People think mentalism is about supernatural powers. It’s not. It’s about observation, psychology, and practice. Real mentalists don’t read minds-they read people. And anyone can learn how to do it, if they’re willing to put in the work.
Start with the basics: cold reading
Cold reading is the foundation of every mentalism trick. It’s the art of making broad statements that seem personal, then letting the subject fill in the details. You don’t need to know anything ahead of time. You just need to listen, watch, and react.
Try this: walk into a room and say to someone, ‘I get the sense you’ve been carrying something heavy lately-maybe emotionally, not physically.’ Most people will nod. Maybe they lost a job. Maybe a friend moved away. They’ll assume you knew. You didn’t. You just used a common human experience.
Practice this daily. Talk to strangers. Use phrases like:
- ‘You’re the kind of person who notices small things others miss.’
- ‘I sense you’ve had to make a tough decision recently.’
- ‘You’re more thoughtful than people realize.’
Watch their reactions. Did they lean in? Smile? Look away? That’s your feedback. Adjust. Repeat. After a few weeks, you’ll start noticing patterns-how people respond to certain words, tones, and pauses.
Learn the force: control without control
A ‘force’ is a method to make someone think they chose freely, when you actually guided them. It’s the secret behind most mind-reading tricks.
Try the classic ‘book force’: Show someone a stack of magazines. Ask them to pick one. As they reach, subtly block the ones you don’t want with your hand. They’ll grab the one you left open. They think they chose. You know exactly which one they picked.
Or use the ‘magician’s choice’: Say, ‘Pick a number between 1 and 10.’ As they hesitate, say, ‘Most people pick 7. But if you’re not a 7 person, go with 3.’ Now they’ve picked either 7 or 3-and you planned for both.
Practice forces with friends. Don’t tell them what you’re doing. Just watch how often they fall for it. After 20 tries, you’ll see how predictable human choices really are.
Study memory systems
Some mentalism tricks rely on memory. Not photographic memory-just smart systems.
The Major System turns numbers into words. For example:
- 1 = T or D sound
- 2 = N sound
- 3 = M sound
- 4 = R sound
- 5 = L sound
So 31 becomes ‘M-T’ → ‘mat’. 24 becomes ‘N-R’ → ‘nare’ (a made-up word you can picture). Now you can memorize a 5-digit number like 31425 as ‘mat-nare-l’ → imagine a mat with a nare (a weird bird) sitting on it. It’s silly, but it sticks.
Use this to memorize phone numbers, dates, or even the order of shuffled cards. Practice daily. Start with 3 digits. Then 5. Then 10. Within a month, you’ll recall long strings of numbers without writing them down.
Observe body language like a detective
People give away secrets with their hands, eyes, and posture. A slight hesitation before answering? They’re lying-or thinking hard. A quick glance to the left? They’re recalling something. A crossed arm? Defensiveness.
Watch TV interviews. Pause after someone says something. Ask yourself: What did their face do? Did their voice crack? Did they touch their neck? Write it down. Do this for 10 minutes every day.
Try this exercise: Ask a friend to think of a number between 1 and 10. Then watch their face as you guess. You won’t know the number-but you’ll notice micro-expressions. A raised eyebrow when you say ‘5’? That’s a clue. You’re not reading their mind. You’re reading their reactions.
Practice misdirection
Misdirection isn’t about waving your hands. It’s about controlling attention. You don’t need a big gesture. A pause. A shift in tone. A question. That’s enough.
Try this trick: Ask someone to think of a card. As you talk, say, ‘I’m sensing something… blue? No, green? Wait-was it a face card?’ While you’re talking, your hand is subtly sliding a deck of cards into your lap. You never touched the card they picked. But they’re focused on your words, not your hands.
Practice misdirection in conversations. Change the subject suddenly. Ask a weird question. Watch how people’s attention snaps to the new topic. That’s the same energy you use in mentalism.
Build a repertoire-start small
Don’t try to learn 20 tricks at once. Pick one. Master it. Then add another.
Begin with the ‘prediction trick’: Write a word on a slip of paper and put it in your pocket. Ask someone to name a color. Then say, ‘I predicted you’d say [color].’ They’ll be stunned. But you didn’t predict it. You used a force earlier. Maybe you said, ‘Most people think of red or blue.’ Then you wrote ‘red’ on the paper. When they say ‘blue,’ you say, ‘I thought you might go with red… but I see you’re different.’
Another simple one: ‘The Two-Card Trick.’ Show two cards-say, the 7 of hearts and the 8 of spades. Ask them to pick one. You never let them touch the cards. You just say, ‘I feel you’re drawn to the red one.’ They pick the 7 of hearts. You reveal your prediction: ‘7 of hearts.’ You didn’t know. You forced it. You just made it seem like magic.
Perform these in low-pressure settings. Coffee shops. Family dinners. Not stage shows. Just test. See what works. Adjust. Repeat.
Record and review your performances
After each attempt, record yourself. Not with a fancy camera-just your phone. Watch it later.
Ask yourself:
- Did I rush through the setup?
- Did I look nervous when I made the prediction?
- Did I give away the force with my hand?
Most beginners ruin a trick by over-explaining. They say too much. They smile too wide. They lean in too close. You want calm. You want silence. You want the mystery to linger.
Watch professional mentalists-Derren Brown, Banachek, Max Maven. Notice how little they say. How long they pause. How they let the audience fill in the gaps. That’s the real skill.
Don’t fake it-build trust
The biggest mistake new mentalists make? Trying to convince people they have powers. That backfires. People sense the lie.
Instead, say this: ‘I’m not psychic. I just notice things people don’t realize they’re showing.’ That’s true. And it’s more powerful than pretending to be supernatural.
When you admit it’s psychology, not magic, people trust you more. They lean in. They open up. And that’s when the real tricks work.
What to avoid
- Don’t use props you don’t understand. A gimmicked deck won’t help if you don’t know how to control it.
- Don’t perform for skeptics first. They’ll tear you apart. Start with open-minded people.
- Don’t overdo it. One good trick in a conversation is better than three forced performances.
- Don’t lie about your abilities. You’re a student of human behavior-not a mystic.
Keep a mentalism journal
Every night, write down:
- One thing you observed today that someone didn’t realize they revealed.
- One trick you tried. What worked? What failed?
- One person who reacted strongly. Why?
After 30 days, you’ll have a pattern. You’ll see what types of people respond to what kinds of language. You’ll know when to push and when to back off. That’s not magic. That’s mastery.
It’s not about tricks-it’s about connection
Real mentalism isn’t about impressing people. It’s about making them feel seen. When you say something that feels too personal, they feel understood. That’s the real power.
People don’t remember how you did the trick. They remember how it made them feel. That’s why the best mentalists aren’t the ones with the flashiest methods. They’re the ones who listen the most.
Practice every day. Not for applause. For curiosity. For the quiet thrill of understanding someone without them knowing you’re trying.
Samuel Bennett
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