Mentalism

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Derren Brown

Mentalism is a performance art in which the practitioner uses mental acuity, principles of stage magic, hypnosis, or suggestion to create the illusion of telepathy, psychokinesis, precognition, clairvoyance, or mind control.

1 Explanation
2 Mentalists
3 Historical Figures
4 Related Terms and Articles
5 External Links

Explanation

Mentalism is a branch of stage magic, using many of the same basic tools, principles, and skills.

Elements of a mentalist's performance can be traced back to tests of supernatural power that were demonstrated by mediums, spiritualists, and psychics in the 19th century. However, the history of mentalism goes back further, as for example, diplomat and sleight-of-hand magician Girolamo Scotto in 1572.

Two tests still in use are the book test and the living-and-dead test. In the book test, a book is chosen at random, usually by an audience member, and opened to a random page. This person chooses a word, sentence, or paragraph to concentrate on. To pass the test, the mentalist must discover the word, sentence or paragraph, apparently using only mental powers. In the living-and-dead test, the name of a deceased person is mixed in with the names of people still living, all written on identical slips of paper. Apparently using mental powers alone, the mentalist must separate the living from the dead.

Some performers, such as Uri Geller, claim to possess supernatural powers such as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, or telekinesis. Their supernatural powers are disputed by scientists and skeptics.

Other performers, such as Richard Osterlind, Banachek, and Derren Brown, attribute their results to less supernatural skills, such as the ability to read body language or to manipulate the subject subliminally through psychological suggestion. Two other techniques sometimes employed by mentalists are cold reading and contact mind reading.

Although some mentalists, such as the Amazing Kreskin, mix standard magic tricks with their mental feats, many others feel that this associates mentalism too closely with the theatrical trickery of stage magicians. Many mentalists claim not to be magicians at all, arguing that it is a different art form altogether.

On the other hand, magicians such as David Copperfield, David Blaine, and Criss Angel routinely mix aspects of mentalism with their magical illusions. For example, a mind-reading stunt might also involve the magical transposition of two different objects.

Mentalists require an authoritative and charismatic stage presence.

Mentalists

Historical Figures

Mentalism techniques might be or have been used outside the entertainment industry to influence the actions of prominent people for personal or political gain.

Suspected examples of such practitioners include: