Re "As a confirmed skeptic, would he even recognize it if he were getting genuine little nudges from the Beyond?":
Yes, that's an intriguing suggestion. However, having taken a look at the previous thread you referenced, I'm sure you've all got it wrong. Yes, he does use NLP ideas in some tricks but this is essentially a (covert) hypnosis session. At the point where he asks them if they now believe in God - and they all say "Yes" - he could have got them to go down on all fours and bark like a dog - the typical stage hypnosis entertainment. He carries it off with panache though. Re "In any case, I do still think (as I said in the earlier discussion) that he's creeeepy.": That's his act! He plays up to the Svengali archetype. That's the fun of his show (and I've seen him live). The segment where he copied by "remote-viewing" what a psychic was drawing was probably pulled off by him suggesting subliminally key images as he talks to her. (What we see is edited, of course.) The segment where he knows what the woman had dreamed of over the previous nights was another knock-out. "Pure effect" as Derren Brown calls it. Still trying to figure that one out. He's a divisive figure in the UK. Some people (rationalists) really loathe him as he's such a consummate professional he inevitably makes viewers think, "Hey, maybe there's something genuinely psychic going on". Most people, like me, recognise him as an outstanding magician and just enjoy being baffled. Some of his stunts it has literally taken me years of head-scratching to work out how he did them. ---In fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com, <authfriend@...> wrote: Yes, thank you. I've actually seen this segment before--someone posted it here a few years ago and we had a bit of discussion about it (the thread begins with #161279 if you want to have a look). Seeing it again, I find I've changed my mind somewhat about what's going on. I think he may, in fact, have a "gift," but he doesn't know it; and it may not be a benign "gift." He may--sometimes, not necessarily always--be getting some help from sources that he's not aware of because he's so focused on, and has such confidence in, his various tricks and techniques. As a confirmed skeptic, would he even recognize it if he were getting genuine little nudges from the Beyond? In any case, I do still think (as I said in the earlier discussion) that he's creeeepy. What I'd like to see would be what would happen if one of his subjects just flatly resisted him (even if he was telling them stuff about themselves that was true). ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <s3raphita@...> wrote: Does this site work for you? http://vimeo.com/46045821 http://vimeo.com/46045821 ---In fairfieldlife@yahoogroups.com, <authfriend@...> wrote: The video ain't available in the U.S., sadly. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <s3raphita@...> wrote: Mind-control magician and skeptic Derren Brown takes his debunking mission to America to show just how easy it is to dupe people into believing impossible things before breakfast. He tried to convince five leading figures that he had powers in their particular field of expertise: Christian evangelism, alien abduction, psychic powers, New Age theories and contacting the dead. The whole 50 minutes is a hoot but if you only take a peek check out the segment from 13:11 where he demonstrates his power to convert atheists with a touch. Derren is a friend and admirer of Richard Dawkins - I'd love to see him do this to the Great Atheist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLbesxxKzcM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLbesxxKzcM
