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True Mysteries II
Maya Dharma
True Mysteries II
Maya Dharma

Fraser Parker &

Gavi n O'Rourke - S o c co rs o

Intuition Publishing
20t4
Copy,right @ zor4by Fraser Parker and Gavin O'Rourke-Soccorso

portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any man-

A1l rights reserved. This book or any
ner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief
quotations in critical articles.

Paperback first published in zor4

Intuition Publishing
Mystic Rose 1, Triq San Pawl, Attard, Malta
 To Nicola Jane Wrebel for being there tt:hen I need.
Fraser

Thanks to my family andfriends for their support and inspiration as usell as to the past
engineers of prop-less mentalism and suggestion taork; for making me dig around. and ponder
the real secret behindpouerful mentalism andfor their seeds of inspiration
Gauin
 Foreword

I think I should begin with a question: Who is Fraser Parker? The answer to this question is
something that can only be answered subjectively. To each one of us Fraser will be someone
different, which is a really interesting concept in itself.
So I will rephrase: who is Fraser Parker from my perspective? Fraser is a man that thinks
outside the box, is able to captivate an audience with the power of words and understands time,
space and perception to create any place, any time miracles. His down to earth persona and intel-
ligence give him the ability to see things from a subjective viewpoint as well as a
non-sulrjec-
tive viewpoint simultaneously and with his broadened knowledge of perception (which is quite a
tool) he has learnt to distort what most consider reality.
So, in short: He's a man that can control time, space, manipulate perception and bend reali-
ty. Quite a gift!
Take the time to understand the subtleties and nuances Fraser offers in this book; each one
ofthem can be taken and applied to other routines and for that reason what you are holding is
not just a book of materials or effects, it's a book of golden nuggets that can be taken and applied
to your working repertoire.
Appreciate what Fraser is teaching you here, it is not your run of the mill hypnosis or men-
talism product, this is the product of many, many great minds culminated and refined to a point
of perfection. This is NOT a pipe dream. This is the real deal.
Keep your eyes peeled for anything this man puts out, grab it and store it away. Soon
EVERYONE will want a piece of Fraser.

Peter Turner

Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK

\,ll
 Introduction

The work you hold in your hands is a sequel of sorts to my first DVD and book on trance il-
lusion called 'True Mysteries.' The following methods and effects build upon the foundations
'True Mysteries' set in place and takes these principles to even greater heights. I would, therefore,
suggest that the reader fully digests all that is taught in the first 'True Mysteries' before moving
forwards with this newer material.
As with the first 'True Mysteries,'
I teach principles in the form of effects. These effects are
usually the "bare bones" and are straight to the point in terms of scripting and presentation. The
reason for this, is to keep the teaching of how to apply these principles clear and simple to follow.
The intention is for the reader to then take these principles and ideas and apply them to their
or.tm wonderful presentations, in whichever ways they wish.

Each of the principles taught in this book is designed to be used as building blocks in the
creation of your own trance illusions and effects of apparent hypnotic control. My aim is to make
you aware ofcertain principles, so that you can use them consciously in perforrnance.
My friend and performer Gavin O'Rourke is the co-creator to this work. He first contacted
me regarding an effect he was working on for an event. I created a solution for him which led to
further conversations which eventually led to this book.
Gavin is a student of 'True Mysteries.' He claims that none of his effects featured in this
work would have come into being without having first read my material. Do not be fooled, Gavin
is a great thinker all by himself; His thinking along these lines is ingenious. This work would not
have been possible without his collaboration. Thank you, Gavin, for your ideas and for the en-
couragement for me to start to create again. This is both of our work.
Primarily, this book deals with the creation of the illusion of hypnotic influence and trance
states. These principles allow you to perform what looks like hypnosis without any octual hyp-
notic induction or real trance states becoming necessary. This was always my aim when creating
effects of this nature: to create the appearance of hypnotic influence without actual hypnosis.
However, there is a small but very important difference between this work and the first
'True Mysteries;' In some effects, a subtle shift has taken place in methodology from pure illusion
to actual trance states. This is where my approach starts to blur the line between what is consid-
ered reol hypnosis and the illusion of such states.
My personal belief is that there is little or no difference between the two, however, many
disagree. As far as I am concerned, if it looks as if what you are performing is a feat of hypnotic
control, then that is what you are doing. You are literally creating the reality you want via illu-
sion.
It is my opinion that the difference between performing effects involving hypnosis and the
illusion of such states is simply a matter of belief. This means that when per{orming these and
other effects from'True Mysteries,'there is a likely chance you will cross over into what is con-
sidered reol hypnosis by many. This work can therefore be used as a lead in to actual trance
states as well as combined with conventional hypnosis if you are so trained to do so to create an
act of entertainment unlike anlthing from the past.

lx
 Co-writer Gavin has such hypnosis training and will chime in from time to time to share his
views on how this material can be combined with more conventional forms of hypnosis.
If you do not have have a background in hypnosis and wish to be able to combine it with the
principles taught in this and my previous book and DVD, then I suggest the work of my friend
Anthony Jacquin; His book 'Reality is Plastic' and his follow-up DVD 'The Manchurian Ap-
proach,' come highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn.
True Mysteries II is very subtle and may take a few complete read throughs before every-
thing being shared becomes apparent. If you are willing to take the time to read it carefully, think
on it and ponder on these notions, you will find a whole new approach and path has been laid out
before you to discover your own miracles along the way.
I welcome you onto this journey into the impossible.

Fraser Parker
 I will now briefly re-cap the first two principles from 'True Mysteries' as well as provide fur-
ther insights into why these principles work so well at creating the belief that actual hypnotic in-
fluence takes place. The first two principles are as follows:

FIRST PRINCIPLE - DIRECT COMMANDS

To get someone to do as you wish in performance, give direct commands to the person
helping. This ensures they follow along with no confusion as well as ensures something
actually takes place -
along the lines of what you mean to suggest. These direct com-
mands are given in place of more subtle suggestions. This is not simply a case of the
participant being in on it or playrng along. They may feel that way to start with but this
notion is completely re-framed by the second principle.

SECOND PRINCIPLE - ACT AS IF WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS REAI

By acting as if it is so, it will be seen to be so. This was the brealthrough to this ti.pe of
work. It allows you to approach creating feats of hypnosis purely from the perspective
of illusion, then allow the appearance of what you do to cement the illusion as reality
in the minds of everyone involved.

This principle will cause all of your previous directions to sound like hypnotic sugges-
tions due to how this principle re-frames what has taken place; The performance itself
creates the illusion.

These two principles combine together seamlessly in per{ormance to create an illusion of

hypnotic influence which is impossible to unravel because it looks like you are doing the real
thing even if the effect fails. The combination of these principles causes the method and effect to
blur together and become one and the same thing. This is a very subtle use of the dual reality ploy
made popular by my mentor Kenton Knepper and is the correct way of using this principle.
The participant and audience are both fooled using this approach but even if the participant
feels they were just made to follow along in a more mundane way, the dual reality principle will
go to work to, at the very least, fool the audience; The audiencewill still perceive what you do as
hypnotic control over the participant due to the alternate reality created by your words and ac-
tions, even if the participant does not.
Usually, however, both principles work together to fool not only the audience but also the
person taking part.
If for any reason you completely fail at getting the participant to do as you wish, you
simply say: "Okay. This did not uork this time," you then move on. This will still suggest you can
do as you claim and hypnotise others, only that it did not work on this particular occasion. These
are the two principles I use to create the illusion of hypnotic influence. There is, however, another
 True Mysteries II

much more subtle notion you should be aware of. This is the real secret to getting all of this to
work:

THIRD PRINCIPLE - THE USE OF IMAGINATION

This can be used more specifically to ensure the participant acts how you wish. For
example, if you were to get someone to imagine that an object is too heavy to lift. The
way that they act, while imagining this to be so, will create a feedback loop where what
they imagine becomes a reality. They will act as if they cannot lift the object and this,
in turn, makes what they imagine fact in physical reality.

Your or.rrr beliefs are important too. The following work relies on you successfully creating a
context for what you perform. This involves you believing in your ability to influence others and
change how they perceive reality. The easiest way to do this is to imagine that this is true. Then
every action will be congruent to creating the illusion you wish to create.
If you wish for someone to believe that what you do is real, you first have to believe it in your
or*rr mind. This is done with imagination. In performance, we imagine something to be so and
this informs how we act, which, in turn, convinces everyone else watching of the illusion. This is
the real meaning of The Magician in Tarot and in life, as applied to performance.
I first to think these thoughts. Many great thinkers from the past such as Or-
am hardly the
mond McGill, Orville Meyer, Dariel Fitzkee, Harlan Tarbell as well as my mentor Kenton lhep-
per and his friends believe that what you have in your own mind will influence spectators too. In
fact, one of the students of Kenton's school has his ornn excellent work published based on this
very principle. I suggest getting a copy of "Act of Imagination" by Enrique Enriquez if you want to
see how this principle can be applied to creating a whole act.

For now, keep in mind that these are the main secrets underlying al1 of what I teach.

GAVIN'S COMMENTS
Throughout my performances I have tried to blend real suggestion in the form of waking
\{hile I love to perform a good sol-
hypnosis with the more visual and solid aspects of mentalism.
id stage hypnosis show or even some ballsy impromptu suggestion based stunts, I always felt like
I was missing something. Something that could lend its hand in making suggestion based illu-
sions more macro and more impromptu without any pre-selection or suggestibility testing.
As many of the readers of this work will know, a lot of your 'impromptu', walk around or
"street hypnosis" still involves pre-selection processes, suggestibility testing or time delayed post
hlpnotic triggers. While this is fine for doing demonstrations of legitimate hyrnosis I feel that
using the above pre-priming and selection methods will eliminate some of the mystique when
performing demonstrations of certain types of mind control effects. While doing a very provoca-
tive demonstration of a 'psychological illusion' nature, in real time and in the spur of the moment
can be achieved; it requires a good dose of self esteem and a solid working grasp of hypnosis,
spectator management and an equal amount of rapport. It is not impossible but from my experi-
ence it is a big effort and requires the utmost on your paft.
i While on a journey to find a way to execute these trance like states to cause macro sugges-
i tion effects I came across some great teachers. Some of the works that I have found to touch on
the principles of these type of effects are: 'Kentonism,' 'Wonder Words,' 'Act of Imagination,'
'Psycho Spiritual Mentalism,' 'The New Encyclopaedia of Stage Hypnosis,' 'Thought Veil,' '7 De-
ceptions,' 'Building Blocks,' 'True Mysteries,' 'Trace This,' 'Ripped Apart,' 'Telepathy In Action'
and the 'Hypnosis Without Trance' course. While some of these items are hard to come by I urge
you to grab copies should they become available to you.
While Fraser will take you through the route of performing these effects without the need to
accomplish real "trance" states, I will chime in from time to time. Adding my tips and advice for
using these methods to take advantage of cognitive perception shifts taking place in the mind of
the spectators during the effects. These tips are from my own real life experiences using these
methods and effects in demonstrations of Mentalism as well as stage hypnosis shows.

Thank you, Gavin for your comments on how you personally approach this work. I will now
show you how all of these ideas can be put together with the following effect. These ideas are
much more than mere theoretical musings. They can be directly applied to the very practical as-
pect of performing. Thus, making what was considered impossible in performance before, now
possible.
 True Mysteries II

Spatial Hallucination

An object is shown to the spectator. This can be anything. I use a deck of cards still in their
box. The performer then gets the participant to imagine that the deck of cards is a different ob-
ject. The performer touches the helper on their forehead and they now appear to see their imagi-
nary object in place ofthe deck of cards.
This works due to association. The helper is subtly lead into acting a certain way. This cre-
ates a dual realig, situation, where the audience believe the participant is actually hallucinating
that an object is something other than it is. The participant will have a slightly different experi-
ence to the audience. However, this will be reconciled by the performance itself and the context
you create.
It will seem as if you are able to influence how others perceive reality. This will be true to
both the participant and the audience. The only difference is to what degree they each find what
happens strange. It wiII still look magical, in either case. Their talking about what happened after
the fact, will usually feed back on each other's experience and cement the illusion in the process.
Take out a deck of cards, still in their box and place it on your palm. Next, say the following
words to the participant.

