Reality is Plastic: Proper Mental.

Volume Two

Anthony Jacquin

This work is solely owned and published by Anthony Jacquin of UKHTC Ltd.

UKHTC Ltd was set up in 1999 and is an internationally recognized training centre in the

art of hypnosis and hypnotherapy. UKHTC specialize in the provision of training

products and courses.

Reality is Plastic: The Art of Impromptu Hypnosis

Reality is Plastic: Proper Mental Volume 2.

©Anthony Jacquin 2008

All rights reserved worldwide.

No part of this publication may be stored in retrieval system, transmitted or reproduced in

any way, including but not limited to digital copying and printing, without the prior

agreement and written permission of the author.

Anthony Jacquin

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United Kingdom

Email: enquiries@anthonyjacquin.com

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________________________________________________________________________

Reality is Plastic: Proper Mental

Anthony Jacquin

Contents

The Set Up: Pre-show Hypnosis........................................................5 The Set Piece: Freddy Jacquin Finger Lock ..........................11 Induction: Invisible Induction...........................................................14 Effect: Reverse Mind Reading ........................................................17 References..................................................................................................21

This is the second in a short series of supplements for those who have purchased the book

Reality is Plastic – The Art of Impromptu Hypnosis (RIP) and have an interest in magic,

particularly mentalism.

In this volume (and I mean that in the slimmest sense of the word) I wanted to touch on a concept

that will be familiar to many magicians and mentalists and some hypnotists too – pre-show work.

There are of course various methods that can be used to do pre-show work. The pre-show

method I am referring too in this case is hypnosis. This is by no means a complete treatise on the

subject. If it is a subject that interests you I have provided references that will give you an in depth

understanding.

I have included an effect of mine ‘Reverse Mind Reading’ that ties together some of the ideas

discussed in this supplement. I appreciate that the effect may not suit your taste or performing

style but if you wish to use it and I have sent you this supplement then you have my permission to

do so. If you do not use it then hopefully it will give you something to think about.

General text and descriptive instructions are in this plain text.

Words spoken to your spectators are in bold.

The Set Up: Pre-show Hypnosis

“Pre-show” is any technique used or work done before a performance officially begins

that can be used as all or part of the modus operandi for an effect achieved during a

performance.

Typically this work is done with someone or a number of people who will later be part of the

audience and then involved in the show directly. The pre-show work is normally done just with the

person concerned, without the knowledge of the rest of the audience. However, it can be

achieved openly or secretively. It can be so completely hidden or disguised that the spectator

who experiences the pre-show work has no idea they have been in on something or part of

anything. Equally they can absolutely know that they have been made an accomplice in some

way and experience none, some or all of an effect in spite of that knowledge.

“Pre-show hypnosis” refers to the use of hypnotic techniques before a performance

officially begins, the results of which can be used as all or part of the modus operandi

for an effect achieved during a performance.

As I hope to demonstrate pre-show hypnosis can be used to achieve everything regular pre-show

methods can and more. I am not suggesting for a moment that hypnosis should be used for the

sake of it, especially when a perfectly good force, glimpse or research pre-show will do. However

there are times where it can be used to great effect. If you can hypnotize and are doing magic

then this is another major tool to add to your pre-show arsenal. As you will see, hypnotizing

people off stage can be of great use to the magician. It is as readily applicable in a walk around

situation like a pub, party or wedding as it is for stage. It can be deployed off microphone for radio

or off camera for TV. Using pre show you can design some miraculous, mysterious, ridiculous

and undetectable plots by communicating a few very simple ideas to your subject.

Books and other media dedicated to pre-show work are scarce, although there are many

examples, hidden like little gems, throughout magic and mentalism literature. Two of the best

sources of information dedicated to the topic are Mark Strivings ‘Before the Curtain Rises’ and

more recently ‘The Gift – The 14th Step to Mentalism’ by Paul Brook.

