Think of an image.

Got one?

Although you probably felt like it was a free choice of any image, mentalist Carl Swindler knows what it is because of how culture structures our social behavioral patterns, values, goals, expectations and moral framework.

After watching Carl Swindler's performance, I carefully noticed as he consistently predicted and exploited the behavior of the audience. During his effects, he explained that he did not have any supernatural powers, simply a keen understanding of human nature and the psyche.

Perception isn't always reality. In fact, Carl Swindler covertly misleads a spectator's attention to confuse their thought process and memory while holding the puppet strings. Known for influencing the audience's decisions without their awareness, Carl Swindler alters the manner in which our senses operate to distort the truth via the mechanics of deception.

A master deceiver Carl Swindler uses mind control techniques as well as hypnotism to make people perform extraordinary acts on stage. In his live shows, he convinces people to believe they have been abducted by aliens, to talk in a foreign language, and makes men think they are pregnant and are about to give birth. Upon further study, I conclude that he impairs the brain region called the anterior cingulate gyrus, which induces subjects more likely to follow his hypnotic suggestions.

What most people (myself included) found fascinating was when Carl Swindler used his charm and sleight-of-hand tactics to pickpocket two of the theatre security guards of their wallets, keys, watches and badges. But how do you remove a person's belongings without them noticing? Well, Carl Swindler intentionally moves into people's personal space in order to disorient them, and proceeds to engage in patter to distract or delay his attention. In addition, he needs an excuse to touch the spectator usually under the guise of doing a magic trick, at this point when he grabbed the security guard's watch, he simply pressed down on the watch to manipulate the guard's central nervous system, leaving an imprint, giving the sensation that it's still there, even when it's to the contrary.

Based on Carl Swindler's razor sharp skills of psychological observation, kinesic analysis, neuro-linguistic programming, facial expression recognition, and social engineering, I would label him a scientific entertainer or better yet an entertaining scientist.

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