Journalofthe Mind V2 Issue 7

V OLUME 2, I SSUE 7 F EBRUARY 2008
T HIS I SSUE S S POTLIGHT :

In This Issue:
Paul
Brook P AUL B ROOK
Probably like many of you, I first heard of Paul
Contents: Brook from the glowing mentions of him on
various Internet forums. Then, when Paul
1This Months Spotlight
announced that his The Alchemical Tools was
2 ILL-Logical being released, I invited him to be the feature
12 Paul Brooks Mind spotlight in a Journal of the Mind. Paul
graciously agreed.
18 ILL-Logical, Part Two
39 Jheffsmind Of course, I should say that I was a bit nervous.
43 Deuterium Here I was offering to spotlight someones
work that I was familiar with only by
reputation. And so I nervously waited for his
material hoping that I hadnt committed myself
to doing something I may regret. When I did
get the books, I couldnt put them down. Wow!
Of the books Ive read so far, The Gift is the best single book Ive seen on the
Jheffs Journal of the Mind, subject of pre-show work. This book brilliantly shows you how to be
Volume 2, Issue 7 successful with this technique. Good Vibrations consists of an awesome
Printed in the U.S.A. routine with cards thats simply a shocker to audiences. And On Mephistos
Journal of the Mind is pub-
lished six times a year for Shoulder is an intriguing collection of six routines. The Alchemical Tools, a
members of the Marketplace massive book with tons of insight, is by far the jewel of Pauls work (I have
Membership Club.
not obtained The Brook Test yet.) The basic ideas may not be new, but Paul
Published and edited
by Jheff Poncher
has numerous subtleties I havent seen and he expertly explains them in the
context of mentalism.
Layout Design Created
by Matthew Schouten
Copyright 2008 All rights re-

What I havent mentioned yet is that Paul has a background in psychology.
served by the authors. No part of His works feature extensively detailed discussions of his ideas and the
this publication may be repro-
duced or transmitted in any form subtleties. This, of course, is something that every experienced mentalist
or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopy-
should pay attention to. Whats in this issue is merely a sampling of Paul
ing and recording, or by any infor- Brooks wonderful contributions to the art of mentalism. Its a complete
mation storage or retrieval sys-
tem, except as may be expressly chapter and one effect from his recent work, The Alchemical Tools. I hope you
permitted in writing by the copy-
right owner. enjoy the excerpts as much as I did.
Email: Jheffsmind@aol.com
J OURNAL OF THE M IND V OLUME 2, I SSUE 7 P AGE 2
Counterintuitive Help
A startling discovery in the world of psychology; by helping a person the helper feels positive emotions
for the person they are helping.
When you think about this it is goes against what you would expect to happen; it is genuinely
counterintuitive.
If I were to ask you to open a door for me, you would feel more emotional connection towards me. I on
the other hand would hardly, if at all, notice any emotional change.
Therefore, if you want a person to like you more, or feel a stronger connection with you, do not do
things for them; allow them to do things for you.
Even though I have known about this idea for years and use it on a daily basis, it still seems strange to
me as I write it here.
When we break it down, it becomes easier to understand. The reason why people feel more connection
to you is that you are making them feel needed, wanted, and useful all at the same time. You would
have to be mad not to want to be associated with such qualities.
This method, as with others in this book, relies on making the subject feel special. Wise men have
stated many times throughout history that true happiness lies in making other people happy; I think they
were onto something. Everyone becomes happier; the people that help you and you yourself.
_____________________ There is a tendency in magic to perform an action that a

spectator could perform; such a shuffling the cards. If it is not
"Wise men have stated essential that you shuffle the cards then make sure someone
many times throughout else is asked to do so. In fact if you are using playing cards
history that true then get a number of people to shuffle the cards; make sure
happiness lies in making that everyone is doing something for you.
other people happy. To be fair, if you allow other people to do more things it
____________________ appears to be a lot fairer as well as making them feel as if they
are worthwhile.
If the method of the effect means that you cannot allow the subjects to do anything for you, then why
not create a presentational angle that allows the people to be involved; even if it has nothing to do with
the end effect.
Getting subjects to hold out their hands in front of them and touch their fingertips together works
wonderfully. Whilst they do this you say;
(Continued on page 8)
On Mephistos Shoulder is available at

http://www.paulbrook.co.uk/01477410.htm
THE ALCHEMICAL
TOOLS
This tome of 398 pages explains how you can make your Killer-Hertz (kHz): Five ESP cards are given to a group of
magic transform into miracles. four people. The Mentalist turns around and faces away from
the group. Each person selects a card leaving the Mentalist
Paul shares with you some of his best kept secrets from the with the not chosen card left upon a table. Before the
world of Psychology, so that you never have to have a lacklus- Mentalist turns around he/she removes a sealed envelope
ter response ever again. from his/her pocket, and throws it onto the table.
Over 50 Psychological methods are discussed in full detail. As Whilst the cards are all hidden, the Mentalist turns around
well as the powerful Psychology included in the first 250 and correctly guesses what every person has selected. The
pages, you also receive a number of strong effects. envelope on the table is opened by a volunteer and an ESP
card, matching the ESP card left for the Mentalist, is found
Effects include: within. On the ESP card a note states, "I am always left
with the circle!"
At the Doors of Perception: A deck of cards is never
touched by the Mentalist. The volunteer secretly selects a No Forces
card and shuffles it into the other cards. After the deck has No Pre-Show
been shuffled by the person the Mentalist is then able to re-
move one card from the deck; it is the spectators. No Writing Down
No Glimpses
No Forces No Marked Cards
No Stacks
Thus Spake Zarathustra: Paul shares six of his most
Genuinely shuffled by the volunteer guarded cold reading secrets. If you do not include any cold
Cards can be borrowed reading at all, these little gems will inspire you to start doing
so.
Deuterium: A thought of card effect, where you have a 1/6.5
chance of guessing the card that the volunteer is thinking of. Paul concludes this book with a number of essays and
No Forces thoughts on the subject of Mentalism and Psychology.
No Pre-Show
No Writing Down Get the strong miracle reactions that you deserve!
Insightful Sequence: The numbers 1-10 are written onto 10 398 page, perfect bound soft cover book.
business cards. The volunteer is asked a number of questions
in order to psychologically profile her. After some mental cal- All first printing books will be signed by the author.
culations the Mentalist writes a secret number onto a piece of
$80/38
paper, then folds it up and gives it to the volunteer. The cards
are also reordered based on the information that the volunteer
provides.
The volunteer then chooses what order the cards are placed
in to. When the volunteer opens up the piece of paper, the
number sequence of the cards matches the sequence pre-
Available at:
dicted on the paper.
http://www.paulbrook.co.uk/
No Forces
No Switches
alchemicaltools.htm
The volunteer makes free choices
Once the prediction is made it is never touched by the Men-
talist.
Dont Forget! Marketplace Members Get an Additional 5% Discount!

www.marketplaceofthemind.com
ILL-ogical
from The Alchemical Tools
We, as humans, are not as logical as we like to think we are, for we are driven more by emotion than we
are by analysis and logic. Emotional experiences colour the black and white reality of the world around
us and how we function within it on a daily basis.
It is this emotional aspect that interferes with a killers perfectly planned out murder; only to discover
that Columbo is at the door with just one more question. The killer believes that they have
constructed a perfect plan, but emotions blur their analytical thinking; once this happens mistakes
occur.
Emotions and feelings are the weak link in the chain of logic. When such weaknesses are exploited the
person will feel as if he has been very logical; when in reality deception and control are lurking in the
midst.
There are a number of ways that we can use these illogical aspects of the mind to create miracles out of
magic. In this chapter you will see techniques that enable a subject to really buy into the presentation of
your effect. Whilst, other techniques will explain how you can create an idea or concept that appears to
be logical when, in reality, it is a complete lie.
Use Their Name
Upon hearing our own name, even if shouted through the busy streets of a major city, we will turn and
look for the caller.
We have all been in that situation where our name is shouted out, only to turn around and
embarrassingly realise that it was meant for someone else.
Why do we do this?
Well our name is the biggest label that we place on ourselves; it supercedes all other ideas of who we
are or how we fit into the world. For all intents and purposes our own name is the most powerful and
important word to us in the world.
If a person says your name you give them attention, both mentally and physically. Your heart rate
increases and your body enters a state of mild stimulation.
These reactions happen instantly without any conscious thought and have occurred from the very first
moment that you realised a certain repeated sound was your designation.
The Alchemical Tools is available at

A name is essentially a life long conditioned response that you respond to; the same way that you were
conditioned to answer a ringing telephone.
The conditioning does not stop there; once you are stimulated by your name you await a response. You
are waiting for information, the senses are poised and the body in most cases becomes still. By using a
persons name you get instant attention as well as receptivity.
_____________________
Besides gaining attention from the subject you will also gain
respect. You see, by using a persons name you are stroking "If a person respects you
their ego; remember their name is the most important word to then they are on your
them. Every time that you use that persons name you will side.
demonstrate to them that you respect them. Once the person
feels respected, they will start to respect you. ____________________
This is very important; if a person respects you then they are on your side. If you happen to come
across some hecklers the people that respect you will deal with them, in most cases. If they do deal with
the hecklers, it enables you to retain a position of power as people only defend people that they respect.
Also, by doing something for you they will in fact like you more; this will be covered later on in this
chapter.
All of the positive feelings that the person feels once they are respected are transferred to their
surroundings. This is another illogical aspect of the mind that we can use; the fact that people perceive
the world around them according to the emotions they feel.
If you feel annoyed then the world around you will be annoying. Equally if you are happy, you will see
everything through rose tinted spectacles.
Whatever you perform for a person that feels respected, everything for them will be perceived as being
wonderful. You have made them feel important, and in turn you and your performance gains
importance.
It makes me laugh when I see Magicians and Mentalists who belittle their patrons and show them a lack
of respect. They think that they are being big, but in reality they are slitting their own throats.
So by using a persons name a great deal of improvement can be added to an effect. Nothing really
changes other than the perception of the effect in the subjects mind. Magic really is in the persons mind
and perception; a true magician knows how to allow the person to perceive the effect in a certain way.
Now, here is the dangerous part; forgetting someones name. Of all the insults in the world this is one of
the greatest. The person may not go on a killing spree with a machine gun if their name is forgotten, but
you and your performance will be affected. The law of reciprocation is invoked; your lack of respect is
transferred to you and you are neglected.
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It goes without saying that if you are given little importance, so it will be with your effect. Therefore, it
is a must that you never forget a persons name.
Very occasionally you may forget a persons name; it happens to me every now and again. When this
happens it is very important that you are honest about it and that you make an extra effort to relearn
their name.
If you forget Freds name then you simply say, Im sorry, I have forgotten your first name; would
you be as kind as to remind me?
This will allow you to move on from a potentially damaging and embarrassing situation. By first
apologising, you are taking blame; that is important, you must own the mistake; and so you should.
When you say that you have forgotten their first name you imply that you know the persons other
name/s. Even though you may have never asked about their other name/s this impression that you have
only partially forgotten softens the blow. After asking them for their kindness they will feel placated
enough as you will have shown them that they are important to you.
Once again, this is a small single sentence, but one that I am sure you agree, is worth knowing. It is the
pivot point betwixt doom and success; especially if you forget a prominent clients name.
It is said that prevention is better than cure and I strongly subscript to this ideology. It is far better for
you to go to a table and to use a memory system/mnemonic to remember the names of those present.
As with a lot of these psychological techniques, you will find a vast array of books that will cover this
subject in far more detail. However, I will share with you a technique that I have found very effective
and one that I have used for many years now.
Firstly, you must actually turn on your ears, I know this may sound strange, but when we actually meet
a person we are running a conditioned ritual.
We shake their hand, we ask their name, and we dont pay attention, then immediately launch into small
talk. Due to this being a habitual routine we really are on auto pilot for most of the process; in this state
you will find it hard to recall a persons name, especially when you are dealing with more than one.
Therefore, turn on your ears and become interested in the name when it is given to you. Make sure that
your goal is to get one thing; the persons name. That way when they give you their name you will be
ready to give it the attention it needs. As a side note, when people give you their name they really are
giving you a gift; the power to influence them. It is then your choice if you want to influence them or
not!
Once the name has been given to you it is very important that you verify the name again. You may have
misheard the name or it may be a name that you are familiar with; either way, by verifying it you are
able to make sure you have the correct name.
The Gift is available at