Between them they address in great detail the how and why of pre-show and give attention to the

most common concerns performers have about using it as a method as well as the many

subtleties of linguistic control and spectator management that keeps the method hidden. I

strongly urge you to seek out these two pieces of work if you use pre-show or would consider its

use. Both are available at this time direct from the respective authors.

Although pre-show work has been around for decades, is widely used and seems to be gaining in

popularity, it is still a topic that prompts lots of debate amongst performers. Many performers do

not use it at all. This is a perfectly valid choice although the reasons for not using it vary. It might

be because of the potential problems pre-show work creates (people chatting to each other after

a show for example ‘yes I wrote it down before’). Some purist performers perceive it as cheating.

Others simply regard it as unnecessary.

My personal view and experience is that used sparingly and wisely with tight scripting and strong

spectator control and handling, pre-show can act as the method for some extremely strong

routines. These can be stage, close up or seemingly impromptu effects. Some performers have

managed to rest the bulk of their act on pre-show work.

Because the dirty work is done before the effect, as perceived by the audience, actually begins,

the performer can and of course should put their all into their presentation. Pre-show must be

used with due care and attention, consideration of your objective as well as the context and

setting of your performance. Without such consideration pre-show of any kind has the potential to

go badly astray. However the same can be said of almost any method in magic. Give pre-show

the attention it deserves. Use it when timely and appropriate and do the impossible. Do the

untraceable.

Traditionally the most common uses of pre-show by mentalists have been to either force

information or gain information from a person and then to use that information later on to achieve

a particular effect. Here are a couple of simple examples.

Effect: The performer walks out onto stage and asks everyone to think of a card. He

points at some individuals and names the card they are thinking of.

Method outline: Prior to the show a person is asked to pick a card that the performer

will try to decipher later in the show. A card is forced upon them or their free choice is

figured out by some other means. They are given the rest of the pack to keep. Later

on the performer can ask them to think of a card and do so in such a way that the

rest of the audience believe that the individual has only just thought of a card.

However the person knows that the performer means think of the card they chose

earlier.

This is one example where the performer creates a situation of dual reality. Both the individual

and the audience experience an effect. However the audience perceives one thing, the individual

the performer selects experiences another.

Effect: Someone is asked to think of the name of something significant to them an

object or possession for example that the performer could not know. The performer

picks up a piece of paper and draws or writes something on it. The spectator is asked

if they could draw or write down the name of the thing they are thinking of. The

drawings/words match.

Method outline: A person before a show begins is asked to write three words on a

piece of paper relating to objects that have some importance or significance to them,

then to tear it out and keep it to themselves. They are asked to have a look at it again

before the show begins to ensure they remember them. Using a suitable impression

device the performer can of course know what the words are. Later during the

performance the person can be asked to ‘freely’ think of a number of things that are

significant to them and then mentally pick one of them. The spectator will verify there

is no way the performer could know what they are thinking of. The rest of the

audience will be left entirely unaware that anything was ever drawn or written down

beforehand. They are asked if it would be possible to create a mental image of what

they are thinking of. With another simple question the performer can identify the

object. The performer draws something on a piece of paper. The participant is asked

to draw an image of something they are thinking of. The drawings are clearly very

similar.

Again, the situation is one of dual reality. The audience perceives that the individual could be

thinking of anything and that the performer predicts or reads what they have chosen. The

individual is amazed that the performer correctly divines one of the three words written down

earlier on. Even more so that their just thought of image matches the performers closely.

For the finer detail on how to create this situation of dual reality I must again refer you to The Gift

by Paul Brook. It outlines in detail exactly how to do this and gives many routine ideas that are

much more entertaining than the rather dry ‘think of a card’ example above. As Paul Brook points

out, the use of this approach is absolutely NOT akin to stooging. It is the art of controlling

someone using psychology and mastery of language. There is a difference between that and

employing a stooge. He makes absolutely clear how to use your phrasing to create a situation

that will ensure the dual reality holds up and the pre-show work is undetected. Even more

crucially he explains how to seed the idea of what you want them to do and then activate that

seed later on. I am not going to go into those details here. Just buy his book. In fact buy all his

books! I just know you will get value from them as I have.

