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Many people have heard of mentalism, but few know exactlywhat is involved. So let's start with a clear definition.

Mentalism is defined as a sub-category within the field ofmagic. It has to do with tricks dealing with the mind'spower. Rather than relying heavily on tools or grandillusions, it has more to do with try to give theimpression that the magician can tap into the minds ofaudience members, or use his or her own mind control tocause objects to move, etc.

Some people think that mentalism actually depends on somespiritual connection between the supernatural realm and themagician. While there might be a very remote possibilitythat some magicians actually do have some insight into thespiritual world, most illusionists use mentalism tricks andstrategies just like in any other type of magic. Over thenext few pages you'll learn some of them!

For example, remember at the beginning of this course whenwe talked about Derren Brown and his ability to make peoplefall asleep over the phone? It's not that he actually hasthe power to control other people's minds - he just knowstricks to get people to do what he says.

There is definitely a difference between the two. Derrenisn't dabbling in the occult or anything like that; rather,he's using human psychology to create intriguing andmystifying illusions!

For many reasons, including the fact that the old "pull arabbit out of a hat" type of magic is not as surprising andinteresting as it once was, mentalism is one of the fastestgrowing and most popular forms of magic being practicedtoday. There are many fabulous and highly talentedmagicians who specialize in this form, Derren Brown beingjust one of them.

A Brief Explanation of Hypnosis

Hypnosis is one very highly popular form of mentalism.Psychiatrists actually regard hypnosis as an everydayactivity or state that we undergo when we are watchingmovies, reading books, or driving down a long empty road.When we are doing these sorts of activities we enter atrancelike condition in which we are very vulnerable to thepower of suggestion and feel extremely relaxed.

Some people are mistakenly under the impression thathypnosis is like being asleep, but it's actually ahyperaware, hyperattentive state. It's also a state oftotal consciousness.

You know how when you get engrossed in a book you tune outthe outside world, paying attention only to the storyitself? It's similar to that. You're tuning out extraneousstimuli and focusing in only on one source, the subject ormagician who is speaking directly to you. Thus you are verylikely to do whatever the magician tells you to do whenyou're in a hypnotic state!

This article was extracted from the book 'Discover The Magic Trick Secrets You're Not Supposed To Know'. To find out more please visit http://www.discovermagictricks.com