The best kind of force is the kind that does not even feel like force. You can mix up the cards in the deck if you know what to do. But getting someone to say the number seven without any cards is a different thing. You can see it when someone asks the question. You might notice it if there is a pause. You could find it in a hint that showed up before.
Why Psychological Forces Hold Differently Than Physical Ones
Mentalists started looking into this topic after Annemann wrote Practical Mental Effects in the 1940s. Now, books about mentalism are simpler to read than before. This breakdown helps people who know some of the topic. This overview does not help beginners. Psychological forces are different from physical forces. Sometimes a card force works, but other times people do not choose the card you want.
The classic card force does not always give the result you look for. The spectator takes the wrong card. The angle is not right. The touch gives away the secret. A psychological force does not fall apart the same way every time. Things do not always go wrong all at once.
This influence reaches many people. People in cognitive science call this idea choice architecture. The way people show choices can change which choice people choose. I will not say what I think. I will not give any idea. Kahneman’s work on System 1 and System 2 thinking shows how people think when someone watches people in a study.
Anchoring and the Weight of the First Number
When the brain faces social pressure and does not have much time, the brain finds patterns instead of going through each step. The mind starts to work in the space between the two ways. The mentalist starts working before anyone even thinks to ask who the mentalist is. Start by setting up the environment. Build trust next. Match the pace that comes after.
Follow the earlier suggestions to decide the next step. Banachek’s Psychological Subtleties talks about many of the same ideas. Banachek explains things in a clear way. If you have not read it yet, go back and read it first. Anchoring is a common bias. Anchoring happens when the first number or fact makes people see later information in a certain way.
Many people have studied anchoring. Not many people who do mentalism talk about anchoring. Anchoring can help mentalists. The idea is simple. When people pick the first number, thing, or word, the other choices stay closer to that first choice. There is a classic trick where you ask the person to think of the number 37.
Double Anchoring
If you want someone to say a number, you can talk about 37 days, give an address in the thirties, or show something with that number. We do not use a sledgehammer when we set the anchor. Someone says something fast, and the brain remembers it. When someone asks me to pick a number, I go with the number I have in my head already. Two changes are important here. First, the anchor should not be the same as the target.
The Language of Restriction
Plant 35 sits on one side. Plant 39 stands on the other side. Plant 37 stays in the middle. People say nothing about Plant 37. The anchor should be about something people care about. The anchor can be a story.
The anchor can also be a real question. Sometimes the anchor is just something people see and notice. When people give numbers without any meaning, other people may feel like something is missing, even if no one really cares. Double Anchoring Corinda talks about anchor-based priming in 13 Steps to Mentalism. Corinda does not use that name. People have done this trick for years.
People give the numbers before and after the number they want. Then people ask for any number. People used this trick long before someone named the trick. Today, performers can use intention. Make sure you know the exact numbers you plant. Find out why people use brackets around the target.
Do not guess. Do not hope. People use strong words and clear words when people talk about Restriction Elimination. You show the options and then hide the unwanted options quickly, so most people do not notice the options are missing. The easy way to say this is, do not picture a red card. Most people think of a red card.
Priming Before the Decision Point
The rule is in a short guide. The guide says, “I want you to stay away from things that look too clear, too simple, or things a mentalist often picks.”You did not add the safe choices. You did not add the clear choices. What stays behind often builds up near your target. The rule works for things and numbers. If you ask someone to pick one envelope from three envelopes, the way you talk about the other two envelopes can make those envelopes feel more or less important to that person.
Pick the wrong ones when you talk. Take a quick look at them. Then use your body to show you have finished. The person watching will choose the hand that you did not block. Restriction framing works best when the spectator feels like the spectator has more choices and not fewer choices. When someone says, “I want your genuinely free choice, not something you think I would guess,” it feels like a rule instead of a real offer.
Listen to your own scripts to hear how they sound. Priming starts before people make any choice. The hidden forces start to work before anyone talks about a decision. Priming takes place when you see or hear something by chance. Your mind begins to link these things. When you need that idea or try to remember it later, it comes to you quickly.