With a good understanding of pre-show you can achieve incredible effects. Add hypnosis into the

mix and you can take things even further.

Pre-show hypnosis can be used for many things. The most common applications are:

• Hypno Force - force information or force someone to make a particular choice.

• Hypno Peek - gain information that the performer could not otherwise know.

• Re-induction - set up a person so they will be able to instantly be hypnotized on stage.

• Amnesia - make someone forget the pre-show work or anything else.

• Post hypnotic act – establish a trigger that will fire a particular action from the spectator.

If we revisit the example given above of thinking of a card then hopefully it will be clear how using

hypnosis and suggesting a response could be used. At a basic level simply hypnotize, tell the

spectator directly exactly what they will think of when later you ask them to think of a card and

give amnesia for that suggestion. You can get more elaborate by telling them, what they will think

of, how they will react and then give them amnesia for the suggestion and if you like even the fact

that you have spoken to them. During the show ask them to think of a card. You can even ask

them to verify that you have not asked them to think of anything beforehand. They will also

confirm it is the first time you have met. They will name the card you suggested and it will feel like

a free choice.

You can do the same thing with a word or object. For example in a walk around situation, pick

someone off and find a reason to hypnotize them. Tell them that the next time you see them you

will ask them to think of a word. When you click your fingers they will choose the word ‘window’.

Suggest they will not be able to remember they have been told this and that it will feel like a free

choice and will be amazed when you correctly divine their thought of word. Later when you

approach their table, get into your usual routines and then direct your attention to them and ask

them to think of any word when you click your fingers. Get them to verify it is a free choice. Ask

them to visualize the thing they are thinking of. Name it or draw it and await your applause.

Earlier this year Harry Lucas, a good friend and acclaimed professional mentalist from Vienna,

Austria used this approach in a wonderful effect for a TV show called Magic Mushrooms.

Basically he had six face down Polaroid’s lined up in a row. He told his spectator a story from the

Darwin Awards - an award for the most stupid individual who manages to accidentally kill

themselves in a creative fashion. They are given the award for doing the rest of us the good

service of removing themselves from the gene pool. The story he told concerned someone who

wanted to get rid of a mole that was ruining his garden. His clever idea was to put iron sticks into

the ground and connect them to high power current. What he did not realize was that he was

standing on the same ground that would be electrified and had no time to move when he flicked

the power on. So the mole won this match – the man was electrocuted and died. One of the face

down photographs clearly related to the story and the rest did not.

Harry shot the routine at a photo museum and did a brilliant job of building the mood and

atmosphere for the effect. It was suggested that the spectator, a young lady interested in

photography, might have an enhanced sense for the right moment, to pick the correct

photograph. So with her hand, which trembled heavily, she went over each Polaroid and ‘felt

something’ over one. Of course, it was the right one. When questioned about it she commented

on feeling a strange sensation in her hand afterwards.

You can take a look at the clip by searching on YouTube for ‘Magic Mushrooms ORF – Maulwurf’.

I want to thank Harry for letting me include reference to his effect here.

These three examples involve a ‘Hypno Force’. You force the choice a spectator will make.

Alternatively you can do a ‘Hypno Peek’. By that I mean use hypnosis to get information prior to

an effect. You are going to peek into your spectators mind.

A simple example would be to hypnotize your subject and ask them to tell you some personal

information that you could not possibly know. You can be specific. For example ask for the

maiden name of their mother or their pin number. Give them amnesia for ever telling you that and

wake them up. You can then ask them to think of something you could not know later on and

directly ask them to think of their mothers’ maiden name or their pin number. Alternatively you

could suggest in your pre-show work that when asked to think of something you could not know

that they will think of their mothers’ maiden name. That way you get two hits for the price of one.

