Mentalism
Encyclopedia
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
, clairvoyance
Clairvoyance
The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
, divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
, precognition
Precognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
, psychokinesis
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
, mediumship
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
, mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
, memory feats and rapid mathematics. Hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
may also be used as a stage tool. Mentalists are sometimes referred to as Psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
entertainers.
Background
Much of what the modern mentalist performs in his or her act can be traced back directly to tests of supernatural power that were carried out by mediums, spiritualists and psychics in the 19th Century. However, the history of mentalism goes back even further. Accounts of seers and oracles can be found in works by the ancient Greeks and in the Old Testament of the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. Among magicians, the mentalism performance generally cited as one of the earliest on record was by diplomat and pioneering sleight-of-hand
Sleight of hand
Sleight of hand, also known as prestidigitation or legerdemain, is the set of techniques used by a magician to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly....
magician Girolamo Scotto in 1572.
The performance of mentalism may utilise similar principles, sleights and skills as stage magic
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
.
Performance Approaches
Styles of presentation can vary greatly. A few performers, in the mold of Uri GellerUri Geller
Uri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
, or James Van Praagh
James Van Praagh
James Van Praagh is a self-proclaimed medium who has written several books on spirituality and spirit communication.-Early life and career:Van Praagh was born in Bayside, New York and is the youngest of four children...
, claim to actually possess supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
powers such as telepathy
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
, clairvoyance
Clairvoyance
The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
, precognition
Precognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
, or telekinesis.
Many contemporary performers, including Richard Osterlind
Richard Osterlind
Richard Osterlind is a mentalist who has been performing for major corporations for more than 35 years. He has appeared at the Sheraton Great Wall in Beijing, the Hotel De Paris in Monte Carlo, the Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic and many other luxury resorts around the world...
, Banachek
Banachek
Banachek is an American mentalist. Banachek has written books on mentalism, such as Psychological Subtleties, and invented various magic and mentalism effects, including the Penn & Teller bullet catch and the original "buried alive." Banachek is also the Director of the James Randi Educational...
,David Meade and Derren Brown
Derren Brown
Derren Victor Brown is a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions and British television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat...
attribute their results to less supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
skills, such as the ability to read body language
Body language
Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously....
or to manipulate the subject subliminally through psychological suggestion.
Mentalist or Magician
Mentalists generally do not mix "standard" magic tricks with their mental feats. Doing so associates mentalism too closely with the theatrical trickery employed by stage magicians. Many mentalists claim not to be magicians at all, arguing that it is a different art form altogether.Many magicians, however, mix mentally themed performance with magic illusions. For example, a mind-reading stunt might also involve the magical transposition of two different objects. Such hybrid feats of magic are often called mental magic by performers. Magicians who routinely mix magic with mental magic include David Copperfield
David Copperfield (illusionist)
David Copperfield is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist, and was described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history. Copperfield's network specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards and won a total of 21 Emmys...
, David Blaine
David Blaine
David Blaine is an American illusionist and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. He has set and broken several world records...
, and The Amazing Kreskin.
Famous mentalists
- AlexanderAlexander (magician)Claude Alexander Conlin , also known as Alexander, C. Alexander, Alexander the Crystal Seer, and Alexander the Man Who Knows, was a vaudeville magician who specialized in mentalism and psychic reading acts, dressed in Oriental style robes and a feathered turban, and often used a crystal ball as a...
- Theodore AnnemannTheodore AnnemannTheodore 'Theo' Annemann born Theodore John Squires was an American professional magician who specialized in the field of mentalism...
- BanachekBanachekBanachek is an American mentalist. Banachek has written books on mentalism, such as Psychological Subtleties, and invented various magic and mentalism effects, including the Penn & Teller bullet catch and the original "buried alive." Banachek is also the Director of the James Randi Educational...
- Keith BarryKeith BarryKeith Patrick Barry is an Irish illusionist, mentalist, and close-up magician.-Early and personal life:Born in County Waterford, Ireland on 2 October 1976, Barry's interest in magic began at the age of fourteen when he purchased a book entitled Magic for the Complete Klutz.Barry's grandfather, 82,...
- Gary KurtzGary KurtzGary Kurtz is an American film producer whose list of credits include American Graffiti, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. He later produced The Dark Crystal and Return to Oz after departing from the Star Wars series...
- Guy BavliGuy BavliGuy Bavli is a mentalist, illusionist, and lecturer. He owns the entertainment company "Master of the Mind", based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida....
