What if the law of attraction had a neurological basis? What if your brain could teach you how to be a more effective manifester?
I truly believe it can, through something known as neuroplasticity, which is essentially the brain’s ability to be flexible, and to create new neural pathways.
Through an understanding of the brain’s neuroplasticity, you can learn how to best utilize your brain to manifest anything you want.
Neuroplasticity: The Key to the Law of Attraction
I first was introduced to this topic by the book, The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown, by Daniel Coyle. I highly recommend this book if you’re interested in the power of the brain to grow and improve. The book itself is about practice, but it can easily be applied to any skill.
The book says, essentially, that as you practice a skill, the neurons associated with that skill will gradually create a pathway. The more you practice that skill, the faster and more accurate you become at it, because that neural pathway is coated with a neural substance called myelin. If the neural pathway prior to being coated with myelin could be likened to a narrow country road, then after being well-myelinated, it is like an eight-lane highway.
Let’s say you learn some piece on the piano. The first time you play it, it is going to be very difficult to play without mistakes or hesitation, because those neurons are not yet linked. But, the second time, it will be a bit easier. The third, a bit easier still. And by the time you’ve practiced it dozens of times, you could play it in your sleep.
But recently, the thought occurred to me, what if the law of attraction could be like just any other skill?
After all, the law of attraction is solely concerned with thoughts. And, it is shown that thoughts have just as much an effect on the brain’s neuroplasticity as do actions. For instance, a pessimistic person can train their brain to be optimistic, just by practicing that skill.
And, the process of creating new neural pathways does have remarkably a lot in common with the process of manifesting your desires.
For instance, if you practice a skill incorrectly, the brain has no way of knowing. It will create a neural pathway of an incorrect performance of a piece of music, just as happily as a correct performance. Daniel Coyle, in The Talent Code, corrects the oft-repeated saying, “Practice makes perfect,” to instead say, “Perfect practice makes perfect.”
The same is true for the law of attraction. You can just as easily manifest something unwanted, due to your attention to unwanted thoughts and emotions, as you can manifest something wanted. It’s the same process either way, but it’s completely up to you what you manifest.
Similarly, with neuroplasticity, an unused neural pathway will eventually shrink and become less efficient. The same is true with the law of attraction, as the easiest way to undo an unwanted manifestation is simply to ignore it—i.e., to stop practicing the thoughts that created that neural pathway.
I hope you see my point by now. The brain seems to be the ideal manifestation machine. And, with the understanding of how to use it, you can manifest anything you desire.
How to Create a New Neural Pathway to Your Manifestation
As I said, your brain doesn’t care what you practice. Whatever you give it, if repeated enough, it will become better and more efficient at it.
Have you ever gotten better at some skill, like a musical instrument, a foreign language, or some other hobby? Then, you know everything you need to know to practice your manifestation.
It comes down to creating a thought pathway to your manifestation.
What Are You Manifesting Now?
It helps, first, to know what you are manifesting right now. This is, essentially, the current state of your thought pathway.
If your abundance pathway is leading to poverty, then you know that you’re making some errors in your practicing of abundance.
If your relationship pathway is leading to loneliness, or attracting the wrong type of partners, then you know that you’re making some errors in your practicing of love and romance.
When I say “errors”, this doesn’t mean you should become discouraged about it. When you practice a mistake, you can just as easily correct that error, and practice the correct version instead.
So, for now, run through your manifestational thought pathway. If your goal is greater abundance, then run through the abundance pathway by thinking of your goal in greater and greater detail. Is there resistance, indicated by bad feelings, that pops up when you access this desire? These resistant thoughts and feelings are your “mistakes”, or, to use another analogy, the bugs in your program.
This is really good information to be aware of. You can’t fix your pathway unless you know what exactly is going wrong.
Access Easy Thoughts About Your Manifestation
What do you do when you’re not good at a skill? You slow it down. If it’s a piano piece, you play it at perhaps half speed. If it’s a foreign word, you pronounce it slowly and deliberately.
If you were to play that piano piece at full speed, or say that word or phrase just as fast as a native speaker, you’d make so many mistakes that you wouldn’t know where to start. When you slow it down, you can be much more deliberate about your actions.
So the same is true when it comes to your manifestation. Don’t access your goal with all its details right up front. Do what Abraham calls “going general”.
You do this by accessing the very general thoughts and feelings about your manifestations.
You ask yourself a question like, “What will it feel like when I have my manifestation?”
- “What will it feel like when I am making $10,000 more per year?”
- “What will it feel like when I find a great partner?”
- “What will it feel like when more clients are coming to me?”
When doing this, don’t worry about the “how”. Don’t let yourself get sucked into the details of your desire. This is where all the mistakes are right now in your neural pathway.