You can guess both what question they have gone for and the answer to that question.

In the Hypno Force and Hypno Peek examples above the post hypnotic suggestion and trigger for

that suggestion is quite clear – they will think of something in particular later when asked a

specific question.

Another post hypnotic suggestion you should get used to giving to anyone you hypnotize is that

when you say ‘x’ or do ’x’, they will immediately return into hypnosis. This ‘x’ is simply a cue for

re-induction. Then if you want to openly hypnotize someone on stage you can do so swiftly and

with confidence ensuring that you use that word or action. The audience will believe that they

have witnessed an instant induction. In fact they have witnessed a re-induction. Equally you can

hypnotize without any overt induction with someone you have worked with before by making this

cue more subtle.

In the effect outlined later you will see how this can be taken further with what I call a generative

post hypnotic suggestion. This is simply a suggestion that when acted upon allows you to get a

number of varied responses from the subject. This allows you to build more elaborate routines.

Just using these few concepts have a think about some classic effects of magic and give some

thought as to how you could achieve them using pre-show hypnosis. For example, ‘Thought of

Card’, ‘Any Card At Any Number’, ‘Mind Punch’, ‘Smash and Stab’ to name a few.

The Set Piece: Freddy Jacquin Finger Lock

In RIP I hinted at how you can use the Set Piece exercises as inductions. I want to expand on

that a little with particular reference to Magnetic Fingers. I want to show you how you can use this

little exercise to establish hypnosis without using the word sleep and without any overt reference

to hypnosis. The extension of the technique I am going to outline here is something developed by

my father Freddy Jacquin. He introduced me to hypnosis and remains my inspiration as he is

always prepared to test any perceived boundaries in his hypnosis work. He frequently does large

group sessions of hypnosis with hundreds of people at once and uses this exercise early on in his

presentation as a simple demonstration of real mind power. He does not mention hypnosis at this

point, in fact he usually tells the audience that this is not hypnosis. I have seen him demonstrate it

with individuals countless times too and it is just as effective. I sometimes use it as my audience

selection procedure when doing stage hypnosis. Presented in the way I will outline here it is

something of a ‘feel good’ exercise. It is perfect for pre-show as it is quick, effective and leaves

you with the option of never actually committing to the ‘real’ induction. It can be used with

individuals and groups. Because there is no overt reference to hypnosis if your subject is not

good enough for you to gain confidence in them as a subject, you can move on and find another.

As outlined in RIP and demonstrated on the RIP video footage one way of using the set piece as

an induction is to create a moment with the exercises (when the fingers touch, hands touch or the

arm locks) then to seize that moment and push your subject into hypnosis with the simple

command ‘sleep’. I will typically do this if it seems they are doing really well, if they are fighting it

and losing or if I suspect they have gone into hypnosis already. When I do this I tend to suddenly

pull their hands down as I command ‘sleep’ and then immediately intensify things.

That’s right and when your fingers touch you can cl ose your eyes and sleep.

That approach is something of a shock induction as the sudden move on my part is rather

unexpected. The method I am outlining here is more subtle and gentle.

By now you understand why Magnetic Fingers works from a physical perspective. The fact is

there is a physical reason why our index fingers come together when we do Magnetic Fingers.

However there is no physical reason why they should stick together – by that I mean become

difficult or impossible to separate. This extension of the technique achieves that. It turns Magnetic

Fingers into a Finger Lock and if you wish into a Hand Lock. If you have achieved such a lock

then you have achieved hypnosis. The mind has locked around at least one idea, the idea that

the fingers or hands are stuck.

To present it you first of all proceed in the same way you do with Magnetic Fingers, to the point

where the subject closes their eyes. You then change tack by asking them to imagine something.