Even if it is an amazingly simple but wonderful name like Paul, (Did I really just write that? Did I
really allow this book to go to print with the word wonderful in front of my name? Yup!), you should
still verify the name. Verification is simple; as they give you their name you simply repeat it back to
them whilst looking them in the eyes. If you have made an error, trust me, they will let you know about
it.
This process when used will allow you to have the name said at
_____________________
least twice, thus increasing your chance of remembering it. It
"Using the persons name also leaves an impression that you are extremely interested in
whenever you naturally getting their name correct; this is because you will be. This will
can, will make them feel be perceived as showing respect to the people you are about to
perform for; again you should respect them as they feed your
good, enable you to re-
hunger and quench your thirst.
member the persons
name and also giving Here is the most important part of the process; the word/name
your effect the impor- association. When you have a name given to you, think about
tance that it truly de- another person that you know who has the same name.
serves in the mind of the
For example, if I meet a person names Sylvester I will picture
volunteers."
Sylvester Stallone in my mind; I will imagine that this person is
____________________ Rambo or Rocky.
If I didnt know anyone called Sylvester then I would find parts of the name that remind me of other
objects; for example, Sylvester could be Silk Vest-er. It is simply a case of picturing a silk vest on that
person.
The word association is a little silly compared to that of remembering a film star or friend, but it works
extremely well. In fact the more bizarre the association the easier it will be to recall it from your
memory.
Once that you have a famous person or some words associated with the persons name the final step is
to use the name. Improved memory recall is increased by frequent use of the information to be recalled.
Using the persons name whenever you naturally can, will make them feel good, enable you to
remember the persons name and also giving your effect the importance that it truly deserves in the
mind of the volunteers.
Please, do not overuse the persons name, as there is a tendency for people to do when they first start
utilising this technique.
Remember the golden rule, if a subject realises that you are trying to do something to them they will
stop you from doing it. Therefore, I would not recommend that you say a persons name more
frequently than once every few minutes.
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(Continued from page 6)
Research has shown that in this position people often feel as though a small electric current is
running through their hands. Who can feel that?
If someone says yes, then run with it and use that person for an effect. You already know that they are
more suggestible than others at the table if they have accepted this suggestion; this is the person you
want to use for psychological forces.
On the other hand if everyone there can feel the electricity then ask everyone to describe how it feels.
This will build rapport in the group; this will be transferred to rapport with you.
If no one can feel it then you can talk about how some studies in psychology are a waste of time. You
then explain that other studies are more worthwhile and thought provoking; this is a nice segue into the
effect you will perform.
All this is assuming that you are taking a psychological slant; this is easily adaptable to any style once
given some thought.
Whatever the outcome you will have asked every person present to perform an action for you and that is
the reason for getting them to do this. You will always be able to work some kind of spectator action
into your presentation, even if you cannot do so for the effect itself; just give the presentation process
the time it deserves during creation.
There is another benefit to be gained from using this _____________________

methodology; a master/servant division. The very nature of "This extra respect and
doing something for a person makes the person subservient to
obedience makes audience
you in that precise moment.
management easier and
In most normal circumstances this is fine because we share will also make sure that
the subservient role with the people that we know. In this the subjects are responsive
situation you will not be sharing the subservience, but instead to your requests.
allow it to be one sided; with you becoming the master.
____________________
Time to check the ego at this moment; the people will not be your slaves or actually subservient to you.
Yes, they will be in that moment, but not for any length of time and this is definitely not the time to go
on a power trip. You will not be seen as a master in any way, you will only gain more respect and
increased obedience.
You will not be forcefully controlling anyone (well only if they really heckle you), it will all be done in
a convert and hidden manner. This extra respect and obedience makes audience management easier and
will also make sure that the subjects are responsive to your requests.
Good Vibrations is available at

When using this technique in a real world environment (nothing to do with magic) you have to be
careful that you do not ask too much of the person. If you were to get the person to perform tasks for
you without you performing tasks for the person, they would start to resent you.
This normally takes a fair deal of unrequited requests, and will not be an issue in the short space of time
that you will be performing. Therefore, use this method liberally with as many people as you can; get
people involved.
Applied Pattern Interruption
A pattern interrupt is any action physical, visual, verbal, etc. that changes a pattern of behaviour/though
and leaves the subject in a clear state.
Imagine still being half asleep in the morning supping on a cup of tea/coffee with the TV blasting on in
the background; also known as the zombie state. I am sure we have all been there.
Whilst in this state we are staring at the floor/wall and day dreaming. Suddenly there is some breaking
news rapport about a terrorist attack, instantly you snap out of that zombie state and become focused
and attentive; your pattern of zoning out has been interrupted. A new state of mind will be created
from the new information/environment around you.
That was just one example, we go through countless state changes throughout our daily lives. So how
can we use this natural process to make our magic turn into miracles?
First of all you need to be aware that a pattern interrupt can be anything from a caffeinated cup of
coffee, to the shocking and outrageous.
When creating pattern interrupts for performance you will want to use techniques closer to the
shocking/sensational end of the scale.
A sensational opening statement such as, In about five minutes time I will show you something that
your brain wont be able to stop thinking about! will grab your audiences attention. It will interrupt
their pattern of being in a group and having a chat, or whatever they were doing. There will be a
separation from what was happening and what is about to happen.
This shift is very important because their new pattern/state can be whatever you so wish. You
essentially move them away, mentally, to a place of your choosing; that is strong stuff.
If you have used a sensational statement as a pattern interrupt then you will have some extra bonus
material.
In the example pattern interrupt spiel above, I made a rather large claim; it is this claim that explains to
the audience that you are an expert.
Just as a card technician will use a single flourish to say, Hey, Im not your Uncle Charlie playing with
the cards, Im a professional! the Mentalist can use a strong pattern interrupt to separate him from
others that may encroach on the subjects time.
I recall working at a gig where there were six strolling entertainers were booked; three magicians, two
impressionists, an origami expert, and myself.
I noticed that a group of chaps in one of the corners kept sending entertainers away as soon as they
approached them. During a company speech the entertainers all went to get refreshments in a side room
and nearly all of them started to moan about this group of men. I had found out that they werent just
saying, No, thank you! they were being quite rude about it. I then decided to try my hand at
entertaining them.
It occurred as follows:
Me: Good evening gentleman, I trust that you are enjoying yourselves?
Group Leader: Listen buddy, get a real job or just go bother someone else.
Fucking pest!
The entire group started to laugh at this. From my conversations with the other entertainers I had
expected this. I simply waited for the tittering to die down before continuing.
Me: Its a real shame that you would deprive yourself of something that I have
demonstrated to royalty.
Enjoy the rest of your evening.
I had performed the effect many, many times and it wasnt exclusive for royalty, but they didnt need
to know that.
As I said this I started to walk to another group of people when the group leader called out:
The Brook Test is available at

Group Leader: Hey wait up buddy, sorry about being so harsh, I thought you were one of these
third rate entertainers. I had no idea they hired any professionals for these things,
they never have before.
This group gave me some of the best reactions of that particular gig. They werent expecting to be
entertained, so when they were, they loved it and really let their hair down. Sadly, their preconception
of the entertainment meant that they were not letting anyone else have a shot at performing for them.
They perceived me as being better than the other entertainers

even though the others were just as good. Especially the _____________________
impressionists, they were spot on and really funny too. The "Whenever you use a
only difference between the other entertainment and myself
was that I made that group want me; I made them feel as
pattern interrupt that is
though they were missing out and that I was worth their time. sensational you will get
instant interest and
All of this was achieved by using a pattern interrupt in the attention from the people
form of a sensational statement. It worked wonders with that you say it to.
hard crowd, just image the effect you can have on more
____________________
willing subjects.
Whenever you use a pattern interrupt that is sensational you will get instant interest and attention from
the people that you say it to. As with any method that gets your subjects interested it will place them in
a receptive state of mind. It will also make them focus on what you are saying and performing; making
them more susceptible to your psychologically worded script.
After making your initial claim, there will also be doubt in their minds, especially if you say the kind of
things I sometimes say. I say things that make the people doubt my abilities because it makes the
successful conclusion of the effect even more powerful.
If for example I said that I could jump 2 meters in the air, then it may be possible as other people have
been known to jump high. Because it is possible the person doesnt doubt it, and when I do this they are
impressed but not amazed.
On the other hand, if I claimed to be able to jump 2 meters in the air and then levitate for 10 seconds
before slowly floating to the ground the person would doubt it, a lot. If I then perform that action, the
person will be amazed, as they never though it would possible.
So if you are using a pattern interrupt make sure that you can do what you say you can whilst making it
seem impossible.
Always deliver a pattern interrupting statement in a serious way. This doesnt mean that you have to be
solemn about it, just serious. The people that are listening to you need to be aware that you are not
joking.

If I said I could jump 2 meters in the air and levitate in a joking tone then it would not be taken
seriously. For your pattern interrupt to work it must be delivered in the confident and serious tone of a
person that can live up to his/her words.
PAUL BROOKS MIND

It is no secret that to be an accomplished mentalist, you must have a very strong stage presence. One
must command the stage and control the audience. After all, thats what a mentalist works with the
minds of the audience, as opposed to the magician who amazes the audiences sense of sight and logic.
It follows, then, that the more psychology you know, the more successful youll be. It is important for a
mentalist to control not only what the audience does, but what they remember.
Texts that deal with this subject are rare and valued. The good mentalists value this information more
than learning effects. Its much more important to learn the subtleties of the how and why one makes a
routine successful, rather than be satisfied with the basic principle behind it.
Enter Paul Brooks The Alchemical Tools. It is by no means an encyclopedic text on the psychological
behind performing mentalism, but quite a bit of what is contained within its pages is golden material
that Ive not seen in print before. Of course, someone with such invaluable insight and experience is
someone who could share quite a bit with us. So here are Pauls incredible answers to my interview
questions.
Why did you produce The Alchemical Tools?
I was a psychologist for nearly a decade, during this time I ended up becoming heavily involved within
the field of Mentalism; as this happened, a marriage between these two disciplines took place. I applied
various psychological techniques to my Mentalism performances for a number of years, that then
became commonplace for me.
The use of psychology within my effects has helped me to take small effects (and powerful ones) and
make them a whole lot stronger. I see a lot of magic out there, that if the presentation were tweaked
ever so slightly, the effect would be miraculous. This is the focus of The Alchemical Tools, making
magic into miracles.
Performers are often filled with passion for effects that garner a powerful response, and sometimes that
response can be pretty hit or miss. As a result of this performers can slowly lose their passion for their
art, in fear of being underappreciated. With this book I hope to empower the performer to get powerful
responses every single time that they perform; thus installing that high level of passion that they once
had.

