A mentalist is a person who has supernatural powers that allow them to reveal the truth about an individual as well as many facts about that person's life.A mentalist needs to be great at decoding, have good observational skills, and have a developed ability to observe minute detail.Mentalist tactics and a working knowledge of psychology are used by many people, from criminal profiles to magicians.Mentalists can entertain anyone on this planet, even if they only get attention.Would you like to have Simon Baker on?Here's how to do it.
Step 1: Make educated judgements.
Being a mentalist is about trusting your judgement.Most people have turned off their observation skills.Good background information that is normally missed is provided by general and non-overt assessment of an individual.Is the person's hands calloused or soft?Is his muscles toned or not?Is the person dressed to hide?What can someone learn about you from looking at you?You can use the assessment information items to profile the individual.He didn't have ESP, but he noticed things.That's all.There is a tan line on the ring finger.The left hand has a pen mark on it.He now trusts that the person is either divorced or separated.Trust the snap judgments.
Step 2: Look for physical signals in others.
Even if the person can't remember the information, a mentalist's work can cause the "tells" to appear.It is possible to observe what the mind knows but the memory can't call for it.The brain records everything, even if someone doesn't remember something.The information is there, but not accessible at that time.Dilation or constriction of the eye is associated with positive emotion.The person gazes at the rate of respiration and heart rate.
Step 3: You can use yourself as a guinea pig.
Knowing what to look for is not helpful if you don't know what they mean.Tells are called as such because they are usually consistent.If you want to study your own face, get in front of a mirror.When you think of a positive memory, your pupils should dilate.They should not think of a negative experience.Imagine the scenarios and see what happens.Do you like going to the beach?You should note where you looked when you came up with your answer.You would probably look up if you said something like fire.You probably stayed at eye level if you said something like the sounds and smells.You might have looked down if you said the sand was in your hands.Aural stays level, visual answers go up, and hands-on memories draw gaze downward.Make yourself nervous.How does it show up in your body?What is going on in your heart?Are you breathing?What are you doing with your hands?You can run through other emotions as well.
Step 4: There are lies that need to be detected.
Seeing the tells we just covered is a good way to detect lies.The polygraph measures blood pressure, pulse, and perspiration.The higher these numbers, the more likely the person is lying.You can use a polygraph to see when people aren't looking you in the eye, twiddling their thumbs, or being inconsistent in their verbal and non-verbal behavior.Micro-expressions are a good thing to detect.There are small flashes of how the person actually feels before they cover it up.They don't want other people to see their feelings of distress or negative feelings.Pay attention to how much they're gulping, if they touch their nose or mouth, what they do with their hands, fingers and feet, and how they are standing in relation to you.Are they going towards the door?They probably want to go away.
Step 5: Ask a lot of questions.
Being a mentalist depends on persuading people.You are persuading them that you are a mentalist.If a person is given evidence that they can read their mind, they are easily confused between telepathy and observation/persuasion.Asking leading questions is a simple way of doing this.John Edward is great at this.They said, "I'm seeing a 19."Does it mean anything to anyone?They don't start out very vague.Once someone does, he will ask, "You were very close to him, weren't you?"The person feels like they're understood when they answer.The person is filling in the gaps for him when he asks very vague questions.
Step 6: Practice sweeping the room.
Look for detail in the environment.From the one-on-one to how the room is grouped, observe all human interaction.A ten-second look into a room can show you how each person is feeling.Some people may be socially anxious if you see them near the door.A person's body language is focused on someone else.They are interested in that person.You've found your alpha if everyone is in the same room.There are just three examples.You should record something if you can.Start with small segments, observe, record, then look again several times to find what you missed the first time.
Step 7: It's a good idea to remember a baseline of behavior for the people you're dealing with.
A person acts in any given circumstance.If you have a baseline first, you'll be more effective in your readings.You will know how receptive they are to you.Think of naturally flirtatious people.They may be touching, laughing, and poking at someone they find attractive when they're comfortable.Other people might consider that a violation of a person's bubble.Both people have the same feeling, but they show it in different ways.
