Manifestation. Chances are you’ve seen this word a lot recently. According to Google Analytics data, searches for this term increased 300 percent in the year 2020.
So, what does it actually mean? To put it succinctly, manifesting is the process of bringing your desires to life. It’s about creating your ideal reality by thinking and feeling in a way that aligns with your goals.
Manifestation is about using the Law Of Attraction to your advantage. According to this law, we attract what we think about. By focusing on the positive and giving your attention to the things you want (instead of the stuff you don’t want), you can ‘manifest’ anything you desire.
This is because we live in an energetic universe. Just as your thoughts and feelings carry a particular vibration, so too do your goals. By thinking about your goals and aligning your energy to them, proponents say you create an energetic match, which allows your desires to come forth.
On social media, you’ll find people claiming to have manifested all sorts of things – from relationships and job promotions, to new homes and even large sums of money – using the power of their intention.
Reckon that all sounds a bit too good to be true? We hear you!
Sceptics are quick to dismiss manifestation as ‘woo woo’. Some will say it’s spiritual mumbo jumbo with no scientific backing, other less eloquent folks simply label it as ‘total BS’.
Manifestation may have divided the masses. Yet, despite what the naysayers claim, there is actually some scientific research to back it up. Particularly in the world of neuroscience.
What does science say about manifestation?
The filtering effect
Insider our brains is a function known as the Reticular Activating System (RAS.) The RAS filters and organises information.
When you tell the RAS to focus on something, like a particular goal you’re trying to achieve for example, it recognises that as something important and begins filtering information relevant to that goal.
It’s a little like putting your destination into Google Maps. Your brain begins creating a plan to get you where you need to go.
Say you set a goal to manifest a new car. Thanks to the RAS, you might start noticing car dealerships in your area that you weren’t aware of before. Pretty cool, huh?
See it to create it
That’s not all. Visualisation, a key tool for manifesters, is shown to increase the likelihood of goals coming to fruition. Scientists at the Welcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging in London discovered that people who visualize their goals are more likely to bring those goals into existence.
It backs up a key concept of the Law Of Attraction: what you focus on, you attract.
Copy cat
Then there’s mirror neurons. Manifestation is based on the principle that like attracts like, and our neurological makeup works in a similar way. Mirror neurons in the brain automatically mirror the actions of the people you encounter.
For example, if you meet someone who feels like sunshine in human form, you’ll also start acting more positively too. If you bump into someone who is angry and anxious, you’ll likely become agitated as well.
How does this function relate to manifestation? Well, it suggests that we have more power to influence the world around us than we think.
Our thoughts and feelings emit a vibration that can alter the way others think and feel. It stands to reason then that we can also influence our own reality.
Now that you know how manifestation works and understand that there is some scientific weight behind it, you might be wondering how to master it yourself….
How do you manifest?
That’s a good question, and one that has a complex answer. Ask 100 people how to manifest and you will likely get 100 different answers. What works for one person, might not work for another, and everyone has their own way of bringing their goals to fruition.
There are however, a few simple guidelines you should do your best to follow.
Figure out what you want (what you really, really want)
When was the last time you stopped and really thought about what you want from life? Often we’re so focused on the things we don’t want, the stuff we’re complaining about, that we completely forget to laser in on our goals.
Knowing what you don’t want can be a handy tool. It can give you a better understanding of how you’d like your life to look. Right now, put pen to paper, and start jotting down what you’d like to achieve if there was absolutely nothing standing in your way.
What would you have, do, and be if everything was possible and you knew with total certainty that nothing could stop your desires from manifesting?
This process can take a little while – particularly if this is the very first time you’re thinking pragmatically about your goals – so give it the time it needs. Don’t rush!
At this stage some people like to create a vision board. Others prefer to simply write a ‘desires list’ which they can refer back to keep their goals fresh in their mind. There’s no hard and fast rule. You do you.
Remove the blocks
Blocks can take many forms. For the most part, they take the form of unresolved trauma and limiting beliefs. These blocks lower your vibration and can stop your desires from manifesting. It’s your job to remove them.
How do you do that, you might ask? Shadow work.
Shadow work involves some serious introspection. It involves looking closely at the unhealed parts of yourself with a view to eventually letting them go. Sometimes this is work you can do on your own; other times you may need a therapist to help. .
To get started, look at the desires you want to manifest, and consider what beliefs you have that stand in their way. Is there a part of you that doesn’t really believe it’s possible? Perhaps you’ve told yourself that good things don’t really happen for people like you?
You can slowly begin to change those beliefs by doing two things: changing your self-talk (time to start using empowering words and phrases like ‘I can’, ‘I will’ and ‘I’m capable’) and repeating affirmations that refute your limiting beliefs.
Shadow work isn’t a quick fix. It can be a lengthy process but it will be worth it. Promise.
Start acting as if
Remember what we said earlier about how matching the vibration of your desires brings them into your reality? Well, it’s time to do just that by acting as if you’ve already manifested the things you want.
We know what you’re thinking. How can you be happy about achieving your goals when you haven’t actually achieved your goals? Pretend!
Start feeling grateful for the money, the car, the holiday or the relationship you asked for. Close your eyes and imagine you already have it. Feel all those wonderful feelings of excitement and appreciation that you would if that desire were already yours. Write about it in your journal as though it’s already happened.
When you do these things you’ll feel wonderful. And you know what that means? You’re one step closer to manifesting them.
Surrender
Arguably the hardest part of all, effectively manifesting means surrendering your desires to the universe. To bring them into reality, you have to let them go.
That might seem contradictory, but when you cling too tightly to a goal, hoping and praying that it will manifest and trying to control the outcome, you create resistance around that goal.
Sometimes people like to tack timelines on to their goals too. They set a rigid schedule and say they want to achieve X, Y, and Z by a particular date. While this can be helpful in some instances, often being too rigid timewise sets you up to fail. So, if in doubt, scrap the timeline.
Still fussing over when your manifestation will come? Here’s a trick: focus on all you have to be grateful for right now. Really hone in on what makes you happy at this very moment. Make this a daily practice. Put pen to paper and start listing off all that is good in your life.
This simple practice loosens your resistance. It helps you see that your life is already pretty great, and shifts your energy from needing your goals to manifest, to knowing you’d be happy even if they didn’t.
It’s a bit of a paradox, but to manifest your desires, you have to be okay with not having the things you want.
So there you have it: that’s manifesting. Consider it a process. You might not get the hang of it overnight. There may be times when you find yourself doubting it, even writing it off as ‘total BS’ (Like those naysayers, we mentioned earlier.)
But hang tight: practice makes perfect and with a little patience you too could see the power of manifesting for yourself.
Author - Victoria Stokes
Freelance Writer And Editor - View All Articles
Writer specialising in personal development, wellness, mental health, and women's lifestyle niches. Previously digital and deputy editor of Ireland's biggest women's title STELLAR Magazine and Senior Editor at Ireland's Wedding Journal.
