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This effect as well as all my creations and anything else that I am
proud of, is dedicated to the memory of my best friend and brother,
Dimosthenis…
R.I.P. 12/7/11!
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The!Masonic!Handshake!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!
The!Effect:!
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!
PART!1:!
!
Have!you!ever!heard!of!the!"fight!or!flight"!response?!!Well,!it!is!one!
of!the!most!fascinating!responses!of!the!human!mind.!!The!"fight!or!
flight"!response!has!been!the!explanation!to!numerous!heroic!actions!
that!might!sound!unbelievable,!such!as!lifting!a!car!or!fighting!many!
people!at!the!same!time.!!
!
This!reaction!is!called!“flight!or!fight”!as!it!is!generated!when!fear!
forces!us!to!either!hide!or!act!!!The!adrenaline!rush!caused!by!this!
affects!the!body!muscles!to!exert!a!force!that!can!reach!10!times!
more!than!a!person’s!normal!strength!!
!
Of!course!you!may!be!wondering!why!I!am!telling!you!all!this?!!The!
first!time!I!studied!the!fight!or!flight!response!at!University,!I!
hypothesized!that!if!the!mind!can!make!the!body!stronger,!it!could!
also!make!it!weaker.!
Ok,!enough!preamble.!Let!me!show!you!something!interesting!!
!
Do!you!remember!the!stupid!“game”!that!bullies!used!to!play!at!
school,!where!they!would!pretend!to!give!you!a!handshake,!and!
instead!they!would!squeeze!your!hand!as!hard!as!possible!in!order!to!
hurt!you?!
Well,!I!remember!it!!!
I!always!sought!for!a!way!to!trick!them!and!avoid!the!pain,!but!was!
never!lucky!at!the!time!!However!in!the!last!few!years,!I!studied!
psychology!and!hypnosis!and!I’ve!now!discovered!a!way!to!do!it!!
!
!Would!you!like!to!try!it?!(At!this!point!we!will!assume!that!the!
spectator!said!yes!)!
!
OK!!Now,!hold!my!hand!as!if!you!were!giving!me!a!handshake!but!do!
not!squeeze!it!!Look!into!my!eyes,!and!take!a!deep!breath…!I!am!not!
going!to!hypnotize!you…!I!will!just!mess!around!a!little!bit!with!your!
subconscious!mind…do!not!worry!it’s!not!going!to!hurt…!!
Now!imagine!this!feeling,!where!you!wake!up!in!the!morning,!after!a!
long!night’s!sleep…!you!stretch!your!hands…!and!squeeze!your!fists…!
but!the!more!you!squeeze!them,!the!more!you!find!out!that!you!are!
very!weak….!Even!if!you!were!sleeping!for!many!hours…!you!are!very!
tired…and!very!weak…!
Now…!Squeeze!my!hand!as!much!as!you!can!!More!!Is!that!it?!
!
At!this!point!the!spectator!will!be!trying!to!squeeze!your!hand!as!
much!as!possible!but!without!hurting!you!at!all.!!
!
!
PART!2:!
!
“Now!on!the!count!of!three!allow!your!eyes!to!close…!1…2…3…”!
!
At!this!point!the!performer!with!his!free!hand!takes!an!ESP!deck!and!
spreads!five!cards!(symbols)!face!down!on!the!table.!A!second!
spectator!is!then!asked!to!secretly!select!a!symbol!from!the!
remaining!cards!of!the!deck.!
Then!the!performer!returns!to!the!“hypnotized”!spectator!and!says:!
!
“What!we!will!do!now!is!different.!Just!remain!there!with!your!eyes!
closed!and!listen!carefully!to!my!words.!From!now!on!YOU!will!be!the!
mentalist.!I!will!place!your!hand!over!some!cards!that!are!on!the!
table.!As!you!start!moving!your!hand!over!the!cards,!you!will!feel!
THIS!strange!sensation.!I!understand!it!might!feel!strange,!but!when!
you!feel!THIS!sensation!you!will!drop!your!hand!on!the!table.!That’s!
right…!YOU!are!the!performer!and!every!time!you!feel!THIS!sensation!
you!will!drop!your!hand!on!the!table,!touching!the!first!card!that!is!
located!underneath!it.!
!
Nod!your!head!if!you!understand!me…fantastic.”!
!
At!this!point!the!spectator!will!move!his!hand!over!the!cards!and!
after!a!few!moments!he!will!drop!it!on!one!of!the!cards.!Of!course!the!
card!he!touches!is!the!card!selected!by!the!second!spectator!!
!
PART!3!
!