Over 250 pages of the book are devoted to applying psychological techniques to ones performance, the
remaining 150 or so pages being dedicated to a number of effects, cold readings, and essays.
My other releases have been well received by our community and the aspects of my books that seem to
receive the most praise are the psychological aspects. I have received e-mails and letters from seasoned
professionals and enthusiasts who have found something of value within the psychological nature of my
releases. This book is really in response to the wanting of a psychologically driven book on the subject
of Mentalism.
I am a big believer that we never stop learning, our egos simply stop us from continuing the process. I
am sure that anyone that purchases The Alchemical Tools will find something that they can use within
their art form.
Why do you think other mentalists can use The Alchemical Tools?
I have made the information very accessible to the performer,

and have included numerous real world examples of how this
information can be applied. These changes are not mammoth by
any means, I know as a psychologist that large scale change
often ends in total mental rejection. It is with this knowledge
that I have made all of the information easily applicable for the
performer.
The subject of psychology, from a performing aspect, could

have easily taken up a 15 volume set of books; my main aim
was to pick out the most relevant information to get the
performer that powerful reaction that they deserve.
We have all been in a situation where we have performed a killer effect, only to receive a disappointing
reaction. A lot of the professionals that I speak with simply take this as a matter of fact, that some
people really are just not interested. I like to take the viewpoint that every person can have a very
powerful personal moment, and every reaction can be miraculous.
What makes mentalism attractive to you as a performance art form?
For me, personally, I like the fact that Mentalism has its roots firmly grounded in the realm of reality.
The things that you see are improbable but still seem possible, and therefore, believable.
Magic on the other hand, as a performing art, is about showing people the impossible, things that they
know cannot physically be happening. This is not a knock at magic, as I love it with all of my heart;
they are just two completely different existences.
Modern day Mentalism, with its ever increasing psychological pseudo-explanations ends up exploiting
the dreams and desires of the audience.
Wouldnt it be great to know what a person is thinking from looking at their body language?
Wouldnt it be amazing to predict what a person is going to do?
These then become modern fantasies of super powers that the audience lusts for. This especially
becomes true with modern Mentalism as a lot of performers take on the role of the everyman; a person
who has learned the specific skill.
It is this escapism that I find most attractive about Mentalism.
I'm sure you've had some memorable experiences performing mentalism that truly inspired, amazed,
frustrated, embarrassed, terrified, and or/amused you. Can you share one or more of these
experiences?
This question could be the basis for a 15 volume series!
I was really inspired by a guy who came up to me about two years after I had performed for him at a
gig. I didnt recognise him, but he recalled the event with clarity for me. He then explained that the
month prior to the event his wife had left him and he had lost contact with his daughter as well. He told
me that he was on the edge, and whilst I performed for him, it took his mind away from all of his
troubles for 10 minutes. He told me that this really allowed him to see light at the end of his dark tunnel
of depression; helping him to get through it.
Looking me square in the eyes he said, You helped to save my life!
I will never forget that moment; it really hit home to me how much a performance can mean to a
person; and just how powerful it can be.
Now for a moment of amazement, frustration, terror and amusement, rolled into one.
Performing for some high-flying types, I had a guy who challenged me to read his mind without him
having to write anything down.
I was hit with a momentary panic. I tried to use some kind of psychological force, but he wouldnt have
any of it. He wanted to think of a subject and for me to read his mind.
I was feeling and looking flustered, and he loved it, I explained that I was finding it hard to read his
mind as he was being so confrontational. I then explained that if I could choose the subject matter it
may help me to focus; he rebuked that he wanted specific information, no general stuff.
I was scared, worried, my heart was beating; I was faced with the prospect of group humiliation in front
of some important business men.
At that moment I realised that I recognised this mans face; he had been in the year above me at school;
and a real popular guy too.

Being Mr. Popular his whole life was everyday gossip amongst the school yard geeks. I knew who his
first girlfriend was, I knew details about her (being the lusted older lady to us in the year below), as
well as a whole host of other details.
My opening gambit was, Think of the first girl you were ever serious with!
Him: Ok!
Me: I can see natural blonde hair, dark brown eyes and slender face, with predominant cheek
bones.
Him: Hmm, vague.
Me: Think of her name.

I am getting an S sound, Sarah.
Yes, Sarah, Sarah Hanson!
Him: How the hell did you know that?
Me: She is saying, Do you love me Spider?, why is she calling you Spider?
Is this making sense to you?
This chaps nickname at school was Spider, and he flipped out when I mentioned this. He not only
turned white, but couldnt speak; a welcome and extremely unexpected victory on my part.
Who or what inspired your mentalism when you began your exploration of the craft of mentalism?
At the age of 12, I was taking private one-to-one tuition with a professional stage hypnotist. I wasnt
only learning the art of hypnosis, but also a number of ideas such as pre-show work, and basic
Mentalism that is part of any professional stage hypnotists repertoire.
This really gave me a good grounding in the field of creating illusions that were seemingly real.
However, after becoming a psychotherapist I did not find much time to devote to this aspect of my
interest. As with a lot of people, my professional life took precedence over my hobby.
It wasnt until some years later, after I had come into contact with a number of magicians, that I had my
interest rekindled for this art. I started to play around with some classics of mentalism and magic and
applied a different viewpoint, or to present them in a different psychological way. The effects went
down better than I could have ever expected.

I knew that this beautiful moment of wonderment that is created at the apex of the effect was what I
wanted to harvest for the rest of my life. With that in mind, I started to enter the world of the semi-
professional, and then professional performer, until I finally closed down my therapy practice entirely.
It was the ability of being able to combine my love, knowledge, and education in the field of
psychology that really excited me in to action. The fact that I could apply this knowledge into an
entirely different field ignited my passions for psychology. These days, both the psychology and
Mentalism fuel each other in a symbiotic relationship.
Who or what has inspired you recently?
The laity really inspire me so much, every reaction that I get, every moment of wonder that is created,
fuels a passionate fire that burns within me.
As far as Mentalists who inspire me;
Phill Smith, Iain Dunford, Drew McAdam, Jon Thompson, Steve Shaw, to name but a few.
There is so much talent out there in the field of Mentalism, and it seems that every week there is a new
guy appearing with a fresh viewpoint or idea. I love to read as many ideas as I can, and I spend nearly
half of my income on magic/mentalism books, effects, and DVDs.
It is so easy to rebuke new ideas, but I applaud all of those brave enough to share their ideas.
What advice would you give to those starting out in mentalism?
Make sure that you only perform effects that you have a passion for. Throw away the presentation that
you get with the effect and create a presentation that means something to you, one that honestly moves
and motivates you. Put the presentation of effects at the front of your mind and make sure that these
presentations are strong and well scripted.
Oh, yeah, and ignore Magicians who cannot appreciate the true beauty of presentation, and can only see
methods; listen to yourself, as hard as it may be.
What advice would you give to those experienced in mentalism?
It is easy to feel as though you know it all when you have been performing for some time. We all feel
this way from time to time. When you realise that you feel like a know it all, try to humble yourself
and realise that there is so much to learn in the world; not just in the field on Mentalism.
Whenever, you encounter a person that is starting out in our art form, take your time to inspire them. It
is so easy to say negative things to people, but it is equally as easy to inspire a person with
encouragement. Trust me; a positive word can make the world of difference.
Also, listen to your audience; they are mirrors of how you present yourself.

Oh, and one last thing, if an effect does not go to plan, the fault belongs with you, never the volunteer!
What do you see as the biggest problem facing mentalists today and how do you think it can be solved?
There are a few problems that I encounter.

_____________________
The first one is that of disrespecting peers. I am forever "I wonder how fast our
hearing about how bad so and so is, and how bad an effect
is.
craft would evolve if people
felt comfortable sharing
This is akin to a civil war of Mentalism; surely it is better to ideas with peers in a non-
work together rather than bitch about each other. The easy judgmental atmosphere."
solution is to say something about the performance, or ____________________
performer, that you enjoyed or liked.
I wonder how fast our craft would evolve if people felt comfortable sharing ideas with peers in a non-
judgmental atmosphere.
The second issue that I encounter a great deal is that of Magicians destroying the passion of Mentalists.
We have all been there, we show a magician an effect with a wonderful presentation, only for the
magician to turn around and say, Oh, but that was just a force. Therefore, completely disregarding the
work that has gone into the presentation and scripting.
This boils down to one essential rule, the magician will only see the trick, whereas the laity do not even
realise that there is a trick.
I have a great effect with a haunted key; the presentation is thoroughly scripted and presented as a
psychological idea; rather than a PK presentation. When I perform it for the laity, it receives such a
powerful reaction. When I perform for magicians they say, But that was just a haunted key, why waste
all of that time talking, just perform it!
The solution is to disregard the magicians, they are different style of performer altogether. Yes we have
crossovers, but the style is different, very different. Listen to yourself and the people that you perform
for; if they enjoy the effect, as do you, who cares about anything else?
Lastly, I have a serious problem with people shouting Derren Brown Wannabe. I utterly respect
Derren and everything he has done for our craft. He has changed the way that people perceive
mentalism and mystery performances. During this process he has covered a massive array of style and
presentations.
I would say that a performer would be hard pressed to not have something in his/her repertoire that a
person could not attribute to something that Derren has performed. These crossovers should be expected
to some degree, and therefore, accepted.

I am not saying that Derren clones should pop-up all over the place; but if a person uses a similar
pseudo-explanation or effect, dont just shout them down. Derren has set the tone, and people will
follow on from here, but crossovers are inevitable.
ILL-ogical (part two)

Exploit Their Ignorance
We are all ignorant about something, unless of course you know it all, and the chances are that you
might; there seems to be a lot of Magicians who do!
Often in society these days, ignorance is perceived as a derogatory word with the implication of
stupidity. When I use the word ignorance, I am asserting not to this notion but that of the original
definition; a lack of knowledge.
This gap in knowledge known as ignorance, by its very nature, breads uncertainty as well as
conformity. If I told you that my uncle is called James, then you are almost forced to believe me; unless
of course you know my uncle is not called James.
The reason that you are forced to believe me is that you have a lack of knowledge in this area. How do
you even know that I have an uncle, let alone one called James?
Information is all around us and if you could be fully aware of it, you would realise that it is
surprisingly vast. In this immeasurable web of information there are common themes of ignorance as
well as ways in which you can create the ignorance that you require.
The first thing to realise, and I am sure that you will if you are a Magician, is that just because you
know something, do not assume that other people do.
If you know a fact about something, why should you assume that other people will?
If I look at the amount of pages in a particular book that you have never seen before, should I expect
that you would know how many pages it contains?
Once you have become confident and proficient at being able to lie to people you may then enter into
this bold arena. However, if you still have trouble over selling a double lift because you feel guilty,
perhaps you need to become more comfortable with deception first.

