How Does One Become a Mentalist? - The Secrets of Mentalists.

Mastering the art of mentalism requires patience and concentration. Beyond learning the many techniques connected to the world of performance, many mentalists take an interest in other disciplines such as psychology, cold reading, hypnosis, memory development—mnemonics and rapid calculation—illusion, sleight of hand, manipulation, mental magic, intuition, and suggestion, including neuro-linguistic programming.

In mentalism, unlike classical magic, there is very little room for the “magical effect.” Since the possibilities for creating illusion are actually very limited, you will have to rely on your imagination to tell a believable story and gain the audience’s trust.

In reality, there are only a few main effects:

Divination: you are able to guess a card or an object chosen at random. You can also guess very personal information about someone you do not know.

Telepathy: you transmit information to a spectator using no means other than thought, through techniques of persuasion and suggestibility.

Mental calculation: you manage to calculate with impressive speed, faster than a computer, thanks to simple or more complex techniques that require very specific knowledge.

Telekinesis: you move objects from a distance and are able to bend a spoon using only the power of the mind... apparently!

Synchronicity: intuitively, you find exactly the same result or the same card as your participant, at the very same moment.

Prediction: you can predict in advance the choice that a person will make.

To succeed in performing these little miracles, there are likewise very few principles:

Manipulation: this consists of compelling a spectator to say something by guiding their choices.

Gathering information: this involves asking your interlocutor many questions in order to learn as much as possible about them and thereby capture their attention.

The attitude after the revelation: appearing surprised when discovering a prediction that was thought out and prepared in advance.

Forcing: this allows you to anticipate the outcome of your trick and create predictions and mind-reading effects, for example by staying one step ahead of your audience.

Suggestion: very often, suggestion alone is enough to truly establish contact with a person.

One of the most essential abilities of the mentalist is the art of persuasion. You will have to “direct” your interlocutors very skillfully, using a set of procedures and techniques that will allow you to guide them. These highly persuasive manipulations remain among the most important elements for the success of an experiment.

Here are two examples:

Mutual understanding: it is almost impossible for a person to “follow you” if they feel forced; they will not enter into your line of reasoning. It is therefore essential to show that you are listening to them and to subtly bring yourself into harmony, into tune, with their way of expressing themselves. You must, in fact, place yourself completely within their reach by carefully observing their manner, their clothing, their facial expressions, and even their language, so that you can better adopt these elements yourself.

Credibility: you must have confidence in yourself. If you want people to believe in your performance, you must be convincing. To achieve this, you need to work on yourself, increase your ease in public speaking as much as your knowledge of mentalism, and multiply your experiences. The more you deliver correct and precise statements to your interlocutor with conviction, the more convinced they will be that you are truly discovering the truth through some extrasensory means.

Mentalism is also strengthened by psychological techniques such as neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP, as well as what are known as cold reading and hot reading, which we will briefly discuss here, since there are many books specifically devoted to these subjects for those who would like to become specialists in the field.

In a few pages, you will be able to perform your first mental experiments...