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Mind Games
¨2000 by Mind Power Systems, Des Moines, WA.
A Brief Biography:
When asked if his ability is a gift granted to only a few, Bob Cassidy will just shake his head and
smile. He knows only too well that it took nearly twenty years of hard work to develop the skills
which seem to come to him so naturally on stage.
A native of Kearny, New Jersey, Cassidy entered the world of show business at the age of 12,
appearing on televisionÓs ÐOriginal Amateur HourÑ as a magician. Eventually, he financed his
bachelorÓs and doctoral degrees through performances for fraternal organizations and area night
clubs.
Majoring in English literature, the Vietnam war interrupted his studies. Since he couldnÓt take his
trunks of magic equipment overseas, he developed an act in which he displayed his virtually
photographic memory and a remarkable sense of intuition. It was during this time that he began an
in-depth study of the powers of the mind which led to the creation of the mentalism demonstration
he presents today.
After leaving the service, Bob completed his education and went to work performing on cruise ships,
where he honed his skills and introduced entirely new concepts to the art of mentalism. Two hundred
cruises later he would write three books on the principles he developed during this period of his
performing career.
Since 1978 Bob has performed at nightclubs and showplaces throughout the country. In 1982 he
shocked audiences with a telepathic version of Russian Roulette in which he could detect, while
blindfolded and without touching them, which of four pistols was not loaded. The selected weapon
was place to his head and fired. Of course he had chosen the empty gun.
Later that same year, while wearing a stainless steel blindfold and using only his memory to guide
him, he drove a borrowed Mercedes at high speed through a human obstacle course at the St. Louis
Playboy Club. These stunts led to his first invitation to perform at HollywoodÓs famed Magic Castle,
where he has lectured to his peers and entertained on a regular basis.
While his experiences and educational background have made him a firm believer in psychic
phenomena, he does not claim to use psychic abilities in his demonstrations. ÐESP,Ñ he states, Ðis not
an ability which we can rely upon to be convincingly displayed from the stage.Ñ Instead, he claims that
his startling performances of thought reading are simply the result of the applied principals of
mentalism, psychology and lateral thinking.
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ÐItÓs not a gift at all,Ñ heÓll tell you. ÐAny child can do it . . .
With twenty years practice.Ñ
MIND GAMES- PART ONE
The Instant Memorization of Objects, Lists and Playing Cards
By Bob Cassidy
Those who have seen my performances will know that I generally conclude by apparently memorizing
a thoroughly shuffled deck of cards in less than fifteen seconds. The feat, except for the extreme
speed at which I can usually visualize the cards, is well within the reach of anyone with normal mental
abilities.
The ability to remember playing cards is, of course, very valuable to gamblers, cheats, and
professional magicians. But the very same principles will enable you to memorize anything you desire.
Shopping lists, phone numbers, passwords (and God knows we have a lot of those around
nowadays)---- ANYTHING at all.
In the art of memory, or, as it is technically called,
mnemonics
, the two basic principles are
visualization and association--- the ability to actually SEE an image in the minds eye and to associate
that image with the information to be memorized. (I know this sounds complicated, but it is actually
quite easy as you will soon see.) Since the images I create are exaggerated, and often ridiculous,
they are instantly burned into what is called short-term memory. Having visualized the image, I can
instantly move onto another, knowing that each previous image will still be locked in my mind. Were
it necessary for me to retain the information permanently, a daily review of the images, or
associations, would transfer it into long-term memory. In other words, I would no longer need the
image associations. The information would be truly memorized.
Lesson One- LEARNING TO LINK
Your first lesson in mnemonics is a simple one. When you are through, you will never need to carry
a shopping list again-- yet you wonÓ forget anything you needed.
But before proceeding, take a few minutes to try the following test. First, get a pencil and paper.
Look over this list of objects for exactly one minute. No more. When the minute is up, close the
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booklet and try to write down as many of the objects as you remember.
DonÓt cheat or peak.
Here is the list:
cigar
barrel
sailboat
wristwatch
beer bottle
Chevy Blazer
canoe
pocket knife
Jell-O
the Grand Coulee Dam
Ace of Hearts
drivers license
telephone
headset
television set
AFTER ONE MINUTE CLOSE THE BOOKLET. WRITE DOWN THE ITEMS YOU
REMEMBER AND THEN CHECK BACK TO SEE HOW WELL YOU DID.
There were fifteen items on the list. How many did you remember? If you have an average memory,
you probably got about 60 to 70 percent. But even if you only scored 10 percent, I guarantee that
if you follow along with me, you will score ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT on this or any other list of
objects. Not only that, you will do it in less than half the time!
