Hi everyone. In my previous post I said I would wait until I was back home (and had access to my library) before trying to add any illumination on this point. Well, I’m home now!
Don’t Ask is correct about Derren’s book Pure Effect. Just for those who don’t know, this was a book that Derren wrote before he became famous here in the UK. It was and still is intended for magicians only. In this book, Derren does mention the technique referred to in NLP literature as ‘anchoring’, and in a separate section he also refers to the NLP theory of visual accessing cues.
I think it’s fair to say that both of these references are open to some interpretation. If my reading of the book is correct, then as regards ‘anchoring’ Derren seems to believe that the technique may work with some people, but is not unique to NLP and was in widespread use by hypnotists before the term NLP had ever been coined. He also seems to suggest that anchoring is not, in and of itself, a method for accomplishing any particular mind control or mind-reading effect, but may be of use insofar as it may help to generate “a greater emotional response to an effect”. As regards visual accessing cues, he seems to say that while the theory is insufficiently reliable to help with any specific effect, he found it interesting and it encouraged him to take a particular direction with regard to his mentalism routines and performances.
Derren also wrote another book for the magical fraternity entitled Absolute Magic. This is now hard to get hold of, and in any case (just to avoid disappointment in any fervent seekers of this rare tome) it does not contain the details or methods of even a single trick. It is purely a book of theory concerning magical presentation. In this book, Derren is far more explicit concerning his views on NLP. The relevant passage is quite long and I don’t think it would be fair or ethically acceptable to quote all of it directly. The gist is that yes, he has studied NLP and has explored the idea of applying some of the principles to his work as a mentalist, but he nonetheless regards half of it as just dressed up common sense and the rest as “over-hyped and evangelically-packaged seductive rubbish”.
Measure for Measure has correctly pointed out that Derren’s own website features references to NLP. Since Derren did go on a Paul McKenna course on NLP, and since almost anyone who goes on the course receives a certificate deeming them to be an NLP master practitioner, I believe it is factually correct to refer to Derren as such. But this does not alter the fact that he himself seems to have little faith in NLP lore (or at least those aspects which go beyond what he feels is more or less just common sense). If I may venture what is purely a personal opinion, I suspect the scattered references to NLP on Derren’s site are there just because he is aware it’s what some people want to see, including corporate types who can use the NLP angle to justify hiring Derren (“honestly, Boss, it’ll give the sales force some insights into NLP”) when in fact they just want him because he’s a big star and because he puts on great entertainment at the office party (and he really does).
Given the above, I think it’s clear that when Derren wrote, in Tricks Of The Mind, that he has never mentioned NLP, he was referring to his broadcast TV shows, and specifically to the fact that he has never claimed that anything he does is achieved or accomplished by using NLP techniques. To the best of my knowledge, this is factually correct on both counts (i.e. he has never made this claim, and nothing he has ever done has been accomplished by using NLP techniques). However, I don’t have recordings of all his televised work (and bear in mind that he has been on British TV screens since 1999, even though he is only now gaining awareness in the USA). I cannot therefore say that this is a definitive answer. If someone comes up with a counter-example, so be it. I will happily apologise if it’s clear I was in error.
Mangetout raises an interesting question about what Derren and performers of his ilk can and cannot do. Unfortunately, answering this question in anything but the blandest terms would involve revealing more than I wish to do. Derren wrote Tricks Of The Mind for the general public, and in that book he has revealed or explained as much as he wishes to reveal and explain. It is not my place to add to this.
Dopers who have been around for a while will know that this issue can get very heated and contentious. The general Doper principle of ‘fighting ignorance’ and the professional ethic of secrecy that prevails within the magical fraternity have been known to clash unhappily on these Boards. This has dismayed me more than once because I personally don’t see that they have to clash at all (i.e. it is my view that ‘exposing magic secrets’ does not fall within the remit of ‘fighting ignorance’).
However, this is just my opinion, and I am well aware that some Dopers disagree, and indeed feel very annoyed by any stance that involves witholding information about the methods we use (or, more pertinent to this thread, the methods we use or do not use). I respect that there are many shades of opinion on this, and I regret that it seems to be one of those subjects where you just can’t please all the people, all the time. Nonetheless, it remains the case that, with regard to the methods used within magic and mentalism, those who know are unlikely to tell, and those who do tell are very unlikely to be doing anything more than guessing. This is especially true in Derren’s case, since his TV shows are produced by a very small, professional team who realise the value of keeping everyone guessing. Even when Derren makes an appearance at gatherings and conventions for magicians, and he has made several, there is no discussion of methods.