"Name any object."

Say they name a "toy car", continue your script with the following words as you point to the deck
of cards in your hand.

"I haue a toy car right here."

Pause for a moment here as you look the participant in the eye then say:

"Of course, I really haue a deck of cords in my hand BtITfor the moment ftouch the participant
on their foreheadl I Luont Aou to bnogine that there is a toy car here, in place of the deck of
cards."

This instructs the participant to use their imagination and effectively pretend that the deck
of cards is a different object, the object they name from the start. This pLaying along vr,ll look to
the audience to be an effect ofa real hypnotic control and influence you have over the participant.
These words, when combined with the touching of their forehead and the resultant following of
commands by the participant, will create the illusion of influence. It will look to the audience as if
the participant is made to temporarily hallucinate a different object in place of the one which is
so clearly there to everyone else.
I follow along by picking up the deck of cards in my other hand, raising it to the eye level of
the participant and sayng the following words as I slowly rotate the object.

"Nota... I tuould like you to describe uthat you can seettottt."

 The participant understands this line to mean for them to describe the object they are imag-
ining is now in place of the actual object - the deck of cards. To the audience this looks as if the
participant can now truly see the deck of cards as a different object, because they go on to de-
scribe in great detail apparently what they can now "see" in front of them. This is the subtlety of
getting participants to imagine things to be true. It temporarily allows for a different reality. This
will also often be confused in the mind of the participant too, in terms of their experience and
what they take to be reality. They can, therefore, be fooled into thinking what they imagine as
true was in fact reality and also become convinced of the illusion. This may be to a lesser degree
than to how the audience perceive what takes place. However, it is nevertheless enough to create
the illusion and to get these effects to play in a real performance setting.
The reason this works so well in this effect is because the participant associates the object
that is actually there, the deck of cards, with their imaginary object. They will use their imagina-
tion to superimpose the real object with the imaginary object. This means that you can change
the position of the real object and still have the participant make the correct association. This is
what fools the audience. They believe the participant must truly be seeing the object as some-
thing different due to the association still being intact after the object is moved spatially. It is a
very subtle notion but this is what creates the illusion for the audience. Originally, when Gavin
sent this idea to me it was intended for the space the imaginary object occupied to be merged
with an actual object to create the illusion of the participant hallucinating. This was done in steps
by first getting the participant to imagine an object in front of them and then getting them to
move where they imagined their imaginary object in space, so that it was eventually superim-
posed over an actual similar or more generic object. I think it is cleaner in the way I have laid out
above; the effect is clearer and the presentation is more direct but the basic idea is still the same.
The audience are the ones who perceive a greater effect here. However, the participant can
in fact be fooled by how this looks. They think that something strange has indeed taken place and
their perception was altered somehow. This is due to the fact that you are getting them to imag-
ine that something other than reality is true. As this deals u'ith mental phenomena, their imagi-
nation and perception, what happens can seem like real perceptual manipulation to the partici-
pant as well as the audience. It al1 blends into the effect; there is no difference between what is
illusion and what is reality. This is found to be the experience of the participant as well as the au-
dience more often than not. The participant and audience members talking after the fact seems
to make the illusion stronger with each of the slightly different perceptions bolstering and affirm-
ing each other's reality.
The very worst way this effect can play is with the participant not thinking anything special
rea11y happened. You still were able to get the participant to say they could see an object was
something else and to imagine it was in front of them. This still looks impressive to the audience
at large. To ensure no one makes too much fuss about this and that everyone is satisfied I usually
end by saylng the following words, as an "out" and way of wrapping up the effect.

"This is onlu illusion. Euerything is back to normal nou. Thank youfor doing this."
 True Mysteries II

This lets the participant know that you only intended to create the illusion of hallucination.
Therefore, there is nothing to expose or for the participant to renounce. The audience are still
mystified by your performance even if you claim that it is all an illusion.
This is usually enough to ensure everyone is satisfied but if you are still worried you could
use the 'out' from my effect 'Colour Blind' from 'True Mysteries;' This out is suited beautifully
and can be used for other feats of apparent hl,pnotic control due to its relation to the subject of
hypnosis. Here it is again: After performing a feat where the participant is made to see something
different to how it is in reality, I would simply address the audience at large in the following way:

"The interesting thing is, euen uhen they sag they can see [a dffirent colour] they often
su)ear afteruards that they could see fthe real colour] all olong."

This reflects something which happens in shows of stage hypnosis. The participant will often
swear they knew all along what they were doing during the show but were still compelled to fol-
low the suggestions from the per{ormer. This, therefore, is a very logical out to use which ties in
well with common experiences of actual acts of hypnosis as well as being a bind the participant
it will sound to the audience as if they were
can not escape from; Even if they wish to expose you,
under some form of trance or hypnotic influence due to the way you label their experience with
this line.
This can also be used in the 'Change of Beliefs' effect from the first'True Mysteries' to create
a solid double bind that there is no escape from for the participant by saying the following line
before performing this effect:

"The interesting thing about this is they tuill say they haue aluays belieued in God [or uice
uersal aftertuards."

This sets up a situation where after the effect, however much the participant tries to expose
what is really the true situation, they will cement the illusion you create more and more.
This is never usually a problem, thanks to the previous principles and the context this effect
is performed in.

GAVIN'S COMMENTS
This effect is a great example of how by simply imagining something to be true it can be so.
The act of imagining to the point of creating shifts in our reality is one of the most practical and
yet esoteric concepts in suggestion based work. I think, therefore I am. Many religions, mystic
sects and hypnosis practices are laden with variations of this concept. Take a look at ritual mag-
ick or mantra and mundra meditation, even simple guided meditation. The basis is self change
through engaging the clutch of one's oun imagination. When a person is under hypnosis, or any
shift in perception for that matter, it all starts with the imagination; the simple act of thought.
As mentioned several times before, in any form of suggestion work or hypnosis, it is the sole
person who place themselves in that state to begin with. The only exceptions to this are drugs,
certain audio visual programs and certain electronic devices. Simply by targeting the spectator's
thoughts and creativity we are accomplishing both real and pseudo trance states. This means that
 True Mysteries II

by simply asking a person to imagine such and such to be true they will psychologically be less
resistant to any forthcoming suggestions. Thus, allowing the subconscious to relax a little so that
it is ready to receive suggestion in whichever form you give, whether from a pseudo trance per-
spective or from the perspective of giving actual hypnotic commands.
The imagination is linked to the subconscious. Luckily for us it is also one of the easiest and
most passive ways to access the subconscious. This is exactly why these effects can be so easily
transferred from pseudo trance states into real. In my own experiences sometimes these shifts
happen even when you don't intend them to. As Kenton states, sometimes by intentionally plan-
ning on something not to work you will more often than not create the very scenario you really
had hoped for anyrvay. So please treat these gems with the care and respect they deserve. We tru-
ly stand on the shoulders of giants. As a performer you can have the best of both worlds: solid
trance effects created though illusion as well as shifts in perception created by actual hypnotic
trance states.
In the context ofthis effect you are asking a person to think an object to be another. By them
thinking it to be another they have to imagine it to be such first. A crude example of this idea that
comes to mind is the old "don't think of a black cat" concept. In order for us to perceive or to not
perceive we have to construct the idea of what it is in our mind. When this happens it is only a
simple nudge to get the brain to imagine this to be true or not true.
In terms of real altered states there are other factors that can increase or decrease the suc-
cess of achieving a real shift in perception. Not everyone will have the same experience with the
same intensity all of the time. But fret not; we are not striving for just an altered state. When you
actively interest and entertain your audience to experience something odd along the lines of the
context ofthe effect, you did yourjob.
A big thing to remember from the spectator's point of view involving these effects, is they
have an entire mental world they are tapping into to determine what is going on before them and
to them. They are bound to experience something odd. By knowing this and appl),lng what Fraser
suggests you will always be one step ahead and a success in the eyes of the spectator. The effect,
the perception of the spectator and how it is labelled will all serve as a brick, that when put to-
gether in a person's mind, can create an entire building.

Thank you again, Gavin, for sharing your views on this material. I think your comments will
help make our unique approach even clearer to the readers now.
Gavin is right in saying that this approach to creating the illusion of trance can often lead to
real trance states being induced in the person heiping in the effect. This has long been taught by
Kenton and is an aspect of his work on trance illusion.
Before moving on, I would also like to remind the reader of the importance of always having
a clear moment in your performance of trance illusion where the participant is brought out of any
supposed trance and the effects ofyour suggestion are broken. This can be done by a gesture such
as, the snapping of your fingers or touching of the participant on their forehead and saying the
following words:

"Euerything is back to normal notu."

 This is very important. You may only be performing the illusion of trance primarily but what
may be considered as fake to you, can be seen as very real to the participant. Therefore, to ensure
no harm comes to the participant ahuays have a moment where they are brought out of any
trance states, real or imagined and where what you suggest is undone. This is not only done for
safety. It is also a moment which works great theatrically too, even helping to create the effect
itself by suggesting that everything was not normal, during the performance.
that what you do is real. T?ris way, you will be carefirl
Ahoo;gs imagine yourself
not to harrn with your words or actions and will trecorne infinitely more believable
to your audience.
This is the whole secret to making these effects play in the first place.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS BY JEROME FINLEY

This is a lrery flexible piece of work and one that can be taken in several different directions.
Instead of using a deck of playing cards, I've been using a small stack of 'picture
cards' (Richard Osterlind's'ODDS' or Paralabs''Picturecards.')
This keeps with the general vibe and theme of the demonstration, provides me with yet an-
other method, phase and layer of deception and, when necessary, supplies an appropriate "out"
for any misses.
To get started, I show the picture cards briefly and allow my participant to choose one. Of
course I immediately know which "object" they are now thinking of and, once replaced, I contin-
ue.

"Hold that thought and image in your mindfor just afeu moments and ue'll come back to it
later. For nou,let's try something uery simple before ue get started to help u)orm up our minds
and imaginations."