We are going to make visual images of the objects and then LINK them together. Since a chain is
only as strong as its weakest link, it is very important that the images and links be dramatic and highly
visual. Here is how it works:
The first object on the list was Ðcigar.Ñ That is what you will visualize now---close your eyes and
imagine that you see yourself, or someone you know wearing a giant cigar around the neck as if it
was a necktie. (There is a reason for associating the first object with a necktie that will be explained
later.) Be sure you see the image. You might even want to see smoke coming out of the cigar causing
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the wearer to cough.
What you DONÓT want to do is make an obvious or logical association. If you simply pictured
yourself smoking a cigar, you will have a logical association that will not jump into your mind the way
a visual and ridiculous association will.
We will now LINK the cigar to the next object on the list - Ðbarrel.Ñ
Smoking a cigar is a poor association because it is logical---smoking a barrel, or trying to heft one
up and light it is a ridiculous association which, if visualized, will be burned into the mind.
Remember, you must actually ÐseeÑ the image in your minds eye.
See yourself smoking the barrel. You can now dismiss that image from your mind. Trust me, if you
actually visualized it, it will come back to you later when you need it.
Now letÓs look at the next object on the list- Ðsailboat.Ñ Why not see yourself setting out to see on
a giant barrel adorned with a sail. Or something similarly ridiculous to link ÐbarrelÑ and Ðsailboat.Ñ
You should have the idea by now. The next step will be to link ÐsailboatÑ with Ðwristwatch.Ñ
(ItÓs frightening to see a flotilla of sailboats floating around your wrist where your watch is supposed
to be, isnÓt it? ItÓs also a link you wonÓt forget. Visualize it and then put is out of your mind as you
make the next link.
The remainder of the links are up to you. Your personal imagery, as long as it is dramatic and/or
ridiculous, will be far more effective than any images I can create for you. Just be sure you actually
SEE each image in your mind before moving on to the next link.
Got the idea?? Then take the test again. During the minute you look at the list, visually link the
objects together. Remember- the first image is of you or someone you know wearing a cigar around
the neck as if it were a necktie. When the minute is up, close the booklet and you will find that you
are able to write ALL of the objects down IN ORDER.
Try it now, before proceeding to the next lesson.
Lesson 2 THE PEG SYSTEM.
The link system you just learned contains the most important principles of mnemonics- visualization
and association. You can, and should, use this system the next time you write up a shopping list.
Then leave the list at home and go shopping. ItÓs an excellent way to practice.
In fact- almost all of the memory principles can be practiced as you go about your day to day routine.
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Be imaginative, link random things together just for the fun of it.
The list you just remembered is now stored in your short term memory. If you were to go over the
list every day for the next few days, you would find that you didnÓt need the links or images anymore.
You would just ÐknowÑ the list as it will now be stored in your long term, or permanent memory.
Shopping lists, though, unless you buy the same things every week, are not something that require
permanent recall. So if you stop using the list, it will fade away in a day or two, or when you have
replaced it with a new list.
The one weak spot, though, in the links system is the possibility of creating just one weak link.
A poorly visualized or logical link might sneak into your list (especially when you are first learning.)
If you canÓt recall that link or image, it is likely that you wonÓt be able to retrieve the rest of the list.
I call this a ÐBrain Crash.Ñ Close all windows, reboot your brain and hope for the best.
Or, master the PEG SYSTEM instead. In this system we will number each object on the list and then
link each object to its number instead of to the next item on the list. If you have a bad link on number
7, for example, it will have no effect on the objects linked to the other numbers.
Numbers!! How do you visualize numbers? It is a good question because numbers are abstract and
are not easily visualized.
The answer is simple. You will now learn to convert numbers to letters (specifically, consonant
sounds) and then form those sounds into words. Those words will describe OBJECTS which are
easily visualized, as you already know.
You must truly memorize just ten things in order to master the rest of the art of memory.
You must learn the sounds which represent each number. Even this is easier than it sounds because
I will give you some simple associations to make the job easier for you.
We only need remember sounds for each of the digits from 1 to 9 and also for zero- just those ten
things. If you read the following carefully, and visualize when I ask you to, you will find that you will
have the list just about memorized by the time youÓre done reading. Recall the sounds over the next
few days and they will burned into your mind forever, and you will be well on your way to developing
a super power memory.
The digit Ð1" (one) sounds like a ÐtÑ or a Ðd.Ñ ÐTÑ and ÐdÑ are sounds that are formed by the mouth
and tongue exactly the same way--- the difference is that we voice the letter ÐdÑ and the ÐtÑ is not
voiced-- it is simply a little explosion of air caused by the tongue coming off the roof of the mouth
just behind the front teeth. A ÐdÑ is formed the same way except it is Ðvoiced-Ñ your vocal cords
vibrate at the same time as the tongue is moved.
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