In so doing you dissociate them from their body while slipping in more and more direct

suggestions that their fingers are sticking and eventually that they are stuck. Only then do you

begin to challenge them a little and test your work.

OK, let me show you something. This involves you co ncentrating and using your

imagination. Please follow my simple instructions a nd you will have an enjoyable

experience I am sure. Can you place your hands in f ront of you, can you clasp them

together nice and tight, bend your elbows like you are making a desperate prayer, now

raise your index fingers up about an inch apart. Ex cellent now look at the space between

your fingers, not at me, just at the fingers becaus e in a moment your fingers will come

together and touch just like two powerful magnets p ulling them together. That’s it, they are

already starting to go, like the fingers and hands are magnets, and when they touch you

can allow your eyes to close. That’s right, eyes cl osed, fingers like magnets sticking

together tighter and tighter. Now with your eyes cl osed I want you to think of something

you would love to do, something you would love to a chieve and then see yourself out

there doing it. Something you would love to do or a chieve and see yourself having

achieved that goal, notice how you move, how you br eathe. If you are not there already I

want you to step into your body in that moment, be there, seeing what you see and

hearing what you hear and feeling what you feel. No tice where those feelings are in your

body and make them stronger. And as you imagine tha t, feeling those feelings and listen

to my voice your fingers are sticking tighter and t ighter, they are glued together, bolted,

stuck together. Tighter and tighter that’s right. E njoy that feeling and as you do and listen

to my voice your fingers are becoming stuck, stuck fast, you can try and unstuck them

and find they stick even tighter.

There are a few important points to note. Firstly once the subjects eyes are closed move swiftly

on giving them the task of thinking of something. This encourages them to forget about their

fingers. They leave their hands clasped and the more time they are the better as this exacerbates

the physical effect. Two things they can think of that work for us are to either think of a loved

one/the person who is dearest to them on this planet or to think of a goal that motivates and

inspires them. Something else I have done is to get them to think of a place they have been that

they really enjoyed where they felt wonderful. The reason for picking such subject matter is

because it is easy for most people to do and more importantly engages their emotions, their

feelings and imagination. The next thing to note is that at some point you want them to be in the

first person perspective in that imagined situation. This encourages them to forget all about their

body and immediate surroundings. It gives you further opportunity to whip their imagination into

action. Finally look at the language associating what they are doing (thinking of something and

listening to the hypnotist) with the fingers sticking tighter. Establishing this linkage is crucial. It is

classic Erickson. There is of course no good reason why thinking of something or listening to

someone would be associated with the fingers sticking but as you say it, it becomes real.

Once you have established a finger lock and encouraged them to test it, you will typically see the

same baffled expression people get when you stick their eyes together. You can encourage them

to stop testing and just go inside and relax or at that point command them to sleep. You can push

on by linking the stuck fingers to their hands being stuck. You can go further still and encourage

them to open their eyes and try and pull them apart.

If all is well then you can openly tell them they are now hypnotized. Or you can keep that secret to

yourself and give them permission to unlock their hands and then do another induction.

Of course if they simply do not get locked, they will still have achieved something with the

Magnetic Fingers. You have lost nothing and can simply get into your usual effect or thank them

and move on.

Induction: Invisible Induction

Many magicians who I have spoken to about the potential for hypnosis as a pre-show tool are at

first confused about exactly what the subject will behave like as well as the mechanics of giving

pre-show suggestions and then utilizing the results. They do not necessarily want to do the

induction on stage. Some do not wish to be seen using hypnosis in their act because it is not

compatible with their character. They do not need to. The reason for this is due to the nature of

someone responding to a post hypnotic suggestion. We will call their response to the post

hypnotic suggestion a post hypnotic act.

The classic idea about the flow of events we get from watching stage hypnosis is that the

hypnotist puts the subject into hypnosis, gives a suggestion, wakes them up and the suggestion

is acted upon immediately. This sequence is then repeated. What happens if you give someone a

post hypnotic suggestion that they will act on later at a specified time or on a particular cue?