The reason that I say this is because you will need to be confident in the face of adversity. I once gave a
pseudo-scientific explanation of an effect to a professor of physics. If I would have hesitated during the
performance would have been ruined and I would have had egg all over my face. If I performed the
effect I risked having an expert in the field disprove me.
What did I do in this predicament?
Well, if the truth be known, I didnt care as I understood two important things. Even the best expert in a
given field is ignorant in some other aspect of that field. Secondly, every human being feels insure
about their abilities from time to time.
With this information I steamed ahead; any discrepancy in my information would be perceived as
something that he had never come across before.
Even if he had, would he risk looking foolish in front of his friends and family?
The answer is no; experts have more to loose if they are wrong, this makes then very careful about
committing to anything as their reputation could be at stake.
Everyone enjoyed the performance; the professor even commended me on my thorough research into a
field that he held close to his heart.
You see, he in fact respected me for knowing something about his field that he did not. This meant that
when I was delivering my pseudo spiel, he was nodding with interest. The dual reality happened to be
that everyone else perceived this as a conformation that what I was saying was correct; I had expert
testimonial as far as they were concerned.
Now, the chances that you will end up performing for an expert of whatever your pseudo explanation
may be, is quite slim. But just incase you do end up in that situation you must make your explanation as
plausible as possible. The next section in this chapter, False Logic, will deal with this in greater detail.
If I would have made outlandish claims that the Professor knew were total crap, he would have exposed
me. It would be an insult to him that I would falsely explain the field that he holds dear to him.
Therefore, a little research on your part will go a long way; it will also impress any laymen that look up
some information that you have mentioned. This can add a real air of authenticity to your persona;
especially as your effects should reflect the abilities of your persona.
Besides professional ignorance, we tend to, as a species, be ignorant about certain areas of information.
Wonderful examples of this are found in single unit numbers of large quantities.
If you have ever played that game where you guess the amount of marbles/sweets in a jar, you will
know just how ignorant we are at this. At a fete I once had the privilege of looking at the slips of paper
containing the estimations that people had made in order to help find the closest person. I was shocked
at the range that was represented within the answers, some were ridiculously low, most were
unbelievably high; very few were close to the answer, the actual winner was off by nearly 100 sweets.
We find it hard to accurately perceive large amounts of information due to a lack of experience. We
rarely come into contact with more than 50 or so individual objects. Even if we do, it isnt just the
amount that makes an accurate estimation but also the size and shape of the individual units.
Now that you feel confident that people are inept at truly perceiving a large quantity of items, it is time
to exploit this information.
Anytime that you have more than 50 objects always say that it is at least three to four times as large. I
have a routine that uses a transparent forcing bag. In that bag there are about 250 pieces of paper; this
includes both the forcing and non-forcing sections. As I display the bag I claim that the bag contains
approximately 1000 pieces of paper, each with a unique number; I have never had anyone question this.
The effect is made immensely more improbable than it really appears. If you can make any effect seem
extremely improbably (not impossible, never allow an effect to be impossible) it will be considered a
miracle in its own right.
If I were to guess your name from a list of four names, it may be impressive, but it is only a one in four
chance. However, if I were to guess your name from a list of 100 people then it appears far more
impressive.
A simple book test can be made more impressive if after the word is selected you say, Now, this book
contains 358 pages, what made you choose the page that you have? Since the book only contained
197 pages you have almost doubled the improbability of the effect; all by simply lying.
When I explained this approach to one chap he seemed really excited about it. Unfortunately, the next
time that I saw him performing a book test he didnt use it. When I asked him why he didnt he said,
Books are really common objects, I am sure that people will know how many pages are in a book
from its size.
Put simply, he was incorrect; books come in all shapes and sizes as well as page thickness. Grab a copy
of the bible, and a thick paged book from the early 18th century the same thickness and you will see a
massive discrepancy. The bible will contain around 2000-3000 pages (depending on the version), whilst
the 20th century book may contain between 100-150 pages.
Again, the main point that I stated was that whilst books are regular objects, less that 32% of people
read a book after their compulsory educations ends. That 32% diminishes greatly when we look at
people who read so regularly as to question the amount of pages in a given book.
So all in all, this guy had nothing to worry about. After I gave him a pep talk her decided to give it a
go, and noticed an improved reaction the very first time he used this subtlety.

THE BROOK
TEST
A powerful brand new book test from the mental workings of Paul Brook.
Imagine turning up to an event, borrowing any book of the spectators choice (from their own collection), they turn to a page and
then they mentally select any word they want.
Then you reveal the thought of word to them!
No gimmicked book
No writing down
The word is chosen in the spectators mind
Can be done with any book
Free choice of any book (no equivoque used)
Very Strong Reactions
The 'Brook Test' book contains 10 powerful variations and tried and tested subtleties.
104 page, perfect bound soft cover book.
All first printing books will be signed by the author.
"It's really elegant."

- Andy Nyman, Professional Mentalist, UK
"I love it. I sat down and read straight through it. There's a lot of genius psychological subtleties within this book. This is fine piece
of impromptu mentalism that should last for the ages."
- Scott Wells, Associate of the Inner Magic Circle and S.A.M Magician of the Year 2002, USA
"There is a lot of really good psychology in its pages and your thoroughness is to be commended. I will definitely be using some of
these fine ideas."
- Richard Osterlind, Professional Mentalist, USA
"You have taken the Hoy book test one step forward by making it possible to go beyond 'look at the first word on that page' to what
will LOOK like 'think of any word on that page'. This is a nice evolution from the Hoy original."
- Ian Rowland, Professional Mindreader, UK
$60/25
Available at:
http://www.paulbrook.co.uk/brooktest.htm

Literally anything that has a large enough quantity can be used. Things to avoid should be things that
people are aware of; such as the amount of playing cards.
There is yet another way to exploit the ignorance of your audience and it comes in the form of statistical
information.
If I perform an effect for you in real life, the chances are that I will lie to you in a statistical manner.
This emerges from being a therapist and having to provide statistics to make people feel motivated,
better or just to understand a concept.
The power that statistics have over people is truly amazing, considering that they can be bent and
twisted to prove almost anything.
They are all around us, on the TV, in the newspapers, and in the books that we (32% of us anyway, of
which you must belong to as you a reading this book) read. They are perceived as originating from a
reliable source; which in most cases is a false presumption.
The reason that people believe in the reliability of a statistic is that of a presumed chain of events. The
chain that is presumed is that:
The research is commissioned (normally perceived as being a governing body)
The research is performed (by professionals)
The information is collected and analysed (by professionals)
This resulting data is distributed via a medium such as TV, books or newspapers (by established
authorities of power)
The media passes on the statistic to an individual (the person who is informing them of the statistic)
The person hears the information
This chain of events is the presumed process that has taken place; when in fact there the chain looks
more like this:
Sitting in Study
Create/read about an amazing effect
A presentational angle is required and pseudo-explanation is required

You create a believable statistic that appears to validate the outcome of the experiment
You have a cup of coffee/tea
You know that you have made up the statistic but they have no idea. As you can see from the perceived
chain of events, a statistic is believed because of the apparent governmental and professional
connections associated with it. This is where the real power of statistical information lies.
The apparent authority will not only give credibility to your effect it will also give you credibility. The
illusory authority will also stop people from questioning the validity of the statistic. This is especially
true if you give more details about the statistic such as the study and where it was conducted; of course
this can also be fictitious
An example, A recent psychological study at Brown University in America has shown that nearly
93% of people is far more credible than just, Did you know nearly 93% of people The reason
why it appears to be more credible in the minds of the subject is that it confirms the idea that they have
about the chain of events that has occurred.
If you use statistical information with an expert in that particular field, they again have too much to risk
by speaking out and being incorrect. The easiest way to get around this issue is to place a single word at
the beginning of your statistical falsehood; the word is recently. This implies that the information is
new; the logical process that follows is that the information may be so new that they havent had chance
to see it. If anything, this will spark an interest in your effect from the expert as they will want to see a
new area of their field in action.
If you are feeling especially bold you can always turn to the expert and say, Have you come across
this new study? here are three outcomes that occur:
Yes the expert is lying to save face, thus giving credibility to your entire presentation.
Yes the expert has come across a similar study and believes that you are talking about it. This again
gives full credibility to your presentation.
No You say, Wonderful, you are going to find this amazing!
As I mentioned earlier, the chances of coming across an expert in a field that you are lying about are
very slim. However, this is the main reason for people refusing or being scared to use this powerful
technique.
Now that you realise that statistics can be used to prove any idea that you wish to prove; you must now
make this information believable.

You do have a tabula rasa to say anything that you like, but it must be closer to the truth than mere is
fantasy.
If I were to suggest that 90% of peoples eye colour changes at least 5 times in their adult life, would
you believe me?
I should hope not, and for good reason, you have used inductive reasoning; you have never seen it
happen and at 90% you should have noticed something.
Please make sure that you ask yourself this one question, If I were told this statistic, would I doubt it
or do I think it could be accurate? It can be difficult to remove all bias from a statistic that you have
created but try and be as hard on yourself as you can be.
It is an odd thing but statistical information has shown to be more believable when the figure does not
end in a 0, 5, or a 9. These numbers are common in statistical information, 0 and 5 are especially seen
as numbers that tend to be rounded up or down; therefore, not as accurate.
The reason that the number 9 is suspicious is that it is an amazingly over used statistical number. I am
sure you have used the phrase, I am 99.9% sure that It is for this reason that your percentage will
not end in a number 9; it is far too common place.
Statistics are not only more believable when you use a last digit other than 0, 5, or 9, but they appear to
be more accurate. This reinforces the idea that they the study was particularly accurate and careful in
the assembly of the data. This concept can be compounded even more by presenting the data to one
decimal place; such as 34.8%. However, I tend to find that people perceived me as being anally
retentive if I do this; so it will depend on how anal you want to get!
If you want to go a step further, and I always recommend that you do, you should create a completely
fictional study or story.
As I have a psychological persona I use studies rather than stories; I tend to find real psychological
studies into a particular field and then alter them to my own ends. There is always a chance that
someone who may have done a psychology course, or read a popular psychology book, will be
watching and listening to you. If they can mentally recall a certain study then they will feel intellectual
for remembering the study as well as believe you more.
Say that the effect you are about to perform is an add a number style effect, the story could be:
A few months ago a psychological research team at Yale University discovered an interesting
pattern in the way that people choose numbers. A group of 10 people were asked to sit in a circle and
the research team gave the first person a number. That person was to then name a number out loud
after hearing the initial number; whilst trying not to be influenced by it. The next person in the circle
would do the same based on the number that the first person had called out. This process carried on
with the entire table.