“You!have!done!a!fantastic!job!!You!really!have!a!great!mind!!Now!
that!you!understand!how!this!works,!and!we!can!do!something!even!
more!interesting!!
Place!your!free!hand!on!your!lap…now!relax!and!listen!to!my!words.!
Whenever!you!feel!THIS!strange!sensation,!you!will!not!lift!your!
hand!!No!matter!how!much!I!beg!you,!this!hand!will!stay!stuck!on!
your!lap.!!
!
Nod!your!head!if!you!understand!me…fantastic….!lets!start….!
My!friend…please!lift!your!hand!!I!beg!you!to!lift!your!hand!!I!will!
give!you!everything!I!have!if!you!do!it!!!!“!
!
Of!course!at!this!moment!the!hand!of!the!spectator!will!remain!stuck!
on!his!lap.!
!
PART!4!
!
“!WOW!!You!truly!have!an!amazing!mind!!Well!done!!!Lets!do!one!
more!thing,!which!is!slightly!different.!Now!that!you!now!exactly!how!
this!feels…place!both!of!your!hands!on!your!lap.!!Even!if!you!do!not!
feel!this!sensation!anymore,!you!WILL!NOT!lift!either!of!your!hands!
till!I!tell!you,!that!you!can.!No!matter!how!much!I!beg!you,!your!hands!
will!remain!stuck!!
So!on!the!count!of!three…1…2…3…!Try!and!lift!your!hands!!!That’s!
right!your!hands!are!both!stuck!on!your!legs!!Please!I!beg!you!to!lift!
your!hands!!
!
Well!done!!On!the!count!of!three,!you!will!be!able!to!lift!your!hands!
and!open!your!eyes!”!
!
PART!5!
!
“What!you!have!just!done!is!worth!a!big!round!of!applause!!Well!
done!!It!is!rare!to!meet!someone!with!such!great!imagination,!so!I!
was!thinking!if!you!don’t!mind!doing!one!last!little!thing?!Would!you!
be!happy!participating?!
Fantastic!”!
!
“Einstein!once!said!!…I"fear"the"day"that"technology"will"surpass"our"
human"interaction."The"world"will"have"a"generation"of"idiots…"
It!is!exactly!what!happens!today.!Most!young!people!spend!much!
more!time!over!their!phones!rather!than!interacting!with!their!
friends!face!to!face.!It!seems!like!there!is!something!addictive!about!
phones….!As!if!they!have!some!kind!of!hypnotic!influence!on!
people…Actually!let!me!show!you!an!example.!
!
Please!my!friend!allow!your!eyes!to!close…take!a!deep!breath!in…!
that’s!right…!just!allow!every!muscle!of!your!body!to!relax…Now!give!
me!your!hand…”!
!
At!this!moment!the!performer!takes!his!phone!from!his!pocket!and!
shows!the!home!screen!to!the!spectators.!He!then!places!it!in!the!
hands!of!the!participants!and!says:!
!
“You!have!now!my!phone!in!your!hands…on!the!count!of!three,!open!
your!eyes!and!stare!at!the!screen…and!now…please!talk!to!me!or!
move!any!part!of!your!body.”!
!
At!this!point!the!participant!keeps!on!staring!at!the!screen!and!does!
not!say!or!make!any!move.!When!the!performer!clicks!his!fingers,!the!
participant!regains!his!ability!to!talk!and!move.!
!
!
Method:!
PART!1:!
!
The!method!for!this!effect!is!very!simple!and!very!deceptive.!I!have!
been!performing!this!effect!for!the!last!few!years,!deceiving!some!
very!experienced!mentalists.!
The!secret!is!based!on!a!very!old!trick!that!was!used!by!con!artists.!!
The!main!technique!was!in!first!place!introduced!to!me!by!my!good!
friend!Nick!Stein!(one!of!my!favorite!con!artists!and!street!
performers).!
!
Keep!in!mind!that!in!order!to!perform!this!effect,!make!it!strong!and!
get!100%!out!of!it,!you!need!to!convince!your!audience!that!you!are!a!
hypnotist!or!a!mind!control!expert.!!!
!
And!now!the!secret…!
!
When!you!ask!for!your!spectator!to!hold!your!hand!slightly!extend!
your!index!finger!(Image!1).!As!simple!as!it!sounds!this!is!the!secret!!!
Now,!no!matter!how!strong!the!other!person!is,!they!will!never!hurt!
you!!!
Now!depending!on!your!judgment!on!how!strong!the!participant!is!
and!how!strong!you!are,!you!will!find!out!how!much!to!extend!your!
finger.!!
