doing them that it ruins the effect for the ardent Mentalist, most of whom now days, are shooting for far more realism and blurring the lines. 'Mental Magic' is easy to spot in that it typically employs a prop of some sort such as the Mental Epic board, Smash & Stab bits or Larry Becker's Casino Royale.

too, several of them require a monthly payment as little as $15.00 a month in some to more than $500.00 a year with others. Oh, and don't ask about those closed groups I mentioned, you only get in via invitation and that takes time. There's about 5 or 6 of us here that will help you as best we can. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. There are other skill areas of course (Secret Writing resting at the top of said list) but these are the real foundations towards good mentalism it's no longer as simple as it once was and now requires a heck of a lot more memorization of techniques than it used to, but that's what makes it so potent. Numerology, Body Morph & Face Reading with base understanding of Astrology & Palmistry. * The Power of Words/Psychology & Suggestion * A Thorough Understanding & Ability in All facets of Ideomotor operation There are 7 key skill groups a Mentalist must know and possess Psychophysiological Thought Reading - Banachek (the book and disc 3 of the PSI Series)

MIND READING - Kenton Knepper's S.C.H.O.O.L. If you are relatively new to it all I'd suggest that you focus on the basic texts not just Corinda and Annemann but the more contemporary texts that we've seen surface in the past decade or so If you learn the basics and prove yourself, you will be seen and slowly, pulled into the dark side. Mentalism, mostly due to the crass levels of commercialism and exceptionally poor representation, has gone back underground and is closing its doors when it comes to casual discovery. He is correct and more to the point, most forums that do pander to Mentalism and its off-spring (Bizarre Magick) are far more hush, hush and invite only than you'll find with the Magic aspect of things. The proof is in every thread asking for mentalism 'tricks.' Maybe in time the community will change, but right now mentalism advice and discussion remains the demesne of a handful of specialists around here.ĭamn, you make me smile with such posts, Steerpike. Most guys here don't have the mindset needed to become really good at mentalism. I learned that the hard way about 6 or 7 years ago. Three, I'm not going to make any friends by saying this, but mentalism is one of those things that's even easier to screw up than magic. Hasbro knows they have a lot of grown adults watching The Hub Network, but their focus is always going to be on manufacturing toys for kids because that's the larger market. It makes sense for them to focus on accommodating for the majority demographic in their market share. Hell, even coin enthusiasts outnumber those of us who are full-time mentalists. The number of card specialists on this board vastly outnumbers the mentalists. They established themselves early on as a specialist in cards and coins, the former moreso than the latter. Two, Theory 11 knows which side their bread is buttered on. For this reason, a lot of magicians who try to dabble in mentalism never quite get the hang of it because they're approaching it from the wrong angle. They require similar skill sets, but each has a language that's different in many ways from the other. Think of it as the relationship between theater and film. They're both mystery entertainment with some overlap, but they require completely different frames of mind.

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