Even though the subjects felt that they had free choice, they were always influenced by the initial
number that they were given by the research team.
The team worked on the pattern so precisely that they could predict the numbers that were going to
be chosen by all ten subjects.
At the start of the experiment they would hand the last person in the chain an envelope with what
they predicted the end result of adding the chosen numbers together would be.
Their success rate is currently round 91%, but obviously when we try this in a moment I will not have
such a high success rate as this is not a controlled laboratory atmosphere.
Right, change the order that you are sitting in, if you so wish, and then decide who will be the final
person to call out a number and to hold this envelope
Obviously from here you would begin your add a number effect.
This is just one example of the kind of fictional study that you can create to suit your effect. It can be as
long or as short as you prefer; personally I like the preamble to be longer than the effect. For me the
effect is just proof or a demonstration of what I have been talking about; the effect simply supports the
story. This is not the usual manner of magic where, more often than not, the story is supporting the
effect.
The final area where you can exploit the ignorance of the subject is that of probability. It really follows
on from the statistical falsehoods that have just been discussed.
Mathematics must be high up on the list of hated school subjects. This can be beneficial to our cause; if
people do not fully understand how to calculate probability then why not do the calculation for them?
A good percentage of the populous will have to use mathematics of some kind in their work place;
therefore, only rarely encounter probabilities over a 1 in 25 chance. Once you start to get into large
figures of any kind, people tend to go on autopilot and will believe what you are saying. The last thing
that they want to do is to calculate large numbers in their minds.
The best probability exploitation, however, takes place when you multiply probabilities together. This
area is one where a lot of people worry about getting the formula correct; so they will never feel as
though they can challenge you.
Let me give you an example of both.

GOOD
VIBRATIONS
A spectator chooses a card randomly out of a deck of cards that has just been shuffled and inspected by one or more spectators.
Without looking at the card and also making sure that no-one else can see the card it is placed into one envelope and sealed, and
then placed into a second envelope and sealed.
After feeling the "energy" of the card through the envelopes (without ever touching them) the mentalist asks the audience members
to think of a card and lock it into their minds. The mentalist walks through the audience with a hand stretched out and attempts to
pick up the same vibrations emanating from the audience members minds as that of the selected card.
A few people are asked to reveal the card that they were thinking of, their cards not only match each others but when the card in
the envelopes is removed it also matches the audiences selection.
Contains expert psychological principles and techniques.

No Stacked Deck/Memorised Deck.
No Gimmicked Envelopes.
The cards can be thoroughly shuffled, time and time again.
The cards and envelopes can be fully inspected.
The volunteer has complete freedom of card selection and handles the cards when selecting.
No Stooges are used.
Very Strong & a 'Magician Fooler'.
This effect is best suited to stage work, and can be performed with groups.
$60/25
Available at:
http://www.paulbrook.co.uk/goodvibrations.htm

High Probability
Recently I have purchased the Masters Time Machine; it is a wonderful everyday watch that you can
use to accurately predict the time that a subject thinks of. It is very clean and fair as well as looking
terrifyingly normal; I highly recommend buying one.
I will not give you my full presentation of my effect here but only the relevant probably element of it.
Just prior to revealing the time that I have preset my watch I say to the subject:
Now before I show you the time that I thought you would choose, I want you to know, to really
understand the nature of what I am about to show you.
There are 1440, just under one and a half thousand minutes in a day; therefore, there is a 1 in 1440
chance of accurately knowing what time that you would choose.
The odds were stacked against me and that is why you will tell people about this day for years to
come.
Now, for those that have not seen the Masters Time Machine let me clarify that it has a twelve hour
display; not a twenty four hour display. What I said was accurate, there are 1440 minutes in a day;
however, with a twelve hour display 720 minutes are displayed twice.
Therefore, the probability was only ever a 1 in 720 chance, yes impressive, but only half as impressive
as 1440. It is the difference from saying the word hundred and the word thousand that really makes
the difference here.
As this is just an example I do not want to go into too much depth concerning this presentation, but I
must mention one thing. People are great at remembering useless facts; one of these facts tends to be the
amount of minutes in a day. I guess when people are board at work they have time to figure out these
things.
I performed a small gig at an accountancy firm not long after buying this wonderful device. When I said
that there are 1440 minutes in a day, nearly all of them were mouthing along with what I was saying.
They were so busy feeling smug that they could appreciate the effect on a deeper level that the 12
hour display never came into question.
When using high probabilities, try to see where they can be manipulated to suit your needs. There are
others areas that you can stretch the true nature of the probability. For example you can say that there
are 30,000 or so names in the world; therefore, a 1 in 30,000 chance of knowing that persons name.

In reality, as you are dealing with just a specific geographical location it will greatly reduce this figure.
If for example you were dealing with the UK alone, there are only about 150 common names. I have
used this probability slant with a person writing down a friends name on an impression pad. I have used
both figures 150 and 30,000 at different time, and the later always receives an amazing reaction.
Now the 30,000 is a searchable figure, so anyone who is curious will be able to look it up. However,
most people will settle with that figure and not realise that other variables reduce the statistical figures.
Multiple Probabilities
Even the most studious of mathematicians can have trouble catching you out with this methodology.
Essentially, if you are dealing with multiple objects then you can apparently work out the probability of
success right there and then. Obviously, you have pre-scripted what you will say; the apparently
impromptu nature is just an out if you are caught cheating.
If you ask a person to select a card, the chances of you guessing what that card is will be 1/52.
If once they place the card back, their friend takes a card the chances are then:
1 / 52 x 1 / 52
By multiplying the appropriate side we get:
1 / 2,704
Very few people could mentally work out 52 x 52, so you simply lie to them by saying:
Ok, so both have you have selected a card which is a 1/52 probability. Fifty two times fifty two is
1/4704; so I have a one in just less than five thousand chance of knowing your two cards.
Obviously, by changing only one of the numbers it can easily appear as an honest mistake to any
mathematicians out there.
This method can be used with any form of effect where you can incorporate probability. As mathematic
mistakes are common it will be tolerated by mathematicians and accepted by people who may know the
real answer. Remember that you will apparently be working out the probability in that very moment
and, therefore, will be allowed some leeway.
One of the things that people seem to remember from an effect is how impossible it was. They really
latch onto figures and statistics when they are mentioned, so make sure you leave a lasting impression.
You really have nothing to worry about, just be bold and confident when delivering the probability and
no one will doubt you.
False Logic
When we construct reality on an initial level we do so by using a process known as inductive reasoning.
This is knowledge through experience; if every time you burn your finger on a flame, you understand
that flames burn you. Other forms of inductive reasoning are; definition, circumstance, evidence and
comparison.
The next step in a logical construction of reality is that of deductive reasoning; usually in the form of
syllogistic reasoning. Essentially, this form of logic combines two or more observations together to
create new conclusions about reality.
A syllogism consists of three parts: the major premise, the minor premise, and the conclusion. A famous
example of a syllogistic statement is:
Major Premise: All humans are mortal

Minor Premise: Paul is human
Conclusion: Paul is mortal
Both major and minor premises have a shared attribute, in this instance it is human; this is known as
the middle term. Here are a few more examples of genuine syllogisms:
Major Premise: All informative things are useful

Minor Premise: Some books are not useful
Conclusion: Some books are not informative

Major Premise: Some cups are beautiful

Minor Premise: All cups are useful
Conclusion: Some useful things are beautiful
Major Premise: Some illnesses are curable

Minor Premise: I have an illness
Conclusion: My illness could be curable
In order for a conclusion to be true, both premises must be true, and have the proper relationship to each
other.
Everyday existence sees us using a lot of deductive reasoning; however, that does not necessarily
follow that we are being logical. In fact it is very simple to create false logic whilst using a syllogistic
argument.
Take a look at the following examples of false logic:
Major Premise: Some cats are black

Minor Premise: Some black things are wigs
Conclusion: Some cats are wigs
Major Premise: All pine trees are green

Minor Premise: This is green
Conclusion: This is a pine tree

Major Premise: Ebola virus destroys cells

Minor Premise: Cancer is an unlimited creation of
cells in the body
Conclusion: Ebola virus destroys cancer
The first two syllogisms were a somewhat silly; however, the third is an example of how false logic can
create serious problems.
Ebola may destroy cells in the body, but the statement neglects to mention is that the Ebola virus has a
mortality rate of around 89%. If destroying the host correlates to a cure for cancer then I can start
marketing a 100% successful cancer cure; this would be in the form of an atomic bomb. Sadly the side
effects are mainly death; however, all malignant tumors will be destroyed.
Obviously, when stated in a different way the nature of the argument becomes absurd. Sadly, it is this
kind of false logic that keeps the new age healing market thriving; giving false hope to many very sick
people.
A real bug bear of mine is that the new age community often uses false logical statements to debunk the
success rate or efficiency of conventional medicines and healing techniques.
The reason why it is so easy to create and believe false syllogisms is that both premises can be true
whilst still resulting in a false conclusion.
In the Ebola destroys Cancer syllogism above, both of the premises were 100% true; however, the
resulting conclusion was not true. The reason for the conclusion being false in this instance was an
assumptive link between the premises.
This link can be found by taking a looking at the middle term; in this instance that would be cells. It is
assumed that the cells that we are describing in both premises are the same kind; this is not the case.
Of the many ways that a syllogistic process can become illogical this presumptive link between the
premises is one of the most common; this is often referred to as the fallacy of the undistributed
middle. This is one of the most deceptive forms of false logic as it is very simple to assume that the
premises are linked.
Another common mistake made when creating deductive reasoning is that of assuming either the major
or minor premise to be true. This is not as clean as the fallacy of the undistributed middle as the false
premise may be pointed out by a listener.
THE GIFT:
The 14th Step of Mentalism
This book represents a fundamental method that should belong in the arsenal of any mentalist.
The method is described in full detail with powerful psychological subtleties included.
A number of effects demonstrating this wonderful method are fully described. These include:
Changing Minds: Appear to bestow a volunteer with the ability to read your mind with extraordinary detail and accuracy:
More than Freud: Simulate being able to predict human behaviour and movements, clearly demonstrating an astounding knowl-
edge of psychology.:
Hand of Glory: Predict the number of fingers a person is holding up on their hand while it is hidden from view. They then
strangely have the ability to predict whatever number of fingers that you hold up without being able to see your fingers.
Reading Minds: Parallel the ability to know intimate details and personal information from any audience member. This informa-
tion is so personal that no amount of pre-show snooping into the background of the individual could possibly be the answer.
There are other effects included within this book and also focused strategies to create other equally or even increasingly powerful
effects using this technique.
The effects presented in the book have a presentation best suited to stage/group work. However, that is just the presentation; it it
possible to use this method with a smaller numbers of people.
"I've always loved one particular "sneaky move" for really wowing audiences. Like most mentalists I've known about this method,
but been nervous each time I put it into action, even though it garners the most powerful reactions from participant and audience. In
his book, Paul has taken the bull by the horns, taken the hard work out of it, and produced something that - used properly - has the
potential to turn the average mentalist into somebody who works miracles. You may just find yourself starting a cult after reading
this!"
- Drew McAdam, Professional Mentalist, UK
$70/35
Available at:
http://www.paulbrook.co.uk/thegift.htm

