I could be wrong, but I thought he gave a lot of techniques from his old repertoire away in The Devil's Picturebook. (I think it's a DVD, not a book)Peter Harrison wrote:By the way, what book is it? As far as I'm aware he hasn't published a book on the basics of anything and I'm pretty sure I have all his books/lecture notes ... If he has, my mega library is missing something and I won't rest until it is discovered.
Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
We are apparently subject to hypnosis all the time. Advertising and mass information make ample use of some of the techniques. The words "as", "and", "because" and "so", for example, are great for creating the "flow" and the "association" that are basic keys to hypnosis. NLP is increasingly being used in negotiation and persuasion courses.
I'm very interested in the subject, does anyone have a first-hand experience?
I'm very interested in the subject, does anyone have a first-hand experience?
- Rum
- Absent Minded Processor
- Posts: 37285
- Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:25 pm
- Location: South of the border..though not down Mexico way..
- Contact:
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
Odd that NLP (neuro-linguistic programming)is included. It is a well recognised set of skills to do with counselling and communication and building rapport. Not quite in the same category as sleight of hand etc. I would have thought.Animavore wrote:The book is Tricks of the Mind. He has sections on how to hypnotize, sleight of hand, cold reading, memory tricks, NLP and a great final section on scepticism and atheism.
- GeneticJen
- Queen of the Drone Age
- Posts: 840
- Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 7:09 pm
- About me: Kylo Jen. Qui-Gon Jen. Old Jen Kenobi. Jen Erso.
- Contact:
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
It is a DVD and it does teach some of his card tricks. But we were talking about teaching the basics, and I wouldn't agree that's a DVD covering the basics. I don't think someone could learn card magic for the first time from that.CookieJon wrote:I could be wrong, but I thought he gave a lot of techniques from his old repertoire away in The Devil's Picturebook. (I think it's a DVD, not a book)Peter Harrison wrote:By the way, what book is it? As far as I'm aware he hasn't published a book on the basics of anything and I'm pretty sure I have all his books/lecture notes ... If he has, my mega library is missing something and I won't rest until it is discovered.
- GeneticJen
- Queen of the Drone Age
- Posts: 840
- Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2009 7:09 pm
- About me: Kylo Jen. Qui-Gon Jen. Old Jen Kenobi. Jen Erso.
- Contact:
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-ling ... ontroversyRum wrote:Odd that NLP (neuro-linguistic programming)is included. It is a well recognised set of skills to do with counselling and communication and building rapport. Not quite in the same category as sleight of hand etc. I would have thought.Animavore wrote:The book is Tricks of the Mind. He has sections on how to hypnotize, sleight of hand, cold reading, memory tricks, NLP and a great final section on scepticism and atheism.
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
I tend to agree with this...in fact one reason I believe I would be a poor hypnosis subject is that I'm pretty much completely resistant to advertising, other than those that just present facts about their product. For example, I will, almost always, choose "own brand" products over heavily advertised "big name" brands.Deersbee wrote:We are apparently subject to hypnosis all the time. Advertising and mass information make ample use of some of the techniques. The words "as", "and", "because" and "so", for example, are great for creating the "flow" and the "association" that are basic keys to hypnosis. NLP is increasingly being used in negotiation and persuasion courses.
I'm very interested in the subject, does anyone have a first-hand experience?
One thing that interest me is how Derren Brown seems able, almost at a glance, to select those people he thinks will be susceptible to his manipulations. I'm confident, for example, that I wouldn't have fallen for the "giraffe" tricks that he used with the lady in the toy shop (if you're familiar with that episode).

