What is Mentalism – Part Three

How Do You Become a Mentalist?

Many people ask, “How do you become a mentalist?”
Mentalism consists of demonstrations related to the power of the mind. This can include mind reading, mind control, super human memory stunts, and even hypnosis.

It is the perfect entertainment for private and corporate events. It’s amazing, interactive, and can be used to highlight valuable concepts that improve the effectiveness of a team or workplace.

I began my study of mentalism for precisely that reason. I was tired of being lumped in with kid show magicians wearing bright red jackets and treating their audiences like children. I wanted to produce something that left a deeper impact. I could think of nothing more intriguing than exploring the potential of the human mind. So, as a magician, I started to present pieces that relied on deception to create the illusion of being able to read or control minds.

After a few hundred performances, I discovered that I would often know which card someone picked or which choice someone would make without using any of the “trickery” I would normally rely on.

As a skeptic, this troubled me. I did not believe that psychic phenomena existed and didn’t want to contribute to the growing volume of misinformation. After analyzing the situation more closely I realized that very often I could tell what card people would pick based on how they reacted.

Believe it or not, people react differently when they pick an Ace of Spades, Queen of Hearts, or a Joker. Many people (especially non-card players) furrow their brows and spend a little more time looking at black cards as they assure themselves if it’s a club or a spade. And I learned that under the pressure of being in the spotlight many people—not all—often default to making certain more comfortable choices rather than swimming against the tide.

Thus began my exploration of the mind and how it works, how we make decisions, how we perceive reality, how we communicate on levels beyond the verbal, and how we influence others in ways of which they are unaware. I have built a fully interactive theatrical show around these principles that not only amazes but also engages and entertains like few others can. It is designed to appeal to intelligent, sophisticated groups looking to be challenged, inspired, and edified.

In addition to the entertainment program, I also often give talks and seminars where we explore the principles involved and how they can apply to your needs as a sales team, manager, or group of creatives. Each presentation is tailored to your specific goals and challenges and is a great way to convey critical success concepts in a fun, hands on, meaningful and memorable manner. I designed these presentations after companies which had hired me for my show expressed interest in seeing how these strategies could apply to their own endeavors. I always find these programs to be highly rewarding, not only for the client but also for myself.

Now, for many years, I chose not to identify as mentalist. This is because (aside from the CBS crime procedural The Mentalist) most people in the United States are utterly unfamiliar with the term. Those from the UK have a bit more familiarity thanks to the televised programs of a very talented mentalist named Derren Brown. In Derren’s case, the use of the term ‘mentalist’ is fitting as he has explored phenomena reaching far beyond demonstrations of telepathy, clairvoyance, or others of a similar psychic flavor. He has used his skills to convince people to rob banks and reveal the secrets of faith healers and séance workers. More recently, Oz Perlman has parlayed several appearances on popular podcasts to viral fame.

More people now than ever have heard of mentalism, though I would like to think that is the starting point of my presentations. I hope, with the cooperation of the participants, to transcend mere mentalism to something far more special.

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If you would be interested in an amazing mind reading show where we tap into the mental potential of your colleagues, clients, and friends OR a fascinating seminar where we explore sales, presentation, and management techniques please give me a call at 512-431-3057 or drop me an email at themindshow@gmail.com.

(This post was written entirely by a human being using their human brain. No AI was involved at any stage of the production.)

Photo by Bhautik Patel on Unsplash