What Is Mentalism?

Mentalism is a fascinating, sophisticated subject, and it undeniably grabs the interest of people from various walks of life. For someone to become a mentalist, they should have a sharp observation and sufficient information regarding the field. Thankfully there is enough material online to make the learning process more manageable, and if preferred, there’s always the option of books, articles, and courses to learn more about the secrets of mentalism.

What Skills Do You Need

Unlike the other mainstream forms of ‘magic,’ mentalism deals with illusions of the mind. Mentalists can appear to demonstrate supernatural powers. Their technique includes mind control, ESP, which stands for Extrasensory Perception, telepathy, extraordinary memory abilities, and psychic vision, among others.

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There are specific steps needed to master the art of mentalism.

How To Learn Mentalism

PRESENTATION

First and foremost, the art of mentalism only works if the audience believes in what the mentalist has to do and say; consequently they should know how to present themselves convincingly, and significantly eliminate self-doubt and perform with confidence.

MIND READING

Mentalists cannot read minds; they only imitate, so it appears like they have learned a person’s mind. And this skill almost goes hand in hand with the power of identifying body language.

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IDENTIFY BODY LANGUAGE

Learning to read body language just by observing is a crucial skill in the art of mentalism. For example, a person who is lying tends to show one or more of these signs;

Swallowing or throat-clearing

Being vague

Hand-to-face activity

Speaking in sentence fragments

Grooming behaviors like playing with hair or pressing fingers to lips.

This skill is the life of a mentalist, seeing, noticing, and interpreting body language.

MISDIRECTION/SUGGESTION

Mentalism is not only about the mind games. It is a series of tricks and misdirection created to control the audience. Misdirection or suggestion is another crucial art to master as audiences’ attentions are being captured, and this allows them to see what the performer wants them to see.

This step is one potent trick the mentalist often use to influence people’s decisions and psychology. Also, it is often said to be known as the foundation of mentalism.

ART OF MIRRORING

The art of mirroring is not something widely talked about, but it is an essential step on how to become a mentalist.

Mirroring itself is self-explanatory. Here, what the mentalist do is mirroring their clients to hypnotize and build a deeper connection with them.

This includes mirroring their body language without them realizing it. It extends to reflecting their breathing patterns and speech tone. It can as well be done through texting and phone conversations. Doing this, you can recognize that others are more willing to open up and feel at ease when with a mentalist.

Constant Practice And Dedication

One biggest secret to becoming a mentalist is PRACTICE and DEDICATION. Nothing can beat the hours and sweat you put into the practice session.

The theory and techniques of the art need to be put into practice because the performance requires for smooth and effective execution. Body language reading skills need to be accurate and effortlessly done.

You should have excellent hand control and flawlessness to perform like a true professional, which only practice can deliver. And wrap it all up with confidence, which will naturally come along as you get better.

Here Are More Tips On How To Learn Mentalism

Watch videos of how the professionals do it and imitate their charming way of interacting with their audience. Their quick yet smooth movements, and their clever misdirections.

Pick a few of your favorite tricks and perform them in front of your family/ friends/ colleagues. It is okay to fail, but never give up .

. Practice people reading skills in everyday situations. Observe and carefully read the people you interact with daily. Take note of their behavior, expressions, feelings, and why they do the things they do. One way of achieving this is by putting yourself in their place. And with practice, you will eventually get better and be more accurate in your predictions.

For an aspiring mentalist, it is advised to follow the work of those who have succeeded in the field for more clarity.

For instance, an old-time mentalist, Tony Corinda, was known mainly for the book he wrote on mentalism, the ‘Thirteen Steps to Mentalism’. Here he mentions various aspects of mentalism to help achieve what seems to be psychic phenomena like precognition, telepathy, the ability to communicate with the dead, etc.

This book includes card tricks, predictions, mediumistic stunts, publicity stunts, etc. So if you are a keen mentalist enthusiast, then this book is for you.

Another worth mentioning and worth reading is Derren Brown’s book ‘Tricks of the Mind’ where he wrote about his techniques and skills he uses in mentalism.

Brown is a mentalist who uses hypnotism, misdirection, sleight of hand, to achieve his unique effects. In the book, he comes straight to the point and explains the principles behind his stunning art of how they get inside our brain without us realizing it.

It is an insightful book and will offer great help to anyone learning the art of mentalism.

Conclusion – How To Learn Mentalism

Mentalism is one of the best forms of ‘magic’ that one can take on. Though it is easy to learn and get your heads around it, it is much harder to master. But never impossible with dedication.

Mentalism is astonishingly powerful, real, and quite useful too. Whether you want to professionally take upon the stage or need to blow people’s minds with your stunning tricks, when it comes to dealing with people and reading their minds, it is never a waste.

What makes mentalism unique is the ability to use actual information and imitate to seem to have close to the supernatural ability of mind-reading, instead of fooling people.

So, without wasting any more time, go ahead and start on your journey to greatness