A book summary and review.
(Mind Magic Book here) Amazon
There’s a lot of buzz around the idea of manifestation now in days. Many people believe that the human brain is capable of much more than what is currently known. Although we experience life in three or four dimensions, scientists theorize there may be many more beyond our awareness. Your thoughts however will dictate the unfolding of your destiny. Extremely successful people such as Jim Carrey, Oprah Winfrey, and Conor MacGregor all attribute their success to visualizing their future to make it happen. In fact, Conor (amongst others) has said that the well known book on manifestation “The Secret,” by Rhonda Byrne has changed his life and made success not just a possibility for him, but enabled unthinkable success to come to fruition. Is there true science behind this “mind magic” manifestation or can we simply shrug it off as a confirmation bias? I read the book “Magic Mind” written by neurosurgeon Dr. James R. Doty and here’s what I found.
1. Be mindful of your thoughts and be intentional. Chapter one titled “Out of the Wreckage” clearly details imagery of what a manifested life can be. However, as you must be careful what you wish for, you must also consider what you are manifesting in your life. If you do not consider all aspects, your subconscious mind may bring to fruition a poisonous fruit creating a distopian reality. Referencing his best selling book “Into the Magic Shop,” the author tells the story of visiting a magic shop in his youth. He meets the shop owner’s mother who through her innate kindness offers to teach the young boy about neural pathways of the brain, neuroplasticity, and the ways in which you can use your brain to achieve a desired outcome. The boy makes a list of what he wishes for in life: a mansion on the water, a fancy car, etc. But you might have already guessed that although he was able to achieve these things later in life, these luxuries did not in anyway complete his identity or bring him long lasting happiness. This idea is exemplified by his mentor’s advice, “Compass of the heart. What you want isn’t always what you need. Those who hurt people are often those who hurt the most.” Blinded by his ambitions of wealth, he ended up neglecting and eventually losing what he now realizes is most important in life; a healthy relationship with his family. At the end of every chapter and sometimes in the midst, the author gives an exercise for you to mindfully practice your manifestation. Then at the end of the book there is a six week manifestation program to follow.
2. Be aware of what, when, and how your brain processes information. Your state of arousal can influence the effectiveness of your new thinking patterns within the subconscious mind. In chapter two “Networks and Vibrations,” Doty analogizes large neural networks of the brain to a top tier multi sport athlete and valedictorian he went to school with. These networks include the “default mode network (DMN), the central executive network (CEN), the salience network (SN), and the attention network (AN).” These networks, Doty explains, are what we want to take control of in our manifestation practices. He also points out the various ways we can study these neural networks such as fMRI, but does not disclose whether or not we can visually identify the process of manifestation through any of these medical examinations and extract empirical data to support the claims. What is found to be significant is that ‘“between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”’ This statement supports the most profound idea that humans have so much more control over our brains than we see at surface level. But if we want to take control of our thoughts, we must take control of our attention first. We must be cognizant of the brain activity that is hiding under the surface of the consciousness mind. DMN…. The Salient Network is outlined to be where the brain deciphers what is important information to consciously process. Dr. Doty states that the brain receives “somewhere between six and ten million bits of information per second, while only being able to consciously process about fifty bits per second.” The rest is believed to seep through into the subconscious and unconscious mind. It is not disclosed what type of information he is referring to, but one could logically infer it is information coming from all of the senses like touch, taste, etc. However, I am left to wonder what other types of sensory input are salient to human beings such as electromagnetic or other types of energy that breezes past the consciousness mind right into the unconscious. Understanding this neural network is relevant to manifestation practices because if we can choose to direct our attention in the areas of our lives that we want to change, the unconscious mind can be reprogrammed to focus on the information that we want. The main takeaway from chapter 2 is that the brain is better prepared to make decisions when in a relaxed state as apposed to a heightened fight or flight state. Finally at the end of the chapter Doty invokes the idea of quantum coherence to support the idea that everything in the universe is one and that “each part inescapably affects and is affected by all other parts.” I see this to be a mind blowing statement and I am fascinated by claims like this. Yet who knows if research in the quantum field will ever reveal data to support such claims? Lastly, Doty explains the significance of the hearts electromagnetic field and the idea that the heart can have more of an effect on the brain than the brain does with the heart. This idea resonates with me as I am reminded of the biological psychology class I took long ago as an undergrad where we learned that it is not just the brain that affects the body, but the body can invoke significant changes within the brain as well.