Word priming is the simple form. Begin the talk using words that are similar to your main word. When I think about fire, I remember how warm fire feels. Fire reminds me of summer days. Fire gives light. Fire gives heat.
Framing the Question Itself
Fire shows that something is burning. The spectator cannot see a pattern. The spectator just knows that when someone asks for an element, fire comes up first and it feels right. Object priming works better, but people do not use object priming often. Before you decide, you set up the space or the spot where you look so the main object stands out more. No, not really.
I do not want to come across as rude. Just a little. Make it easier to spot the difference. The position is a bit closer. This person faces the viewer. The others sit straight on.
The mind does not see these small signals. These signals can make the hand move. The priming time must be exact. If you try it too soon, the link goes away. If the suggestion comes just before the decision, the spectator might see the connection and think someone is guiding the spectator. The window stays open for about one to one and a half minutes before the decision point.
You need to keep practicing this until you feel comfortable doing this on stage. Most mentalists take months to learn the force method. Many mentalists spend about twenty minutes to figure out how to ask the question. We need to change the ratio. Or we need to make the ratio more balanced. The question that asks for the choice matters.
Putting the Structure Together in Performance
Each one of these feels dull. It does not show the way. Which one do you think belongs to you?is different. When people really like something without thinking too hard, talking about it makes other people want it too. Choosing that thing feels like the right choice, not just any choice. The spectator does not take any envelope.
The spectator just looks for the envelope with the spectator’s name on it. The way you see things helps people. Questions with ideas can help with this too. Pick the one you like and let me know. This means you already decided. The spectator does not begin to choose when you ask.
- Environmental setup before performance: Position props so the target sits in the natural sightline. Not front and center; slightly favored.
- Verbal priming during rapport building: Plant the semantic field of your target through casual conversation. Two to three touches, spaced, not clustered.
- Anchoring 30 to 60 seconds before the decision: Introduce numbers or words that bracket the target naturally in context.
- Restriction framing at the decision moment: Present the ask using language that pre-excludes the non-targets without appearing to do so.
- Ownership language on the final ask: Use recognition or identity framing to invite the selection rather than command it.
The spectator knows that the choice began earlier. The word “settled” means coming to an end when there are only a few choices left. Banachek goes through these question structures in detail. The words used in a force question matter. Each word can bring the goal closer or make the goal harder to reach. When you put the structure together during a show, the real power comes from more than one way of doing things.
Three or four people go one after the other. Each person goes into the room alone. There are never two people in the room at the same time. This is how the setup works. First, check that the environment is ready before you start. Put the props where you can see the target easily.
Do not put it in the middle. Move it to the side a little. Pick the main topic you want to talk about before you meet someone. Use words from that topic as you talk. This helps you guide the talk the way you want. Make two or three touches.
Leave a space after each touch. Do not put the touches too close together. Put the numbers or words near the target about thirty seconds to one minute before you pick. Make sure the numbers or words match what is happening. When you ask a question, use words that tell who you are talking to. Pick words that do not leave anyone out. Use these words at the start of the question. For the last question, try to ask in a way that helps the person feel included or noticed, rather than just giving instructions. The many layers make the psychological force harder to see than the physical force. You can show this in different ways. The spectator can pick one layer. The spectator does not know how the layers got put together. There is something else. These ways work well for people who watch things closely and feel a bit of pressure from the people near them. A distant or unfriendly watcher stays away from these things. The watcher does not hold back because the watcher has a side. The watcher stays back because to feel this, the watcher would need to join in first. The force checks the spectator area and gets it ready before the event starts. People do not talk about that part in the books as much as people should talk about that part. Take a look at the structure. Try to get the timing right. Make a language library for each layer yourself. The force stands out because someone made the force that way. People build this force on purpose. No one finds this force by accident. Do you want to know more?You can visit the Arcane Relics shop if you want books, old papers, and tools for mentalism. The shop offers only items picked for real mentalism work. The literature is there. The props hold it up. The props stay there.