At this point I begin going through Fraser's original routine and have the participant name
any object (NOT the one they are currenth thinking of!) and then just imagine the pack of picture
cards melting and transforming into a holographic model of their item while held in my hand.
Naturally the witness will begin to see, describe and EXPERIENCE the object in their mind.
This is where I start paylng really close attention to detail and venture briefly into a non-
contact mind reading experiment.
This is a very safe direction to take because no matter what the outcome, I still have a con-
crete image from the picture-cards to end with. I should also mention this phase is actually very
easy to pull off and gives us three distinct phases:

1. A neutral object (the picture cards) becomes a 3D holographic model

and spatial hallucination for the subject.
2. The non-contact mind reading revelation.
.). The final object reveal and/or thought (drawing) duplication.
 To continue with my spatial hallucination and non-contact mind reading portion, I have the
pariicipant IMAGINE the picture cards becoming a different (random!) object as they directly
experience and verbally describe it.
While this is happening I'm watching closely and taking mental notes regarding the subject's
body language, eye movements, physical expressions, general demeanour and emotions. I notice
where and HOW they are looking at my hands and I ask them to describe the imagined object in
terms of size, shape, colour, density, weight, feel/texture and any scents or sounds associated
with this mental model.
Once the first hallucination has occurred, I give the suggestion for my participant to take a
deep breath, clear their mind and simply IMAGINE that former object morphing into something
else, something completely different and to describe that mental picture once it comes into focus.
Again, I want this to be a multi-sensory experience and so I'11 do things such as have my par-
ticipant reach out into the air with their hand to TOUCH their imagined object, describe its feel,
texture, temperature and more. At times I might have them extend their own hand, palm up, as I
place the imagined object upon it with suggestions they can feel the weight of this piece. I ask
them to imagine any sounds they might associate with such a piece and to ACTUALLY HEAR
those sounds all around them now. Remember that I am watching all of this very closely and tak-
ing mental notes.
Finally, I touch the subject with the suggestion to let that image and experience go and just
imagine another random object they can experience, describe it aloud and experience it briefly in
various ways according to my ornm choosing.
Once the picture cards have become three (3) different models and hallucinations,
I ask the
participant to simply focus on ONE of those 3 imaginary objects and to see that holographic
model planted firmly in my hand once again. It's at this point I divine the CURRENTLY
THOUGHT OF OBJECT.
Again this is very easy to do...I notice how their body language, eye movements (height,
depth, proximity, etc) changes while viewing and compare those to my former mental notes and
observations. By simply watching how closely your subject(s) focus, where they look and how
they appear to interact with this thought of object in their minds and imaginations it's a pret[y
direct shot to get the correct item!
Worst case scenario, you have a r in 3 chance of nailing their object directly. By utilising
sensory acuity, non-contact mind reading techniques and directly employing your previously ac-
quired mental notations during the "warm up" you are at a HUGE advantage...plus, you still have
the image from your picture cards to reveal in whatever manner you wish. Alternatively, you
could also utilise a pendulum or applied kinesiology and muscle testing to get the object.
By applying more of a sensory experience, making their hallucinations REAL, working only
in the mind and having a concrete method to fall back on this becomes more of a focused show
piece and gets very strong reactions...I love it!

Enjoy.

Jerome Finley
 True Mysteries II

Hypno Horror Show

This effect has been left in its original form; this is how I sent it to Gavin when he asked for
my help. His part of the conversation is also included for clarity. This shows how our ideas devel-
op and are refined through performance until we have a piece of magic which is truly wonderful.
The following is a rare occurrence in the literature of magic. It is not often that a publicity
stunt or an effect which is performed on mass, to the whole audience, is shared with the magic
community.

Gavin:
Hi Fraser, thanks for offering to help with this.

I have been booked for a major horror event for a performance of hypnosis and bizarre
magic. The manager is insistent on me using an induction over the speaker system to
cause some people to become rigid or "stuck in a moment" due to the theme of the
event being a curse of stone (I think he has seen a Derren Brourn clip or something
similar).

He kept asking me to come up with something that would cause a mass effect without
a formal stage show. I have never done something like this before. I have done shows
for large and small groups and even college and company events, but not in this way.
Here is some of what I have so far:

I am going to be handing out business cards that have an optical illusion design print-
ed on the back, as well as being treated with a subtle and pleasing scent. They will also
be instructed at the time of the card handout, to place them in their pockets. This
means that when they are following my instructions over the speaker system, their
hands will come close to their faces and they will get a waft of scent which is a confus-
ing and subtle element and thus be another invisible focus for them.

Later on I will announce to the people that have the business cards to hold them up
above eye level and relax:

"Allow yourself to stuck in that euphoric relaxing feeling rooting you

become
there. As Aou store at the card you uill notice a usarmfeeling groruing and grotaing.
For o moment you notice Aour eAes becorne transfixed. on the back of the card,
perhaps euen chonging focus..."

(This is a blatant statement of what they will be seeing as the back of the business
card will have one of those optical illusions which appears to move).
 "...Close Aour eAes andfeel part of this euent. Don't worry about all the other sounds
around aou as you will not cctre in a moment as you stand there and aou are
stuclc in that moment of utonder and bliss..."

So I
am plaFng my bets on them going under or at worst just standing still very re-
laxed (but looking to everyone else to be stuck) and after a few moments, start to
awaken.

I will then announce and instruct those who had a good but maybe odd feeling to come
to my table in the adjoining room. This wording would also cover if they didn't feel
anything other than the following of my instructions.

They should be under the impression that it was a "psychic test" to see if they should
come to my table/show. The 'odd feeling'is an unspecified statement as to label any-
thing they felt at all as odd (which probably most of them will feel) as a,sign.'

so in conclusion, bit of classic 'hyrno' scripting, a bit of "dual reality,, and a bit of con-
vincer.

What do you think? How can I improve this do you reckon?

Fraser:
I think you are on the right lines, Gavin. The use of direct statements that sound like
hypnotic suggestion is a good way to ensure something happens (which seems to be
hypnotic control to the audience and may even seem this way to the participant after
the fact as well).

I think that your approach is a good use of many of the principles found in these mod-
ern approaches to performances of hypnotic control. The main thing to consider would
be clarity of effect. This can be done with good use of scripting. There should be a clear
moment when the participants appear to be stuck due to your words. I am not sure the
participants just standing there would be enough unless you left them like this for a
while.

Maybe go on the microphone before the start of your show by getting the audience to
stand, giving your "induction" and then leaving the audience standing after sa),lng
something along the lines of:

"I usill performing in the lounge this euening . Those of you utho usant to uatch my
be

performance moa do so, as soon as goufind aou can moue your

feet again."

Then walk away, leaving the whole room standing. As long as the "effect" wears off
gradually and everyone does not move right away, it will look as if your words truly
 True Mysteries II

have taken effect. It may be that most of the audience are confused only and this is
what keeps them standing in one place.

This approach would combine the use of direct commands to create an apparent "in-
duction", the participants following along, confusion, real suggestion, as weli as the
'out' of people moving eventually. The fact this all happens before your show has even
apparently begun ensures there is no fear of failure. You are seemingly introducing
yourself to the audience and telling them where your act or the first part of your show
is taking place in an interesting way, while giving yourself the chance to create the illu-
sion of the audience members becoming stuck. If no one understands what has hap-
pened it will simply be that you have introduced yourself to your audience in a strange
and entertaining manner, which will cause a lot of talk.

The whole script might look something like this:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am a [Magician]. I uill be performing for you later on this
euening butfirst of all I uould like gou all to standfor me... If youuould keep your
feet stuck to the J7oor... your feet not mouing at all... simply stuck... Thos toho uish to
see me perform tonight.,I uill be in the loungefor thefirst half of the shou)."

If you say these words and then walk away, you will leave your audience a little con-
fused and unsure what to do while following your commands for them to stand with
their feet stuck in place. Most groups of people are used to standing on request. The
fact that you are the performer will mean they will likely follow your command for
them to stand with their feet stuck also. By walking away you leave your directions
"open ended". This is what creates the confusion and it is this which causes, at the very
least, a lack of action (movement of their feet) in the audience members. This in itself
could look like they have become stuck.

You are now left with every audience member standing with their feet stuck, apparent-
ly due to your words. It is now up to them how long they stay in this position. You have
seemingly Ieft them stuck like this. The good thing about this situation is that as each
audience member starts to move again, it will look
if the effects of your words are
as
slowly starting to wear off for the entire group. This will happen right away for some
and take longer for others. Some may even become so stuck that you have to go up to
them and release them yourself, by touching them on their forehead and saying the
following words:

"Of course Aou are not really stuck. Euerything is back to normal nou. You may join
mefor my performance inthe adjoining room."
 The dual reality principle will ensure that everyone is impressed because each of the
audience members will not know to what degree the rest of the audience were 'under'
the performer's influence.

This is how I would personally approach this specific problem. Not having to rely on
hypnosis working, with no need for actual suggestion. The suggestion is more indirect
and is in how what you do is perceived and how it looks to everyone who is taking part
or watching from the outside. This approach is simple and makes creating the effect
more sure-fire in my opinion, with less fear of failure.

Gavin:
I just wanted to give you a heads up. I did a dry run of the mass hypnosis stunt we
talked about at a hotel event. It worked pretty well!

I got pretty decent cropping and ended up attracting some news vans that were film-
a
ing the hotel party. The only questionable thing that did happen though was about 14
out of the zr people who were 'stuck' did not move, i.e. but their facial expressions to
their friends revealed they were confused and thinking something along the lines
of ,"am I supposed to think I am stuck?!"

What advice would you give on this? As far as I am concerned, to have zr people actu-
ally stuck out of the 35 people present was a decent result. But are there any ways we
can think of to improve the crop?

After the stunt I thought of perhaps adding an additional line of "You may feel some-
thing interesting grow and expand inside of your thoughts but if you don't feel that
right away just keep your focus inside of yourself'. This would keep them looking for
some ambiguous stimulus (that could be anything) and if they don't find it they are
still going to be searching for it. Hopefully this would keep them from looking around
confused at their friends.

Fraser:
This would work to ensure they do not talk too early or realise that they were not
stuck. Again, it is the words that are important; to ensure that what happens has prop-
er labelling. They should feel as if they were somehow compelled by the performer to
stay still. Even if they think the notion of hypnosis or control through words is silly. If
they follow along at all then it will be too late for them to argue they were not following
along after the fact. This is the basic "Kentonism" out. The way I propose to use it, is to
let the performance speak for itself, and in this way, convince the participants that
something strange has taken place instead of labelling after the fact, as usual.

13
 True Mysteries II

The idea is for the participants to "play along" without them realising that this is what
they are doing, before it is too late. They then start to move again believing that your
words must have had an effect on them in some way.

The words, therefore, need not be too obvious that this is what you mean to happen.
Here are the words I would consider using in this effect now:

"I uill leaue you like this for a moment. I utant you to o'llou yourself to be stuck like
thisfor amoment andfocus onhou thisfeels."

Then leave them like this, until they eventually move again on their ovrryr.

In this way, you get them to essentially play along by telling them to allow themselves
to become stuck, so that they can focus on how this feels and experience the effect for
themselves. Their focusing on how it feels will keep them preoccupied, ensuring they
appear stuck to everyone watching. It will seem to everyone that your words have
caused the participants to become stuck temporarily.

Afterwards they will even be able to tell others how this felt while they were stuck. I
think it will work better this way nou/.

FINAL THOUGHTS
This is how we both now perform this effect. These words direct the participants to stay
stuck to the floor and concentrate on how staying stuck feels. The illusion is therefore created
through their active participation and through their use of imagination. They imagine what you
seem to be performing is true and in the process, make it a reality for everyone concerned. Even
they are fooled in this way. Making for the perfect illusion. How everyone else acts around them
confirms the illusion for them from their own perspective. They will not be able to expose any-
thing because they will not know to what degree the others truly went "under". Each audience
member becomes convinced by the actions of each other. Therefore, an effect much larger than
the sum of its parts is created in the minds of everyone in the room.
This is a great effect ifpresented as an indirect publicity stunt or part ofa larger event.
It can
generate a lot of intrigue, all without the need for actual hypnosis. There really is nothing to it.
Simply speak a few words and believe it will work yourself and you will find you have a rrery easy
way of inducing apparent hypnotic control over an entire room.

t4
 Fre eze

This next effect is a way of sticking an individual to the floor, as opposed to the stuck effect
applied to the whole room. This is slightly different in method, although the effect appears to be
the same.
The participant walks towards the performer and is seen to be made to stop in their tracks
and instantly become stuck to the floor, with both feet unable to move. The performer then con-
tinues to speak to the participant causing them to become completely frozen; their whole body
stuck in place.
This effect uses words and the previous principles combined with another ploy to ensure
this works. The addition of this extra deception makes this effect even more sure-fire and now
easier than ever to perform. This ruse acts as a convincer to the participant as well as a way of
causing the effect to work itself.
The ploy is based on the old body stunts performed in the days of Vaudeville by such per-
formers as Lulu Hurst and Annie Abbot and is a way for creating effects of apparent hlpnotic
influence, using basic principles of mechanics to make certain actions physically impossible for
the person taking part.
The use of little-knowrr principles of physics can still look awesome to a lay audience, even
today. This is used in the following effect as a way of ensuring the participant can not physically
move their feet offthe ground after the command for them to become stuck has been given.
To begin, get the participant to walk towards you from a few feet away. This is to gauge how
they naturally walk so that you will be better prepared for what comes next. Once they reach you,
have them go back to where they started and say the following words in a quieter voice than usu-
al, so only the participant hears exactly what is said.