Milton H. Erickson observed that the hypnotized subject instructed to execute some post hypnotic

act invariably and spontaneously develops a hypnotic trance. The trance is usually of brief

duration, occurs in direct relation to the performance of the post hypnotic act and therefore is

easily overlooked.

In other words when someone is carrying out a post hypnotic act they are hypnotized. Indeed if

you were to interrupt the subject midway through executing a post hypnotic act you can give them

another suggestion and they will follow it as readily as if they were in a regular trance. Carrying

out the act therefore encompasses an auto-induction, hence the title above ‘Invisible Induction’. It

is the induction no one can see. No suggestion or instruction to go into a trance is required during

the performance.

To make this a little clearer consider this definition of a post hypnotic act from Erickson himself.

A posthypnotic act has been found to be one performed by the hypnotic subject

after awakening from a trance, in response to suggestions given during the trance

state, with the execution of the act marked by an absence of any demonstrable

conscious awareness in the subject of the underlying cause or motive for his act.

The performer does not have to go through a formal process of induction if they have used pre-

show hypnosis and given a post hypnotic suggestion. They just have to activate the suggestion.

This is done by establishing a clear trigger or cue that will set off the post hypnotic act. It is vital

that this is made clear.

For example hypnotize someone pre-show and tell them;

Later on this evening I will approach your table an d ask you to think of any word. When I

click my fingers the word ‘window’ will immediately pop into your mind. You will think of

the word ‘window’ when I click my fingers. You will believe that this is a completely fair

and free choice and will be amazed when I guess the word you are thinking of. In a

moment I will wake you up and you will have no memo ry of this suggestion or indeed of

being hypnotized at all. You will simply go on your way and enjoy the evening. Nod your

head if you understand.

Later on when you are at their table activate the post hypnotic suggestion by using the same

wording as earlier.

Now I would like to try something a little differen t. Can I use you for this? Will you verify

for everybody here that we have not set anything up ? OK in a moment I am going to ask

you to think of any word. Now please change your mi nd. I will click my fingers and when I

do change it again just let a word pop into your mi nd. Do not say it out loud but please just

nod your head when you have one. Do you understand?

The real beauty of people acting on a post hypnotic act as Erickson pointed out in the definition

above is that they have no conscious awareness of the motive for their act. This means that if

questioned about why they thought of something, made a specific choice or behaved in a

particular way they tend to justify it exactly as they would if they had not been given a suggestion.

It is as if they are trying to make their new reality fit. They have to consciously justify why they did

what they did.

Another common question regards how someone acting on a post hypnotic suggestion will

behave. Will they appear, drowsy or normal?

The answer to this question is dictated by what effect you are trying to achieve rather than any

constraint of hypnosis. The subject is suggestible. If you want them to be able to move and speak

normally in every way then say so when you do the pre-show work.

You will return to this state but with your eyes an d open and be able to move and speak

normally in every way, acting perfectly on the sugg estion I have given you.

If you want them spaced out as if receiving signals from the ether, perhaps for a séance effect,

ensure that is understood.

You will be able to pick up on the signals and reca ll the information about that memory

although it will be as if you can only just remembe r it. When you speak it will be in a

spooky childlike voice.

Leaving their response to chance means that you are reliant on their model of hypnosis. Do not

take such a chance. Shape how they will respond with your suggestions.

Effect: Reverse Mind Reading

A spectator is selected from the audience. They are told that the mentalist is going to read their

mind and are asked to take a seat. It is pointed out to them that they have a scar on their leg and

they verify it as being true. The mentalist names the leg and many of the details of how they got

the scar. The mentalist then asks them to think of some personal information such as an address

or important date and again names it with no fishing at all. He then asks them to think of a

number between 1 and a 1000 and names that correctly. Then the spectator is asked to think of

any word at all. The mentalist names it to the amazement of the spectator

Nothing is written down, there are no props, no dual reality. You can literally ask any question of

the spectator. Anyone else witnessing the demonstration can ask them to think of the answer to a

question they pose and the mentalist can name the information correctly every time. If desired

then the audience member can even name the thought of information and will be correct and

have no idea how they are getting it.

