I’m fascinated by how people create. From projects to changes to relationships to their life, how do they do it? I’m as interested in how people get it wrong – what not to do – as in how they get it right – what to do.
So, naturally, I’m interested in “manifesting,” the apparently magical process of attracting your desires out of thin air.
I’ve read books, learned from “experts,” and experimented for myself. My results have been mixed – occasionally astonishing, but more often underwhelming, and sometimes completely imperceptible. Why? I thought that if I understood how it works, perhaps I could pull the levers more effectively.
Dr. James Doty’s Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything, explains the how. His book demystifies manifesting – taking it out of “woo” and into science.
What Do You Believe In?
The verb to manifest means to make evident by showing or displaying.
When we talk about manifesting, what we “make evident” is a belief.
Doty writes, “The challenge of human life is that the vast majority of the habits that shape our lives are established before we are consciously aware of them…. We do not spontaneously outgrow them.”
Our lives may be driven by desires, but they are shaped by beliefs. Beliefs are thoughts that are repeated enough or important enough to be embedded in our subconscious – which simply means they usually operate below the level of conscious thought. Desires, which often remain at the level of consciousness, can be at odds with a deeper belief.
For example, a conscious desire to be a successful entrepreneur may conflict with a deeper belief from childhood that successful businesspeople have no time for family. The belief undermines the desire. Alternatively, the belief, “I will prove them wrong!” will support the desire to be successful in spite of naysayers.
The contents of your life tell you what you believe in. What have you manifested so far? What haven’t you?
Intentional manifesting is the process of helping you believe in what you desire, so that you can create it.
The Neurobiology of Manifesting
Though it looks like magic, manifesting really is working intentionally with the human nervous system so that it remains focused on your goals.
This is the neurobiology of manifesting:
- The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). The “calm” arm of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), the PNS allows us to be open to connection to others and access higher-level brain functions, like creativity and planning. Importantly, the PNS response is strengthened through use.
- The Default Mode Network (DMN). One of four large brain networks involved in manifesting, the DMN cultivates the sense of self through incessant storytelling, criticism, and mental chatter. Importantly, the DMN’s story of you can be changed.
- The Salience Network (SN). This large brain network determines what’s important in a given context. It usually scans for novelty or surprise. But importantly, it can be programmed to attend to features we choose to value.
- The Attention Network (AN). This large brain network determines how we pay attention. Importantly, once an intention is embedded in the subconscious, the AN directs attention to the tasks required to achieve it.
- The Central Executive Network (CEN). As the name suggests, this large brain network is in charge of the big perspective: it is responsible for maintaining and manipulating working memory, decision-making, and problem-solving. Importantly, it is programmable!
How to Work with Your Nervous System to Manifest Intentionally
This turns out to be a simple and highly enjoyable process.
- Breathe deeply and relax your muscles. This de-activates your Sympathetic “fight-or-flight” Nervous System (SNS), which has your brain scanning for threats and your body ready to react to them. When it’s activated, you can survive, but you cannot flourish. Deep breathing and relaxation activate the PNS, facilitating connection, thoughtfulness, and goal-directed behavior.
- Embed your desires into your subconscious mind through repeated visualization and affirmation, with emotion. The trifecta of visualization, affirmation, and emotion engage all the manifesting neurobiology. It keeps the PNS activated and associates your intentions with the body’s reward system. It tells the DMN a new story of you and your life, which it will now cultivate. It gives the SN orders of what to scan for in the environment. It tells the AN how to direct attention. And it gives the CEN an image of where to direct you.
Not only is this process simple and enjoyable. I know it is effective because it’s exactly the process of HypnoBirthing, which I used to manifest easy, comfortable, non-medicated births. I feel like Dorothy the moment she discovered that she’d had the power to take herself home the whole time. She just hadn’t known how. Until someone showed her.
What do you want to create? Let me show you how. Join my free Manifesting Mini Course.