"Okay. In e moment you are going to ualk touards me again but this time as soon as I lift
up mA hand to your face I utont Aou to stop in your tracks and keep your feet stuck in place,
tuhereuer they happen to be. Okay?"

These words are said in a softer voice and are spoken directly to the participant, so that only
they can really hear what is being said. It does not matter if anyone else hears these words be-
cause it will still seem as if you are giving some kind of hypnotic suggestion to the participant.
The reason we say these words quietly is to create the possibility of a dual reality situation, where
the audience at large perceive a greater effect. If the audience members do not hear you give your
commands then it will seem like you can influence others with gestures alone.
These types of commands can also be given before a performance (pre show). The partici-
pant is told to watch out for a key word or gesture during the show and this is when they are to
follow out the command previously given to them away from the audience. Because the audience
at large do not know of the previous coaxing it will
if it is the key word or gesture along
seem as
with your power of influence that has caused the participant to act in the way they do. This can

15
 True Mysteries II

look very magical and allows for a seeming instant induction, without any hylnosis. This idea
will be explored in more detail later on in this work.
I say the previous words and then take a few steps back to where I was stood. Then I say
openly:

"Okay toalk slotuly totuards me againnout."

I look at their feet as they walk towards me and then timing it so that they are mid step I Iift
my hand in front of their face, so that they stop when both of their feet are planted on the floor
away from their body. They should now be in a position where both of their feet are planted on
the floor, forming a scissor shape with their legs. If they do not stop in this position or change the
orientation oftheir feet, then get them to take one step baclaarards.
This position is what creates the convincer using the laws of physics and ensures they are
unable to Iift their feet in a moment. As long as they are not allowed to shift their centre of gravity
onto any foot and are forced to stay exactiy where they are, they will find it impossible to lift ei-
ther foot offthe ground.
The way I ensure their centre of gravity stays over the middle of the space in between each
foot is to gently place my right hand on their right shoulder. This looks to the audience as though
I am creating a greater rapport with the participant via a touch but in reality I am using the touch
to ensure the participant does not move very far away from their centre of gravity. If they begin to
move forwards or backwards when asked to try to lift either of their feet it is simply a matter of
gently resisting this movement with my hand. They usually will not push too hard against my
hand as they already subconsciously understand they are to stay in place from the simple fact
that I have placed my hand on top of their shoulder, as a way of keeping them still. The rest of the
secret is the words. These also ensure the participant stays completely still, so that they will not
be able to move either of their feet.

"NILU. I uant you to stoA completely still, exactly uhere Aou are, bothfeet stuck to the

floor. Stay uhere aou ore and try to lift your front foot nota."

These words sound like hypnotic suggestions to the audience and will seem that way to the
participant later on too. As long as they follow your directions not to change the position of their
body they will find they can no longer lift either of their feet offthe ground.

"Perhaps Aou con slide your front foot forutard a little but you can not lift it off the
ground as dyou are stuckto thefloor."

I continue along to the next phase.

"As you stay like this for a little uhile o:nd. stay completely still not mouing your body at
oll, imagine that your whole body is notu becoming frozen in ploce."

r6
 I get them to now imagine that not only are their feet stuck but their arms are now frozen in
place like a statue. Then I let go of their shoulder and take a step back, leaving them like this for a
few moments. Nothing is really happening here. To the audience, however, your words make it
Iook as though you have now caused the participant to become completely frozen in place. They
may imagine this to be so and in doing so make it a reality for themselves in their experience.
This is the effect we are going for but it will not matter either way as you do not ask the partici-
pant to prove whether or not their whole body is stuck in place. The first phase of their feet stick-
ing and the suggestion that they are now stuck completely, along with the participant following
your commands for them to remain completely stil1, are enough to convince everyone watching
that this is the case.
I leave them like this for a little while and then end the suggestion. To do this I touch the
participant on their forehead and say the following words:
"Of course, you are not really stuck. Ever),thing is back to normal now. You can move your
whole body as perfectly as before."
The effect is very strong. I have had others convinced that they were influenced by my words
to become completely frozen and unable to move their arms as well as their feet. This is due to
the suggestion inherent in the performance as well as the convincer provided by the "body magic"
principle to "pace and lead" the experience of the participant and the fact that we get them to
have an experience by imagining what that experience would be like. Of course, the use of direct
commands also helps.
This effect shows how all of these principles can be put together and used as building blocks
to create your own effects of hypnotic influence, without the need for actual hypnosis or any
trance states. The effects possible are truly limitless.

GAVIN'S COMMENTS
Here is an early version Fraser and I discussed and I now use just as regularly as Fraser's
version above. This could be incorporated into a real demonstration of hypnosis.

EFFECT
A person appears to instantly freeze in place when a performer puts his hand up and they
appear to remain frozen for some time, even after the hand is removed. The spectator is then
asked to move on their own free will and find they truly cannot move. No pre-show, no stooging,
no post hypnotic trigger, the participant genuinely cannot move when asked to do so.

Entertainer: Hello Sir, can Aou help me usith something?

Spectator: Sure. What is it?
Entertainer: I uould like you to moue around, side to side, nota raise your arms
up and and put them doun. Walkforuard touards me. Great! Easy
right? Nou ualkback.
Spectator: Yeahit's pretty easy (laughing slightly sarcastically).
Entertainer: Okay good. Notu ualkforutard please.

L7
 True Mysteries II

Entertainer holds up his hand and the spectator stops; frozen in time! The entertainer
slowly lowers his hand and the participant stares ahead while their whole body is stiff.

Entertainer: As you are frozen in thought and allouing yourself to store o,heod
now! Allotu thot thought to completely fill your mind and body.

The effect is allowed some time to take hold.

Entertainer: Noru as you think of that, imagine hout your legs feel in this frozen
thought. You houe the ability to ollou yourself to talk. Whot does
thatfeel like?
Spectator: It's heaug and...like cold cement. It's tueird!
Entertainer: Interesting that you say that. You begin to notice that as youfocus
on your feet frozen in time in that position AND W to moue
forward, youfind that you cannot as there is thatfeeling of cold utet
cement pumping through your body. Go ahead, try your hcrdest to
moue, walkforuard.
Spectator: Wctit...I can't, (a struggling grunt or huo) uou! I can't!
Entertainer: Nou notice that as Aou o'llou yourself to freeze, that cold feeling
moues through your body up to Aour torso, Aou can feel that nou,
can'tyou?!
Spectator: Yeah... yeah I can.
Entertainer: Try nou and moue your body as your feet are stuck ond you find
gou con't!
Spectator: Yeah...I con't!Crazy!
Entertainer: Nou! (Touches the head of spectator) I giue you tlrc pouter to release
withinyourself the abilitg to un-freeze!

Spectator has an amazed and somewhat spooked look as they regain their ability to
move.

EXPT-ANATION
The early version of this effect involved secretly cueing the person helping in the effect with
a written cue on the hand. They would walk towards you and you would raise your hand towards
their eye level where the command'STOP!" would be r,r,ritten on your palm. They would read the
command and naturally act on it by stopping in their tracks. This involved a clean up at the end
and extra linguistic subtleties to ensure your cueing remained hidden from the audience at large.
Eventually we decided to remove this part of the effect and simply give directions to the partici-
pant for them to stop as soon as we raise our hand to their eye level instead.
This is another way of achieving 'Freeze' within a stage hlpnosis show by merging trance
illusion with real hypnotic trance states:

r8
 Invite a volunteer to join you on stage and condition the volunteer to react to non verbal ges-
tures by conditioning them to comply with a series of examples they have to follow. The words
below are said with the appropriate accompanying gestures.

"I tuould like you to moue around, side to side, nou raise your arms up and put them
doun. Walkforward to me. Great! Easy right...?"

"...Noto tualkback... are LUe on the same taauelength?"

This is an affirmation on their part to assure they understand that they are to comply with
your gestures. Now have them walk forward as you hold your hand out as you look at them and
slowly nod. They will take this as a non verbal cue for them to stop. Then continue by saying:

"As you stand there frozen c:nd. stare straight ahead.. ."

This creates the illusion they completely froze without any verbal cues or hypnosis and sug-
gests they are frozenin all body movement, but in fact, they simply followed your hand and nod
cue. To them as they are looking at your palm any,way, it will seem that you told them in a subtle
way to also stare ahead. To everyone else it seems like you are just reinforcing what they are aI-
ready doing. This, technically, is you cueing them but in a non verbal way. The conversation is
now taken toward a suggestibility test of sorts, as you start to elicit from the volunteer how it feels
to imagine themselves frozen in place etc...

"As you imagine nout Aourself to be frozen solid in place and you find it relaxing to stay in
that thought, tellus hou youfeel."

From this point on you feed back the key descriptive terms they use to describe their imag-
ined state of being. This allows you to engage their imagination and creative cognition in a way
that's most easy for them to relate to in the moment. Let's say they described it as a "relaxing,
cold feeling" and a "magnetic pul1" on their limbs. I would then say:

"That's interesting , because, did you kttow, that os Aou start

feel that magnetic attrac-
to

tion start to pull more and more on your limbs, you begin to notice your breathing nou as that
reloxing cool utaue of euphoria glues your mind right here in this moment. Thatfeeling is
slightly odd, isn't it? Yes?!"

Of course, they will agree that something strange is taking place. They are being told to
stand still and imagine odd feelings. Along with this, a nod from you will elicit a nod from the
spectator. Gary Kurtz calls this "Ieading with your head". To the audience, they see you point to
the spectator as you make your statement. The confirmation of the spectator is thought to be a
confirmation of his current frozen state to everyone else. This is the pure illusion aspect of this
effect.

"Nout tue are going to take this one stepfurther... "

t9
 True Mysteries II

Now you continue along with the induction you planned on doing all along. So in the eyes of
the audience you have taken someone from an alert and sprightly state of awareness, froze them
in place with within seconds, and then took them into hypnosis. In the eyes of the vol-
a gesture
unteer they were told to keep in place and imagine a few odd sensations, then became totally re-
laxed and passed into an interesting state of awareness. Both parties will have experienced the i

same effect by the end of the routine. This is just one of my takes on mixing actual hypnosis with :

dual reality. I hope you like it.

Thank you, Gavin, for sharing how you use imagination to transfer from illusion into real
altered states in your stage shows. The great thing about this approach is the fact that an effect is
created as a by-product of the induction. Do not miss this very subtle notion. This gem is worth
many times the asking price of this book on its ornm.
 Post H pnotic Illusion
It is possible to use words or even images or syrnbols to create something similar to a post
hypnotic suggestion, with our approach to creating the illusion of influence ala'True Mysteries.'
Say you perform a feat of influence using the principles found in 'True Mysteries' and cause
the participant to believe they were truly under your influence. Then is should be easy to suggest
that this same effect can happen quickly again, later on.

"Thank youfor doing this. The strange thing about this is that euen though gou are not
hypnotised or in ony trance, uhen you heor me.say the ruord 'Zolta,' you uill find that you are
unable to [sqeak] again."

