Mentalist Ehud Segev (The Mentalizer) New York City NYC Successful Mind
We've collected the most frequently asked questions about Ehud Segev the Mentalizer and answered them here.
★ What do you mean by Mentalizer and how can a mentalizer help a person in day to day life?
★ In which countries have you done your performances and workshops and how was the response?
★ Please share some of your theories involved in Mentalizing.
★ Could you describe in more detail the practice of Mentalizing? What are the various elements involved in it?
★ When did you realize you have the abilities of a mentalizer?
★ What was the initial reaction of those around you?
★ How did you train yourself?
★ Can anybody become a mentalizer if they wish to?
★ What is the role of spirituality in your practice?
★ What is the role of Kabbalah in your practice?
★ Your comments on mind reading.
★ Could you describe your show/performance?
★ How do you bring about physical changes in an object? Ex: making a spoon bend.
★ Has your skill ever failed you?
★ Your comments on conducting a séance.
★ Tell us about Anomal.
★ Your comments on the “magic vs. illusion” debate.
★ Have you ever used your skill to impress a girl?
★ Your favorite personal skill.
★ Your favorite personal act.
★ What do you most like to do when you are not Mentalizing?
★ Your comments on the TV show The Mentalist.
★ What do you mean by Mentalizer and how can a mentalizer help a person in day to day life?
“Mentalizer” is a combination of the words “mental” and “analyzer”. A mentalizer is someone who uses his mental abilities to analyze and decode a person or situation he is facing. By utilizing secret knowledge of the workings of the mind, and understanding how to “read” others, a person can gain much more control over his life as he is able to realize things not noticed before.
A mentalizer has the ability to know if someone is genuine or not, and has a deep understanding of what makes a person tick. He can use his powers to influence others and affect their lives. Therefore, learning the secrets of a mentalizer can help any type of leader: managers, politicians, teachers, CEOs, parents… really anyone and everyone who wants to take charge in life.
★ In which countries have you done your performances and workshops and how was the response?
I have been performing and presenting my knowledge world wide. My biggest markets at the moment are India, Israel and the USA. Also, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs hired me to teach my knowledge to the country’s ambassadors who were stationed throughout the world!
As a part of my passion to share my mentalizing knowledge, I have so far published two books, both of which have become world wide sensations: “9 Steps to Influence” and “Secrets of the Voice” became Amazon #1 bestsellers! Secrets of the Voice has remained a #1 bestseller from the first day of publication in November 2013 and remains so until this day (March 15, 2014).
I currently have over 10,000 students enrolled in my online course “How to be a Mentalizer” and the list keeps growing.
★ Please share some of your theories involved in Mentalizing.
One of the most important aspects of mentally analyzing people is to let go of what we have been programmed to do all our lives, and try to capture the most information possible from the environment which surrounds us; this is no longer a natural occurrence because of how we’ve been shaped by society, and how our minds have been trained to focus. But in reality, to process all signals in the situations which envelop us, is the most natural way of communication in nature! Animals do it all the time. Humans have strayed form this instinctual interpretation as a by product of modern life.
For example, we pay so much attention to the actual words that someone is speaking and registering what the words mean, (if we are truly listening to them at all! another topic I address in my workshops) that we forgo the context and manner in which the information is being conveyed.
What do I mean by this? Well, while it is very important for us to internalize the actual words in a conversation, communication is much more than the exchange of a bunch of letters strung together in a pattern. The words themselves do not encompass over 90 percent of the information that the other person is trying to “tell” us, (or sometimes hide from us if the case may be). In my workshops, I teach 5 elements of the Human voice which are much more important than the actual words someone is uttering.
Those elements are Pace, Pitch, Tone, Volume and Rhythm. By analyzing HOW someone speaks and not only WHAT they speak, we can truly see the entire picture much clearer!
★ Could you describe in more detail the practice of Mentalizing? What are the various elements involved in it?
The 3 Mentalizer “V”s I use and teach are: Visual, Vocal, and Verbal. I use the visual aspects of looking at the person’s pose, his body language and non-verbal behavior. Then the Vocal aspect kicks in and I analyze their vocal utterances by dissecting the way they speak into the 5 different elements previously mentioned: Pace, Pitch, Tone, Volume and Rhythm. By knowing how each part of these components fit together, I am able to learn so much about the way a person feels and what he ‘really' means when he is talking to me.
