I’m a Neuroscientist. Here’s Why I Believe in the Power of Manifestation

It’s not about asking the universe to reward you; it’s about rewiring your brain to reward itself.

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You’ve likely heard about manifestation, the idea that you can literally will a dream or goal into existence via aspirational thoughts. The trend, which has a humble 6 million posts on TikTok and counting, exploded during the pandemic as people started sharing stories about how they supposedly manifested major life wins like a dream job, $7,500 bucks in the bank, and the perfect partner.

If you’ve scrolled by such reels and rolled your eyes, thinking as if, we get it. Privileged influencers attributing their cushy lives to “good vibes” isn’t the most…inspirational (or believable) content. But if you’ve completely written the practice off as a result, you might be missing out, physician and neuroscientist James R. Doty, MD, founder of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at the Stanford University School of Medicine, tells SELF. There’s actually plenty of science behind manifestation, and it’s a legitimate self-development technique that, when done correctly, can be life-altering, Dr. Doty says.

But there’s way more to it than magical or wishful thinking. Here’s why manifesting can actually work—and how to go about it the right way.

The brain science behind manifestation

If you think the practice is simply about asking the universe to reward you in some way, you can pretty much expect it to be a waste of time. As Dr. Doty bluntly puts it in the first sentence of his new book, Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything, “The universe doesn’t give a fuck about you.”

Manifesting, from a neuroscience perspective, is about rewiring your brain so it’s primed to subconsciously seek out something you want or the steps you need to take to reach a certain goal. When you spend a lot of time thinking about an intention, you end up convincing yourself it’s within reach. You change your mindset and, along the way, create and strengthen neural pathways that motivate your brain to make your dream come true, Dr. Doty explains. He calls this embedding your intention—basically, you teach your brain that certain things are super important, so it becomes hell-bent on turning them into your reality.

Say you’re writing a thesis about how invasive mosquitoes are becoming more prevalent in the Northeast, for example. You’ve been researching and thinking about the bugs nonstop but get stuck because you need to interview a couple of entomologists and can’t find anyone with the right background who’s willing to speak with you. Then, one day you’re at a noisy coffee shop, and amidst the chatter, you hear someone across the room say the words aedis aegypti—the exact type of mosquito you are investigating—and think, Ha! What are the odds? You walk over, introduce yourself, and wind up interviewing this professor for your project. Voilà!

This scenario captures how manifestation works: As Dr. Doty explains, you embedded your project in your brain, which subconsciously created new “task-positive networks” (or systems of neurons that help you achieve high-level tasks) that were extra attuned to your goal. As a result, you picked up on helpful cues and tools in your environment—that you’d normally probably never pay attention to. Was it a coincidence you found the perfect expert in this random café? Or did you manifest it (by training your brain to automatically help you get what you wanted)?

Another example: You want to become a veterinarian but bombed the GREs and were rejected by a few programs, so you’ve concluded it’s not gonna happen for you. But then you decide, you know what, I am going to be a vet. You set an intention and regularly picture yourself as an animal doctor and all the emotions you might feel when you save a pet’s life. Your brain then realizes this is a super meaningful life goal and starts (subconsciously) focusing on what you can do to make it a reality. You finally feel motivated to retake the GREs and reapply. You study every week and, as your practice test scores increase, you become more confident you’re on the right path. You run into some vets at parties and ask them how they got to where they are and get some useful advice. You nail the GREs and put together a first-class application based on those tips and one day get an acceptance letter in the mail.

This was not the supernatural at play. The universe didn’t put you on the right path. “You activated certain cognitive brain networks that increased the likelihood of you manifesting your intention,” Dr. Doty says.

Setting the right kind of intention makes all the difference.

Dr. Doty says people often make the mistake of creating intentions that are selfish or motivated by external affirmation. Maybe you want a prestigious career or a fancy car because people—like your mom or your friends—will think highly of you

Wanting an impressive job or a Tesla aren’t necessarily bad goals, but Dr. Doty says they’re (most likely) rooted in insecurity and fear. And when you’re fixated on what other people think, you get stressed out and your body shifts into fight-or-flight mode. Your sympathetic nervous system takes control and your brain doesn’t think or function as well, so you’re unable to focus your attention on your intention. “As a result, your ability to manifest is limited,” Dr. Doty says. Human beings (and our brains) function optimally in the calm “rest-and-digest” mode—i.e. when your parasympathetic nervous system, the network of nerves that helps your body relax and conserve energy, is in charge, he explains.

So how can you engage your parasympathetic nervous system to become an A+ manifester? By setting goals that are grounded in compassion, kindness, and generosity, Dr. Doty says. You tend to be calmer when you’re pursuing things that give you purpose and ultimately benefit the greater good, he adds. Your body releases feel-good neurotransmitters like oxytocin when you care for others, which stimulate your pleasure and reward centers. Your brain craves these hormones, so it assigns more cognitive resources to achieving your goals, according to Dr. Doty.

I needed clarity on what makes a “good” versus “bad” intention, so I asked Dr. Doty about my big life goal—which is to write (and, fingers crossed, publish) a book. Isn’t that kind of selfish, I wondered, to have this dream where I’m a published author? He said it’s all about what’s behind my objective. Do I want to be rich and famous or do I simply love writing and want to educate and entertain people? If it’s the latter (it is), then that’s actually a very good intention, he assured me. The former, however, would likely lead to disappointment because I’d be operating from a stressed-out place (which makes it harder for your brain to get anything done), he told me.

A few quick tips to help you successfully manifest your goals

The biggest obstacle Dr. Doty sees is negative self-talk. “If you tell yourself something is not possible then it’s not possible,” he says. So step one: Quit convincing yourself you can’t do or have something. The way you overcome that? With positive affirmations—a.k.a short, encouraging statements about what you’re capable of accomplishing.

If you think you don’t have what it takes to run a half marathon? Tell yourself you absolutely do, and you will cross that finish line. If you worry you’ll never be able to make money off your art, remind yourself you have the talent to be a successful illustrator.

Then you want to embed your intention in your brain. “Write it down, read it silently, read it aloud, visualize yourself achieving it, and repeat the intention over and over again,” Dr. Doty recommends. The more your senses are engaged, the greater the chances you will embed your intention and be a superb manifester, he explains. So try to say, look at, and think about your intention whenever you get the chance. Start with a few minutes a couple of days a week. Then ramp it up to every morning, and then a couple of times a day.

Finally, try—as best you can—to manifest calmly. The truth is, even if you follow all of the advice above, this process is not a guarantee, Dr. Doty says. Sometimes, life gets in the way of your dreams, and they may not come true in your ideal time frame (or at all). Still, if you’re anxious about whether or not your life will actually change or you’re overly attached to the end result, you’re gonna fall into fight-or-flight mode and have a slim to none chance of reaching your goal, he adds.

So sit back, put your feet up, and start reflecting on what you want your life to look like. Be patient but persistent. And, when in doubt, take everything in stride. “Ultimately, it will all work out as it should,” Dr. Doty says. Happy manifesting.