3. In chapter 3, step 1 is “Reclaim Your Power and Focus Your Mind,” Doty explains how most people underestimate how their cognitive abilities can affect events that unfold in their lives. He says that we often misconstrue events as “happening to us, not motivated by us- and certainly not happening for us.” If we do not take control of what we think, or mind will be hijacked by detrimental thoughts of our own and persuasions from the countless people in the world that want to take advantage of you. From constant advertisements to social media addiction, if you are not cognizant and focused you may end up in a metaphorical quicksand. In order to take control, we must develop a “sense of agency.” This sense of agency lets our body analyze the effectiveness of our movements. To exemplify this, Doty tells the story of a patient whose arm was paralyzed. The patient is asked to move her arm and although she attempts to but does not, her sense of agency has convinced her that it happens because of its predictive aspect. Therefore, it is concluded that this sense of agency can be applied in anticipation to the body’s movement. Doty proceeds to explain that many people suffer from the opposite of this patient’s anosognosia, where our subconscious thinks we are paralyzed from some sort of action when instead we are fully capable of it and capable of much more than we originally think. Next, Doty explains the the importance of taking a step back from our thoughts and analyzing them. This is something that I believe to be important in interpersonal exchanges. Taking time to think before responding emotionally will be beneficial at any situation. Doty likens this analysis to a speeding train running to the end of the tracks. If we are on the train we cannot respond effectively, but if we watch the train while standing safely on the platform, we can more effectively respond to the situation.
4. We begin step 2 in chapter 4 which is “Clarify What You Truly Want.” This chapter begins with a story that exemplifies the importance of visualization. A man and his mentor stare off at the pacific horizon as the one prepares himself mentally for trip in a double haul canoe from Hawaii to Tahiti; without the aid of modern navigation equipment. Although he cannot see the islands that are 2,000 miles away, he can visualize them in his mind. The lesson to be learned from his mentor is that if you lose the vision, you will lose your way. Next, Doty explains the importance of reflecting on positive memories. He says thinking of these memories can influence your mind to recreate positive emotions like “wonder, awe, interconnectedness, gratitude [and] inspiration.” Experiencing these positive emotions can tap into the Salience Network previously discussed. The idea is that once ingrained into the subconscious mind, these positive emotions will become positive behaviors. Even imagined success can yield positive result. If it is done with enough focus and repetition and if we truly feel these imagined emotions of success, it will overcome the negative thinking habits that keep us stuck in the mud. Next, the two types of happiness are discussed. Hedonic, known for instant satisfaction and eudaimonic, which is living a meaningful life. Doty elaborates on the connection between these two types of happiness and the bodies immune system response. Basically, those who report hedonic happiness often had chronic inflammation. This coveys the significance of social relationships on the physical body and that we should seek to cultivate healthy social relationships in our lives.
5. Step 3 beginning in chapter five is to Remove the Obstacles in Your Mind. Once again we will focus on controlling our attention. If we avoid being overcome by our emotions, and rather observe them without immediately reacting, we can more sufficiently direct our attention to manifesting that which we desire in life. Fear is a specific emotion that we need to control as we’ve previously learned about the fight or flight activation. When we are in a state of fear, the Salience Network identifies the troubling experience as important and takes the focus away from the things you truly want in life. What exacerbates this problem is that humans have an evolutionary cognitive bias to focus on the negative things in life. While in the past, this would have been helpful to protect ourselves from predators, it has snowballed into negative self talk in the modern world. This negative self talk clouds our vision of happiness as well as the possibility of others to see us as happy, inviting, and successful.