"...anyone who says it’s “just the Internet” can. And then when they come back, they can
again." - Tigger
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
Yeah, he says in the book: those that pay attention and scrutinize are easy to hypnotise; those that are half way interested only, they are the dificult ones, they spot the manipulation instantly.Geoff wrote:I tend to agree with this...in fact one reason I believe I would be a poor hypnosis subject is that I'm pretty much completely resistant to advertising, other than those that just present facts about their product. For example, I will, almost always, choose "own brand" products over heavily advertised "big name" brands.Deersbee wrote:We are apparently subject to hypnosis all the time. Advertising and mass information make ample use of some of the techniques. The words "as", "and", "because" and "so", for example, are great for creating the "flow" and the "association" that are basic keys to hypnosis. NLP is increasingly being used in negotiation and persuasion courses.
I'm very interested in the subject, does anyone have a first-hand experience?
One thing that interest me is how Derren Brown seems able, almost at a glance, to select those people he thinks will be susceptible to his manipulations. I'm confident, for example, that I wouldn't have fallen for the "giraffe" tricks that he used with the lady in the toy shop (if you're familiar with that episode).
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
A professional Hypnotherapist failed to make any in roads into my head ( and a couple of shrinks and a pschologist and the CBT lot and 4 normal doctors and lot's of Pschiatric nurses ) ... But we do need to drag Peter to a Meet !




Give me the wine , I don't need the bread
- Gawdzilla Sama
- Stabsobermaschinist
- Posts: 151265
- Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2009 12:24 am
- About me: My posts are related to the thread in the same way Gliese 651b is related to your mother's underwear drawer.
- Location: Sitting next to Ayaan in Domus Draconis, and communicating via PMs.
- Contact:
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
You have to "play along" with hypnosis for it to work. Surrendering to someone else is not something I do easily.
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
Gawdzilla wrote:You have to "play along" with hypnosis for it to work. Surrendering to someone else is not something I do easily.





Give me the wine , I don't need the bread
- apophenia
- IN DAMNATIO MEMORIAE
- Posts: 3373
- Joined: Tue May 24, 2011 7:41 am
- About me: A bird without a feather, a gull without a sea, a flock without a shore.
- Location: Farther. Always farther.
- Contact:
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
I'm sure a hypnotist could slap me around and call me Susan and I'd be all the more for it. IIRC, people with dissociative disorders and people with high levels of schizotypal thinking are very vulnerable to hypnotism (and I'm like, 6 standard deviations from the mean on the latter).
What I wonder is, with regard to cold reading and mentalism, is it more raw talent than learned skill, or vice versa, or are both essential. Can one be a good mentalist or cold reader with one and not the other? Are there specific personality traits which tend to coincide with people who are especially good at these things -- does being naturally dishonest make you a better con man / mentalist / cold reader? I'm not really interested in the magic part of the thread, but I suppose the same could be asked of it as well; are certain types preferentially attracted to magic, and are certain traits strongly linked to successful magic, besides practice, hard work and a good teacher?
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
Some say that what is being manipulated is the "etheric body". What exactly is the etheric body? 
What about telepathy, by the way, is there such a thing?

What about telepathy, by the way, is there such a thing?
Re: Magic, mentalism, stage hypnosis
Not sure as regards some of the other skills, but there was a Derren Brown programme on Channel 4 here where he trained a guy off the street how to con people into believing he was a faith healer, then went to the US and fooled an established faith healer and his congregation.apophenia wrote:I'm sure a hypnotist could slap me around and call me Susan and I'd be all the more for it. IIRC, people with dissociative disorders and people with high levels of schizotypal thinking are very vulnerable to hypnotism (and I'm like, 6 standard deviations from the mean on the latter).
What I wonder is, with regard to cold reading and mentalism, is it more raw talent than learned skill, or vice versa, or are both essential. Can one be a good mentalist or cold reader with one and not the other? Are there specific personality traits which tend to coincide with people who are especially good at these things -- does being naturally dishonest make you a better con man / mentalist / cold reader? I'm not really interested in the magic part of the thread, but I suppose the same could be asked of it as well; are certain types preferentially attracted to magic, and are certain traits strongly linked to successful magic, besides practice, hard work and a good teacher?

"...anyone who says it’s “just the Internet” can. And then when they come back, they can
again." - Tigger
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest