Do our thoughts truly belong to us, or are they quietly revealing themselves long before we ever speak?
For more than a decade, Saint-Thérèse–based mentalist and hypnotist Edward Gebrael has been asking that question of audiences across the Montreal area, using a distinctive blend of mentalism, hypnosis, and psychological illusion to create performances that challenge assumptions and blur the line between science and spectacle.
Known professionally as Edward “The Mentalist,” Gebrael has built a reputation for captivating crowds ranging from corporate clients and schools to television audiences across Quebec, leaving many to wonder not just how his demonstrations work, but what they reveal about the human mind itself.
Rather than positioning himself as a magician, Gebrael frames his work as something far more intimate: an experience rooted in observation, human behaviour, and the unsettling realization that our inner thoughts may not be as private as we believe.
At its core, Gebrael sees mentalism as an art form grounded in perception and influence, carefully refined and executed.
“Mentalism is an art,” he said. “It’s the capacity of someone being able to read your thoughts, not necessarily your mind, through different techniques such as neuro-linguistic programming, thought control, thought influence. And some people see it as the sixth sense. So that’s what really mentalism is. It’s giving you the illusion of sixth sense.”
That illusion, delivered through a combination of precision, timing, and showmanship, allows audiences to feel as though they are witnessing something impossible, even as they recognize that psychology and technique guide the experience.
While many assume mentalism is a gift, Gebrael views it primarily as a skill — one that demands an unusual sensitivity to people and environments.
“Most people ask me if it’s a gift or a skill. It’s mostly a skill. But the real gift is when someone is able to read the room. It’s having it being a second nature.”
That awareness began to solidify when he was still a teenager, experimenting with cards and casual performances in public spaces.
“I realized that second nature thing when I was about 19 years old.
“When I started doing it on people, I started to notice different patterns that made me realize I could probably read their thoughts.”
What followed was a period of constant self-testing.
“I just walk into some place and then I’ll just challenge myself to try to deduct what people are thinking of, like names, countries, it could be sometimes drawings or even predict their thoughts like a playing card.”
By then, the direction of his future felt unmistakable.
“That’s where I learned that I was really good at it at that age,” he saod.
For Gebrael, mentalism exists in the space where science and illusion overlap, with neither fully replacing the other. Psychology provides the framework.
“Lots of people would think it’s a magic trick, and they’re not wrong. And some people would think it’s something based off of science, which is completely right, because there’s a lot of psychology in that subject matter. So when you’re reading someone’s thoughts, you’re going to look at their face. They’re going to do some micro-expressions, and that will just confirm what the thoughts are.”
Neuro-linguistic programming, in particular, offers subtle cues that many are unaware they are giving.
“This science will allow you to have better accuracy on your mentalism,” he said.
At the same time, Gebrael blends theatrical misdirection to heighten the effect.
“Sometimes just adding a little bit of magic tricks just makes the recipe a little bit more deceptive.”
Gebrael performs on formal stages, but he also seeks environments that are unpredictable, unscripted, and rich with genuine reactions.
“I go around social gatherings or even just go to a mall, and I try to test different things, different theories, ideas that I come up with, or even stuff that people, other people came up with, because it’s a very small community, but it’s spread with different ideas. So people share ideas and then we mix and match these ideas together.”
From schools and corporate events to podcasts and spontaneous public encounters, these settings provide invaluable opportunities.
“All this gathering of people is the best scenario for me to just be able to present that skill,” Gebrael said. “And the more the merrier. So a lot of people can experience things. And the more you see a group settings, the more you start to reveal, people start to reveal themselves through the neuro-linguistic programming, because some people are really tense when it comes to social gathering and other people are more extroverted. So this where you get to work better, seeing people in the wild gets you a better effect for a mentalist. So yeah, that’s what I need. I need people to read. I can just do it on my own.”