The reason this works is, you have already proven you can influence the participant with
your words, so they will believe that this is possible too. It works in the same way a post hypnotic
suggestion would work with standard hypnosis.
The use of a word could be substituted for a visual cue, such as a s1'rnbol drawn on your
hand or an image drawn on a card.
This idea of "triggering" the commands given to a participant previously, eventually lead to
the following advancements: The use of post "hypnotic" suggestions could be done covertly in-
stead of out in the open. Instead of performing an effect of apparent hlpnotic influence and then
using a command to 'trigger' a similar state in the participant later on, you could give the full
command to the participant in secret. This is akin to doing "pre show" work with an audience
member.
Later on, you could say a few key words the participant recognises and achieve the same re-
sult you would with longer more direct commands. The participant has already been told to act a
certain way when they hear a certain key word later on in the performance. Their following along
will convince them of the effect in the same way the more overt way of performing these effects
would. The only difference is in how this is perceived by the audience. The audience will think
that you can influence others with very little effort. This will make what you already per{orm that
much more powerful. It is a theatrical short cut for my'True Mysteries'work.
The basic idea is to do all of your influence work (giving direct commands) covertly and per-
forming the results of this secret "coaxing" in front of the audience. This is not a stooge situation.
The participant will be just as fooled as everyone else watching, as with the previous methods.
The only difference is in how powerful the performer appeals to those involved.
The way Iusually set this up is to give the secret directions to the participant during the
show instead of before, as is standard. I do this openly with a person from the group I am cur-
rently performing for. I then walk over to another group and start to perform. This group is not
aware of the secret "coaxing" of the participant, across the room. I would perform a few effects

for the new group and then find a way of bringing the previously "set up" participant into their
awareness and perform the planned on effect.
 True Mysteries II

Ttrose with 'True Mysteries'will be familiar with this concept from the hands
off solution to the Berglas Effect.
This basic shift in focus can be taken even further; The "set up" can be used to cause phe-
nomena to take place from across the room as will be shown in the following pages.

i G,wIN'S COMMENTS
i One of the most dramatic displays of apparent mind control to a layman is with the use of

i po.t hypnotic commands. For those of you who are not familiar with the idea I will give a brief
i explanation:
i Wt it" under the experience of hlpnosis the subject is given a command to do such and such
: after the hypnotist brings that person back to earth. In short, if X is present, then do Y.
;
:
With the use of post hypnotic commands many displays of apparent mind control can be
: achieved when the work is done in pre-show. I love the idea of
i walking up to a group, being called to a challenge or even on stage and executing stunts that
i could only be achieved with long inductions or stooges. The work in 'True Mysteries' is designed
i to b" used as such if you add your or,rm creativity and "scale it up", as they say. i

, e"irrg as there are no need for props in the traditional sense, these ideas can truly be scaled ,

i up or douryr. Take the next effect for instance, think not just about the script and method but how i
:-
: you can apply rt.
:............",... ....................,.:
:
 Hypnotic Induction at a Distance

After per{orming a few effects for the group you are currently performing for, turn to one of
the people present, who has been responding well to your previous suggestions and say the fol-
Iowing words:

"I am going to go ocross the room and performfor another group but in afetu minutes I
am going to look ouer ot Aou, so if you could stay right uhere Aou are and look out for tahen I
look ouer. As soon os Aou notice I am staring ouer ot Aou, I uant Aou to close your eyes and
slouly let your headfallforuards ond stand there like this until I come ouer to Aou. ?his rs
nothing to uorry about. It is not hypnosis but more a subtleform of influence."

This is the "set up" of the participant. The group you now go and perform for will not be
aware of this subtle "coaxing" of the participant and will therefore be very impressed when you
seemingly cause someone from across the room to become hypnotised simply by staring at them.
It will not matter if the first group hear this 'set up' as they will still perceive an effect, as
does the participant. The participant will still feel they were influenced to do as you bid by acting
out your directions as you stare at them because this is what looks like took place.
To create the effect for the group you move to, after giving directions to the participant, say
the following words:

"One of the things I can do is, put someone into a trance just by staring at them."

Look around the room, as if trying to find a suitable person to try this on. Then once you
have found the previously 'set up' participant, get eye contact and start to stare at them. They
should seem to fall into a trance, within a few seconds. Now it is just a case of going over to the
participant and doing any effect you would normally do after performing a standard hypnotic
induction.
This is the excuse for performing a seeming induction at all. Perhaps, the effect you are at-
tempting needs for the participant to be in a relaxed or altered state of some kind.
It is important when giving your directions that you direct the participant to stay standing.
You do not want them to become so relaxed that they fall over. This could do great harm if they
fall and as you are across the room you will not be able to do your standard safety checks. Ifyou
think that this might be a problem, then only perform this when your participant is already sit-
ting dovrn.
The great thing about this approach and other effects using this ploy is, even if the partici-
pant talks to members of the other group afterwards, the effect will remain
in tact. It will be perceived to a lesser degree but you will have still done what you claim you
can do.
This may look like "stooging" to some of you, on the surface. However, due to the other prin-
ciples already discussed, this becomes much more subtle in performance. If you act as if they are

23
 True Mysteries II

"in on it" then this is how the person helping will feel too. On the other hand, if you truly believe
you are influencing others to do what you want, then this is how what you do will be perceived by
everyone, not just the audience.
You can deepen the state the participant finds themselves in, after the initial'induction'by
getting them to...

"Relax... Deeper and deeper nou) as Aou stqA exactly uhere Aou are."

This will help convince the participant after the fact, that they were perhaps in some sort of
altered state.

DUAL REALITY TIE-UP

This as with all of the scripting in this manuscript is purposefully simplified and left basic in
order to show the main principles at work. Of course, each of the effects can be bolstered with
actual suggestion in order to create a more believable experience or altered state for each person
involved. I do believe however that doing so is not always necessary and with a little thought the
scripting can be adjusted to al1ow the first and second principle to work seamlessly together to
create the greater deception and overall illusion ofhypnotic control.
The basic structure and scripting and principles of the first True Mysteries effects as well as
those in this up to date manuscript I feel can also be applied more subtly - using suggestion as

opposed to direct commands.

Yes, I am aware that this implies that suggestion would be the whole method in such cases.
However, your understanding of what is taking place has changed. To the point where you can
now dare to perform specific feats you may have doubted would be possible with pure suggestion,
in the past.
The approach of True Mysteries therefore, seems to be a good way of deconstructing why
certain suggestion works.
What follows is my way of tying up the loose ends of the Dual Reality in the previous effect
for creating Induction at Distance.
The change of script which follows means that if the participant is asked by someone after
the fact, why they closed their eyes the answer they give will no longer be a problem. The answer
will fit the different perception of the audience instead of causing the greater reality to unravel.
This came out of me trying to constantly improve and refine my own work and is how I now
give my participant their directions.

"I am going to try to put you into an altered statef-rom ocross the room. This may or maA
not happen. I uill look at Aou directly - tuhen I do I want you to look into mA eAes. This moy
tc,ke afeu seconds but u;hen youfeel like closing Aour eAes I usant you to close Aour eAes
AND slotuly bou; your headforutards as you allou yourself to relox."

The instructions for them to check back a few times to see if you are looking at them (see
next effect) apply here. The difference between this scripting and the previous way of setting this
up is the use of seeming uncertainty as to whether they will close their eyes to "go under" or not.

24
This however, is never truly open for debate. These words still imply the participant is to close
their eyes, regardless; only that they shouid wait until they are ready. This is linked to the idea of
them feeling when to do so. Therefore, when asked after the fact, why they close their eyes they
will at best say that they just felt it was right to do so or worst case that they don't know. This
shift of meaning as to "why?" they close their eyes helps to push any objection there may be after
the effect is over.
If you perform this with the belief you are in fact causing the participant to go into an al-
tered state then this is how what happens will be viewed by everyone involved.

25
 True Mysteries II

The Sense of Being Stared At

This was an old, unfinished idea of mine. My initial thoughts were to get eye contact with
someone from across the room and once they were looking over, to smile at them. They would
then turn back around and continue with the conversation they were having with someone else.
Because I had looked at them, they would be curious to see if I was still looking over. This was my
way of causing someone to turn around in a impromptu, casual setting. It would simply be a case
of telling the group you were with that you had the power to make others turn around by staring
at them ahead of time and then getting everyone to watch while you were waiting for the person
across the room to turn around a second time, to check if you were still staring.
If you stare at them the first time and perhaps not smile, then they will want to know why
you keep staring at them. They may even come over and ask you. This could look and feel very
strange to everyone watching, including the person being stared at. It is important you do not
upset anyone, of course. If everyone in the room is aware that you are the performer then this
should not be a problem. If they come over you can say:

" Did y ou feel me staring at y ou?"

They will admit they knew you were staring at them. This will be enough to convince every-
one that perhaps a strange telepathic influence was at play. They did, after all, notice you were
staring on their o'wrr, the first time you attempted to get eye contact.

"Yes. It is strange isn't it? Let me shotu you something euen stranger."

This is a good way of getting someone over to perform another effect. Doing a trick after-
wards is a good way of letting the person who was being stared at know that you are the per-
former and what you are doing is entertainment.

FORMAL VERSION
If you set the premise upin advance it becomes much easier to perform at a moment's no-
tice. This also labels whatever happens later as a strange influence you have over the person you
decide to stare at.

"One of the things I can do is cause someone to turn oround just by staring at them. I shall
shou you later."

This is the impromptu version of this effect. The conditions will not always be favourable but
when they are, you will have another strange effect to help bolster the effects you already per-
form.
The formal way of performing this would be to "set up" the person being stared at, ahead of
time. This is done in much the same way you would perform the long distance induction. Say the

z6
following words to one of the audience members, before moving to another group across the
room:

"I am going to performfor another group ocross the room. In afeto minutes I am going to
stare at you. I u;ant you to see if you canfeel uhen I am doing this and to turn around and look
directly at me uhen gou think I may be looking ouer. Okay?"

These words are directions for how your helper is to act and ensure they turn around in a
few minutes. It sounds if you are telling them to wait until they feel you staring at them. How-
as
ever, this notion of the sense of being stared at is adiusted slightly and made more concrete with
the last line. You ask them to turn around when they "think" you "may" be looking over. This is a
very different statement to saying turn around when you "feel" something odd.
By getting the participant to turn around when they think you may be staring at them, you
get them to essentially guess. There is never any argument as to whether they should turn around
or not. The suggestion is that this will happen. They are to decide when they do so, that is all.
This direct statement is linked to the idea of them feeling when this will happen and this is what
helps complete the illusion in their minds. This can be made even more effective by using actual
suggestion and unspecified language to ensure the participant thinks they feel something but this
is not necessary. The direct statement and the other principles from this work, all combine to
create the illusion that the spectator can feel when the performer is staring at them.
-
The good thing about this is that the person helping will keep on checking to see
if you are looking over. If you are not looking over, then they will assume they "got it wrong" and
could not really feel you staring at them but when they do eventually look over and you are star-
ing at them, this will complete the illusion for them. They did manage to accurately perceive
when you were looking over this time.
If anyone asks the person taking part how it felt to be involved after the fact, it will not mat-
ter if they reveal they were given directions, ahead of time. They still turned around when they
felt the performer was staring at them. To everyone involved this looks like real telepathic influ-
ence. The only difference is in how this is perceived; The use of dual reality allows you to create
an even stronger effect for the audience, but even if this comes undone, you still appear to be do-
ing what you claim to be doing.

