I’m a neuroscientist — here’s why I believe in the power of manifestation

Another example: You want to become a vet, but bombed your exams, 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 realises 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 your exams 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 mum 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 centres. 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.