Dr. James Doty has written a must-read book, Mind Magic, that focuses on manifesting, which is “defining an intention such that it gets embedded into our subconscious, which functions below the level of consciousness.” The author presents a six step model to manifest your intentions:
- Reclaim Your Power to Focus Your Mind
- Clarify What You Truly Want
- Remove the Obstacles in Your Mind
- Embed the Intention in Your Subconscious
- Pursue Your Goal Passionately
- Release Expectations and Open to Magic
Mind Magic delves into each of the six steps in great detail. The subtitle of the book is “The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How it Changes Everything.” Doty presents three key concepts centered on the physiology of manifesting:
- The Sympathetic vs. Parasympathetic Nervous System – The body has an autonomic nervous system (ANS) that “typically works automatically, beneath the level of consciousness.” This part of the nervous system has two divisions. “The first to evolve was the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) whose job it is ensure our physical survival and the survival of our genes, and whose primary activity is to engage the fight, flight, or freeze response. This is where the amygdala reigns…The SNS has the power to completely commandeer our physical and emotional resources in a split second, filling our body with stress hormones like cortisol and tensing our muscles for action….Later the human nervous system evolved further with the addition of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), also known as the rest-and-digest response, whose job it is to return the body to a peaceful resting state, a process known as homeostasis…When we are in rest-and-digest, we feel calm and composed, we are open to connection with others and with our environment, and we have access to the higher-level functions of the neocortex, including abstract planning, creativity and logical reasoning…Only when we have shifted in the rest-and-digest response of the nervous system will our brains allow us to reclaim our attention, access the power of our imagination and unlock our subconscious…It is the ability to choose that allows us to focus our attention and influence our unlocked subconscious to manifest our intention.”
- Neurotransmitters – “There are neurotransmitters in the brain that have evolved to regulate a variety of functions, most of which operate at an unconscious level, including heart rate and blood pressure, digestion and the sense of hunger and thirst and our response to stress. Four of these transmitters are primarily responsible for our sense of happiness, well-being and positive feelings and are, in fact, critical to our survival.” They are:
- Dopamine “is often called the “reward chemical”, as it is associated with pleasure, satisfaction and motivation, as well as learning and memory. It is also associated with the flow state, which is the experience of being so absorbed by an engaging, enjoyable task that your attention is completely held by it.”
- Serotonin “is often called the “mood stabilizer” and is associated with feelings of happiness, sleep regulation, sexual behavior and appetite. It is also associated with improving one’s ability to learn and to improve one’s memory.”
- Oxytocin “is called the “love hormone” because it is associated with romantic attachment, bonding behavior, the sense of intimacy, recognition, connection, trust and sexual arousal.”
- Endorphins “are the body’s natural painkillers and are released in response to pain or stress, creating a general feeling of well-being. Most people know endorphins from the so-called runner’s high of vigorous exercise, but they are also released by sex, meditation, chocolate and laughter.”
“These chemicals play an essential role in the experience of positive emotion required to teach our brains to classify our intentions as important and worth pursuing.”
3. Vibration – “We can view the workings of the brain itself from the point of view of vibration. Various frequencies are detectable within the brain depending on the activity.” The most common frequencies are:
- Gamma waves “are the fastest wavelength brain waves…They are associated with large-scale coordinated brain activities such as focus, attention, learning, problem-solving and information processing.”
- Beta waves “occur doing most conscious waking states and are associated with attentiveness, alertness and concentration that requires maximum brain arousal.”
- Alpha waves “are associated with the brain in an idle state when not concentrating on anything in particular.”
- Theta waves “occur during light sleep, deep relaxation and meditation while delta waves occur during deep states of dreamless sleep.”
Doty writes, “Now it is possible to cut through the pseudoscience and mysticism and reveal the concrete brain mechanics that underlie relaxation, detachment and visualization…My hope is that a clear presentation of the science behind manifesting will empower readers not only to trust the practices, but to use them to heal themselves, change their lives and understand their power to change the world.”