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That does rather explain some things but does illustrate how people talk about it. They say that there is magic and there is mentalism and they are clearly separate. I hold the view that mentalism is a form of magic, not distinct from it.

I guess things get wooly round here again.

As I've said before, some folks simply want to over-complicate simplicity

MENTALISM is a psychological muse designed originally as a means by which to appeal to the matured mind of intellectual society. It entailed propositions concerning the abstract, metaphysical and surreal as well as what was being discovered about the human mind and human nature itself. The best way to "taste" what mentalism was originally, would be to allow yourself to become enveloped by the 19th and early 20th century ambiance associated with spiritualism, the theosophical and theological ideas of the day as well as the many trends popular in that era in which human endeavor was the crux; Hypnosis, the Advancement of Memory, Phrenology (which was heralded for decades as a legit science),

You would likewise need to understand the cultural attitudes and mindset of those times and how much different they are from today and yet, there remains those elements that remain in common; most especially the human "need" to believe or to be more accurate, to have their beliefs confirmed.

Mentalism, initially at least, gave the public these things. But then we had men like Harry Kellar, who grew strongly suspicious of certain charlatan antics. Not just within the vein of things seen as Psychic or Spiritual but through the auspices of the so-call "Professors" of the day as well; snake oil salesmen who leaned on the myths of science and the dreams most shared, of being the next Thomas Edison or some innovator. It is here that the field of Mentalism really begins to take form as a "Performance Art"; first in those acts of ponderance in which the idea or essence of a thing would be presented in supposition, the artist neither confirming nor negating what is what, leaving it to the audience to decide for themselves; a rule of thumb that is still maintained by the modern mentalists who hold to the older modes of thought.

Then there were the Expose' styled performers who deliberately employed some rather ridiculous contraptions here and there, that "replicated" psychic or spiritualistic phenomena; magicians that took magic tricks and shifted their presentation towards things surreal and nothing more. Many of those effects ultimately being seen to be just corny enough to make for some great tongue-n-cheek puns -- cheap shots -- directed towards the self-professed psychic or medium or even their allied spooks. In short, the public realized that magicians were just chasing the hype and the popularity of such things and though amused, found it cheap and "carnival-like".

Sadly, the Expose' side of things took strong hold due to how Harry Houdini capitalized on it in conjunction with Congressional Inquiries pertaining to reported charlatan antics across the nation, based on Spiritualistic services. What came about, albeit slowly, was the evolution of what we see today as the Dunninger Mold -- the gentleman performer, each offering a more analytical sense of perspective, on topics of the human mind. They were not "entertainers" as most of us view such in today's world; more akin to lecturers that helped create unique manifestations or who presented peculiar demonstrations based on (mainly) scientific research and analogy. But there was more to this portrait...

Not all involved in mentalism in this era (from the 1930s and well into the early 1980s) shot for the club or college type dates. The strove to preserve the old world ideas found in the original forms of mentalism; the air of mystery and flirting with the esoteric. Most were Readers and lecturers who would occasionally do a show here and there for the sake of publicity more than ego feeding, as they frequently referred to it as being. You'll see this sort in the personage of Robert Nelson or contemporaries of our present like Richard Webster, John Riggs or Millard Longman.

Starting in the late 1960s a new consciousness was being woven within the whole of the magic community that a few wise men recognized as being the threat it has become. Said gents forming what most know as the PEA (Psychic Entertainer's Association) so as to protect Mentalism from the ravishes of magic and magicians. Of particular concern was the new cynical hard line that was rapidly coming to the fore that had one huge goal in mind when it came to this side of the craft; obliterate the more esoteric and "real" feel around what we do. To essentially diminish and destroy a legacy and art form that had been around for a bit over 100 years, simply because it leaned so closely to charlatanism and it was so "real" in how it was framed and presented, that it not only frightened the typical magic enthusiast, most couldn't perform it properly in that they were not disciplined enough to see the broader picture that went beyond doing tricks -- the psychological parameters of the craft defied them, so to speak e.g. only a limited score of folks "had what it took" to fill these shoes and that was something many magicians saw as a threat.

Slowly a silent sort of "permission" was given that revived that cornier sense of performance found in the old expose' shows of the 20's and 30's; programs began to embrace the corny because it was comical, commercial and allowed the Mentalist to overcome the boredom factor that plagued that side of magic for so very long. Problem is, a tremendous sense of "over-compensation" took root and "permission" to add in more and more "magic tricks" and calling it "mentalism" came to be along side the disciples of rude... those fans of atheism who, for lack of a better term, are little other than bullies that work on stage that have thrown away the tact, honor, class and discipline of those that came before them. For this group, it was perfectly ok to devalue old school mentalism and rob the students of this craft of their various tools and advantages, just to get their point across -- that it's all fake! A supposition that is "their" opinion only, based on trumped up science and carefully covered up facts, not to mention general denial of the fact that a greater score of folks on this planet have faith in something vs. those that don't.

