MANIFESTATION: WHAT IS IT, AND DOES IT WORK?
Manifesting can mean different things to different people, but in general, it’s the practice of trying to bring something into your life through belief
Though manifestation is a concept with origins as far back as Hindu Scriptures and Buddhism, it has enjoyed a modern refresh since the 2006 documentary “The Secret.” Now, manifestation fills social media feeds and coaching philosophies.
The TikTok hashtag #Manifestation has had more than 23 billion views.
We spoke with three practicing manifesters about what it means to them.
What is manifesting?
Manifesting is “to make evident or certain by showing or displaying.”
In other words, it’s the practice of trying to bring something into your life through belief.
On YouTube, Candice Nikeia’s lessons in manifestation arrive at a place of gratitude. For her, manifesting is more than wishing for physical items. It’s acknowledging what you already have.
“It’s really about learning how to love yourself, thinking of yourself as something that you desire to be, believing in yourself, striving for more than you can ever imagine,” Nikeia says. “Trusting that what’s out there for you is out there for you, what’s meant for you is meant for you.”
Kathleen Cameron is a wealth manifester. For her, manifestation is about mindset — the art of “becoming a new version of yourself that you have yet to become in order to create the life that you have yet to experience.”
Ryan Lu has a more spiritual approach. Her philosophy is about working with the universe to “meet in the middle.”
“Manifestation is everyone’s individual relationship with their higher power, whether that be God, the universe, whatever their religion is, whatever they personally believe,” Lu says.
How to manifest
Manifestation is, at its core, believing you are the person who can achieve the goals you set. Here’s a five-step recipe to help get started, according to the coaches:
Be grateful for what you have: You can start by thinking something positive as you wake up and before you go to bed.
“Be grateful for the moments you have today because when you do get that job, there’s something that’s going to make you want to complain,” Nikeia says.
Shift your mindset: “It’s not necessarily some magical thing you do, abracadabra, it’s not like that,” Nikeia says. “It’s really a mindset and the words you speak — whether you’re conscious of it or not, your words are manifesting into your reality.”
When it comes to a mindset change, Cameron walks into situations thinking, “What can I do right now that would be something that a confident version of myself would do?”
Envision what you desire: The most common quick method is writing down what you desire. Others use repetition.
Lu’s message to beginners: Do what works for you. One of her favorite methods is making a to-do list on her phone.
Nikeia recommends starting with affirmations as simple as speaking aloud your wishes as if they’ve already come true.
Take inspired action: Lu says you have to take action along with your desires. There’s no way, for instance, to reach a million followers for a video online if you never post a video.
Be patient: “Life can turn in dramatic ways, but, when we find the power in the now and find the realms of just allowing life to unfold at the right time, that is what manifestation is,” Nikeia says.
“Sometimes we already have the answers,” Lu says. “But it’s nice to be reassured, to hear something and be like, this is someone I trust, this method I trust, I’m hearing that things are going to work out, and I can sleep tonight.”
Is manifestation real?
There’s no scientific evidence manifestation makes dreams come true. But some research suggests positive mindsets help achieve positive outcomes.
One study found imagining a hypothetical event can help you come up with a better plan for how to make the event actually happen.
Some scientists have noted manifestation’s alignment with cognitive behavioral therapy, which is modifying unhelpful ways of thinking and behavior to cope with psychological problems.
Manifesting as viewed in popular culture is not necessarily what many manifestation coaches believe.
“It’s not about bringing like that one thing or that one amount of money into your life. It’s about being a different version of yourself,” Cameron says. “It doesn’t come from thin air — it comes from your actions that you take based on the energy that you’re in.”
“Every day, you’re creating the next day of your life over and over and over again,” Cameron says. “So people are manifesting but they don’t know what or how they’re doing it.”