When performed correctly, mentalism & magic trick can make the performer appear as if he or she possesses extraordinary powers or incredible mental prowess.
Practitioners of mentalism will usually avoid mixing traditional & magic tricks and theatrical props into their act. Instead, mentalism focusses on things like mind reading and predicting the future. This is why many mentalists do not consider themselves to be magicians.
Practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include hypnosis, telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats, deduction, and rapid
Mentalists are sometimes categorized as psychic entertainers, although that category also contains non-mentalist performers such as psychic readers and bizarrists.
Much of what modern mentalists perform in their acts can be traced back directly to “tests” of supernatural power that were carried out by mediums, spiritualists, and psychics in the 19th century
However, the history of mentalism & magic trick goes back even further. Accounts of seers and oracles can be found in works by the ancient Greeks and in the Old Testament of the Bible
Among magicians, the mentalism & magic trick performance generally cited as one of the earliest on record was by diplomat and pioneering sleight-of-hand magician Girolamo Scotto in 1572.
The performance of mentalism may utilize these principles along with sleights, feints, misdirection, and other skills of street or stage magic.
