Make Believe: Discovering and Creating Magical Experiences

In this collection of twenty-eight essays D. Michael Smith a retired pastoral/family psychotherapist and life-long magician explores the meanings and implications of make-belief imagination creativity play wonder and the theatrical arts for magical performances. The essays divided into three sections explore the life enriching and entertaining psychologies philosophies and presentations involved in the make-believing art of performance magic.In addition the author fully describes and presents the scripts for his own close-up and stand-up presentations of three classics of magic: (1) A Fantasy Vacation (Scotch and Soda); (2) Deeper Mystery Egg Bag (Egg Bag); and (3) A Whole Ball of Wax (Gypsy Floss).The book also includes a detailed reading list as well as an appendix comparing and contrasting the world of imaginative make-believe with the autistic and realistic worlds and an online link to a twenty-one page index of thirteen primaryl themes found in the major publications of magic philosopher prolific writer and creator of original origami and magic effects and stories.