- David BerglasDavid BerglasDavid Berglas is a psychological illusionist and mentalist.-Early Life:Berglas escaped from Nazi Germany and fled to Britain at the age of 12. He later joined US Army in WWII, as an intelligence officer, after lying about his age...
- Haim GoldenbergHaim GoldenbergHaim Goldenberg is an Israeli-Canadian mentalist, corporate entertainer, and host of the television series GoldMind.In August 2002 Haim was invited to participate in the world’s largest magic convention in New York City...
- Derren BrownDerren BrownDerren Victor Brown is a British illusionist, mentalist, painter, writer and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions and British television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat...
- Kuda BuxKuda BuxKuda Bux was an Indian mystic and magician. One of his most famous tricks was one in which he would cover his eyes with soft dough balls, blindfold himself, swath his entire head in strips of cloth, and yet still be able to see. He was also a fire walker...
- Bob CassidyBob CassidyBob Cassidy is an American mentalist, speaker and author of several books widely regarded as classics in the field, including The Art of Mentalism , The Principia Mentalia , and The Artful Mentalism of Bob Cassidy...
- Chan CanastaChan CanastaChan Canasta was a pioneer of mental magic in the 1950s and '60s. Born in Kraków, Poland, he was the son of a Polish-Jewish educator...
- CorindaTony CorindaTony Corinda was an English mentalist, magic dealer, magic inventor and businessman who wrote the book Thirteen Steps To Mentalism. Corinda did not make his birthdate or birthplace public, but his birth year is believed to be about 1931....
- Joseph DunningerJoseph DunningerJoseph Dunninger , known as "The Amazing Dunninger" was one of the most famous and proficient mentalists of all time...
- Mark EdwardMark EdwardMark Edward is an American psychic entertainer and mentalist, author of 14 books on mentalism, séance theory and production. Also a Steering Member of the Center for Inquiry's Independent Investigations Group West and a noted critic of pseudoscience...
- Glenn FalkensteinGlenn FalkensteinGlenn Jacob Falkenstein was a world-renowned magician and mentalist, and partner to Frances Willard from 1978 to 2010.-Career:...
- Uri GellerUri GellerUri Geller is a self-proclaimed psychic known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other supposed psychic effects. Throughout the years, Geller has been accused of using simple conjuring tricks to achieve the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy...
- The Amazing Kreskin
- Al KoranAl KoranAl Koran was a British mentalist, author and inventor. He invented the Ring Flite as well as a special deck of cards known as the Koran deck. Al Koran was the stage name of Edward Doe, who was a former hairdresser that turned professional magician/mentalist. Al appeared many times on The Ed...
- Max MavenMax MavenMax Maven is an American magician and mentalist. He often appears on television magic shows to perform "interactive" mind reading tricks that work for the television audience....
- Gerry McCambridgeGerry McCambridgeGerry McCambridge is a stage mentalist from Long Island, New York.He has been a professional mentalist for over 20 years. His father was an NYC detective and an expert at interrogation. Gerry actually learned some skills from observing his father at work...
- Mysterion the Mind ReaderMysterion the Mind ReaderMysterion The Mind Reader is a Canadian mentalist and magician.-Career:He performs internationally and has received press in the UK and on ZNS Network in The Bahamas as well as contributing a regular column in The Special...
- Richard OsterlindRichard OsterlindRichard Osterlind is a mentalist who has been performing for major corporations for more than 35 years. He has appeared at the Sheraton Great Wall in Beijing, the Hotel De Paris in Monte Carlo, the Casa De Campo in the Dominican Republic and many other luxury resorts around the world...
- Marc PaulMarc PaulMarc Paul is a UK-based award-winning mentalist and magician.Voted "Best Mind-reader" at the World Magic Awards 1999. This show was filmed in Los Angeles and shown on international television....
- The Piddingtons
- The ZancigsThe ZancigsJulius and Agnes Zancig were stage magicians and authors on occultism who performed a spectacularly successful two-person mentalism act during the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
Historical figures
It is strongly suspected that mentalism techniques have, on occasion, been used outside the entertainment industry to influence the actions of prominent people for personal and/or political gain. Famous examples of such practitioners include:- Erik Jan HanussenErik Jan HanussenErik Jan Hanussen, born Hermann Steinschneider , was an Austrian Jewish publicist and clairvoyant performer who lied about his origins. Acclaimed in his lifetime as a hypnotist, mentalist, occultist, and astrologer, Hanussen was active in Weimar Republic Germany and also at the beginning of Nazi...