The!more!you!extend!it!and!the!more!straight!you!keep!it,!the!less!the!
participant!will!hurt!you.!
Also!remember!that!you!do!not!need!to!really!touch!the!participant’s!
hand!with!your!index!or!put!any!sort!of!pressure!on!their!inner!wrist.!
(Image!2).!This!will!not!change!anything!and!will!also!make!the!
handshake!position!look!strange.!
!
So!lets!recap!!The!participant!puts!his!hand!into!the!handshake!
position!with!your!hand.!!You!immediately!extend!your!index!finger!
and!depending!on!how!strong!the!other!person!is,!you!keep!in!control!
by!adjusting!the!straightness!of!your!finger.!!
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!

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!
I!suppose!that!now!you!have!an!idea!on!how!I!came!up!with!the!title!
for!this!effect…if!not…!have!a!look!at!this!picture….!
!
ATTENTION!!!!!The!writer!has!no!responsibility!for!any!injury!
you!may!cause!to!yourself!or!others.!
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(This!is!a!picture!of!an!actual!masonic!handshake!that!I!found!
online…now!you!know…)!
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METHOD!!
PART!2:!
!
Ok,!now!lets!get!into!what!I!think!is!the!most!important!part!of!this!
routine.!Its!what!I!call!the!TEST!PART.!The!reason!I!call!it!that!is!
because!it!will!show!you!if!your!spectator!is!willing!and!able!to!
collaborate!with!you!in!Part!3!and!4!and!5!
!
The!secret!is!what!is!called…!cueng!!!
Most!mentalists!I!know!never!use!cueing.!I!suppose!it!is!because!they!
are!afraid!of!it.!!
Based!on!my!experience!I!would!like!to!suggest!that!as!long!as!you!
know!how!to!select!a!good!spectator!there!is!no!danger!whatsoever.!!
If!you!are!interested!in!learning!more!about!“secret!cueing”,!I!would!
HIGHLY!recommend!“Q”!by!Kenton!Knepper.!
!
The!cue!used!in!this!routine!is!very!simple!and!hidden.!
As!you!hold!the!spectator’s!hand!in!a!handshake!position!with!your!
index!finger!extended!(see!picture),!you!just!gently!tap!or!press!their!
inner!wrist!twice.!That’s!it!!!
!
Now!that!you!know!the!cue!lets!have!a!look!at!the!routine:!
!
Five!marked!ESP!cards!are!face!down!on!the!table.!A!second!
spectator!takes!the!remaining!20!Zenner!Cards!and!selects!one!at!
random!(because!of!the!marking!on!the!cards!you!instantly!now!what!
his!selection!is).!
!
Lets!analyze!the!script:!
!
“!What"we"will"do"now"is"different."Just"remain"there"with"your"eyes"
closed"and"listen"carefully"to"my"words."From"now"on*YOU*will*be*the*
mentalist.”""
"
(At"this"point"you"have"1A"Already"told"your"spectator"that"he"should"
not"expect"something"similar"to"the"previous"experience."As"something"
DIFFERENT"will"happen."That"way"you"keep"him"alerted"and"more"
focused"on"your"words.""
And"2A"that"HE"will"be"the"mentalist!"That"makes"him"even"more"
alerted"because"now"he"knows"he"will"have"to"do"something…and"he"
has"to"do"it"right!"And"also"that"as"Kenton"Knepper"says"“YOU"MAKE"
THEM"THE"STARS”!"By"making"him"feel"like"a"star,"he"will"tend"to"like"
you"more"and"will"do"everything"possible"to"make"the"act"look"great."If"
it"does"not,"then,"in"his"perception,"it"is"his"fault!""
"
“I"will"place"your"hand"over"some"cards"that"are"on"the"table."As"you"
start"moving"your"hand"over"the"cards,"you"will"feel"THIS"strange"
sensation."“"
"
(Now"for"the"first"time"they"feel"the"cue)"
"
“I"understand"it"might"feel*strange,"but"when"you"feel"THIS"sensation"
you*will*drop*your*hand*on*the*table.*“*
(At!this!point!you!have!1g!Told!them!that!it!might!feel!strange/!
different,!so!that!they!understand!that!what!is!happening!is!not!the!
normal!procedure!of!mentalism/!magic!routine.!There!is!something!
more!in!there!!!
!
Then!2g!You!repeat!THIS"sensation!and!at!the!same!time!press!on!
their!inner!wrist.!…and!now!they!understand!that!what!they!felt!the!
first!time!happened!for!a!reason.!They!start!to!realize!that!pressing!
gently!on!their!inner!wrist!is!a!cue!!!
!