DA
 True Mysteries II

Telepathic Influence

The next effect puts all of the aforementioned ideas together. Here is the culmination of the
previous thoughts on creating the illusion of influence via telepathy, as they were first written up.
This particular effect has since evolved somewhat and a second version will be shared in a few
moments.
This uses my approach to pseudo hypnosis and the principles found in the True Mysteries
work.
This is similar, in essence, to an effect by Jerome Finley and the way he performs his ovrn
version of the brilliant 'PK touches' by Banacheck. It can be found in Finley's 'T&R' manuscript
under the heading 'Short Touches' and is a genius, pure, and completely new arrangement for
this classic. I highly recommend getting this and all of his various other works when they become
available to you.
These principles create the illusion of hypnotic control and ensure something actually hap-
pens. It is then simply a matter of presenting this use of direct commands in such a way, as to
make your influence appear to be happening telepathically.
This is how I would handle this tlpe of presentation. I would go up to a participant and say
the following:

"I uant you to perform a specific action in a moment. I uant you to place one of gour
hands on Aour head but onlg uhen you think I am sending the thought for you to do so."

I have used the example of placing a hand on the head, but you could substitute this for any
simple action.
This is done without the audience at large hearing what is said. It really does not matter if
anyone else overhears this as they will still experience an effect. This is the dual reality principle.
The audience will perceive a slightly greater version of the effect than the participant. The partic-
ipant, as well as anyone else who hears this opening script, will perceive a subdued version of the
effect butwill still feei that you had a telepathic influence over them.
You can leave the participant and try to send the thought for them to move at what- ever
point in your show you want. They will be expecting to perform the move at some point and will
be waiting for your cue to do so. It is as easy as that.
I suggest creating a specific moment that this is supposedly happening so that it is clear to
the audience. The way I would do this is to get the participant to come over to where you are per-
forming, and in front of the audience, say the following words:

"I am going to attempt afeat of influence uia telepathy. I uant you to close your eyes and
uait untilyou think that I am sending you the thought of a specific action and then act out this
thought."

zB
 By telling the participant to waituntil they think you are sending the thought, instead of
when they actually receive a thought, you ensure they eventually do something. This will usually
be a guess by the participant but because they know to perform a movement at some point, this
will definitely happen.
They expect to have to move at some point and will therefore perform the movement at the
slightest indication for them to do so. This may be an 'unspecified' odd feeling that you suggest
they will feel or any thought they think they may have received from your mind into theirs. The
fact that you expect them to do something and are waiting for this to happen will usually be
enough to get them to perform the action you want.
I would write dovm whatever movement you have told the participant to perform and show
this to the audience, before "sending" the thought. This way the audience will perceive a much
stronger version of the effect; It will seem to be a miracle from the perspective of the audience, as
they do not know about your secret coaxing of the participant to perform a certain movement.
They wiII think that the participant has truly been influenced via telepathy and somehow picked
up on the thought you were sending. The participant will still think that you can merely think of
something and influence others to act out your thoughts.
To make sure the participant perceives this as magic I wrap up the effect with the following
words:

"Thank youfor doing this. Perhaps it is possible to influence others uith just our thoughts."

This labels what has happened as a form of influence and causes the participant to rethink
what has taken place. They will realise that you did have an influence over them, all along.
Why else would they simply foliow along and do as you wish with so little effort on your
part?
The participant should not be aware of any uniting down of the thought. This is covered by
the participant having their eyes closed during the sending of the thought.
Even if the participant talks after the fact and reveals to the rest of the audience that you told
them what action to perform, it will still seem you are able to influence others at specific mo-
ments via telepathy. The worst that can happen is that the audience will now perceive the effect
from the point of view of the participant. This is still a good trick.

EVOL\'ED METHOD
Since first performing this effect I have made the following changes to the scripting. This
makes the effect even more water-tight in terms of the different realities created by the dual reali-

W ploy. The participant now believes they could truly "feel" the moment the telepathic communi-
cation took place, after the fact. Their words will no longer betray the illusion created in the audi-
ence members'minds, when they discuss the effect afterwards.
So here is the final script from 'Telepathic Influence.' The changes include suggestion to
cause the participant to feel the moment the telepathic influence happens, as well as a way of
urapping up the loose ends created by the use of the dual reality ploy.
I say the following words to the participant, away from the audience. This happens quickly
and can be done as you bring the participant to the larger group to perform.

29
 True Mysteries II

"I uant you to [place your hand on Aour head] in a moment BUT only uhen you think you
haue receiued my thoughtfor you to do so. Okay?"

This sets up the participant and ensures they understand what they are to do in a moment.
You then proceed to say the following so the audience hears too:

"I am going to attempt to influence you uia telepathy . If you tuould close your eyes and
reloxfor me. I tuill send my thought in a moment. This uillfeel a little strange. I uant you to
uait until you think you receiue my thought ctnd then to act it out."

The participant will understand this to mean they are to wait for any feeling that is out of the
ordinary and then perform the action you have already instructed them to perform. However, the
audience at large perceive these words to mean you are going to send a thought of an action and
it will be this thought, along with your influence, which causes the participant to do what they do.

This difference in how the effect is perceived is very subtle. The only difference is that the partici-
pant has been told ahead of time what action to perform. They will still believe they were influ-
enced by your thought via Telepathy due to your suggestion and that the moment this happens
will feel strange.
The writing down of the action is for the benefit of the audience. This can be shown casually
at the end of the presentation to the participant, as you put it away if you so choose. The fact that
they are not impressed by the fact they were able to pick up on the exact thought written will be
missed by the audience because of the way you \.!Tap up the effect and confirm the process; They
may imagine that the participant was still subdued by what has just taken place and this is why
they were not impressed with their action matching what was written dourn ahead of time.

"Excellent!Thankgoufor doing this,AoucanopenAour eAesnou. Hotu didthatfeel?You

felt the moment I sent you the thought? The thought uas for you to put your hand on your head
and this is uhat you did. Perhaps it is possible to influence others uith thought, after all.
Thanks again."

By asking the participant how taking part felt to them, you are indirectly answering any
questions the audience may have about the performance upfront and, in the process, get them to
confirm the illusion for you.
The audience will be satisfied that what they have witnessed must have been a real experi-
ence for the participant.
I label the experience of the participant as telepathic influence. This is also how the audience
perceive what takes place. Therefore, the participant talking about the effect in these terms will
not expose the method.
The fact that the participant imagines that they feel something ensures they perceive an ef-
fect. There is a greater chance the participant mayfeel they are only playing along with this effect.
This is due to the fact you essentially tell them what to do in secret. This can be overcome with
further labelling before and after the fact, with scripting which creates the correct context for the

3o
performance. I usually prefer to allow the per{ormance to speak for itself. However, additional
labelling can be useful. One "bind" I always have in the back of my mind is the basic out for 'Ken-
tonism':

"Of course, this person tuas not just merely playing along. They are no pushouer u;ho does
euerything euerAone tells them to, tuith no conscious thought uhatsoeuer..."

This ensures the person helping thinks that a strange influence must have been at work. Ei-
ther that or they have to accept that they are easily led. Not many people would want to admit
that this is true for them.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS
This can be made even more powerful with the following change of scripting and the addi-
tion of a whisper.
After the participant has performed whatever action you sent telepathically, say the follow-
ing words.

"Did you o.ctuo,lly receiue the thought for you to liJt gour hclnd. to yourforehead2"

This ties up the dual reality completely. The participant will confirm they could/eel some-
thing and will indirectly confirm to the audience they must have received the actual thought of
action in the process. The two different notions of receiving a thought (already knoum by the par-
ticipant) by feel and receiving the actual thought telepathically become linked in the minds of
everyone involved, including the participant. This works because you mention the target thought
as part of the question regarding the experience of the participant.
They will confirm they received the exact thought you sent them by answering your question
in the affirmative.
This ensures the audience are satisfied and never question if the participant genuinely re-
ceived the thought-of action or not.
I would just put the written prediction of their action away at this point without showing it
to the participant to ensure their lack of reaction is not a problem.
This line is very subtle but devastatingly deceptive when combined with dual reality and a
previous set up of the participant:
The set up of the participant can be done with a whisper. This allows for the directions for
how you want the pafticipant to act to be given in front of the everyone, without the audience
ever being aware any specific directions were given.
The use of whispers is an idea of my good friend Peter Turner. I suggest checking out what
he does with them if you have not done so already. His work with this technique is ingenious.
I cover the fact I
am saying something covertly to the participant with a whisper by also
whispering a pseudo hypnotic command ala 'True Mysteries.' I whisper the following words in
the ear of the participant:

31
 True Mysteries II

"I tuant you to lift your lrund to your forehead uhen youfeel me send the thought for you
to do so but first I taant you to count to three in your head then close your eyes and slouly botu
gour head."

I then lean back and stare at the participant. They will count to three secretly in their head
and then close their eyes and bow their head. This creates the illusion of an instant induction and
provides a justification for the whisper. It looks as if you whisper a suggestion for them to be-
come hlpnotised. The reason you do this covertly is presumably so that no one else goes under.
The command for them to count to three ensures there is a delay before they fall into a
seeming trance. This looks better theatrically.
The participant will also believe that perhaps they were in some form of trance thanks to the
second principle of acting as if it is so, convinces the participant as well as everyone watching of
the effect.
You are now set to perform'Telepathic Influence' after eliminating the need for pre show.

"I am going to send you a thought telepathically. I taant you to uait until you think you
receiue this thought then act on it..."

This whisper can be taken to even greater heights when combined with other True Mysteries
concepts. The following is a template for you to create your own wonderful hyrnotic tests:
In this example, I use the whisper to create a seeming hallucination. Thanks goes to my good
friend Patrick Riley for prompting this thought process.
I perform the seeming induction via a whisper by whispering the following words in the ear
of the participant:

"I utant you to irnogine the [eraser] on the table is a spider and act as if you are terrified
of it ushen I snap my fingers butfirst close your eyes and slouly bou your head,for me."

They will close their eyes and seem to fall into a trance. Now with their eyes closed I would
either pick up the pencil eraser from off the table to indicate the object which is going to be im-
portant in a moment to the audience or simply point to it. The participant does not see this.
However, you have already indicated which object they are to respond to with your whisper for
them to go under.
I would then write the word'spider' in bold letters on a pad or board so that the audience at
large can see what is written. The participant does not see this because they have their eyes
closed. I would then put the pad down and turn the board away from the participant so they can
not see the writing when they open their eyes.
Then I snap my fingers. The participant will come out of their seeming trance instantly and
open their eyes and then almost instantly start reacting to the very ordinary object as if it is a
scary spider.
This will be the proof that your hypnotic suggestions work but even better than that thanks
to the dual reality set up by the whisper it will look like a 'Telepathic Influence' instead of the
usual overt form ofhypnosis seen on stage.

J1
 The usual principles then go to work to convince the participant that they must have been
hypnotised in one form or another to act in the way they did.
The principles of creating pseudo trance effects ala 'True Mysteries' work to convince the
participant they were in some form of altered state and were under the influence of the performer
even though this is illusion primarily. They will believe they were influenced by the performer to
close their eyes and wiII think they were perhaps in an altered state due to their willingness to act
out what the performer suggests.
This is just a seed of an idea. I leave it to you to apply this idea in whichever way you wish.
Hint. This could be used to create an entire act of seeming hypnosis without any hypnosis having
to be employed. It would replace the out dated stage whisper version of hypnosis where the per-
former would simply stooge the on stage helpers and get them to play along using a whisper. This
version ensures no one feels as if they are simply playng along or are in on it in any way.

.).)
 True Mysteries II

Stuck in Time
A variation of Fraser's Stuck for the Moment frorn True Mysteries. Erplanation
bY Gavin.

EFFE,CT
Based on Fraser's idea from True Mysteries, the spectator becomes stuck. This one is mod-
elled to have them apparently freeze in place when you hand them some- thing casually.

EXPI-ANATION
For this effect I use an old battered pocket watch along with a story. This is best used after
you have already performed an effect.

"Nou before I moue on, let's try something a little more prouocatiue, if you could help me
uith that?"

I take out the pocket watch and go on to explain the following to the participant:

"I am sure you haue heard of the hypnotists from Aeors gone by, uho, using the euer popu-
lar pocket uatch, uould influence their subjects by simply suinging it infront of their eyes and
causing them to go into en altered state, correct?"