For Gebrael, every performance begins long before he steps on stage. The energy of the room, the focus of the participants, and even small distractions can shape how his illusions unfold, especially during hypnosis, where attention is crucial.
“If I’m doing a hypnosis, people have to be really focused and if there’s a lot of noise, the people who are being hypnotized are going to be a little bit distracted. But when it comes to preparation for a mentalism show, you always need to be 10 steps ahead from everyone, at least 10 steps ahead just to be always ready. And if there is any failure that happens, you always have to be ready to just step up and keep walking forward,” he says.
His meticulous preparation ensures the performance feels effortless. Scripts are memorized, props are ready, and every potential disruption is anticipated. Even with all this planning, flexibility remains essential, allowing him to respond to the unexpected while maintaining the illusion of complete control.
Gebrael says audience reactions tend to fall into a few distinct categories.
“People when they don’t react, they’re really just asking themselves, how did he do it? And can I do the same thing? People who fear are the ones who cannot understand what it is. So fear is what comes in and they react very loud. And these are the people that actually make the videos look good because this is what we want to know. What happened? Why is this person screaming and yelling? How did he do it?”
Yet the purpose behind the work remains constructive.
“The purpose of it is to just bring joy and break people’s patterns a bit because we’re too caught off with normal things. So when something that’s so unusual that happens in front of them, it kind of makes them feel different and good. So that’s my goal as a mentalist.”
Mentalism carries personal meaning for Gebrael, tied to memories of family stories passed through generations.
“My grandma and my great grandfather, they used to use leaves and coffee cups to read things. And I always would ask myself, like, how would my grandma do this?”
His great-grandfather, Simon, was known within his village for his abilities, shaping how Gebrael views the craft.
“He walked in the village and people will come to him and ask him, can you do some readings on us? So that’s how he became personal to me. So I felt like it was in my bloodline to be a mentalist.”
Gebrael’s profile rose significantly after appearing on “Quel talent,” performing for a Quebec audience.
“The experience at ‘Quel talent’ was amazing. To be honest, it was my first time performing in front of so many people.”
One judge presented a particular challenge.
“The reactions the judges had was beyond what I expected because one of the judges, which is Serge Denoncourt, he knows a little bit about magic and mentalism, but he was the one person, the most challenging person to impress in that situation. And what I did, I flipped his brain out and he was so confused and that made him happy too because he wanted to be fooled. It brought him back to when he was a kid.”
For Gebrael, that moment captured the essence of mentalism.
“That’s the cool thing about experiencing magic and mentalism for the first time is to feel that new thing that probably there’s magic and real stuff going on like Harry Potter, you know, like some people, they like to experience something that’s out of the ordinary. So to me, to bring that to the judges again for the first time, it was the first time experiencing that it was the best gift a mentalist could ask, especially on TV. So to me, it was just a great way to start my career on that path and become the mentalist people know from ‘Quel talent.’”
Despite his growing visibility across the Montreal area and beyond, Gebrael insists he is still refining his work.
“I still feel like there’s a lot of stuff I need to work on and especially there’s a lot of stuff I haven’t showed yet. The world needs to see more of mentalism, especially here in Quebec. I think it’s a niche that needs to be pushed.”
His ambitions include larger productions and new formats.
“My next step is obviously producing bigger shows, going on a tour and also doing a TV special or even just creating ideas around mentalism for TV or even for the web that people can experience it from from their own seat at home or even be part of it as a show or as an experience. So there’s a lot of ideas in the back of my mind and I know that some of them are being already prepared, but it’s just a matter of time before it happens.”
Gebrael leaves a reminder for those who encounter him.
“It’s always important in the presence of a mentalist to always think positive thoughts because if you always think negative thoughts, we might pick them up.”
“Just always think positive, be happy. And the most important thing is enjoy every moment the mentalist does to you. It’s not a challenge that you put on him and he’s not only challenging you, it’s just a connection you’re building with the mentalist. So that’s what it is. Just enjoy, enjoy that moment.”