Method

The concept and method for Reverse Mind Reading was co-developed with my good friend and

business partner Kev Sheldrake. It was partly inspired out of admiration for a routine on one of

Derren Brown’s TV shows that I refer to as ‘Be a Mind Reader for 10p’. The rest of it came out of

one of our own pet hypnosis routines ‘Learn hypnosis in 60 seconds’. If you haven’t seen Derren

Brown’s routine, the performer assembles a crowd and selects two volunteers. One is going to try

and read the other volunteers mind. Derren Brown then takes the spectator who will be the mind

reader to one side and talks to him and appears to be giving some instruction as to how they will

do it – you cannot hear what is actually said. The two spectators are brought back together and

the mind reading spectator manages to get close to what is being thought of by the other.

It is a brilliant effect. For a long time I have wondered how this was done – and still do! Watching

the Brown routine it occurred to us that possibly work done with the mind reader is just

misdirection and that the real work has already been done with the person being read. I still do

not know if this is the case but either way wanted to credit it as inspiration.

At the same time as thinking about this, Kev and I were working on an impromptu method for

making someone into a hypnotist. We do lots of street hypnosis and the idea of making someone

into a hypnotist and then getting them to hypnotize someone else was something we found

appealing.

Our approach was to let them know that to be The Hypnotist they would have to be hypnotized

first. Then choose the better of the two subjects to be the hypnotee and the other to be the

hypnotist. Then spend 60 seconds with the potential hypnotist just about in ear shot of the

hypnotee and genuinely teach them an induction and give them some simple instruction on how

to make suggestion and what phenomena to go for and then let them loose. In practice we have

found that actually hypnotizing the subjects beforehand is not necessary you just have to be

strategic about who gets what role.

Anyway, I digress. The two ideas fused together late into a brainstorming session and Reverse

Mind Reading was born. You can see video clips of both ‘Learn Hypnosis in 60 seconds’ and

‘Reverse Mind Reading’ at my you tube channel ‘antonmes’.

The method is simple. Hypnotize someone to believe that you are or someone else is a mind

reader. Tell them in no uncertain terms that everything the mind reader says to them about their

life and what they are thinking they will believe is true and verify as being true with increased

amazement at each revelation. This is an example of a generative post hypnotic suggestion.

I have to put my hand up and confess the presentation outlined below was designed to be a

mentalist fooler – the idea being to hint at traditional methods of mind reading such as cold

reading, pre show research, forcing and glimpsing but actually use none of these techniques. I

have used this in impromptu demonstrations and also on stage numerous times. On stage

sometimes I am open to the rest of the audience about what I am doing and the fact that I am

using hypnosis and give the suggestions on stage. Sometimes I give the suggestion pre-show or

simply off microphone while something else is occurring on stage. This pre-show approach is

outlined below.

The words and actions

OK so prior to a show perhaps during some walk-around get into a set piece. Your motive could

be to select someone for an effect. It could be a demonstration of the kind of thing to come later.

Identify a good subject. Hypnotize them and test your work. If you have read Reality is Plastic:

The Art of Impromptu Hypnosis, you will know that means give a suggestion and see if they

respond to it. To give yourself complete comfort that the effect will work I suggest you test with

amnesia. Do a re-induction and give the post hypnotic suggestion below.