They usually agree at this point, even if they have not heard of anything of the sort.

particular watch supposedly belonged to a gentleman uho trcruelled the usorld

"... tuell this
doing hypnosis. Euen though he tuas ctduertised as a hypnotist, some belieued his entertainment
toas not hypnosis but uas something much more mystical."

This will imply, after the effect is over, that what they experienced was not hS,pnosis but was
instead, a different form of influence as exhibited by the old or.tner of the pocket watch.
This means that if your participant does not feel they were hypnotised after the fact, then
this will not be a problem as you have already labelled what is going to happen as something oth-
er than hypnosis. They will go away thinking that the reason they became stuck was because of
the more mysterious form of influence you talk about. The only explanation they are left with is
something without an explanation.

"I myself haue neuer used the utatch in performances of actual hypnosis but I haue come to
notice some odd things happen uhen others hold onto the usatch. They say that they feel stuck in
one moment of time."

i I start to stare deeply into their eyes and take a more serious tone at this point.

34
 "Look at the uatchfor me...Aou can imagine tuhat being stuck in a moment in time feels

As they do thisI start to hand the watch to them. The second their hand is outstretched and
holding onto the watch I continue to say:

"I utant you freeze nou! As you look at the uatch ticking andfocus on thatfeeling and
to

become stuck in time tuith the tuatch, as if by listening to my tuords you becomefrozen in time...
not responding to the tuorld around you."

I slowly release my grip on their arm which will remain in mid air with the watch. I also
wave my hands in front of their eyes to which they don't react. Why? Because you just blatantly
told them to freeze and not to respond to anything.
At this point I would let the idea of the person becoming stuck sink in for a moment and
then deepen each factor by stating:

FRASER'S COMMENTS
I like this take on my Stuck for the Moment effect. It turns the basic premise of the partici-
pant becoming stuck and unable to let go of an object into a more theatrical presentation. The
effect now looks to be a slowing dor.,r.n of time for the participant and this is the reason they seem-
ingly cannot let go of the watch.
They will also feel that this is what actually took place, due to the use of imagination and the
fact you tell them to focus on how this would feel if it were to happen to them.

35
 True Mysteries II

F re eze-ine Idea

Explanation by Gavin.

Another spawn of the freeze concept I have used from time to time uses a magazine to pro-
vide a prediction in the vein of the overall effect. How I go about this is finding a magazine with a

large advert for a watch. Almost every domestic magazine has them. If you pick one out and look
at the ad you will notice that they are also set to a time. Find such a magazine with such an ad,
circle the watch and write above it, "Time stops now".
Take note of the time displayed in the watch advert. Prior to the performance I select a spec-
tator with an analogue watch. I kindly ask them to let me borrow their watch. After they do I have
them hold onto the magazine while I show the watch
to a second spectator in the crowd. I tell them I will set it to rz:oo as 12:oo is the beginning and
the end of time on a time keeping device. In reality the time is turned to the pre-noted time that
is in the ad within the magazine. As I turn the watch face do'rm I use the inner part of my finger
to push the cronm in. The watch is placed in the hand of the second spectator and they are told to
use the finger of their free hand to roll the crown as many rotations as they wish. This is a stan-
dard ruse for making it seem as if the spectator has moved the hands of the watch to a seemingly
'random'time. The hands will not move once the crown has been pushed fully into place.
This done, you turn the watch over and show everyone where they stopped. As you do this,
mime pushing the stem back in.
Now proceed with either Fraser's original Stuck for the Moment outlined in True Mysteries
or my variation of this effect printed above.
Prior to the end of the effect, as an afterthought, you now ask the spectator what time the
watch was turned to. They give their reply. You bring attention to the magazine the spectator you
froze has had the whole time. Bring attention to the fact that just like water when it gets too cold,
or flowing glue as it dries, time too can stop. Perhaps they were influenced more than they first
thought. The magazine is opened and rifled through by the spectator to which they find the ad-
vert of the watch frozen on ink and paper displaying the time that was "chosen". Both the specta-
tor frozen, and the spectator 'choosing' the time, seem to have been influenced by a factor that
was unseen throughout the entire performance. There are many other ways to play the watch ad
ploy, this is just one of them.

FRASER'S COMMENTS
I like this idealot. It gives us a way of making the per{ormance of these effects seem much
a

bigger than they actually are. This is just one way of "scaling" up an effect, as you call it. The pre-
diction acts as a proof of sorts that a deeper form of suggestion must have been at work.

36
 Loss of Memory

The foiiowing is my idea for creating the illusion of erasing a memory. This is my way of cre-
ating amnesia in the participant, without having to rely on hypnotic methods. The secret is
words. The participant will not really forget anlthing, it will just seem this way to those watching.
The memory does not even belong to the participant in the first place. This is the crux of the
method and is how we ensure there is no recollection of the memory, after the fact.
I start offby saying the following words to a spectator:

"I can erose specifi.c memories. They are so clearly forgotten, thqt the person helping utill
slueor they neuer had such a memorA. I couse the helper to forget tuhole detaik, uhile mis-re-
membering others. Euen causing them to confuse their memory with other memories that are
similar."

This briefly explains what is about to happen and also covers any of the possible outcomes of
this effect. These words are your basic 'out' for when the participant speaks after the perfor-
mance. They also create the effect itself.

"The memory is truly remouedfrom the helper in this u.tay. Do Aouuont to try this?"

I then start to describe a memory, which is common to most. This is what convinces eyery-
one watching, that you truly know the memory the participant is merely thinking of. It will seem
like telepathy to the rest of the audience. The participant will just think that you mean for them
to get a specific memory in mind, common to most.

"Think of a nice memorA . This can be anything . There is a memory of a Holiday. Think of
this for me nou). There is a blue sky. The uteather is hot. There are others all around you, on the
beach."

If you know Peter Turner's'Confirmation Principle'then this is the perfect time to utilise it.
If not, then simply start to describe any generic memory that the participant is likely to have had.
Continue the script with the following words.

"I am going to continue to describe Aour memorg but as I do, the details are going to be-
come more and more foggU, os if my utords are actually erasing Aour memorA ."

This labels what is about to happen as a loss of memory. In fact, you are going to describe
the memory in more and more detail. This way you are likely to start to get details incorrect.
Eventually, ending with a description of their memory, which is totally off.
Any hits to start offwith, will appear to be an example of your mind reading abilities. This is
the opposite of what is usually done. The idea is to get the details wrong, so
 True Mysteries II

that it will look to everyone else, as if the participant has completely misplaced their memo-
ry. Usually, you would try to get the details correct. This way you can continue to perform the
mind reading without fear, as this failure is what you are eventually going for in this effect.
Then I would simply leave the participant like this, sa)T ng the following words and moving
on:

"... Yeah, it is ueird, isn't it?"

This leaves the participant in bind. They cannot expose what you have really done to any-
a

one without strengthening the illusion from the point of view of the audience. It will look exactly
asit would if you had truly got the participant to misplace one of their memories. The participant
would be very confused in such a situation, so their reaction to this effect will fit perfectly with
what this would be like if you had truly erased one of their memories. They may only feel 'tdcked'
by your method but will still not be abie to convince the audience of the true situation.
The other possible outcome of performing this effect is the participant believes you have
truIy managed to erase one of their memories. There is, after all, no recollection of the actual
memory you describe, as this never existed in their mind in the first place. This is how it would be
if you were to truly take away one of their memories. There would be no recollection of the mem-
ory at all. Everything fits the reality as it would if this was truly the case. The participant may be-
come quite scared as they realise this is so. This is made even stranger by the way we abruptly
end the effect, with no offer of an explanation as to what has just taken place.
This possible greater effect is what we always go for in our performances. The great thing
about how this effect is structured is the fact that even if the participant is not fooled by the outer
appearance of the performance itself, they will still not be able to argue with what the audience
perceive is the true situation, therefore the illusion will stay in tact, no matter what.

3B
 Free Choice Prediction

This is a way of turning a free choice into a seemingly impossible prediction. The basic idea
is to use the information the performer knows the participant is thinking of, to 'force' a specific
item, which has been predicted ahead of time. This is done verbally in with a standard presenta-
tion of mind reading. The prediction is more of a kicker ending to the mind reading.
The following principle can be used with any effect where a piece of information selected out
of a finite number of selections is known secretly to the per{ormer.
Here is how I I use the effect "Mental Images" from the book
personally use this ploy.
"Skullduggery" by Leo Boudreau, as a way of knowing what t;,pe of image a participant is think-
ing of out of a selection of images. Each image is classified into four different groups: Skulls,
trains, brass instruments and flying machines.
I hand the participant an envelope containing my prediction before beginning the effect;
This contains a copy of a picture of a skull (or whatever image I am going to force). I then per-
form the effect as explained in the book, up until the reveal of what type of image the participant
is thinking of.
Here is where my adjustment comes in. I say the following words to the participant:

"There is no utay of me knotaing uhat image Aou ore thinking of but just to make abso-
lutely sure, I toant you to change the image to one that euen you could not haue knoun you
tuould gofor."

This sounds reasonable on the surface, no matter how illogical this statement may actually
be.

thinking of a train, I uant you to change the image gou hoLd in your mind to
"...1f you are

one of the flying machines, if you uere thinking of a skull, then change it to a train, a brass in-
strument change to a skull, andfinally if your image is of aflying machine, I want you to think
of one of the brass instruments instead."

By getting the participant to change the image they are thinking of to one you suggest ver-
bally, you ensure the image they settle on is the predicted image. It is simply a case of making
sure the corresponding image to the one you know they are thinking of, is the one in your predic-
tion envelope when you give your directions. This is done by adjusting what you say, depending
on what image they select.
They will still feel as though they had a free choice, but now their original choice will seem to
be part of an inescapable prediction; Not only will you be able to reveal their thought, but you
will also be able to show that you knew their choice ahead of time.

"Thinkof ruhateuerimageAounouholdinyourmind. Thrsis theimageof askullisn'tit?

The strange thing is, I kneu you tuould think of this image ahead of time."

39
 True Mysteries II

I then get the participant to open the envelope and look at the prediction. This looks impos-
sible to everyone. The fact your instructions were given verbally, makes it more likely they are
forgotten. This will make the effect less easy to back track. Even if they remember your exact in-
structions it will still not explain how you know the correct image, to get to the prediction.
The good thing about this way of predicting an outcome, is there is only one prediction;
There are no multiple outs, switches or obvious forces. The prediction can even be given to the
participant days, weeks or even months before a performance.
This is iust one use of this principle. There are many other possible applications.

40
 Changing the Weather (Bonus)

The last item in this book is the following strange effect;

It is the most abstract method in
the whole book in terms of how the illusion is achieved. However, it is included to show just how
far these principles and concepts can be taken. This is not just theory; It can and has been per-
formed by both Gavin and I to great success.
Those of you who have followed what has been taught so far, who have read and perhaps re-
read this book, reading between the lines and contemplating on all that may be being shared, not
merely what is obvious on the surface, will see this for what it is.
The idea is based on an old notion of mine. It comes from the even older wizard's creed; to
see truth, it is often useful to reverse appearances. I use this principle
the other way around, to create illusion. The way I apply this is to the elements of nature, namely
the wind. I use words and gesture, to create the appearance of total control of my surroundings.
I move my staff in a specific direction and leaves are seen to follow its movement. It is as if I
have control over the direction and intensity of the wind.
The way I make this work is to say the following words:

"The uind beckon to my uill! My uords and the mouement of the leaues uill make this a
realitg."

