Mindreader, Mentalist
Language Of The Mind
Derren says that there is no real name for what he does, though it has some
characteristics of what other performers call 'mentalism'. This draws on the
idea that we are all born with basic thought structures in place and are
conditioned to rely on intuitive forms of communication – a kind of universal
body language, if you like. Derren has referred to this simply as 'thinking
inside the box'. He has spent years studying these universal responses, learning
their 'secret language' as a way of tuning in to our thoughts, and thereby
appearing to read our minds.
Harder Than It Looks
Sounds easy, doesn't it? But while even Derren would admit that what he does is
'not down to natural talent' and that, in theory, anyone could do it, he is keen
to point out that it took years to develop his skills. 'It's all about working
at it,' he says. 'It took me 10 years to learn this stuff.' Uri Geller also
believes that 'psychic powers' are only an extension of our normal powers, and
that everyone has the capability to possess them. For him, it's all about
concentration, which is rather like working out in the gym. 'If you lift weights
for a day or two,' says Geller, 'nothing happens. But if you lift weights every
day for one or two years, then you will see the change.'
But although these performers share certain approaches, each act is unique to
the individual. Sheer force of personality is key. 'It's very rewarding to see
what one can achieve without any fakery at all,' says Derren, 'but I also have a
few things of my own design that I use to help me along the way.' What really
matters, he believes is 'how you commit to the material; what you decide to
believe you are doing, regardless of what the actual real-life method might be.'
Ultimately, he says, the answer is to 'be inspired to go your own way and think
originally in line with who you are.'
A Long Tradition
Performers like Derren and his contemporary David Blaine have undoubtedly been
inspired by the likes of Harry Houdini, probably the most famous illusionist of
them all, who attracted worldwide attention through his famous public feats of
escapology in the early 1900s. Acts of psychic phenomena however, were recorded
as early as the 1600s, when they were commonly viewed as witchcraft or sorcery.
By Victorian times, psychology was becoming increasingly significant in
medicine, and psychic happenings were often attributed to the subconscious mind.
This was thought to be particularly true of people who had experienced some sort
of emotional trauma. The Victorians believed that shock resulted in an
unconditioned part of the brain – the subconscious – taking over and was thought
to explain some people's apparent ability to make crockery fly around a room.
Beyond Belief
'There can be no doubt of the fact that when suggestion is actively and
intelligently employed, it is always effective ...' said Thomson J Hudson in
1893 in The Law of Psychic Phenomena. The Victorian medium Daniel Dunglas Home
seemed to have commanded his subconscious or 'free will' to spectacular effect.
He became famous for such mind-boggling acts as washing his face in red-hot
coals, and floating in and out of the windows of high buildings. The 19th
century physiologist Charles Richet, meanwhile, came up with his own explanation
for the phenomenon of 'cryptesthesia' – the act of reproducing drawings in
sealed envelopes. He said: 'In certain persons at certain times, there exists a
faculty of thought which has no relation to our normal means of knowledge.' He
labelled this faculty the 'sixth sense'.
Indefinable Magic
Sixth sense? Free will? Mentalism? Psychological illusionism? Call it what you
like, talents like Derren's are extremely rare. And while Derren and his
contemporaries admit to having laboured long and hard to perfect their art,
their amazing ability to entertain, fascinate and even terrify us, remains
undiminished because what continues to elude us is their magic touch.
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