So what are the secrets behind magic and mentalism?
This is a question that many people are asking today, particularly with performers like David Blaine and Derren Brown leaving audiences bewildered and amazed across the world. But the answer to the secrets of magic and mentalism is much more simple than you may think. Because in the 21st century with the emergence of the internet all the big secrets are out there. The real secret is that there are no secrets anymore. All you need to do today is learn the techniques that are out there, and practice them. This is how David Blaine and Derren Brown became so good at what they do, they spend a great amount of time learning and practicing techniques to become the best people around at doing what they do. Through learning and practicing techniques that this site will introduce you to, you will not only be able to learn some pretty impressive magic tricks but there is also a lot of information here that will help you improve aspects of your day-to-day life. The masked magician was just the beginning, there are now many sources of information behind the concepts of magic and mentalism and this site is here as an introduction to some of them.
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Magic is usually thought of to involve some kind of supernatural power. So if you would like to learn magic but you do not have any extraordinary magical powers then you have a problem. Fortunately magicians and mentalists today have found ways around this problem by employing certain tricks that can if performed correctly, leave people amazed and possibly start to believe in magic. The key to performing good magic is in the performance. Good magic will give the spectators a sense of amazement, followed by the ‘how did he do that?’ question. The perception of the audience is everything. Magic will often involve tricks or ‘sleights’ that can be very skilled and difficult to learn, but the result can be much more amazing to the spectator than the trick itself.
It is important to note that whilst good magic requires the learning of complicated flourishes and sleights, these skills do not help improve performance, and this is something else that magicians will need to work on separately from their tricks. A good conjurer will be very convincing and possess good charisma that will keep the subjects interested. This is because magic is very closely linked with psychology and all good magicians know this. Magic relies heavily on the performer leaving false leads that will throw the spectators off track from how the trick is actually performed. It is for this reason that magic and mentalism can be closely linked, as a good magician will use mentalist techniques when performing, and likewise, most mentalists will use some form of magic in what they do.
Whilst magic tricks can be good fun, the tricks of a mentalist are even more fascinating. A mentalist’s work will rely less on props and sleights and much more on psychology. I have been a fan of Derren Brown for a while and his work was an inspiration behind this site. Derren states at the beginning of his shows that he fuses magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection, and showmanship. This is a good way of summing up the work of a mentalist and what people like Derren do. In my opinion, Derren stands out from other magicians today as he is the master of psychological deception, using his powers of suggestion and leaving red herrings for the viewers to believe what Derren wants them to believe, which is usually very different from his true methods.
This site is an introduction to some of the psychological techniques behind magic and mentalism. As I have stated I do not believe that there are any big secrets about magic and mentalism anymore, as there is so much information available today on how things work for those who are prepared to do look for it. The information on this site is not just for those who want to perform or learn magic tricks, there are techniques explained on this site that can greatly improve parts of your everyday life. I have provided links for further information on many of the techniques, but it is important to realize that these are not skills that can be learned overnight, you will need to spend time studying, learning, and practicing to achieve the results you are looking for.
This site includes some links to different aspects of mentalism that go into great detail, but for a broad introduction to mentalism, you can get this guide on mentalism which is a pretty good place to start.
