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.
[1]
However, the history of mentalism goes back even further. Accounts of seers and oracles can be
found in works by the ancient Greeks[attribution needed] and in the Old Testament of the Bible. Among
magicians, the mentalism 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.[2]

Performance approaches[edit]
Styles of presentation can vary greatly. Traditional performers such
as Dunninger and Annemann attributed their results to supernatural or psychic skills.
Some contemporary performers, such as Derren Brown, attribute their results to natural skills, such
as the ability to read body language or to manipulate the subject subliminally through psychological
suggestion.[citation needed]
Others, including Chan Canasta and David Berglas would make no specific claims but leave it up to
the audience to decide.
Contemporary mentalists often take their shows onto the streets and perform tricks to a live,
unsuspecting audience. They do this by approaching random members of the public and ask to
demonstrate their supernatural powers. Performers such as Derren Brown who often adopt this
method of performance tell their audience before the trick starts that everything they see is an
illusion and that they are not really "having their mind read." This has been the cause of a lot of
controversy in the sphere of magic as some mentalists want their audience to believe that this type
of magic is 'real' whilst others think that it is morally wrong to lie to a spectator.[3]

Mentalist or magician[edit]
Mentalists generally do not mix "standard" magic tricks with their mental feats. Doing so associates
mentalism too closely with the theatrical trickery employed by stage magicians. Many mentalists
claim not to be magicians at all, arguing that it is a different art form altogether. The argument is that
mentalism invokes belief and when presented properly, is offered as being "real" be it a claim of
psychic ability, or proof that supports other claims such as a photographic memory, being a "human
calculator", the power of suggestion, NLP, etc.[citation needed]Mentalism plays on the senses and a
spectator's perception of tricks.
Magicians ask the audience to suspend their belief and allow their imagination to play with the
various tricks they present. They admit that they are tricksters and entertainers, and know the
audience understands it's an illusion and the magician cannot really achieve the impossible feats
shown, such as sawing a person in half and putting them back together without injury.
However, many magicians mix mentally-themed performance with magic illusions. For example, a
mind-reading stunt might also involve the magical transposition of two different objects. Such hybrid
feats of magic are often called mental magic by performers. Magicians who routinely mix magic with
mental magic include David Copperfield, David Blaine, The Amazing Kreskin, and Dynamo.[citation needed]