"Performances may appear to include hypnosis, telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats, deduction, and rapid mathematics."
Performing magic tricks that appear to demonstrate extraordinary mental abilities, including mind-reading and prediction.
Psychology: Understanding the basics of human behavior and how to elicit reactions from people.
Body language: Learning how to read and interpret nonverbal communication.
Suggestion and influence: Techniques for increasing a person's suggestibility and manipulating their decision-making process.
Memory and recall: Methods for memorizing and recalling information quickly.
Misdirection: Techniques for directing a person's attention away from what you’re doing.
Hypnosis: Techniques for inducing a trance-like state in a person.
Cold reading: Techniques for quickly gathering information about a person through conversation.
Prop and object manipulation: Skills for making objects appear and disappear, levitate, or change form.
Mental calculations: The ability to make complex calculations quickly and easily in your head.
Sleight of hand: Techniques for manipulating objects with your hands in a way that appears magical.
Scripting and presentation: Crafting your performance to create emotional reactions in your audience.
Storytelling: Using narratives to build suspense and engage your audience.
Audience management: Understanding how to read and interact with different types of audiences.
Ethics and responsibility: Understanding the power and responsibility that comes with the ability to influence others.
Stagecraft and performance skills: Skills such as stage presence, microphone technique, and timing that are necessary for effective stage performances.
Mind Reading: Mind reading is a mentalism technique that involves the use of cold reading, hot reading, and psychological suggestion to give the illusion of the performer having the ability to read the audience's thoughts.
Telekinesis: Telekinesis is the ability to move objects with the power of the mind. In mentalism, it is often simulated with sleight of hand and misdirection.
Psychokinesis: Psychokinesis is the ability to manipulate matter with the mind, including bending or breaking objects. This is also often simulated with sleight of hand and misdirection.
Precognition: Precognition involves the ability to predict future events or read the future. This is often performed through suggestion and careful observation of audience reactions.
Mediumship: Mediumship involves the ability to communicate with spirits or the dead. In mentalism, this is often simulated through cold reading and other techniques.
Hypnosis: Hypnosis is the induction of a trance-like state to influence behavior or perception. In mentalism, hypnosis is used to create the illusion of control over an audience member's thoughts or actions.
Memory Tricks: Memory tricks involve the use of mnemonics and other memory aids to create the impression of an uncannily good memory.
Body Language: Body language is the study of nonverbal communication, and some mentalists use this to read an audience member's thoughts or behavior.
Suggestion: Suggestion is the use of persuasion to influence an audience member's thoughts or actions.
Persuasion: Persuasion involves the use of language and other techniques to make an audience member think or act in a certain way.
"But that are actually achieved by 'ordinary conjuring means,' natural human abilities (i.e. reading body language, refined intuition, subliminal communication, emotional intelligence), and an in-depth understanding of key principles from human psychology or other behavioral sciences."
"Mentalism is commonly classified as a subcategory of magic and... may also be referred to as mental magic."
"...mentalists argue that they produce psychological experiences for the mind and imagination, and expand reality with explorations of psychology, suggestion, and influence."
"...a key differentiation between a mentalist and someone who purports to be an actual psychic is that the former is open about being a skilled artist or entertainer" while the latter "may claim to actually possess genuine supernatural, psychic, or extrasensory powers."
"Any child of ten could do this – with forty years of experience."
"...years of dedication, extensive study, practice, and skill to perform well and perfect."
"Mentalists are also often considered psychic entertainers."
"...reading body language, refined intuition, subliminal communication, emotional intelligence."
"...expand reality with explorations of psychology, suggestion, and influence."
"...employ psychic or supernatural forces but that are actually achieved by 'ordinary conjuring means.'"
"...the former is open about being a skilled artist or entertainer who accomplishes their feats through practice, study, and natural means" while the latter "may claim to actually possess genuine supernatural, psychic, or extrasensory powers."
"Performances may appear to include hypnosis."
"Performances may appear to include...mind control."
"Performances may appear to include...psychokinesis."
"Performances may appear to include...deduction."
"Performances may appear to include...rapid mathematics."
"...an in-depth understanding of key principles from human psychology or other behavioral sciences."
"Mentalists perform a theatrical act that includes special effects."
"...mentalists argue that they produce psychological experiences for the mind and imagination."