How to Manifest:
Using Techniques Informed by Neuroscience to Genuinely Manifest Your Dreams
Introduction
When you hear the word manifest or manifestation you may instinctively roll your eyes or prepare to hear something you don’t expect to have any scientific or psychological merit. The popularization of the concept of manifestation through spiritual or esoteric means has increased dramatically in the last few years through social media, self-help books and popular culture. Some may make questionable claims about their ability to manifest mass fortunes and other material luxuries. But believe it or not, despite the at times dubious use of the term, manifestation is a practice backed by well-researched understandings of psychology and neuroscience.
There are ways of practicing manifestation which are informed by our understanding of the human brain and mind and how it performs most adaptively. In the following article, we will take a deeper look at how science informs manifestation and provide hands-on techniques that you can easily apply to your own life.
Section 1: The Neuroscience of Manifestation
1.1 Neuroplasticity: Rewiring Your Brain for Success
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change the way it’s structured and functioning in response to new experiences. This means that we are not staunchly set in our ways when it comes to patterns of thought and understanding, even if it may feel that way sometimes.
One way that we can begin to be more in control of our brain’s functioning (and even the success in our lives) is through our thinking. Repeated thoughts shape neural pathways. We may naturally have a tendency to dwell on negative patterns of repeated thought, such as “Oh, look at me failing again and not doing what I’m supposed to do,” or “I’ll never amount to anything - everything I do crumbles.” It is normal to have negative thoughts like these, but perseverating or ruminating on them makes their neural pathways stronger - meaning that you will continue to access that line of thinking and the associated feelings and behaviors (perhaps shame, despair and self-limiting choices) more often as you continue to engage with them as if they are important.
If, on the other hand, you choose to begin intentionally focusing on your goals and other aspects of your life that you desire to change, your brain will begin to change, building new neural pathways over time. Reflecting repeatedly on what it is you intend to do or change in your life coupled with exposing yourself to new experiences in which you can begin to feel and behave in ways that align with your goals is one of the most effective ways to rewire your brain for success. For example, if you desire to have more friends and a more fulfilling social life, repeatedly imagining what it would look and feel like to be surrounded by friends you enjoy the company of will help you in making the internal adjustments which support that pursuit. Even if it feels very far off at the moment, taking the time to reflect on this goal and imagine this intention coming to fruition will prepare your brain for the possibility of you succeeding and being fulfilled, something which will be far more helpful in approaching this goal than more typical, automatic, negative thought patterns, such as thinking “how much of a loser I am” or wondering “why can’t I make any friends?” When it comes to finding the courage to actually pursue meeting new people (an intimidating act for almost anyone!), the positive visualizations and intentions of the former will be far more helpful and encouraging than the doubts, insecurities and self-discounting of the latter. So, although “manifesting” the desired goal will still require taking concrete action, as well as vulnerability to disappointment, preparing the mind for the intended reality is quite helpful in encouraging a more productive and less self-limiting experience.
1.2 The Reticular Activating System (RAS): Training Your Brain to Notice Opportunities and Open to Gratitude
The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a bundle of nerves at the brainstem which mediates our experiences of attention and consciousness. It is what allows us to focus on some details over others, as well as make the transition from being unconscious while asleep to conscious when awake and alert. Its primary function is to filter which sensations you become aware of.
At any given moment there is a nearly endless amount of sensory information which can be processed by your brain in your environment. It is not possible or efficient for you to focus on every possible sensation at any given moment, so your brain uses the RAS to automatically filter what it will pay attention to and perceive. But how does your brain decide what is important? It does this according to your beliefs and what you generally choose to focus your attention on.
If you have had many unprocessed, traumatic experiences, you may believe the world to be a dangerous place. This may cause you to habitually focus your attention in your environment on sources of threat - so this is primarily what you will perceive in your day to day life. If, on the other hand, you have not experienced traumatic events and you believe the world to be a generally welcoming and safe place, you may interact with the same environment with a focus on what you do believe to be relevant and important- perhaps work, relationships or pleasure. Resultantly, you will likely notice and perceive these aspects of the world around you.
Although the RAS is a largely automatic system, there are critical ways in which we can influence it to our benefit. By examining and restructuring our beliefs and focus in relation to our goals, we can begin to reprogram the sensory input our brain deems important and worth processing. This can eventually have major implications- possibly causing our awareness of our same lives to shift dramatically.
For example, if a woman’s major goal was to improve her relationships, as she felt insecure, as if those closest to her didn’t actually like her, examining her beliefs and patterns of focus could help her tremendously. She may find that she has unknowingly believed that she is unlikable and has nothing to offer others. She may also find that she tends to focus on the negative emotions expressed by those closest to her, as well as pay a lot of attention to thoughts she has in response which interpret others’ feelings to be about herself. Even if she is not able to shift her self-limiting beliefs immediately, it may benefit her to set an intention to herself that she would like to be more connected and open-hearted in her relationships, as this is a value of hers she aligns with. She can then practice visualizing what her life would be like if she felt more connected and open-hearted in her relationships, including the thoughts, emotions and behaviors she would likely experience. She may then be better equipped to notice when people in her life are offering connection and open-heartedness to her, perhaps feeling more of a possibility of reciprocating these feelings back. Over time, she may come to find that her past negative beliefs about her worth and ability to connect with others lose their relevance, as well as her intent focus on others possibly disliking her.
A Side Note on the Importance of Parasympathetic Regulation:
While the techniques mentioned above can be quite effective in positively shifting our focus, reflecting on thoughts alone will likely be limited if we are not able to do so from a state of relative calm and safety in the body. If we feel threatened or physically unsafe, it is very difficult to focus on fulfilling sources of stimulation in our environment, as our bodies and brains will be wired to ensure safety first. This is why regular, intentional activation of our parasympathetic nervous system is very important when it comes to manifestation efforts.
The parasympathetic nervous system is known as the rest and digest system - the counterpart to the sympathetic nervous system (also known as the fight or flight system). Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system occurs naturally throughout the day for most people. It is what lets our bodies and minds know that we are safe to relax and no longer actively be on guard for sources of threat. Luckily for us, even if we tend to maintain anxiety or vigilance throughout the day, there are physical techniques we can use to modulate and encourage the activation of our parasympathetic nervous systems. Deep breathing, meditation, yoga and gentle physical touch all help with this activation.
For those who have experienced traumatic events which may have chronically caused them to live in a state of vigilance and genuine fear for safety, accessing parasympathetic nervous system engagement may be more challenging. It can be especially helpful to work with a trauma-informed therapist who is well-versed in somatic therapies and grounding techniques when this is the case.
Overall, regularly practicing engaging with parasympathetic nervous system regulation will help you in efforts to manifest higher-level goals. It is from a state of calm and safety that we are best able to make decisions that align with our true values and interests.
If you are finding that you could use additional support in manifestation, a therapist who specializes in goal-setting, executive function, and barriers to self-esteem building can be a fantastic ally in healing from pervasive patterns of shame, rumination and negative life choices. Feel free to schedule a counseling session with one of our therapists at The Center For Growth.
You can self schedule an in-person or virtual therapy session at the Center for Growth by calling (215) 922- LOVE (5683) x 100.
Our Guarantee: If after your first session you are not sold that you are working with the right therapist, do not hesitate to call our intake line at 215 922 5683 x 100 or Alex at (267) 324-9564 and ask to be rescheduled with another therapist. The choice of how you want to proceed is yours. Our only goal is to support you in becoming the best you possible.