Here is an example;
Major Premise: If the windows have water droplets

on it, it has rained
Minor Premise: The window has water droplets on
it
Conclusion: It has been raining
In this example the major premise has been assumed. It would appear to be an accurate representation
of logic if the major premise were accepted. However, the more perceptive of you will realise that there
could be more variables at play here.
Perhaps the neighbour accidentally sprayed your window whilst watering the garden with his hosepipe?
The assumption in this process was that the windows can only be wet if it has rained. Some people will
not notice this and will accept the premise as being valid; however, it can be pointed out by an
observant subject.
The real power in using deductive logic is that it appears very fair and the subject can follow the
process in their head. This allows the subject to understand why they should think that what you are
doing is fair instead of asking them to trust you.
Allowing people to make up their own mind about something is far more powerful than telling them
what to think. You are in fact only creating the illusion of free thinking; by controlling the premises you
are controlling exactly what they are thinking.
When presenting a person with deductive reasoning you do not present it in the way that it has been
written here; you will have to construct a sentence out of the information. For example:
Major Premise: Ebola virus destroys cells

Minor Premise: Cancer is an unlimited creation of
cells in the body
Conclusion: Ebola virus destroys cancer
Will become:

Scientists have recently undertaken research into the cell destroying properties of the Ebola virus.
This is in an attempt to slow down or erase the over productivity of cells that form cancerous
tumours. If they can apply the virus to specific locations it may be possible to destroy cancer.
It is quite easy to create a sentence or premise from the information in the syllogism. As you can see it
follows the same formula of major premise first, then minor premise, followed by conclusion. In the
example above I also use the power word of science; this will be covered in a few chapters time.
Now, lets take a look at how we can apply this false logic to our magic. I will give you four examples,
two from the psychological arena and two from the mystic one.
This next syllogism is one of my favorites, and if you have purchased any of my books before you will
know already about it. Basically, I love making the dirtiest part of any effect appear to be the cleanest;
by doing so the subject will never be able to back engineer the modus operandi.
I will use the following syllogism when I perform pre show work, or any effect using a clear forcing
bag. For some of my handlings of clear forcing bags please refer to my book, The Gift; the 14th step to
mentalism.
Major Premise: Scientists isolate objects in order to

be fair
Minor Premise: These objects are isolated
Conclusion: Therefore this process is scientifi-
cally fair
This turns into:
I want to be as fair and scientific as possible in this moment, and I want you to realise this. One of
the major procedures that scientists use in order to be fair is that of isolation. It is for this reason that
I have isolated these pieces of paper inside of this transparent bag. Please, grab a handful and satisfy
yourself that they are in fact all different
If I am performing an effect that utilises a forcing bag, the only dirty aspect of the effect will be that
specific force. As long as I can establish that the forcing bag is the fairest way of proceeding, it will be
perceived as being fairer than if the bag were not in use.
How beautiful is that? The only deceptive aspect to the effect is viewed as the extremely fair and
honest.

The presumption used in the syllogism is that scientists actually isolate objects in order to be fair; while
this may be the case, it is only a small aspect of being scientifically fair.
Of itself, isolation only helps to reduce the amount of variables affecting a certain object. However, we
all remember from school that isolation is important in science; so this idea is accepted. Despite these
logical discrepancies this syllogism is often accepted with open arms.
I enjoy walking around after an event (with the permission of the patron of course) as an opportunity to
give out any more of my literature; but mainly to listen to what people have to say.
Not many people will, by some people try to figure out how it is possible to create the effects, but they
always talk themselves out of the solution.
How?
Well, they get to the point of, he must have known what was chosen, and then they kindly remind
themselves of having an utterly free choice as far as they are concerned.
Another syllogism that I employ when I use a force bag is:
Major Premise: Human choice is not truly random

Minor Premise: We are removing choice
Conclusion: Therefore your selection will be
truly random
In real time this becomes:
As much as we like to believe it, we humans find it nearly impossible to make a random choice. We
are influenced so much by our past and present that our choices can become calculated. In this bag
there are around five hundred randomly generated words that you can choose from. The choice that
you will make cannot be influenced by your past or present and can truly be called random.
This really fools them; it also took me a while to maintain a straight face when first saying it. I remove
their choice and tell them it is more random than their thoughts. It has never, and I doubt will ever, be
questioned; it simply appears that I am giving them such a fair chance.

This reasoning also assumes that I could actually predict a persons thoughts if they were to merely
think of a word; it is never stated, but the implication is definitely understood. This obviously says a lot
about the abilities of your persona.
As soon as a handful of papers out of the non-forcing section are taken and the person sees that they are
all different it will appear as if you are being as fair as possible.
The assumption with this syllogism is that human choice cannot be random; as this is a simple false
premise rather than a distributed middle, I actually justify why the premise is valid.
In this instance, I explain that our past and present bias our choices. We have all had experiences where
we realise we are biased by past events in our lives. For this reason the premise is assumed true, if this
single premise is allowed then the syllogism is validated.
If you occultists have a mystical effect presented as telepathy, psychometry, or any other explanation,
you can use false syllogisms to increase the believability of the effect.
I find that by reading new age books you will have a lot of the work done for you. These books, if
written by a scientific person or doctor (of which there are a lot) will have some wonderful reasoning in
them. You even find yourself falling for it until you realise it is based on an undistributed middle term
or other false premise.
One of these wonderful books presented such an argument for telepathic knowledge between
individuals:
Major Premise: DNA emits electromagnetic pho-

tons
Minor Premise: Electromagnetic photons are used
in wireless communication
Conclusion: Therefore our DNA communicates
with each other
The argument is clearly invalid when it is represented in this syllogistic format; however, I have to
admit that when I first read it in standard prose it really had me thinking.
It is a wonderful justification for telepathic ability:
Science has revealed that our DNA, the very source of our being emits constant electromagnetic
waves. These same waves are used by us to transmit wireless communications. In light of this

discovery studies into a global intelligence and even telepathy have started to take place at prominent
universities in the USA, UK and Germany.
With the majority of the western world becoming more and more secular, it has become almost taboo to
perform Mentalism in an occult or mystical way.
It is very possible to perform with an occult presentation, and I have a number of effects that are
presented that way. However, these presentations are far more effective if you can have a scientific
explanation to support any claim..
Books on quantum physics are wonderful places to find pseudo-science; the quantum world is a bizarre
one, and one that we do not fully understand. Bridging the gap between our lack of understanding and
the truth are those wonderful new age people again.
Major Premise: Particles that are split apart main-

tain a connection
Minor Premise: Your electromagnetic field shares
electrons with anything it touches
Conclusion: You have a connection to every-
thing you have ever touched
Essentially the new agers use a stable experiment from quantum string theory and a biological fact to
create absolute stool water of the highest order; still, it makes a good coffee, err I mean pseudo-
explanation:
A study into particle physics demonstrated that two particles from the same source, if separated,
maintain a link between themselves. Scientists took one particle and placed it in a lab in Africa and
when they rotated the other particle in the USA.
The particle in Africa instantly rotated. As wonderful as this seems this is now a valid scientific
theory, you may have heard of it; its know as string theory.
This theory sheds light on what was once believed to be supernatural; psychometry. Psychometry is
reading the energy of an object to discover more about its past.
All objects have an electromagnetic field, and when they interact they share electronic particles.
According to string theory there will always be a connection with these shared electrons; no matter
how great the distance is between them.
Obviously, a ring has no mind or memory, so it cannot store thoughts, feeling, or emotions. However,
the research demonstrated that it is the memories of the wearer that are received through the shared
particles.
That was a more involved and lengthy form of deductive reasoning. In fact the full argument, of which
this is only a small snippet, also explains that the shared electrons can be read as they are shared with
the readers electromagnetic field. Also that electromagnetic waves act as an invisible transmission of
information, just like a television set.
I will let you work out the presumptions for yourself on this last one;
otherwise there will be less space for other methods.
It may seem as though the link is tenuous, however, I have used this
explanation with scientific individuals. What it tends to do is stimulate
thinking on the subject; this can lead to more theories on the specific
subject area. Of course, new theories can bolster your demonstration,
and if they sound good you can add them to your future presentations.
As a final word on false logic, I would suggest that you make the false
premise or middle as believable as possible. Outlandish claims often
raise suspicion; if you find that you cannot find a believable syllogism
for your presentation, then I would suggest changing the presentation.
A bit drastic maybe, but the power of a false syllogism is rather

powerful. If it is not used you really will be missing out on a method
that allows the person think that they have made the conclusion
themselves.
Just a quick note on that last point; the human mind adores order, especially in thought. If you present a
syllogism correctly, after the first two premises have been mentioned the subject will automatically
come to the conclusion.
When you mention the conclusion you will be solidifying what they concluded themselves. Remember,
you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. There is never any need to force your ideas
onto people now; especially when you create this illusion of freedom.
Very sneaky and extremely manipulative; that is exactly why it is a favorite tool of politicians.
On Mephistos Schoulder is available at

JHEFFSMIND
Pre-show work is a very controversial topic which I'd thought I'd explore briefly in this issue's column.
Paul Brook's The Gift: the 14th Step, released last year, is one of the best books on the subject, if not the
best, as he really knows the psychology of successfully pulling off this technique. This does not mean
that its easy, though. He writes: "Many famous mentalists are using [pre-show work] these days.
These people are the ones the general public will remember; not the guy who predicted that you would
choose the right key to open the lock...You are not using stooges; you are orchestrating a good control
of people and psychology. This is an art form, not merely using an actor. Any fool can hire a guy to
act for them; not everyone has the high dedication to perfect high levels of mental control. For this
reason alone, I abhor the categorisation of pre-show work as being akin to stooging."
On the other hand, mentalists such as Richard Osterlind counter with the argument that there's too much
risk involved in getting caught. There's also material that is just as strong, if not stronger, that doesnt
use pre-show work, so there's no reason to take that risk. Another point is that it's cheating the
audience. They don't get to see the whole show. It would be like watching a movie that seems to make
sense and not knowing that that there was fifteen minutes of it at the beginning that you didnt see that
would have given you a different perspective on the story.
Each side presents valid points. What's right or what's wrong depends entirely on your needs and
comfort level. I certainly don't like taking risks of exposure, nor do I like spending time before the
show doing pre-show work. Thats because I much prefer spending my pre-show time getting
everything set-up and psyching myself up emotionally for a great show. So I've been favoring the
argument against pre-show work.
However, I do recognize that many use pre-show work and they do so quite effectively. I can certainly
see how it can be very effective, and so, liking a challenge, decided to try to come up with a solution
that would make doing pre-show work attractive to most mentalists. Well, to be more specific, Im
making it more attractive for me. After carefully thinking about the key arguments for and against pre-
show work, I think I have found an intriguing approach to the two main issues that may solve those
issues that some mentalists find in pre-show work.
First, why take the risk? What's being risked is that the information being gathered is done secretly.
The audience is supposed to be unaware of certain actions taken before the show. The performer must
find someone suitable to work with and find time to ask that person to participate and to do what's
asked. It must be done so that no one else sees this and can often prove to be problematic logistically.
But what if one can do this hidden pre-show work without fear of being revealed? What if its entirely
possible to openly admit doing this and yet it wont seriously affect the power of the pre-show work?
The answer is quite simple. The mentalist performs actions that dont give away secrets, but lets the
routine become somewhat of a dual reality. To the group that sees the pre-show work, one routine is
going on. To the group that doesnt, they see a slightly different routine. Both are effective. And the
performer can openly admit to doing this on stage without being specific of the details.

