by pcwells » Sep 27th, '07, 09:50
In a nutshell, mentalism refers to effects that are supposedly caused by the power of the mind.
So it can mean mind reading, mind writing (making the spectator think of a certain thing), second sight (seeing things that nobody knows), premonition (making predictions), and psychokinesis (making objects move or bend).
This is opposed to the classic ingredients of 'psysical' magic where things are made to appear, disappear or change from one thing to another.
Hope that makes sense.
Cheers,
Pete