Hi guys hows it going?

Just a quick question regarding the use of suggestion and forcing in mentalism. I some material from Kenton knepper as there seems to be some quite positive feedback on the forum regarding his work.

However after reading some of his stuff I am not totally sure what to think. I am a student of hypnosis and what he writes about seems to be very hypnosis based ie using embedded comands, artfuly vague language ect ect.

I am very new to the game and am just trying to figure things out and gte my bearings so if i am talking nonsense then please tell me to shut up lol.

My own head tells me that the hypnosis, especially the conversational hypnosis will make up the most part of my forcing and suggestion, and that these skills and techniques will be a better and more effective way of studying and applying.

Any opinions on this matter would be greatly appreciated!

Well, it is a good idea to get a basis on suggestion in more than one form. However, it is also true that suggestion is a hit and miss sort of business. Sometimes it works great, other times the spectator has no suggestibility.
If you are looking for a different way than hypnosis to use suggestion, check out Sleight of Mind which is sold here. It is a good introduction to neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), which is another form of suggestion you could use.
Personally, I find it better to just use trickery in some form because there always seems to be a way. Either way, good luck pursuing suggestion.

To be honest, I prefer to rely on suggestion as a way to make my already existing effect more interesting, I mix the fail-proof with hypnosis and suggestion, and sometimes, I even fake using suggestion while playing an effect which needed some form of pre-show.

So the best way I think to figure out if it fits or not for you is to actually mix it with things you already know and make your effects very special. Using suggestion only didn't fit me, so I moved to other things!

My most favorite ways of creating effects with just words is just using the spectators against others to make magic happens. This can be called Dual Reality sometimes... Really great to get working into the manipulative aspect of mentalism!

Truly yours,
Max.