I then wait until I notice the wind pick up in intensity and follow the movement of the leaves
with my staff; Moving it in whichever direction they are blov',n. This following of the leaves is
seen in reverse by the onlookers. To them, it looks as if the leaves react to the movement of my
staff, as if they move as a consequence of my influence of the wind and the direction in which it
blows.
This works due to context. The performance itself creates the illusion. The way this appears
is what fools the onlookers. There is a seeming cause; The words of the performer and how they
act. So there must also be an effect; The movement of the leaves, in the minds of the onlookers.
Of course, this is a false perception.
The beauty of this is, anything already happening can be seen to be caused by the performer.
The illusion becomes much more impressive when the thing seemingly being controlled is the
wind. The performer appears to be as powerful as the weather with this presentation.
This can also be applied to our voodoo doll routine which Gavin will teach you below. It cre-
ates the illusion that the performer has control over the movements of the participant. This is
based on our'Telepathic Influence' concept discussed earlier in this work. Over to Gavin.

GAVIN'S COMMENTS
As Fraser stated, the above effect can be used in conjunction with a voodoo premise. I use
this regularly to supplement my stage shows and also when put in a "spur of the moment" situa-
tion. I have even used these methods to appear to control pedestrians on a side walk from simply
gesturing out of a hotel window. Now, I wont lie, I have only done the above Changing the

41
 True Mysteries II

i Weather effect once and I don't know if I will get the chance to do this again. The point is, if you
; are willing to try something new and apply your own creativity along with some jazz mentalism,
i yo, "u, and will create situations of true mystery.
: f am including my routine using the above mentioned principles for use with a voodoo pre-
i sentation.

: EFFECT
i The entertainer talks about voodoo and how some understand that it only works if you be-
, li"rr" in it. The entertainer goes on to prove that it doesn't matter if the sender or receiver believes
i in it, just one ofthe persons involved needs to. From that point, the participant is seen to be con-
i trolled by the movements of the voodoo doll without actually seeing it.
i Note that this can be played without a doll and just a drawing of one if you so choose. Or if
i you are not okay with incorporating an occult feel into your act you can just write the actions
i doum on a card or dry-wipe board. I, myself, have used this as a psychic "Simon Says" game and
i it played just as well.
Here is a transcript from an actual performance to show how this effect plays. .

Entertainer: Hi. What's your name?

Spectator: Zack, hout's it going?
Entertainer'. Good. So, Jack, I noticed as Aou toere uatching the last participant
sticking to the JToor you kind of squinted Aour eAes a bit? Yes?

Note: Look for a small action a spectator does. By simply labelling this as your own
doing you achieve two things:

r) You create a small effect for everyone else as the spectator will indeed confirm they
blinked (to everyone else they think the person is agreeing that they blinked and
you had something to do with it).

z) Even if the spectator doesn't believe this at first, after the actual routine, this will
be yet another telepathic experience they may remember having with no
prompting. Why? Because you took credit for it and then immediately proved
yourself by performing the following voodoo routine. The routine later confirms
to them that this must be why they did what they did (squinting in this example).

This is a subtlety used by Kenton Knepper as discussed in his book "Trance This". By
taking credit for a natural movement already being made by your participant and sug-
gesting that this is due to your words, you create rapport with the person helping as
well as subconscious agreement. This is a perfect way of leading the participant into a

deeper trance state if this is something you wish to later lead on to.

42
Spectator: Um, yeah I think so.
Entertainer: Well that's uery interesting, because I uas actually trging to
telepathically send that thought to someonefrom the audience.
That's amazing you picked up on that! You must be really in tune.
Spectator: Ha, yeah I suppose so, I used to fool with tarot cards as a kid so you
neuer knou right?!
Entertainer: That's a uerA uise statement, Aou neuer knou! Well let's take that
notion further. I am sure you haue heard about uoodoo dolls and
their supposed effect?
Spectator: Yeah but that stuff only uorks if you belieue in it.
Entertainer: That is exactly right, Zack! ?hrs is too96 true. But did you knou thot
it doesn't matter tuho belieues in it as long as somebody does? It's
just like in those fantasy mouies uhere the people belieue so much in
the eistence of some imagined 'thing,' that it actually comes into
being.
Spectator: YeahI get you... I ahuays thought it taas allin the mind.
Entertainer: Well it is, in fact, in the imagination, but as ue all knout from child
hood hotu reol thot can be. It's a bit confusing but here, let me shou
you if you're up for it?
Spectator: Yeah sure. Let's see what happens.

The entertainer brings out a voodoo doll, the pin is removed from the doll with a sly
grin from the entertainer as he looks at the spectator. The entertainer is obviously
plotting something mischievous but then appears to change his mind.

Entertainer: Hmmm...Nah! Let'skeepitnice.

The entertainer continues.

Entertainer: In order to make the doll tuork, people claim the doll needs something
personal from the receiuer. Do you hque a coin, ring or maybe a hair we can tie to
the doll?

Spectator: Yeah, I haue apenna.

Entertainer: Good, that tuill uork.
Entertainer: Okay, u)e ore going to start simple and taork our uoA up. I tuant you
to place gour hand on Aour head in o moment but only uhen you
think you haue receiued my thoughtfor you to do so. Okay?

(The command of placing their hand on their head can be substituted for any simple
action).

43
 True Mysteries II

Spectator: Okay.
Entertainer: Notu I don't uant this to be about actual hypnosis or psychology so
please turn around andutaitfor the sensation.

The entertainer uses the hand ofthe voodoo doll to touch its head.

A few seconds later the spectator, sure enough, raises his hand to touch his head in a

very similar manner.

Entefiainer: W one more time. This time I

Great, Zack! You uere brilliant. Let's
am going to send a completelg dffirent action to you, but I am not
going to tell you nthat exactly.

The entertainer gently twists the torso of the doll back and forth while seemingly con-
centrating and then adjusts one of its legs.

Sure enough, the spectator wiggles just a bit and rolls his ankle.

Entertainer: Excellent! Thank you for doing this, Zack. You con open Aour eAes
nou. HouL did that feel? You felt the moment I sent you the thought?
The thought uas for Aou to moue your foot and fhis is exactly uhat
you did. Perhaps it is possible to influence others tuith thought, after
all.

The first phase is achieved using the previous telepathic influence method. The second
phase is as follows:

By twisting the torso and ambiguously touching the leg you cover for two of the most
common actions someone will do if told not to follow the same action again, i.e. not
touching your head (which translates to them as, nothing using your upper body, be
creative).

The twisting of the torso simply looks like a focus ritual for you, so if they don't twist or
jerk their body they will move one of their legs meaning both potential outcomes are
covered. Being that you flicked/tweaked one of the legs, any action of leg movement
wiil look correct.

If they can apparentiy feel what the doll does and you flick the leg, any movement by
them is taken to be the movement intended by the performer. For example, if you flick
the ankle of the doII and the spectator jerks/kicks his Ieg, it will be seen to be a reflex
reaction from the doll's leg being touched.

44
Also it is common for a person standing for more than a minute to move their feet
around, so simply look for it and when they do it just ask them to stop and do that ac-
tion again but "do it so everyone can see it, this time". This makes them do the move-
ment more pronounced, thus creating a false memory later of them wildly moving
their leg, even if they only moved it
little. The second phase can be replaced by allow-
a
ing the participant to make any random movement they wish and using the method
outlined in the'Changing the Weather (Bonus)'effect, with a little thought.

45
 True Mysteries II

Naked Publicity Stunts

By Gavin.

I have used these ideas and thoughts several times to accomplish what would be considered
nearly impromptu and spur of the moment yet macro in execution. Please understand that these
ideas are not new, nor are they original to me. Some of you may have even thought of them be-
fore, but I feel it is a highly overlooked concept.
I would like to bring your attention back to using simplicity and theatrics to create a mystery
that is big, organic and easy in execution. If a studio, business or even a group of people at a cafe
asked to see something that involved things that they provide, played large enough for a camera
or mass group of patrons, that was easy to understand ond they want to see it NOW, what can
you do? Well there are a few options to choose from. We often get caught up on "keeping up with
the Jones's" regarding the next best method or tool that hits the market, we often lose sight of
what we have right in front of us. Now there is nothing wrong with bigger and better things, but
why not implement, along with those new ideas and tools, things that allow you to be as creative
as you can. To allow you to focus on the most important part of your effect: the presentation.
I propose in this section are not new but they are expanded upon in what I
By far the ideas
feel to be a new direction. Just like taking a journey into an old mine, you may find something
shiny. Or as they say "there is gold in them hills." Remember, you are not performing for magi-
cians, unless that is your route of performance. You should think about how what you do will be
seen in the eyes of a layperson.
Many times we are running when we aren't being chased. You would not believe how many
times I have done a signed card through window that had this sleight and that, this gimmick and
that, how many hours of prep prior to achieve a great signed card through window. But after all
that, they still manage to dismiss it and ask, "oh can you do the one where you tear the corner off
the card and it manages to be inside of an ice cube?"
Now as many of you may know the torn corner ruse is pretty old and may not fool many ma-
gicians. But the thought of a card marked going inside of an ice cube (rather than behind a piece
of glass) is outstanding to the lalperson. In short, in order for you to engineer your own macro
psychological illusions that can indeed be executed the same day as requested and requires little
to no prep, you need to think primal or simple. Now that's primal not primitive. If a new idea
comes along and fits the bill and is workable then go for it.
With that, I offer my thinking. Think small, plan to adjust and play big. This means that in
terms of playrng a large stunt in the spur of the moment or when you feel that the time is right,
you need to think in terms of what works at the close up range with limited means, has a good
impact but has the ability to be scaled up or down. Thinking small does not mean to think limit-
edly. It means to think with a mind set on ingenuity, improvisation and resourcefulness. How can
the small things be supplemented to a large scenario? Even the smallest of gems can project the
most intense ray of light when supplemented the correct way. Look back at most of the effects in
the book. Most of them rely on the simple use of words and psychology, nothing more.

46
 An example would be a force or equivoque. It is usually played at an intermediate level in
the sense of predicting words, drawings or envelopes with money. This is where a lot of thought
on these things stop. Many miss the fact that when the method is a thought rather than a thing,
there are no limitations of how big or small this can be. If you can force a word or equivoque a
book why can't you force a body position from a row of mannequins or equivoque a car or a
building? You can and you should! You have nothing to lose.
I have created nearly thirty large stunts I use based and executed on this way of thinking.
One example of this I have used for impressing co-workers and even on television for a news
crew. My basic idea was to create a prediction of a route a spectator would take through a build-
ing, using a psychological force and randomly placed pictures on specific doors. I plan on releas-
ing this and other effects of mine along these lines at a later date but for now this should be
enough ofa suggestion to get you thinking in the correct ways.
Remember if you think small and create big, you can really have an entire arsenal for both
close up, stage, impromptu and publicity stunts right in your pocket using one of many of the
i now considered standard principles in mentalism.

47
 True Mysteries II

Epilogue
So here ends the second instalment of True Mysteries. I have been very impressed with
Gavin throughout the creation of this book. His ideas are truly novel and his thinking is second to
none. He writes with passion and real understanding of his art. I personally try to keep my writ-
ing as simple as possible. He, on the other hand, likes to give as much detail as possible.

Many of these things we learn by doing. This is the real secret to learning how to apply this
type of work. It is the only way you will be able to experience what works and what does not work
for yourself. Then change what is needed. This type of material is a joy to perform. It is the easi-
est, most direct way I have found of creating what your audience consider sheer miracles. This is
what they will go away remembering.
This manuscript is supposed to go with the first. If you have not yet read the first'True Mys-
teries'then it is highly recommended that you do. They each compliment each other perfectly.
My wish is for you to go out and try these effects and apply these subtle principles to your
own work. Then you will realise that to create the illusion of real magic, it is simply a matter of
believing in it yourself.

Fraser Parker

Gavin O Rourke-Soccorso

Blackpool Magic Convention, 2014

48