And!3g!They!know!that!when!they!feel!you!pressing!on!their!inner!
wrist!they!have!to!drop!their!hand!)!
!
!
*
“That’s"right…*YOU*are*the*performer"and"every"time"you"feel"THIS"
sensation"you"will"drop"your"hand"n"the"table,"touching"the"first"card"
that"is"located"underneath"it.”"
"
(Again!you!tell!them!they!are!the!star!!They!have!to!make!it!work!!
And!remind!them!for!one!more!time!the!CUE!by!pressing!on!their!
inner!wrist).!
"
"
“Nod*your*head*if*you*understand*me…fantastic.”"
!
(This!is!a!phrase!that!you!usually!hear!stage!hypnotists!use.!By!asking!
a!person!to!nod!his!head,!it’s!like!asking!them!if!they!are!OK!to!play!
this!game!with!you.!By!saying!YES!you!know!you!are!ready!to!start.!
Now!if!a!spectator!is!confused!and!is!not!sure!about!what!happened,!
he!will!just!indicate!a!NO.!If!that!is!the!case,!!you!obviously!know!it’s!
not!the!person!to!use!for!this!kind!of!effect).!
!
!
!
So!now!the!hard!part!is!done!and!you!are!ready!make!the!miracle!
happen.!The!spectator!is!waving!his!hand!over!the!five!face!down!
cards!1!or!2!times.!Then!you!cue!him!when!his!hand!passes!over!the!
selected!card!!!It’s!that!simple!!
!
At!the!beginning!of!the!explanation!I!told!you!that!I!call!this!part!of!
the!routine!the!TEST!PART!as!it!is!very!important!in!order!to!
understand!if!the!spectator!is!able!or!willing!to!cogoperate,!or!not.!!
Now,!what!if!the!spectator!nods!his!head!but!does!not!really!
understand!what!he!is!supposed!to!do…!well!do!not!worry!!!You!
won’t!fail!!
Just!keep!calm!and….!use!equivoque!!!!!!!!
!
Let’s!say!the!say!they!touch!the!wrong!card,!then!just!eliminate!this!
and!so!on!!Then!you!finish!your!routine,!everyone!is!happy!and!
nothing!bad!has!happened.!!Remember,!you’re!the!only!one!that!
knows!what!is!coming!next,!so!you!are!in!control!at!all!times.!
!
!
!
!
METHOD!
PART!3:!
!
“You"have"done"a"fantastic*job!"You"really"have"a*great*mind!"Now"
that"you*understand*how*this*works,"and"we"can"do"something"even"
more"interesting!"
Place"your"free"hand"on"your"lap…now"relax"and"listen"to"my"words."
Whenever"you"feel"THIS*strange*sensation,"you"will"not"lift"your"
hand!"No"matter"how"much"I"beg"you,"this"hand"will"stay"stuck"on"your"
lap.""
"
Nod"your"head"if"you"understand"me…fantastic…."lets"start…."
My"friend…please"lifts"your"hand!"I"beg"you"to"lift"your"hand!"I"will"give"
you"everything"I"have"if"you"do"it!!!"“"
!
!
!Now!that!you!know!how!cueing!works!in!this!routine!it!won’t!be!
hard!to!comprehend!what!happens!in!this!part.!!
!
1gBy!saying!“fantastic*job!"You"really"have"a*great*mind”,*you!really!
make!them!THE!STAR!!Now!they!know!they!can!do!it!and!feel!good!
about!it.!!!
!
2g!“Whenever"you"feel"THIS*strange*sensation”,*Your!spectator!now!
knows!the!cue!and!understands!that!what!he!has!to!do!is!pretend!
that!he!cannot!lift!his!hand!!!
!
When!I!perform!this!part!of!the!routine!I!love!actually!begging!the!
spectator!to!lift!his!hand.!That!makes!the!effect!look!10!times!bigger!
and!realistic.!
!
!
METHOD!
PART!4:!
!
!
“"WOW!"You"truly"have"an"amazing*mind!*Well*done!""Lets"do"one"
more"thing,"which"is"slightly*different."Now"that"you*know*exactly*
how*this*feels…place"both"of"your"hands"on"your"lap."“"
" "
(By!saying!“You"truly"have"an"amazing*mind!*Well*done!"“!!Again!you!
are!reinforcing!that!they!are!doing!well,!and!making!them!feel!they!
ARE!THE!STAR!of!show!and!they!love!it!!!)!
"
“Even*if*you*do*not*feel*this*sensation*anymore,"you"WILL*NOT"lift"
either"of"your"hands"till"I"tell"you,"that"you"can."No"matter"how"much"I"
beg"you,"your"hands"will"remain"stuck!"
