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Psychic Perspectives

Psychological Mumbo-Jumbo
by Craig Browning

So there you are, on stage performing for a group of 50 or so folks. True to the examples given us by others, you have chosen to open the act with a few simple demonstrations that pull them into the show's theme. "I want you all to close your eyes for just a moment and visualize yourself walking through a park. When I clap my hands, I want you to focus on just one thing that you see in this setting. One thing that sticks out from all the other things surrounding you… " You clap your hands and state "The image I was sending was that of a tree, a very large shade tree. Those that were thinking of a tree please stand up." Only one or two people stand up…

Arrgh! It didn't work!

This is the curse of psychologically-based mentalism: it's a numbers game. Though we know that the odds are strong, that most people will see or think of certain proven images, it doesn't always happen as planned.

Why?

Because there are 101 variables that range from how we, as performers, present the concept and lend inflection via our voice to cultural and geographic mindsets that supercedes the rule of commonality. For an example, in the southern U.S. states like Tennessee or Kentucky, you're more apt to have someone name a gladiola than you are a rose. Then too, there are those situations when you find yourself doing a show for a room full of psych students that know these factors (one of the worse experiences of my life!), e.g. the material doesn't stick. They're already ahead of you and intentionally extend alternate information. Then too, you will run across the occasional smarty that will intentionally go with their second thought for the very same reason. They realize that you may be using statistical odds and thus negate their first thought.

The truth is "psychological magic" is not an easy field to master, requiring a great deal of personal experimentation and the frequent act of falling flat on our face. This is why the pros like Banachek encourage us to design our material around the possible "miss". When we have rehearsed a routine in this manner, the "miss" is never noticed by the audience and we're able to move forward in a way that seems perfectly natural: no one the least bit suspicious. Then again, when everything clicks just right, we win, gaining the kind of advantage we originally envisioned, which helps cultivate that master psychic aura around us. Unfortunately, we are more apt to know misses, especially with smaller audiences, than we are hits. It's a numbers game! That is, to a point. There's another psychological factor that's rarely discussed which is also at play here.

When I work larger events I've found that psychological techniques become easierto make happen. The reason for this is very simple: no one wants to be left out.

Check out a church service or political rally. People are intentionally sat close together. This way, when one person reacts or stands those next to them are prone to do the same. On a very subtle level, there's some subconscious muscle reading at work in this kind of setting. Especially in those situations that invoke strong emotions; the osmosis factor is very much at play. For thousands of years, men and women have studied this syndrome and how to exploit it. Today we merely accept it as "how things are", never questioning why ceremonial gatherings are orchestrated in the same basic way, whether it's for a religious observation, union meeting, or rock concert. They all use the same elements! The psychology of ritual serving as a controlling tool within the auspices of theater just as much as it is at some self-esteem seminar.

Knowing this, we can see why, when Bob Cassidy opens his program with the "Walk In The Park" set-up, he's able to generate group reactions that sustain his psychological forces. In so doing, he gains sufficient reaction so as to allude to the fact that "over half the audience" has successfully picked up on the very thoughts he was projecting.

Possibly the most practical audience we can reach with psychological methods is the radio audience. It's been said time and again, and with a sound reason, the numbers are in your favor. When you have 1,000 or more people listening to your interview and over two-dozen call into the station "testifying" to the fact that they've matched your thought… well, that impresses the programming director and gives you brownie points as being the kind of guest people are interested in. Remember, with radio or TV it's all in the ratings!

Recently, Yaniv Deautsch introduced his "The Wizard is Dead" manuscript, a fairly clever bit of business that employs sound psychological principles in a drawing duplication test done long distance e.g. over the air-waves. For the money asked, this is a most excellent piece of business. It is not something for the novice and, in my opinion, should only be attempted by someone well versed (experienced) in psychological techniques. Too, as I've shared with Yaniv, I believe that certain elements in the material can be added so as to expand the spectator's choice (the randomness of patterns drawn). More important, room must be built in for those social and geographic differences, such as I've made note of earlier with the southern U.S. states. In other words, I believe that the original manuscript delivers a sound foundation from which a seasoned performer can cultivate and expand upon.

Know that I do not say these things as a way to detract from Yaniv's genius: he's made a valid contribution to this side of our craft, a piece of work that is proven as well as practical. Those that know me however, know that I never look at an effect "as is" - there's always room for improvement (and I've shared my thoughts with Yaniv, offering an appendix to TWD that is more applicable to the U.S. market than his original manuscript left room for.) The other thing not considered by many that dabble in psychological techniques is wordage. What works for one person may not prove applicable to another. It is critical that we discover how to word a presentation that fits our personality and character. You cannot expect success in life if you operate as a clone and do everything, word for word, the way others do. When it comes to this style of demonstration wordage is the key to our success. Thus, I have to encourage the reader of this article to lend serious consideration to a course of study known as "Wonder Words" by Kenton Knepper, a program that demonstrates "difference" and how to be more effective, regardless the field of performance you may be working in. Bottom line, it's a course in effective communications and thus, a building block that can aid us in all aspects of our life, not just on stage.