‘I am an incredible mind reader. In a while from no w I am going to ask you to volunteer for

an experiment and I am going to read your mind. Whe n I touch you on the shoulder and

tell you that I would like to try some mind reading with you, you will believe I am an

incredible mind reader. From that moment on, everyt hing I say to you about your life and

what you are thinking you will believe is correct a nd true and verify as being correct. The

moment I say what I believe you are thinking you wi ll believe absolutely that is what you

were thinking of. You will be amazed how I know thi s stuff and more and more astonished

with every subsequent revelation. Nod your head if you understand. In a moment I will

wake you up and you will have complete amnesia for this suggestion and the next time we

meet it will be like the first time we have ever me t. 1, 2 wide awake’.

Distract the subject immediately after waking them up with a couple of trivial questions. This

encourages amnesia further still.

Mind Reading Phase

OK I want to try something a little different now. I need a volunteer. You will do brilliantly.

Please sit here. (Touch shoulder) I would like to t ry some mind reading. I promise not to

reveal anything too personal and will simply give y ou my first impressions. Is that OK with

you?

OK close your eyes. Just go inside and focus on you r body for a moment. Immediately I

am getting a sense that you have a scar on one of y our legs? Nod your head if that is

correct. Excellent. It is on your knee, is it not? Your left knee.

Now open your eyes. Obviously many of us have scars on our legs. So please don’t tell me

where or when yet, but can you remember when you go t the injury that caused the scar. It

was when you were a child. There was someone else t here. Someone important to you.

Excellent. A friend. You didn’t get it by falling o ff your bike did you?

By phrasing this last question this way, sometimes you get a miss. It can be interpreted by your

subject as you asking a question rather than telling them. They might say, ‘No it wasn’t I got it

climbing a wall’. This of course adds to the effect.

OK let’s try something a little different. I would like you to think of your friends. Let a few

of your most important friends go through your mind . I want you to settle on one whose

phone number you know. You have got one?

Is this someone you see regularly? Ok. Focus on his name. You are thinking of a man

right? I don’t want to say their surname just conc entrate on his first name. I am getting an

A. No an O. Yes, it is Jon you are thinking of isn’ t it? Yes Jonathan but you have always

known him as Jon is that right.

Excellent. Now let’s change direction a little. I h ave asked you to think about things from

the past and people you know. This gives the impres sion that I know about your past. I

should make clear I do not. All I am doing is readi ng what is in your mind right now

picking up on that, this gives the impression that I know more than I do. To demonstrate

how this works in real time, in a moment I will cli ck my fingers and a number between one

and a thousand will come into your mind. Please do not think of one in advance, wait until

I click my fingers. Would you agree this is fair? E xcellent.

(Click)

OK. You are thinking of a number. Is there a reason you went for this number or did it just

seem to pop into your mind. Ok concentrate in it. I am struggling a little with one of the

numbers. No hang on. Most people go for a three dig it number. You didn’t. You are

thinking of a two digit number, are you not? I see trying to fool me. Think of your number

now. Fifty two!

Great. Now again clear your mind. Again please wai t until I click my fingers. When I do I

would like you to think of a word, any word in the English language.

(Click)

OK, you have one. Now in your minds eye I want you to see this word and imagine it is

spelt out in a kind of circle. It’s a long word. L ook around the letters and concentrate on

one significant letter.

D. And the letter after that is an I. I am also get ting an A. Dia, no before the I.

It starts with an A. Antidisestablishmentarianism!

References

Anthony Jacquin – Reality is Plastic: The Art of Impromptu Hypnosis

http://www.anthonyjacquin.com/products.html

Paul Brook - The Gift

http://www.paulbrook.co.uk/thegift.htm

Mark Strivings - Alpha Series Volume I - Before The Curtain Rises, A Treatise on Pre-show Work

http://www.ronjo.com/magic/strivings.html

Freddy Jacquin – www.freddyjacquin.net / www.hypnetise.com

Milton H. Erickson and Elizabeth M. Erickson - The Journal of Genetic Psychology. 1941, 24, 95-

133

(Available in Milton H. Erickson. Complete Works 1.0)