Just stay with the general feeling. Then your brain will associate “freedom” and “security” with your abundance pathway, instead of “worry” and “fear”.
Keep this up for as long as it feels natural.
Resistant thoughts may still arise. You’ll be tempted to focus on the unwanted, just as the mistake will be easier to make at first with the skill you’re practicing.
But, when you’re going slower like this, you’ll notice it more readily, since you’re paying more attention. Redirect your thoughts back to the good feeling.
That does not mean to fight or push away the bad feeling. Actually, you want to bring radical acceptance to it, completely accepting and allowing it to be what it is. Only then will the resistance be released.
Every time you release a piece of resistance, you can enter more deeply into the feeling of your manifestation, and it will be easier and easier to do so.
Speed It Up
You’ve practiced it at a slower speed by going general and just feeling good about it. Now, it’s time to speed it up.
Add details to your goal. What will it look like when you have it? What will you be doing? Find details that are easy to feel good about.
It’s best to find some detail that best defines your goal. If you want to receive more clients, visualize seeing your calendar filled with more session appointments. If you want a good job, see yourself working at your job and enjoying it, or alternatively see yourself depositing your first paycheck.
Just choose a detail or two that defines your goal. Then, visualize that, or write about it, if visualization isn’t your thing.
This is where “acting as if” enters into the equation. Imagine what your life would be like if you had this manifestation.
Again, resistance may, and probably will, arise. Just do the same thing as I suggested above: simply accept it. Just let it go, without fighting it.
Your brain wants to help you. As you access more and more specific details about your goal, your subconscious mind will start showing you things you’re holding on to that aren’t allowing this manifestation. For instance, if you’re trying to manifest abundance, but holding on to some belief about money being bad, then your brain is going to let you know. Just accept that old belief, and effortlessly let it go.
And, as before, every time you let go of some resistance, you’ll enter more deeply into the desired manifestation.
You are aiming for a deeper and deeper feeling of having it. It should get to the point where you don’t even care if you receive it, because you have already given it to yourself within.
The Universe Reflects Your Own Mind
So now you have the way to create a thought pathway to your manifestation, using the idea of neuroplasticity.
From what I’ve experienced, this is exactly true.
But, why? Why does the brain create whatever it is programmed to think?
Well, I think you already know the answer to this. Don’t we say that the Universe reflects your thoughts? In other words, thoughts become things.
Your brain is a thought machine. It is literally shaped by what you think about most. Think negatively, and your brain makes it easier to think negatively, and therefore manifest negative experiences. Think positively, and your brain makes it easier to think positively, and therefore manifest positive experiences.
It’s the Universe’s gift to you. You have a reality creation machine right within your own head. You can literally be, do, or have anything you want, if you would only think your way there, first. Your mind is that powerful.
You are a blank slate when you enter into this world as a newborn. Over the next several years, programs are installed in your subconscious mind from your parents. Those programs will run, largely outside of your awareness, for the rest of your life, or until you change that programming, either through deliberate subconscious work, or occasionally unintentionally through powerful life experiences.
As you do the work I’ve outlined above, these subconscious programs will be kicked up to the surface, because your new goal conflicts with them. Either you can choose to continue the subconscious program, or you can continue practicing the thought pathway you desire, and therefore install a new subconscious program.
There’s a much faster way of doing this, however. I’ve developed very fast and efficient techniques for reprogramming your subconscious mind to make it far easier to accomplish all of your goals. I offer a free 45-minute breakthrough session to anyone who wants to achieve better results in their life. Just click below to get started:
Click Here to Schedule Your Free Breakthrough Session
How About You?
Now it’s your turn. What do you think of this way of seeing the law of attraction? Have you successfully changed your own subconscious programs to achieve your goals in life? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
10 Reasons You Aren't Getting Results with the Law of Attraction
Download this free ebook to find out why the law of attraction isn't working for you.
Great post! Yup, this adds to the “logic” of the law of attraction in a way.
This really resonated: “It should get to the point where you don’t even care if you receive it, because you have already given it to yourself within”. Well, I must attest to this because when I do not care for something, that is when I have manifestations. The less I care, the better. It is as if we need to go through life without a care in the world, knowing everything will be taken care of anyway. This is not to be misinterpreted, though. I mean a worry in the world.
It is too bad we are programmed the way we are by parents and such. That takes years to understand and get back on track, so to speak. I also think of it more like riding a bicycle. You always know, you just need to do it.
Thanks so much for your comment.
Yeah, not caring is really the key. But it can be difficult to get to that place. The techniques I discussed can really help with that, though.