Those that I know who are effective at "psychological magic" have had formal training in some form, when it comes to the art of public speaking and presentation. They may have been a teacher prior to moving into magic full time, or possibly even a minister. The thing is, they have learned how to communicate by using their voice, their body, their facial expressions, etc., the whole of which is a subtle element most of us involved with magic, fail to consider let alone lend credence to. Thus, we run off complaining - wondering why we aren't getting anywhere with our careers, rarely considering that we've done little to nothing to improve upon ourselves, our stage and private live personae, etc.

I've spoken frequently about being a "Magickle Entity". In my book this is the greatest form of psychological magic in that you have created an illusion around yourself - an image that envelopes you to the extent of defining you in the public's mind as being more than a "mere mortal". It is not an easy thing to accomplish and it does require a significant investment of time, discipline and the act of psyching yourself out. That is to say, you must work with affirmation and visualization techniques along with personal actions that stimulate and cultivate your inner creature; the whole of which goes right back to what we've been speaking on - presentation.

Like it or not, people respect and admire those that can speak clearly, concisely, and get to the point. When you fall back on your laurels and insist on holding to street-level language and a rebel's attitude, you thwart your chances of evolving into the kind of entity spoken of. That's not saying you can't be yourself and work within your comfort range. You can be a rebel and work with the "younger street market" and still hold to the practice of understanding language and how to be an effective communicator. We're not speaking about proper diction and grammar, only disciplined and deliberate use of words, body language, etc. We're talking about seeing how to meld these disciplines with our true nature as well as how to cultivate and evolve ourselves in a progressive manner that will ultimately manifest that image of being a magickle entity. It don't happen over night, it's a long and vicarious journey that requires regular "inventory" - looking in on ourselves and our actions so as to keep ourselves in check and on the path that will lead us to that ultimate goal.

What's all this have to do with psychological magic? You ask.

Tons!

If we cannot apply the rudiments of psychology to our lives so as to deliberately cultivate within ourselves a person that can command and control his/her audience, we cannot hope to succeed in this business or, for that matter, most any other course in life. When it comes to our belief that we are "Magicians" the demand for such acts of discipline become more paramount. Especially for those of us working within the auspices of Bizarre or Mental Magic.

Learning the rudiments of Psychological Technique is not the same as learning how to apply them effectively. The latter simply requires time, experimentation, and a bit of thinking ahead. As Max Maven has pointed out time and again, it is vital that we learn how to have an "out" whenever we work; most especially when doing psychologically based presentations. The rude bottom line being that they don't always work and we'd best be ready to cover our butts when such circumstances arise.

Before closing I do wish to make point on a rather controversial perspective when it comes to this issue and the potential of a "miss". Those familiar with my philosophy on mentalism know that I don't fear the miss. Every now and then, it's good that we don't get a hard hit or miss the target by a few hundred miles. In an ironic way, such failures add to our credibility in the public's mind. As I've said before, watch and learn from the "real" psychics out there. Few of them hold to more than an 80% level of accuracy. That being the case, the occasional miss or near miss plants an interesting seed into the public's mind - a seed of thought that helps distance us from the idea of being a "magician" who merely mimics psychic-like manifestations. This is an old subtle bit of business known and used by the yesteryear legends of Mentalism. Unfortunately, many of us hold to the habit of being a Magician, believing that every effect must work and come to a positive conclusion that sustains us as being something special. Sorry, but that's just ego getting in the way and, in my opinion at least, not the way of true mentalism/psychic entertainment.

Think about it this way… as a magician doing psychic-like demonstrations the average person hosting a home party may be willing to pay you as much as $200.00 for a show. As a Psychic Entertainer not associated with magic, kiddy parties, etc. you are more prone to be offered $300.00 + for your time. My typical home party (for groups of 12-30) garnering somewhere between $500.00 and as much as $1,500.00 for a basic set.

As the old saying goes "Nobody wants to hire a fake mind reader…"

Do your best to become the best you, you can be! Take the time to make an effort to go beyond the basics, learning the supporting techniques that will embellish all of your magic as well as your life. This is the greatest secret to our trade and the primary reason so many fail where others succeed.

Until next time…

Craig Browning