It is here, in this "abortion" now heralded as "Mentalism" that we find our new stars only one or two of whom come close to being genuine "Mentalists" in that most are magicians that do traditional magic and only toss in a bit of mentalism here and there for the hell of it... for shock value and little more.

This is but a condensed overview of what Mentalism has been, is supposed to be and the various mutations it's come to know and why. It is by no stretch a complete overview but I believe it will help remove some of the issues for confusion from the mind of those investigating things.

Thanks for the abridged history Craig. I now understand a lot of your misgivings about what is now generally termed Mentalism. Your posts make a lot more sense in this context.

Excellent post Craig, love the background.

Thanks guys... I did realize that I left out an important point...

Shortly after forming the PEA had an gross influx of cynics come into its ranks which pushed out several founding members who work as Readers and Publish Speakers via the older traditions; the people that left are people most of you have heard about and read their books. These individuals were seen as the "Leaders" and "icons" of this side of the craft for decades. But as we can see, a few bad apples really can spoil the barrel.

Alternatively, there's always the 'Alan Partridge' definition of a mentalist:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV8tciBFpCI

For Partridge fans there's a longer clip of the sketch here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qb7MNzc ... ed&search=

I've actually had folks (family members mostly) think I was possessed or something more than once

The word does sound like some kind of disease or psychological "kink" after all

Craig Browning wrote::lol: I've actually had folks (family members mostly) think I was possessed or something more than once

The word does sound like some kind of disease or psychological "kink" after all

Hehehehehhehe

I once performed a real stupid 'mentalism' stunt which basically involved nothing more than a bit of 'hacked' cold reading on my future in-laws... (before I married their daughter).

I kind of implied that I was able to divine their thoughts by reading their body language and actions, and led them down a garden path—using a little convincer from Lememza's Mind Magic, whereby you disorient a spectator and cause them to fall—and to cut a long story short, one of their first impressions of me after I told them them the first 6 digits of their bank account number (with a little acting of course) was that I was 'very gifted'.

A lovely little tale, and one which I will always treasure. They still to this day bring it up in conversation that they felt 'almost hypnotised'.

Damn, I'm a hack. But sometimes it's worth it.

A mentalist is a performer, an actor if you will. No different than nay other performer such as, magician, singer comedian, juggler etc. They are as different from each other as are these other artists. They can purport to be whatever they choose. The world is our stage and we are all actors playing our part. Nothing more, nothing less.

The definition of Mentalism is only what YOU make it.

It can be presented in many different ways and only the way that suits you will make it all work. Some people present mentalism as if they actually have some sort of powers whereas others give a more logical route to their work by showing that is all psychological to give their spectators more sense of what is happening.

In my opinion, if you try to reveal someones pin number and say to them first 'just keep thinking of the number and keep saying over and over to yourself' and then say something like 'don't move your lips' and stuff like that you actually giving them the method for them make sense of for themselves. I think that is alot stronger than saying I'm going to read your mind and without doing anything just say 'its 1234'. If that happens then for them it simply becomes a magic trick and they know that magic isn't real.

I can't of went off subject there...quite a bit actually...hmmm

When I perform mentalist effects, I never make claim to any powers but allow them to make their own minds up.
It does differ depending on people's culture but I have had people thinkng I'm some kind of holy man or witch doctor and have asked me to help with their problems.
Recent requests, after perfoming pretty normal mentalist effects included asking me to use voodoo to sort out a troublesome mother-in-law, casting a spell to ensure that they got a job they applied for and healing a sick dog.
I am often asked to do tarot readings, even though my usual effects do not point in this direction and although I bluff my way through them, have been told I'm 100% accutate and been recommended to their friends and family.
Maybe it's the person, but you should be careful with these kind of effects as in some cultures have a strong belief in the supernatural and people with 'powers' particularly asian and african people.
Although I try to avoid any kind of 'guru' status that people can sometimes afford you, I do try and say things that reassure as belief is strong in some people's minds and can you can use this for postitive influence.
When I peform magic or mentalism I sometimes have people ask whether I have 'powers' or whether I am doing 'just tricks'.I always ask them what they think and tell them what they believe to be true is true for them.

As mentioned above the only point to be considered is that we are all supposed to be entertainers. In the end it will not matter how we "classify" ourselves if we are a good entertainer. If we do not perform well we have made it difficult for others to be accepted as future entertainers for a similar group or organization. My personal feeling for myself is that my magic is for children. My mental act is for adults. I never mix the two.

Many years ago I attended a convention for magicians in Chicago. The highlight of the affair was the evening stage show. I saw enough magic to fill a catalog. I could never remember one thing that I saw except for one performer. He wore a tux and acted like a robot. Someone put the Siberian Chain on his wrists and locked it. I still own this 50 cent trick that was once performed by Houdini. The "robot" walked down into the audience and let others feel how secure the chain was. He then walked back onto the stage, raised his arms and as he lowered them the chain fell from his wrists. He then walked off. This was the only act that received a standing ovation during the entire evening.

It proves what all of us should know and keep formost in our mind. It's never what we do but how we do it.