Then comes the Verbal part where I listen and mimic the words the person is actually choosing to use, or use my own words in order to influence the person to act in a certain way. These 3 “V”s are my main elements and my biggest secrets. They are the things I teach in my seminars and my online courses and books. Put together those 5 Voice elements with spoken information and non-verbal behavior, and you have human interaction the Mentalizer way!
★ When did you realize you have the abilities of a mentalizer?
As I mentioned, Mentalizing is my way of analyzing the totality of human behavior; the way people think, the way they act, what they say and how they say it. Using my methodologies and existing methods of interpreting body language, non-verbal behaviors and facial expressions, along with verbal cues and hints that enable one to use his mental abilities to completely analyze a person, is what I call Mental Analyzing…
I've been studying informally, then formally, those extraordinary communication and influential skills since I was very little. When I first started school, I was so absorbed with what was going on around me, was so super focused on taking it all in, that I hardly said much at all and didn’t interact much. In fact, one of my teachers actually told my parents that they thought I was deaf!! I wasn’t, I just didn’t want to project myself into surrounding situations; I wanted to objectively study them.
I have ALWAYS found people fascinating. So when I got a little older I strove to find out why people acted the way they did. By the age of twelve, I was voraciously reading all kinds of books on human behavior, the universe and even mysticism. I begged my mother to buy me a deck of Tarot cards because I was amazed by the thought that I'd be able to tell people things about their past and future and reveal their deepest secrets and desires, based on what the cards divulged to me. Back then in Israel, a deck of cards cost 50 Shekels which is something like 14 U.S. Dollars or 900 Rupees.
That’s a lot of money for cards, and my mother said “NO WAY!” Plus my brother's Bar Mitzvah (Jewish celebration of a boy, aged 13, turning spiritually into a man) was fast approaching and my mother was supposed to buy me a new suit for the event; so spending money on such an extraneous thing like cards was out of the question. But, I begged her again and again and told her to forget about the new suit to my brother's event and to use the money to buy this deck of Tarot cards…
I said that I would wear an old suit I had, and that I didn't mind – as long as she bought this special deck of cards for me! I have always been very persistent, and persuasive, (traits that still help me now!!!) so finally she gave in and said yes.
I was so captivated with this new found object of curiosity, that I became almost “bewitched” by their “powers”. Well, I thought it was their powers, at first. I started doing readings of my parents, who were so amazed, they told all of their friends and neighbors; soon I was doing ‘readings' of everyone around! I became known as the Tarot Card reader, in my city.
★ What was the initial reaction of those around you?
People were just amazed with my “supernatural” abilities. After my experiences with the Tarot cards, I started using other “mystical” tools. I was doing ‘readings' with all kinds of things like the holy bible (where I would ask someone to simply open the holy book on any page and point to one line; I then based my reading on that line!), astrology, reading in coffee etc… etc… people were awe struck. But, I began to discover something that many people might get really upset about when they read it: the cards, these “powerful” instruments, meant nothing!!! What??? Yes, I made the discovery quite by chance. One day someone approached me really wanting a “reading” performed on them; but, I didn't have my deck of Tarot cards with me! So they offered a regular deck of playing cards and I said “ok, why not”; but, when I did the ‘reading', I realized that the cards meant NOTHING to me, because they weren't the cards I was used to! Still, I looked at the person and used my ‘gut' feeling to give them the answers; I was dead on! They were blown away and frankly, I was too.
It was then that I realized that all the paraphernalia I was using to “connect” wasn’t necessary at all. The only tool I really needed was my brain!! The interaction that occurred during a reading was really the most important way to extract information and learn from the person I was with, on a much deeper level. I became enlightened not from some supernatural communication, but through a natural gateway which opens when two people truly connect their thoughts.
I think the greatest shock that occurred during those times was not from the people around me, who were always dumbfounded, but from myself, when I came to the realization that I possessed this connection power within ME; I didn't need a “mystical” bag of objects to read and analyze people. Once I came to this awareness, I started ‘reading' people without cards and based my thoughts and projections on the vibes they were sending out to me and to the public. I focused my study on the techniques I was using, and as I wanted to make them more and more precise, my method of “Mentalizing” was born!
So, as you can see, I was always attracted to this field but early on I discovered that there is nothing supernatural about reading someone's mind or feelings. In fact, it’s so natural that it’s super! – and that's the way it should be!