Step 8: Be positive.
Confidence is the majority of getting people to agree with you.How do politicians win elections?There is a question about what makes a salesman effective.Who gets the ladies?We might think it has something to do with smarts or looks, but what really matters is confidence.It doesn't occur to other people to question your judgement when you're confident.You have to kick that habit if you're nervous about your mentalist ways.You're selling yourself.People don't want the most accurate or logical information, they want you to be convinced.A lot of the pressure falls away when you realize that it's not what you say.
Step 9: Listen.
People tell us things more often than we realize.A whole new world would open up if we were better at listening.Our memories would improve and we would see things we hadn't seen before.That's what mentalists do.Reading between the lines is an important part of listening and being an effective mentalist.Seeing what people are saying.If your friend walked up to you and said, "Oh my gosh, I worked out so hard today, please give me a pat on the back," they're not actually saying that.I need to be told I'm fit.When people don't realize you're any the wiser, this underlying text will tell them.
Step 10: Act natural.
You're really putting on a show, that's what it comes down to.You don't have to pretend to be someone else and make a dramatic scene about it.The genuine you are more convincing than anything else.If anything, be amused.Think of the actors giving interviews that have a slight smile on their faces and are prone to little bouts of subdued laughter.They are totally relaxed and seem to be cool.Be that guy!
Step 11: There are ideas for plants.
You thought Inception was a good movie.You can plant ideas, even though you can't plant dreams yet.If you want to get someone to think of a word, you should ask them to watch it.You would ask them to think of something like an accessory after you put that word into your conversation.There was a boom.It's a good idea to mind read.Try this on small levels, like the example above.Grab a friend or two and see if you can come up with a few scenarios on your own, where they don't know they're getting ideas planted in their brains.You can impress anyone at a moment's notice if you come up with half a dozen words.
Step 12: Don't give away your secrets.
If you ask a magician how he does one of his tricks, he will never spill it.The union will kick him out if he explains a trick that any other magician does.You should be the same!If someone asks how you do something, just shrug your shoulders and say you're awesome.Don't give it away.Even if you don't tell them what it means, you're keeping an eye on their eyes.You want them to think you have something that other people don't.Be mysterious.You will only make them more curious.
Step 13: You should read more about mentalists and how they work.
There are many books on interviewing people and interpreting their facial movements, body tells, and mind-manipulation.Annemann's Practical Mental Effects is a good place to start.T.A. is as well.The mind, myth, and Magick of Waters.No one is better to learn from than the pros.
Step 14: It's a good idea to study on different areas.
Just because you may find it interesting, you should venture into other related areas.Think of reading up on things like dream interpretation, tarot cards, astrology, and telepathy.It would make you well-rounded.Consider learning new skills of your own.Look into people-reading skills.You could always say "I could hypnotize you, but I shouldn't have to do that" when you're being your mentalist self.
Step 15: Train your mind.
It's a muscle.You'll lose it if you don't use it.Start playing chess, do puzzles, and solve riddles.There are crossword puzzles.You can spend your free time doing things.Paint is a good way to notice details.You can take an acting class.These are things you can do to increase your mental power.Use the internet.Make sure you train your mind regularly by visiting sites like Lumosity and Khan Academy.Critical thinking andeductive reasoning are two skills that aren't necessarily used while being a mentalist, but they get the skills you do use going a lot faster!If it takes him a day and a half to put it together, he'll be dead by then.You have to stay on top of your game.
Step 16: There are jobs where you can use your skills.
If you want to be a magician, a criminal profiler, or a TV star, why not use your observational skills for something else?You'll learn more tricks of the trade as you hone your methods.Start if you haven't thought of it before.If you want to be a magician, an FBI profiler, or a detective, you should read How to Be a Magician.Master Mentalism is a good place to learn from real professional mentalists.You can if Honey Boo Boo does it.