ESP Alive And Well At NYC Mentalism Shows

By Henry Green


While Est and ESP are often considered throwbacks to the 1970s, both are alive and well. When it comes to Est, it has been reborn in a number of New Age retreats. Whereas, ESP is alive and well at a number of NYC Mentalism Shows.

These types of shows can include different areas of the occult, these include hypnosis, telepathy, clairvoyance, rapid mathematics, deduction, memory feats, mind control, mediumship, psychokinesis, precognition and divination. While most of these practices require psychic powers, some can be achieved through other methods. In addition, bizzarists and psychic readers often work at fairs and festival rather than performing on stage.

Performances by mentalists often date back to the 19th century and a number of tests conducted by occultists believed to have supernatural abilities. When it comes to the history of mentalism, the art form dates back to the time of the Old Testament. For, some scholars have suggested that certain scriptures appear to refer to mentalists and mentalism.

Among professional magicians, the mentalists are generally considered one of the earliest to perform with the earliest performance being provided by Girolamo Scotto, a sleight-of-hand magician in 1572. While some suggest that mentalism can be learned, others attribute the skills to psychic or supernatural powers. In either case, these individuals have astounded and entertained audiences for centuries.

Derren Brown and other more contemporary performers often attribute these skills to natural abilities such as being able to read body language or use psychological suggestion and misdirection to create subliminal control. For contemporaries whom perform live in city squares and streets, audiences often become a part of the act. For, Derren Brown and others tend to make audiences aware that everything in the act is an illusion.

While some magicians have no problem lying to an audience to create a belief that some types of magic are real, others believe it morally wrong to lie. At the same time, there is a thin line between lying and not revealing how a trick is a trick and not real magic. Whereas, there are others whom may provide half truths about how a trick is performed but leave out other details.

In fact, a number of mentalists do not use the term magician as a title. For, most believe that magic and mentalism are two different and distinct forms of performance art. In addition, while most magicians use a number of props, especially those involved in illusion, mentalists often work with body language and the mind. As such, while there may still be an ongoing debate, most people do consider mentalists different from magicians.

In most cases, mentalists will argue that there is nothing wrong with invoking a belief that something is real whether the performer is psychic or otherwise. For, the right audience will believe the performer is telling the truth just because the idea has been presented. Whereas, those making these claims are often mentalists whom are believed to have supernatural powers. As such, the real magic lies in whether or not an audience can perceive truths from falsehoods.




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