- Grigori RasputinGrigori RasputinGrigori Yefimovich Rasputin was a Russian Orthodox Christian and mystic who is perceived as having influenced the latter days of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their only son Alexei...
- Wolf Messing
- Count Alessandro di Cagliostro
Mentalism in Television
- The MentalistThe MentalistThe Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
: an American crime procedural television series which debuted in 2008 on CBS. The main character, Patrick JanePatrick JanePatrick Jane is the protagonist on the CBS crime drama The Mentalist, portrayed by Simon Baker. Jane is a consultant for a fictionalized version of the California Bureau of Investigation and helps by giving advice and insight from his many years as a fake psychic medium...
, once achieved some notoriety as a psychic medium using paranormal abilities that he now admits he feigned. However, he abandoned his pretense out of remorse when his attention-seeking behavior attracted a serial killer who murdered his wife and daughter. Due to this he now works as an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) based in Sacramento, California. He has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his amazing skills of observation and his frequent use of his abilities as a mentalist.
- PsychPsychPsych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
: an American criminal comedy-drama television series which debuted in 2006 on the USA Network. The main character, Shawn Spencer, works as a consultant to the Santa Barbara Police Department (SBPD) as a "psychic detective" along with his partner Gus and the occasional help of his father. Though he purports to be a "psychic," in truth it is his exceptional observational skills and near photographic memory that allows him to portray himself as such.
See also
- Cold readingCold readingCold reading is a series of techniques used by mentalists, psychics, fortune-tellers, illusionists, and con artists to determine or express details about another person, often in order to convince them that the reader knows much more about a subject than they actually do...
- Eccentrics
- IdealismIdealismIn philosophy, idealism is the family of views which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing...
- James RandiJames RandiJames Randi is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
- MaterialismMaterialismIn philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
- Memory sportMemory sportMemory sport, sometimes referred to as competitive memory or the mind sport of memory, is a competition in which participants attempt to memorize the most information that they can then present back, under certain guidelines...
- MnemonistMnemonistThe title mnemonist refers to an individual with the ability to remember and recall unusually long lists of data, such as unfamiliar names, lists of numbers, entries in books, etc. Such individuals have also been described as possessing an eidetic memory, although whether such abilities are innate...
- PsychomagicPsychomagicPsychomagic can refer to both a kind of entertainment magic and to a therapeutic technique. The two are not related.-Entertainment magic:In stage magic the term is accredited to Chan Canasta by many magicians and mentalists. Canasta was a pioneer in the 1950s and 1960s of mentalism...
- Scientific skepticismScientific skepticismScientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...
- Si StebbinsSi StebbinsThe Si Stebbins is a card stack system which arranges the cards in a predetermined order to perform mentalism and card tricks with a gambling theme....
- The Great Buck Howard (film)The Great Buck HowardThe Great Buck Howard is a 2008 American comedy-drama film directed by Sean McGinly that stars Colin Hanks and John Malkovich. Tom Hanks also appears as the father of his real-life son's character. The character Buck Howard is inspired by the mentalist The Amazing Kreskin, whose popularity was at...
- The Mentalist (TV series)The MentalistThe Mentalist is an American police procedural television series which debuted on September 23, 2008, on CBS. The show was created by Bruno Heller, who is also the show's executive producer...
- Theatrical seancesTheatrical SéancesA theatrical séance is an aspect of mentalism that purports to give its audiences the feeling of contacting the spirits of the dead, as in a successful Spiritualist seance....
- Thirteen Steps To Mentalism (book)Thirteen Steps To MentalismThirteen Steps to Mentalism is a book on mentalism by Tony Corinda. It was originally published as thirteen smaller booklets as a course in mentalism, and was later, in 1961, republished as a book...
External links
- Mentalist in An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and SupernaturalAn Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and SupernaturalAn Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural is a 1995 book by James Randi with a foreword by Arthur C. Clarke. It serves as a reference for various pseudoscience and paranormal subjects....
- Mentalist in An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and SupernaturalAn Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and SupernaturalAn Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural is a 1995 book by James Randi with a foreword by Arthur C. Clarke. It serves as a reference for various pseudoscience and paranormal subjects....
Mentalist associations
Mentalist conventions
- MINDvention is an annual convention of mentalists.
- Tabula Mentis A twice yearly event sponsored by PSYCRETS