I was so excited about the way of interacting with people, that I discovered in my youth, that I devoted my life to the study and development of the world of MENTAL ANALYZING with the full intent on becoming the world's greatest Mentalizer!
There's so much information out there; millions of books, seminars, workshops and what not. I studied as much as I could from the outside world, and devoted many hours each day in going deep into myself and analyzing myself so I would be able to come up with ideas and an understanding of how to utilize my own skills with other people. I was trying to put my talent into words; words that can explain to others the methods and knowledge I have developed so they could use it too as second nature!
★ Can anybody become a mentalizer if they wish to?
Everyone should have the ability to mentally analyze the people around them because this is the only way our world can become a better, more understanding place. With understanding comes compassion and empathy – the ability to place oneself in another’s shoes. In that way, we can make living in this world a more harmonious, loving and advantageous experience for all of us!
Sometimes when I’m introduced to people in the street, I blow their minds immediately- by telling them all these phenomenal facts about themselves and their personalities … Many times they believe I'm psychic or have supernatural abilities when in fact the truth is far from it… I'm analyzing their personalities based on the things I learn by mentalizing them and therefore I understand what makes them tick! These skills help me in EVERY aspect of my personal and professional life, and they can help you too!
Today, I teach other people how to become mentalizers and how to use these techniques- a combination of body language, non-verbal behavior, verbal cues, visual signals and what not, to their own advantage in every life situation; no matter if they are using it in relationships, at school, in their work zone or for other purposes… My main focus, however, is that they use the knowledge for GOOD and never ever for bad or to take advantage of people; if this positive beneficial change occurs as a result of my teachings, I have succeeded at my mission. So yes, everyone can be a mental analyzer and Mentalize the people around them, and this is exactly what I am trying to achieve by having my workshops and books published! Let's share the word and make this world a better one 🙂
★ What is the role of spirituality in your practice?
Almost none. There's a lot of spirituality in my life, but it has nothing to do with religion and the belief in God. Many people ask me if they must be religious in order to practice the art of Mentalizing, but the answer is fast and simple: No. Spirituality is a problematic area because there’s a thin line between looking at what I do in a scientific way and trying to give it a ‘super' power explanation. There are no supernatural powers involved with what I do and no ‘spiritual' guidance; although, I do believe that there is a big force out there that chooses what should happen and when it will happen. So I find it so frustrating when I need to talk about the difference between spirituality and Mentalizing. Some people will always attach the two together, and others will fight against it in any way they can!
★ What is the role of Kabbalah in your practice?
There's a lot of Kabbalah in my life, in general. Kabbalah is ancient Jewish mysticism and the spiritual aspect of the universe. As a young boy, I believed that Kabbalah held the secrets to analyzing the human mind. As I grew older and less naïve, I learned more scientific explanations to the art of Mentalizing.
I learned the problematic aspects of spirituality when combined with science, and I stopped using the Kabbalistic approach because it is hard to teach to the public and have them make sense of it. So I try to put my emphasis on the proven and scientific explanations of how to unlock the human mind and less on the spiritual and vague aspects of it.
★ Your comments on mind reading.
People might think that “Mind Reading” is a supernatural talent but it's not. Actually, let's face it – no one can read your mind. And the reason is because YOU can't even read your own mind. Did you ever try? You can't. Want me to prove it to you? Here! Take a few seconds now and try to read your own mind… after a few seconds come back to me………………………
That's it?? You're back ALREADY???
What did you read? You didn't read your mind because once you started trying to ‘think' about what you were ‘thinking about' all you were able to hear in your head is that you're “thinking about what you're thinking about.” Sounds confusing? It is! So here's the truth: our mind has a mind of its own. It is thinking all these things day and night and we barely listen to it. When we TRY to listen to our own mind and ask ourselves, wait, “what am I thinking about right now?” all we come up with is this question “what am I thinking about right now” and not an ACTUAL thought.
So basically, no one can really READ your mind, but certain people have developed a special ability of reading “one specific thought.” So if I'm putting you in a certain state of mind and asking you to think of ONE specific thought regarding a certain set of circumstances or situation, I'll be able to sometimes “get that specific thought.” So here's what we learned: no one can actually “read minds” but certain mentalizers can read a specific thought in certain situations.
★ Could you describe your show/performance?
