How Mentalists Read Your Mind The Art Of Cold Reading or Mind Reading | Page 67

in their childhood hobbies and they often do. For a woman in her
30s I would certainly suggest that babies had been in her
thoughts,"
Dr Christopher French of Goldsmith’s College in London adds to
this:
"People generally have a pretty poor grasp of the laws of
probability, For example, how many people would you think you
would need in a room for there to be a 50-50 chance that two of
them would share the same birthday? A common reply is around
150, in fact it is 22. If people don't appreciate the chances of an
event occurring naturally they may reach for a supernatural
explanation where none is needed."
Professor David Marks of Middlesex University stresses the
omnipresent confusion between short and long term probability
that fools people into looking for psychic explanations for striking
coincidences in life, such as having a dream about something which
then happens.
"Let's say that in an ordinary day you can remember 100 distinct
events," he says, "which means, if any one can be paired with any
other, then there are 4,950 possible pairs every day, or 17,820,000
possible pairs in ten years. Now the fact that a few of those are
striking is hardly the basis for a scientific revolution."
Since you will need some form of cooperation from your client, you
start by confirming him, making him feel at ease, flattering him a
bit, using his name, creating rapport. Next, you need to establish
yourself as a psychic. You know that not everything you will say
will be correct. Therefore, prepare him by telling that what you
feel is not always 100% accurate and ask them to help you to
correctly interpret the signs that you are sensing. This stage is
referred to as “the set up”.