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As an example, you say, "Before the show, I was entertaining a few folks and asked one person to
challenge me by thinking of a randomly thought-of five-digit number that I'd try to reveal during the
show. Sir, could you please stand? Is the first number 1? Is the second number 9? Is the third number
3? Are the last two numbers 2 and 7?" Obviously, this is not the most dramatic reveal. This is just
meant as an illustration.
This is what the whole audience sees. Those who were witness to the pre-show work saw a slightly
different effect. What they saw beforehand was this: The performer said, "I'd like to set up a challenge
on stage. I have a bag with a bunch of five-digit numbers. I want you to choose a number completely
at random, a number that has absolutely no meaning for you. During the show, I'll try to reveal the
number. My goal is to try to get four of those five numbers. On average, I usually get three."
The performer reaches into the bag, pulls out a few slips, and hands them to the participant. "Check
these out. They're all different and random numbers. Now, reach in and pull one out. Hold on to it.
Look at it when I leave and focus on that number. Thanks."
Thus, we've now set up a dual reality. Those who saw the pre-show work saw one effect: the performer
revealed a number randomly chosen from a bag. Those who only saw the stage performance saw a
different effect: the performer revealed a thought-of number apparently created by the participant.
Which effect is stronger? Obviously, when one is not aware of exactly what happened beforehand, it
would be stronger, so the first situation is stronger. However, the other situation is still a strong effect.
By doing this, one has also eliminated the problem of having the pre-show work revealed by the
participants. Since it's announced on stage that it was done, audience members wouldn't and shouldn't
feel the need to press others about the specific details of what happened. Should they do that, they'll
only have their perception of the effect altered to the other one, that of a number being chosen from a
bag. Either way, the effect would be successful.
This brings us to the second question. Why do it at all? Why not have someone merely choose the
number on stage? Why does it have to be done as pre-show? There should be a compelling reason to
collect data before the show, rather than during the show.
The obvious and most important reason is to save time. By cutting out some of the procedural
activities, it keeps the show moving at a faster pace. In the example with the five digit number, look at
the stage time weve eliminated. The audience doesnt have to wait for someone to come up on stage.
There is no introduction of the bag, giving instructions, and pulling a number out of the bag. Using this
as pre-show has eliminated at least five minutes of stage time.
Think about Q&A. Having people fill out the cards before the show saves quite a bit of time. You can
just get right into collecting cards and revealing info. Plus, it allows you the time to steal some of that
info as many Q&A routines require.
I should note that you can certainly tell your audience that you did certain things beforehand to save
time, but that isnt a very dramatic or interesting reason to give them. One reason that is better to tell

them is that a challenge was set-up. Let's say the performer tells the audience that he can control
someone over the phone. So, he asked someone in the audience before the show started to call someone
at random they didn't know. The performer then briefly explained the situation to the callee -- doing
some pre-show work, natch -- and later during that show the person is contacted to be part of the
routine. To the audience, the pre-work was simply to get permission ahead of time.
I'll mention that a routine I've come to really like is Jay Sankey's Alphamail (from Hemisphere). In this
"non-headline" headline prediction, the performer has a participant do something over the phone which
is later revealed to be predicted (or controlled, as I like to do it). That prediction is in a sealed envelope
which is in possession of the participant who's on the phone and who later brings it to show. So, it
doesn't matter if they know about the dirty work being done. The sealed envelope being in the
participants possession the whole time, which is opened during the routine, negates any suspicions
about the dirty work. Of course, this pre-show work is done a week or more before the show, but its
still pre-show work.
One good reason for doing work before the show that one can tell the audience is that there was a need
to find people who wouldn't mind being on stage. Public speaking is the number one fear, more so than
death, so it would seem very polite to find people in advance who are willing to come up on stage and
be part of the act. In other words, the volunteers are being pre-screened for comfort. That sounds very
nice on the part of the performer and, in truth, thats partly being done. After all, if a participant that is
approached shows a bit of discomfort in being asked to participate, its best not to use that person.
Admittedly, I have not used any of these pre-show ideas yet (except for my few performances of
Sankeys Alphamail). So, will I start doing pre-show work? Perhaps. And thats a very strong
perhaps. At this point, if I do it this way and choose the right effects so that a dual reality will be set-
up, there will be no need to hide the pre-show work and assume a risk. And I know it will save quite a
bit of stage time and really tighten up the show. My only remaining issue is that I like to spend the time
before the show making sure everything is set-up and relaxing/meditating to give a great performance.
Thats my personal style, though, and one that Ill have to change if I want to use pre-show work. And
its very, very tempting.
Now, have I convinced Paul Brooks and others who use hidden pre-show work to start taking the less
risky approach Ive suggested? Have I convinced Richard Osterlind and others who will not take the
risk that there is a significant advantage to use pre-show work using my suggestions? Probably not.
After all, Im trying to find a solution to issues that these gentlemen may not see as problems. If it aint
broke, dont fix it to them, their working philosophies arent broke. What has been successfully
working for these performers is what has been working.
Im not going to claim that the thoughts Ive just provided are totally original. Great minds think alike
and Id be quite surprised if I was the first one to discuss these points. Regardless, I do hope that Ive at
least provided some intriguing ideas that will get mentalists on both sides of the issue re-examining
their use of pre-show work. Let me know if theyve proven useful to you.

DEUTERIUM
from The Alchemical Tools
This effect is my baby. I wanted to keep this one my own for a long time; however, times change and I
have a number of new children these days. It is really time for this one to leave the nest.
What I am about to share with you is a thought of card effect that I devised a couple of years ago. The
great thing about a thought of card effect is that it really opens up a number of opportunities for
presentational angles.
Did you somehow make the person choose that cards?
Were you able to somehow steal that information from inside of the persons mind?
Are human beings so predictable that they cannot break away from mental urges when confronted with
a choice?
The list could go on and on.
Take a look at what the spectator sees.
What They See
Mentalist: I would like you to get a playing card in your mind. Make sure that you choose
a card that you do not feel is obvious.
Please, do not say it out loud.
Volunteer: OK, Ive got one.
Mentalist: The four of clubs?
Volunteer: What the hell!
The volunteer has just had her mind read in the cleanest possible way; an experience that she will
remember for an extremely long time.
Very clean, I am sure you would agree. This, however, is not the full picture. What you have just read
will occur from time to time.
There are other endings to this effect; the one that you have just read is the cleanest.
Stick with this effect; it has some nice surprises to come.
Scenario II
The Mentalist pauses for around half a second. In this time he looks for any signs of astonishment or
excitement in the volunteer. If there are no perceivable signs then he continues.
Only half a second has passed.
Mentalist: is a card that most people choose; what card were you thinking of?
Volunteer: The eight of hearts.
Mentalist: In my pocket I have one single playing card. Please reach in and remove it.

The volunteer reaches into the Mentalists pocket and removes the only card in there.
Volunteer: No way! Its the eight of hearts.
The volunteer may proceed to check the Mentalists entire person in search for another single card;
none will be found.
Scenario III
The Mentalist pauses for around half a second. In this time he looks for any signs of astonishment or
excitement in the volunteer. If there are no perceivable signs then he continues.
Only half a second has passed.
Mentalist: is a card that most people choose; what card were you thinking of?
Volunteer: The queen of spades.
Mentalist: In my pocket I have a box of playing cards. As soon as I saw you I took out the
cards and placed one of them the opposite way around.
The Mentalist takes out the deck of cards and spreads them out. One, and only one, card is reversed.
The spectator takes the card and is asked to turn it over.

Volunteer: What! How did you do that?
The Mentalist is successful and the volunteer shoots off for a rather stiff drink.
Deception Revealed
You will have worked out some of the effect after reading the various possible outcomes. There is
really a lot more to this effect than initially meets the eye.
What makes this effect strong is that fact that we are not dealing with a 1/52 chance, not even a 1/26
chance; but a 1/6.5 chance of success. I shall go into greater detail about this in a short while; first I
must fully reveal the method.
For this effect you will need an Ultra Mental deck (also known as an Invisible deck); I rather prefer the
term Ultra Mental deck.
You will also need to have a single eight of hearts card from another deck.
If you are performing this effect in smart attire, the eight of hearts will go into your outside breast
pocket. If you happen to be performing as an every man, then this card is placed into one of your jeans
pockets.
The Ultra Mental deck is placed into any other free pocket of your choosing.
All of the setup is done.
Essentially, this effect is a dressed up Ultra Mental deck routine; however, the deck is used as an out,
rather than the effect proper. It is also the last possible out in the sequence of events. As amazing as
the Ultra Mental deck is, with a few small alterations a far stronger effect is created.
There is a good chance that you will be able to tell a volunteer the card that they are thinking of;
without any props whatsoever.
The other option is that you will be able to show the person just a single card that matches their mental
selection.
The way to achieve the thought of card is simple; you name a card that is commonly selected. The four
of clubs is a very common selection for people to choose; I shall not hazard a guess at the frequency as
it would be conjecture to do so.

ON MEPHISTOS
SHOULDER
A number of strong and eerie effects that will put your spectators on edge:
Dearly Departed: A volunteer is given a sealed envelope and a photograph of a dead person; they are to look at the photo-
graph at any opportunity they can for a week. After the week has passed the volunteer makes a time prediction. Once the
prediction is made the envelope is opened to reveal a death certificate showing a time of death for the person in the photo-
graph that matches their prediction.
Telepathic Touch: You explain that a single touch is enough to change destiny if we allow it to. A sealed envelope is handed
to a person to keep safe. You look into the eyes of a volunteer and touch their shoulder. A deck of cards is then displayed
openly and fairly and four cards are selected randomly by this person, without you touching the cards. Each card is placed into
an envelope and numbered. Another person is asked to join the two of you. The first spectator touches the new spectator in
the same way you touched them. The new spectator chooses any envelope they want, when the envelope is opened the card
is displayed and eerily matches the card within the envelope that you handed out to a neutral party from the start.
Fair is Fair Switch: A wonderfully fair and deceptive way of switching billets.
"Your Word, Corinda!": An evolution of My Word! by Corinda, using the Fair is Fair Switch and other astonishing meth-
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Serial, Killer!: You approach a person that you have never met before, you ask them to take out a bank note while you turn
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was made days before.
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Obviously, even a card that is commonly selected cannot guarantee the performer a high success rate. It
is for this reason that we must allow for a series of outs.
After the volunteer has thought of a card you say, The four of clubs.
It is very important that you are looking at the persons eyes and face. You will be looking for changes
such as a massive grin, or an expansion of the pupils. Such movements will indicate that you have
indeed named the thought of card; or were very close. In the majority of cases you will know instantly
if you have been successful.
Obviously, if you have named their thought of card, you have a strong miracle on your hands; enjoy it!
If not, do not despair, there is yet another chance for miraculous success.
After naming, The four of clubs, you must only wait for about half a second, up to a second, before
you continue with the following phrase, Is a card that most people choose, what card were you
thinking of?
This short pause, and it must be short, allows you to judge the persons reaction. If they do not react in
any way you must carry on with the rest of the sentence. This pause must appear as though you were
taking a breath, or clearing your throat. I cannot stress the importance of keeping the pause as short as
possible.
As far as the volunteer is concerned you have simply stated a fact about other people and are now
asking them what they mentally selected.
This is where the single eight of hearts comes in to play.
If they say the eight of hearts, you will have another miracle on your hands. You ask the volunteer to
reach into your pocket and take the card.
This single card revelation is a very powerful moment. No trickery can be used as there is only one
card. The only option is that you have an index of cards on your person, and it will often be suggested
by the volunteer.
The volunteer can freely search every inch of your body, all that she will find is a deck of cards. The
deck will go completely unnoticed due to its congruency; I mean, where did you take the single card
from?
If the volunteer were to ask to see the cards (this has never happened to me) you could simply spread
out the deck, making sure that the eight of hearts is facing the floor.
These are the miracle revelations; see them as bonus material. If the volunteer names any of the other
cards, you simply move into a standard Ultra Mental deck presentation.
The Ultra Mental deck alone is a very powerful effect, without any presentation you can really amaze
people. I think that this is the main reason for it being such a popular prop. Whenever, you perform this
effect always remember that the worst possible outcome is an amazing and powerful effect.
But Paul, you said that it was a 1/6.5 chance of getting a miracle; this surely is 1/26 with the two
outs?
I agree, as presented it is simply a 1/26 chance of success. This is how this effect started out for me; just
being a way to double the success rate of naming a card.
The way to improve the odds came about as a byproduct of performing the effect. I noticed that people
were reacting after I had mentioned the four of clubs, only to find out that they had selected cards that
were just close to it.
After reacting to the four of clubs, the cards that were mentally selected tended to be:
3 of Clubs (one away)

5 of Clubs (one away)
4 of Spades (partner card)
The reactions that I received were very strong when people had selected these cards. The sheer
improbable nature of the effect had created an acceptable margin of error.
Seeing the success of this process I decided that I could apply the same rule to the eight of hearts. If the
volunteer named any of the following cards, I would allow her to take out the single card from my
pocket:
7 of Hearts (one off)

9 of Hearts (one off)
8 of Diamonds (partner card)
Again, the reaction was as strong as a direct hit when I applied this strategy.
The near hit reactions, when added to the direct hits, increased the chances of success to 8/52 cards; or
1/6.5 . What a dramatic change, the chances of getting a powerful miracle reaction are just slightly more
than rolling a die.
The odds are far better than a 1/52 chance, and even if you do not get a direct hit, you always succeed
as you have the Ultra Mental deck to fall back on. The odds are only referring to the chance of getting a
miracle.
For a long time I carried on performing this effect with the changes as stated, until one evening I
performed it for a very arrogant man. I didnt realise it at the time, but apparently he had some type of
metal cylinder lodged within his rectal arena. Better known as, a pole up his arse!
Well, I performed the effect and he named the 3 of Clubs. I waited for the reaction, sadly, it never
came. He then proceeded to ridicule me in front of his friends for not being correct. No amount of
explaining the improbable nature of being so close would placate him; in short, he was an arsehole.
I did what I could do at the time and took it on the chin. After the gig I got home and I vowed that such
a scenario would never happen again.
A few days later I had created the perfect contingency plan.
Scrutinising the script, I discovered the answer, it had been in my performance the entire time. The line,
The four of clubs is a card that most people choose; what card were you thinking of? paved the
way to an obvious solution.
If the person happened to be close, this alone separates them from the rest of the population. For
example, if they had chosen the three of clubs you could precede:
This tells me a lot about you. You were pulled in the direction that most people would be; however,
you have that flare of originality to make up your mind.
For the eight of hearts:
You are unique enough to move away from what others would choose. I, therefore, made a selection
based on your obvious mental agility. I thought that you would select the eight of hearts (remove it
from your pocket as proof). You were pulled in the direction that I predicted; however, you still have
that little something that makes you unique.
Thats right; you turn it into a mini reading. Notice that the reading is turning the near hit into a positive
attribute. The person is allowed to feel special and unique; a very common desire within humans.
In the majority of cases, people will react strongly to the near hit; such people will feel extra special
from the additional reading.
The people who would not allow you to get away with a near hit, after hearing the reading, will be far
more forgiving. You are playing to their ego and their wanting to be unique; as well as providing a
reason for the failure. The reason for the failure is no longer about you being shit, but rather him being
too good. This small piece of cold reading will really get those ego maniacs on your side.

With the ego maniacs dealt with, the effect was finalised and I have been happily performing it ever
since. It receives amazing reactions when you get one of the miracle revelations; and the miracles are
frequent.
Subtleties
I have always found the setup that comes with Ultra Mental decks tends to be rather cumbersome. All
of this nonsense about paired cards adding up to thirteen. I know a few people that have, in the heat of
the moment, miscalculated and ended up with the effect failing; these people are not newbies, but
professionals.
Since the first moment that I grabbed an Ultra Mental deck I decided that this process was not for me,
and an idiot proof stacking was in order (excuse the pun).
This order will allow you to find a card with extremely minimal thought on your part.
First, separate all of your cards into single cards and place them all face up on the floor, or a table.
Pick up all of the cards that are hearts and spades. When this is done spread them out and destroy any
pattern or sequence that you can see; the card values and suits should appear to be very random.
Look at the top card in your pile, locate the partner card (either a club or diamond) and place this card
back to back with the top card. Follow this process for the entire deck, pairing up all of the cards with
their partners.
Upon completion you should have a deck that is hearts and spades on one side, clubs and diamonds on
the other.
As the cards are paired to their partner cards, you will be able to locate any card by simply finding its
partner and pushing harder on it.
For example, if you wish to locate the queen of spades, as you are looking for a spade you would hold
the cards clubs and diamonds side up. Proceed to push through the cards until you get to the queen of
clubs (partner card) and push hard enough to separate the card beneath it; the queen of spades.
This process really is idiot proof; the only thing that could go wrong is removing the deck facing the
incorrect side up. A simple mnemonic clears this up.
Looking at the front of the card box, orientate the deck so that the clubs/diamonds side is face up, and
then place the cards within the box. If you turn over the box and pull out the deck you should be
looking at a card belonging to either the heart or spade suit.

Turn the box over again so that you are looking at the front of the box. If you are using bikes then you
will be looking at a large spade. This is your mnemonic link, if you want a spade (or heart) you pull out
the deck with the front of the box facing upwards.
Following on from this, if you need a club or diamond card you will simply turn over the box before
removing the cards.
This method will enable you to instantly find any selected card without the need of calculations.
A few of you may be worried that only having two suites on displayed may be noticed. This is really
not an issue; it has never been noticed as long as I have used the deck setup this way. No one ever
mentions the fact that only 26 of the cards are present either. All people are looking for is a reversed
card; that is where they focus.
Right, I have a belief about this particular setup.
What I am about to say cannot be proven, and I only have my own personal experience to go on. Saying
this, I would like to share my belief with you. It is not born of ignorance but an educated guess based on
the knowledge of psychology that I possess.
The belief is that this setup will create a stronger reaction than the default setup.
I base this opinion on the fact that our subconscious minds process everything that we sensual perceive.
This information is processed in fractions of a second and a response is created just as swiftly.
Just prior, literally one card before the reversed card is seen, the partner card is visible. I honestly think
that this creates a moment of failure at a subconscious level. This is not consciously perceived; just a
fleeting feeling.
This failure is derived from seeing a card bearing the same number and value, just prior to seeing the
reversed card. I believe that the mind accepts this as the selection and assumes failure.
It is for this reason that I believe the reaction to be stronger; the mind has accepted that the card is not
the reversed one. Obviously, creating a greater response once the reverse card is revealed.
This is all theoretically possible in the realms of psychology; all I may suggest is that you try it out for
yourselves.
Oh and if anyone should mention that the reversed selection was next to the partner card, remember to
act surprised. Keep a stock phrase handy for such an occasion, Who can explain these things?, What
a coincidence! etc.

__________________
A great subtlety that I have used for a number of years is that of cutting the Ultra Mental deck at the
break. The break I am referring to is the point where the reversed card is removed from the deck.
Once that the cards have been cut, the back of the bottom card will be visible. It is simply a case of
turning over your hand (and the deck in it) as you gesticulate for the volunteer to turn over the reversed
card.
This gives a flash of the back of the cards and adds a nice convincer that the deck is indeed a normal
one. This subtlety is not needed, but I find a little finesse is a nice thing to include in any effect.
I have tried to find an originator to this subtlety and have not been able to. If anyone knows the
originator, please get in contact with me through my website and I shall include full credit in
subsequent printings.
__________________
The cards that I have mentioned in this effect, the four of clubs, and the eight of hearts, are the cards
that frequently appear for me.
The things that I say and do, my persona, and my scripting, will all have an influence on the selections
that people will make.
You may find that when you perform this effect, that other cards are named far more frequently than
others. If this is the case, then obviously adopt these selections.
You can find out what cards people choose when you ask them by simply asking people. Try not to ask
people over the internet, or the telephone, make sure that it is in person and in persona. This will enable
you to gather far more reliable data.
__________________
I will never perform this effect more than once for a group of people. If I were to do so then the outs
may be discovered.
If people ask me to perform this again I state:
Sadly, this demonstration can only be performed once. After a person perceives the process they create
a subconscious resistance that stops any future success.
It is very possible to perform the effect again as a simple Ultra Mental deck effect if a miracle has not
occurred.
If, on the other hand, a miracle has occurred, using just the Ultra Mental deck will appear suspicious as
the method will be different.


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V OLUME 2, I SSUE 7 F EBRUARY 2008

T HIS I SSUE S S POTLIGHT :

Copyright 2008 All rights re-

_____________________ There is a tendency in magic to perform an action that a

On Mephistos Shoulder is available at

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Use Their Name

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(Continued from page 6)

There is another benefit to be gained from using this _____________________

Good Vibrations is available at

Applied Pattern Interruption

Enjoy the rest of your evening.

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They perceived me as being better than the other entertainers

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PAUL BROOKS MIND

Why did you produce The Alchemical Tools?

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I have made the information very accessible to the performer,

The subject of psychology, from a performing aspect, could

What makes mentalism attractive to you as a performance art form?

Wouldnt it be amazing to predict what a person is going to do?

It is this escapism that I find most attractive about Mentalism.

This question could be the basis for a 15 volume series!

Looking me square in the eyes he said, You helped to save my life!

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Him: Hmm, vague.

Me: Think of her name.

Him: How the hell did you know that?

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Who or what has inspired you recently?

As far as Mentalists who inspire me;

What advice would you give to those starting out in mentalism?

What advice would you give to those experienced in mentalism?

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There are a few problems that I encounter.

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(Continued from page 12)

ILL-ogical (part two)

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What did I do in this predicament?

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Then you reveal the thought of word to them!

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"It's really elegant."

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(Continued from page 20)

The research is commissioned (normally perceived as being a governing body)

The research is performed (by professionals)

The information is collected and analysed (by professionals)

The person hears the information

Create/read about an amazing effect

A presentational angle is required and pseudo-explanation is required

You have a cup of coffee/tea

No You say, Wonderful, you are going to find this amazing!

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Let me give you an example of both.

Contains expert psychological principles and techniques.