What’s a Mentalist?

I've been hearing the term "Mentalist" used more often these days, due to shows like The Mentalist, Americas Got Talent, and the movie Now You See Me. But it's often poorly defined because we (the mentalists) are constantly playing games and trying to hide the ball. Is it real, fake, psychic, psychological, or just magic? Well, here's an official definition, defined by me, a Mentalist:

MENTALIST: An entertainer who simulates extraordinary mental powers, using techniques of deception and applied psychology

We're talking about an entertainer whose job it is to entertain the idea of extraordinary mental powers: telepathy, hypnosis, mind control, precognition, and so on. Not to prove that these powers actually exist, but to create a convincing theatrical illusion of these powers in the name of a damn good show. 

It’s the combination of deception and applied psychology which trips people up and makes the term “mentalist” hard to pin down. That's also why we can't definitively say if it's "real" or "fake", because it's actually both. But one thing is indisputable, a mentalist has never been, by definition, genuinely psychic. In fact, some of the secrets of mentalism originate from fraudulent psychics in the first place. The difference between the two is a fraudulent psychic keeps secrets from you, whereas a mentalist keeps them for you, because they want you to experience that indelible feeling of mystery. A feeling which may be in short supply as we enter the 21st century.

Hope that clears it up. 

Your friend, 

Matt Cooper