"
So"on"the"count"of"three…1…2…3…"Try"and"lift"your"hands!""That’s"right"
your"hands"are"both"stuck"on"your"legs!"Please"I"beg"you"to"lift"your"
hands!"
"
Well"done!"On"the"count"of"three,"you"will"be"able"to"lift"your"hands"and"
open"your"eyes!”"
!
(Now!that!is!slightly!different!but!believe!me!it!is!as!easy!as!the!
previous!parts!!
*“Even*if*you*do*not*feel*this*sensation*anymore,"you"WILL*NOT"lift"
either"of"your"hands"till"I"tell"you”.!Now!basically!you!tell!them!that!
they!won’t!feel!the!cue!but!they!have!to!follow!your!instructions.!By!
this!part!of!the!routine!the!spectator!is!willing!to!do!anything!you!ask.!
He!has!followed!you!in!the!two!previous!parts!so!now!you!know!he!
likes!playing!that!game.!You!could!ask!them!to!do!anything!that!a!
stage!hypnotist!would!do!and!they!will!)!
!
!
METHOD!
PART!5:!
!
In!order!to!make!this!finale!you!need!a!quick!preparation.!You!need!
to!screen!capture!your!phone’s!home!screen!and!also!screen!capture!
a!message!written!on!your!phone’s!notes!that!says:!“!My!friend!
STARE!at!the!screen!!!DO!NOT!take!your!eyes!off!it!!DO!NOT!move!
and!DO!NOT!speak….!until!I!click!my!fingers!!“!
!
!
!
 !
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!
Now!with!this!set!up!ready,!lets!have!a!look!at!the!script:!
!
“What"you"have"just"done"is"worth"a"big"round"of"applause!"Well"done!"
It"is"rare"to"meet"someone"with"such"great"imagination,"so"I"was"
thinking"if"you"don’t"mind"doing"one"last"little"thing?"Would"you"be"
happy"participating?!
Fantastic!”"
!
(One!more!time!you!have!make!them!feel!like!the!stars!of!the!show)!
!
“Einstein"once"said…I"fear"the"day"that"technology"will"surpass"our"
human"interaction."The"world"will"have"a"generation"of"idiots…!
…….(Performance…performance…performance…)…Please,"my"friend,"
allow"your"eyes"to"close…take"a"deep"breath"in…that’s"right…."just"
allow"every"muscle"of"your"body"to"relax…Now"give"me"your"hand…”"
!
!
(At!this!point!you!take!your!phone,!show!the!home!screen!to!the!rest!
of!the!audience!and!then!place!it!in!the!hands!of!the!spectator.!!
What!really!happens!is!that!you!are!showing!an!image!of!your!phone!
home!screen.!!So,!in!effect,!when!everyone!thinks!they!see!your!home!
screen!they!are!actually!seeing!an!image!of!your!phone!screen!!Then!
as!you!place!the!phone!in!the!spectator’s!hand,!you!scroll!to!the!next!
picture,!which!is!the!image!of!the!message!mentioned!before.!
!
The!spectator!looks!at!the!screen,!reads!the!message!and!pretends!to!
have!lost!his!ability!to!talk!and!move.!!If!you!think!that!the!message!
on!the!picture!is!too!big,!you!could!put!something!like!!“Act!as!if!you!
were!a!statue”.!!
!
Do!not!be!afraid!of!preforming!this!part.!If!your!spectator!has!played!
along!well!during!the!rest!of!the!routine,!he!will!do!this!last!part!
successfully.!
!
!Before!we!close!I!would!like!to!share!with!you!a!few!!more!words!on!
this.!This!effect!surely!is!my!favorite!creation.!I!have!performed!it!
successfully!on!stages!in!many!occasions!and!it!really!rocks!!It!has!
fooled!laymen!as!well!as!magicians!!So!just!go!and!do!it!!!
!
Also!please!do!not!worry!about!what!people!will!say!to!their!friends!
when!they!go!back!to!their!seats….!because!they!will!not!!They!had!a!
good!time,!they!received!more!applause!than!they!probably!ever!
received!in!their!lives!!!
!
Why!would!they!spoil!that?!Everyone!likes!to!be!the!center!of!
attention,!the!only!difference!is!that!some!people!accept!and!others!
don’t.!!You!give!them!that!beautiful!moment!that!they!will!never!
forget,!why!on!earth!would!they!go!and!destroy!it?!!
!!
I!would!like!to!mention!again!that!if!you!want!to!know!more!about!
Cueing!you!should!get!Kenton!Knepper’s!“Q”!!
!!
!