It’s hard to overcome that programming, but definitely possible, once we are aware of it. That’s the great thing about it. 🙂
Great post! Yup, this adds to the “logic” of the law of attraction in a way.
This really resonated: “It should get to the point where you don’t even care if you receive it, because you have already given it to yourself within”. Well, I must attest to this because when I do not care for something, that is when I have manifestations. The less I care, the better. It is as if we need to go through life without a care in the world, knowing everything will be taken care of anyway. This is not to be misinterpreted, though. I mean a worry in the world.
It is too bad we are programmed the way we are by parents and such. That takes years to understand and get back on track, so to speak. I also think of it more like riding a bicycle. You always know, you just need to do it.
Thanks so much for your comment.
Yeah, not caring is really the key. But it can be difficult to get to that place. The techniques I discussed can really help with that, though.
It’s hard to overcome that programming, but definitely possible, once we are aware of it. That’s the great thing about it. 🙂
Great post; that is accurate. It’s why I practice so much. I also would like to say that when you practice a skill, or attempt to learn material, try to use at least two of your senses; use as many mediums to learn as you can. The neural pathways will build themselves faster. Our step three really begins to incorporate visualization, but it derives from feel and flow, so it’s not as forced and your base technique stays strong. I think I have mentioned before that I practice basics a good bit, from memorizing computer keystrokes, to just walking the same routes through down town to stay sharp.
Great post; that is accurate. It’s why I practice so much. I also would like to say that when you practice a skill, or attempt to learn material, try to use at least two of your senses; use as many mediums to learn as you can. The neural pathways will build themselves faster. Our step three really begins to incorporate visualization, but it derives from feel and flow, so it’s not as forced and your base technique stays strong. I think I have mentioned before that I practice basics a good bit, from memorizing computer keystrokes, to just walking the same routes through down town to stay sharp.
Awesome post! Many of us manifesting and LOA bloggers don’t often go the extra mile into the sciences behind manifesting and the way our brains function, though we should…
Personally, I found that it’s the only way to get the LOA conversation going with some people.
Thanks so much for your comment. Yes, I think it’s important. Knowing how the brain works can really add an extra dimension to our understanding of how the law of attraction works.
Awesome post! Many of us manifesting and LOA bloggers don’t often go the extra mile into the sciences behind manifesting and the way our brains function, though we should…
Personally, I found that it’s the only way to get the LOA conversation going with some people.
Thanks so much for your comment. Yes, I think it’s important. Knowing how the brain works can really add an extra dimension to our understanding of how the law of attraction works.
I really liked the fact that you spoke about the mind in such a positive way. Often times, people speak of the mind as though it’s something that is intentionally trying to screw you over, something that throws tantrums and doesn’t want you to succeed… I really don’t resonate with that perspective, and when I changed my mind about… my mind :), dealing with resistance became much easier. I mean, it’s one thing to see resistance as an indicator, as feedback and help from your mind to further your awareness of its inner-workings, and another to see it as a kind of threat or something that’s going on in your mind as a means of hindering your progress. The latter really frustrated and scared me, and caused me to push against my thoughts, so I wouldn’t really get the message that my mind was trying to convey to me. Nice article!
Hi Moi,
Thanks so much for your comment.
Yes, many people push against the mind, or ego. And, the mind can be scary sometimes, because it is trying to protect us, but in a way that just isn’t very beneficial.
The problem comes in when we let the mind be in control. The mind should be a tool, and only a tool. When mind and Spirit are working in concert, truly magical things can happen.
But yes, resistance is just the programming that is coming up for you to release. It’s wonderfully useful, as long as you use it in the right away.
I really liked the fact that you spoke about the mind in such a positive way. Often times, people speak of the mind as though it’s something that is intentionally trying to screw you over, something that throws tantrums and doesn’t want you to succeed… I really don’t resonate with that perspective, and when I changed my mind about… my mind :), dealing with resistance became much easier. I mean, it’s one thing to see resistance as an indicator, as feedback and help from your mind to further your awareness of its inner-workings, and another to see it as a kind of threat or something that’s going on in your mind as a means of hindering your progress. The latter really frustrated and scared me, and caused me to push against my thoughts, so I wouldn’t really get the message that my mind was trying to convey to me. Nice article!
Hi Moi,
Thanks so much for your comment.
Yes, many people push against the mind, or ego. And, the mind can be scary sometimes, because it is trying to protect us, but in a way that just isn’t very beneficial.
The problem comes in when we let the mind be in control. The mind should be a tool, and only a tool. When mind and Spirit are working in concert, truly magical things can happen.
But yes, resistance is just the programming that is coming up for you to release. It’s wonderfully useful, as long as you use it in the right away.