My show is a combination of my Mentalizing art with the beautiful and magnificent art of magic and sleight of mind, as I like to call it. Sleight of mind involves using magic in conjunction with the neuroscience of the brain. The brain is like a computer, and as we all know computers can be hacked!! So in effect, I use techniques to hack into your brain, trick the senses so to speak, to give people the full illusion of what would happen if someone REALLY had supernatural powers.
This is why my show is called “WHAT IF” because it shows the world from a different angle: It gets the audience thinking “What if I really have supernatural powers”!? So it is a fun and entertaining show that makes people wonder what is possible and what is not!
★ How do you bring about physical changes in an object? Ex: making a spoon bend.
I use special techniques and methods that involve physical energy. Nothing supernatural!
★ Has your skill ever failed you?
Many times. I think that this is proof that I am still human and that no one can really master this art fully; well, at least not in our generation. Who knows, maybe one day we will be able to develop the art of Mentalizing to such an extent that we will be able to overcome any obstacles along the way and be 100% right in any mental analysis we make on people around us!
★ Your comments on conducting a séance.
As a young boy I used to perform many séances and made it a way to promote myself, mostly in Israel. Today I stopped believing that I actually talk to “dead people” during the act of a séance… Although many people still believe it is possible, I don't. I found a more reasonable explanation to the phenomena of the moving glass on a Ouija Board. I believe that it is our subtle movements and uncontrolled muscles that make the glass move when we touch it. We basically conduct a conversation with our subconscious and not with “dead people”, as others think. There's a very funny joke many mentalists use in their shows about it: They say “I talk to dead people all the time – they just never answer!”
Anomal was my first big production in New York City. I produced that show in Times Square and it received critical acclaim from the newspapers because it was a unique combination of half ‘act' and half ‘play'. Basically I built the backstage ON the stage itself, and I called the play: “Anomal – story of a supernatural boy”. I told my life story in a way that people got a glimpse into what was happening backstage behind the scenes before and after my show. Because I built the backstage on the stage itself, the audience could ‘peep' into the life of someone who claims to have supernatural powers. It was a wonderful experience for me and a big milestone in my career. After this production I did many more productions on stages around the world and performed in many TV shows. I think Anomal was the beginning of my International success.
★ Your comments on the “magic vs. illusion” debate.
In my show I combine magic, illusion and my art of Mentalizing. So basically it's a beautiful way of providing a phenomenal experience for the audience. As long as the people who see my show UNDERSTAND that what they see isn't real ALL the time. I let them decide when it is real and when it is an illusion!
★ Have you ever used your skill to impress a girl?
All the time. I was blessed with an ability to ‘read' people and so I use it all the time to read the girls around me… The problem is that if I fall in love with a girl the ability stops immediately. In some strange way and maybe to prevent myself from getting hurt, I find it impossible to ‘read' my girlfriend's mind! So yes, I can read other people but can never read my girlfriend!
★ Your favorite personal skill.
The ability to look at a person and know so much about their personality simply by analyzing them using my 3 “V”s!
In my show I have an act, a routine, where I ask people to write the names of cities. I then have the names collected, shuffle the collection, and my job is to tell who of the people selected, wrote which city. So I must use all of my knowledge and experience to figure this out. It's so much fun because no audience is the same, and the people I call on stage for this routine are random people with random thoughts and personalities; it is always such an interesting experiment to do!
★ What do you most like to do when you are not Mentalizing?
I love playing the piano and singing. I wrote a few songs and recorded an album in Hebrew, and a few songs in English. In fact, one of my greatest achievements is a full musical I wrote called “Legend of the 21st century” where each song I wrote is like a spiritual lesson for people. It's an inspiring musical with a lot of added value and I hope that one day I'll have the time and funds to produce this great musical on Broadway or a different stage around the world…
★ Your comments on the TV show The Mentalist.
It's a great TV show and it has also opened up a new market for me. Before this show aired, nobody knew what a mentalist was or does. And today, everyone you meet knows what a mentalist does. It's wonderful because all of a sudden a lot of people want to learn how to master these abilities and my Mentalizer programs fit perfectly into their agenda. This is how in one year I had over 10,000 subscribers to my online program, world wide!
★ Have you seen Ehud Segev perform? Did you attend his workshop or seminar? Have you read his books? Please share a few words about Segev in the comments below, we would love to hear your thoughts!
