Subliminal Suggestion
100% Subliminal Force Technique
Obviously you don’t have to repeat everything below verbatim; you can adapt it as you feel best. The aim is to have the volunteer arrive at a card predetermined by you, using nothing more than subliminal verbal commands, although there is a handy escape route just in case.
The Effect.
The following description of performing the effect is exactly as I use it, I’ve explained it as if I’m actually performing it to attempt to give a flavour of what the spectators experience.
I deliberately drive the conversation to the some suitable topic, perhaps Derren Brown, you could equally well just ask “Do you believe in telepathy,” and start from there, it’s really dependant upon the situation and the people that you’re talking to.
The beauty of this trick, is that if your verbal manipulation doesn’t work, there’s a 100% guaranteed way out, which in itself is a most impressive trick indeed! The conversation usually goes something like this:
Me: “Yeah, its really clever how he controls people. I can actually do some of the same mind control things that he does.”
Them: “Prove it.” (the “prove it” bit usually comes after a lot of expletives or general mickey taking because people tend to think that you’re just trying to show off, and have absolutely no idea how any of it is done).
Me: “Well, okay then, but it’ll only work if you genuinely want to see how it’s done. If you try to make it not work then it won’t work, so just go with me on this and fairly follow the instructions that I give to you. Okay?”
Them: “Alright then!” (people will usually play along with you if you ask. They don’t believe that you can actually do what you claim anyway, and they’re pretty sure that you’re going to end up looking really stupid, so there’s no need for them to try and make things harder for you).
Me: “Okay, I’m going to attempt to influence your thought processes so that you end up thinking of exactly what I want you to, and in order to do that I’m going to ask you to imagine something. What I really need for you to do is to just listen to what I say before you actually start to imagine anything. Is that clear?”
Them: “Yeah, Okay”
Me: “Right. First of all then, I want you to make this picture really big and bright, and colourful, and vivid. You need something to draw the picture on, so imagine walking into a room and there high up above your head is a large – really big, kind of a screen.” (at this point make a shape with your hands to symbolise it) “Like a big piece of rectangular card that you can draw your picture on. You might need to tilt your head back and pull your neck in to be able to see it all, it’s such a big piece of card. Do you have it?”
Them: “Yes.”
Me: “Okay, well remember, don’t start to draw it yet, wait for my instructions, but the picture that I want you to draw on your card, and remember, make it as big and bright and colourful as you can, is a certain playing card.”
Them: “Okay.”
Me: “Right, start making your picture by writing in the little symbols in the corners, you know the ones marking the value of the playing card,” (wait for them to acknowledge this), “and then fill in the rest of the picture, with plenty of colour and detail. Let me know when you’ve done making it”
Them: “Okay”
Me: “You’ve got it, your sure?”
Them: “Yes.”
Me: “Right, well hopefully this has worked. Which card did you get?”
Them: “You want me to tell you?” (God knows why, but they almost always ask you this!)
Me: “Yes, that’s right.”
If all has gone well they will now say:
Them: “The King of Diamonds.”
In which case you say:
Me: “Look inside my top pocket here and take out the card.”
They are now completely amazed that you have just one card in your pocket, and it is indeed the King of Diamonds.
If things didn’t go as according to plan and they chose something else, say the 6 of clubs for example, smile with a confident, and ever so slightly smug expression on your face, and continue with:
Me: “That’s amazing! I’ve been wanting to try it out for a while but I honestly didn’t know if it’d work or not. Before I came out tonight I told the wife [or whoever you choose] that if I could pluck up enough courage to try this, I’d try and make you think of the 6 of clubs. Let me ring her up and prove it.”
You now ring your beloved and say:
Me: “Hello, Suzy? Just tell Mike [or whoever it was] which card I was going to make them think of before I came out tonight.”
Hand over the phone to Mike and watch the expression on his face as your other half says: “He said he was going to make you think of the 6 of Clubs Mike.”
You’ll now have them eating out of the palm of your hand and at a total loss as to just how you achieved it.
You might get asked to perform it again, but the best defence if they ask is to say that you used embedded subliminal commands in the instructions, and that you would only be able to make them pick the same card again.
If they actually picked the King of Diamonds then you can explain it properly, if they picked something else then just make something up and it will seem even more impressive than if things went as according to plan!
The Secret
To discover the verbal suggestion techniques used in this effect simply subscribe to The Mentalist newsletter using the form below and the secret will magically appear in your inbox!
cforms contact form by delicious:days
Please be sure to see more great mentalist effects at: www.subliminalpersuasion.co.uk