6. Step four in chapter six is really what I think this book is all about: “Imbed the Intention in Your Subconscious.” If you’ve been paying attention to pop culture in the past decade, you might have seen that actor and comedian Jim Carey has had a spiritual awakening. But this is not the focus for this chapter. Instead, Doty starts chapter six by telling the story of Carey’s childhood struggles like his dad losing his job and having to live in a camper. This left him with a negative view of the world, but he eventually overcame this and utilized positive thinking to change his life. When starting his comedy and acting career, he was not discouraged by failure. On the contrary, it appears that his positive thinking had manifested his own success. He would drive to a certain place at night, look out over the city, open his arms wide and exclaim that he is a great actor and all the directors want to work with him. He went so far as to write himself a 10 million dollar check and kept it in his wallet for years as a reminder of where he was going in life. It wasn’t long after that he had multiple movie offers and became one of the biggest stars of the 90’s. One of the reasons that consistency is so important with manifesting is that the brain limits energy output. The brain is designed to encode and remember important information, and forget what is not useful to us. If our goals are not consistently processed into our subconscious, they will be completely forgotten. Doty analogizes the brain to an iceberg when what is seen in the conscious mind is about 10 percent of the brain’s processes, and 90 percent is hidden underwater within the subconscious and the unconscious. That 90 percent of the mind below the surface continues to operate and direct while the conscious mind is focused on other tasks. Doty analogizes the subconscious to a filing cabinet and bloodhound where the bloodhound seeks whatever we file into our mind’s cabinet. If there are negative thoughts in our filing cabinet, we will naturally seek negative experiences through our subconscious. However, if we supply our filing cabinet with positivity, we will naturally seek positive experiences in life. Next to discuss is flow state. Flow state is important for manifestation because it deactivates certain inhibiting parts of the brain and opens the door to the subconscious. For a good book on flow state, check out Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. When you are engaged in a state of flow, time seems to slow down and the focus is on nothing. But what is happening in the moment? Picture an elite athlete such as a basketball player driving to the hoop, or an Olympic figure skater executing that perfect routine. Doty explains that “the paradox of flow is that you are going toward the goal but the goal is irrelevant.” All of the extraneous stimuli, thoughts, and worries about tomorrow disappear. This is significant as we have already learned the importance of avoiding a heightened fight or flight state to manifest most effectively. The placebo effect is also mentioned here. Studies have found that when a patient is given a sugar pill, but told it is life saving medicine, the mind’s belief that it will heal induces actual healing within. This can be extrapolated to manifestation where our mind’s beliefs can lead to radical changes in our lives.
7. In chapter seven, step five is to “Pursue Your Goal Passionately.” It begins by reminding us to always stay the course, never doubt yourself, and know that manifestation takes time. Baby steps will get you to where you want to go. I’m reminded of the Taoist quote that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” When the wind is blowing and the waves are crashing overhead, stay the course and trust in yourself to succeed in all of the challenges you face! Next, consider the social connections you’re making on a day today basis. You don’t need to strive for your goals alone. Creating positive social situations will keep you and your allies relaxed. Relaxed in the state necessary to stay within the manifestation process. You can help others as they can help you. Doty proceeds to once again reference Jim Carey’s transition into stardom. Carey knew he wanted to be successful but didn’t know what his audiences wanted. One night, he finally realized that the people who were there to see his comedy routine simply wanted to be free from concern. He then personified this idea and became that free person on stage which would bring relief and happiness to his audience members. This persona would eventually evolve into the character Ace Venture which was a breakthrough role in his acting career. So the success didn’t just come from his talent for comedy. He aligned his life goals with a greater purpose. In this case, the purpose was to relieve others from suffering. Carrey is quoted as saying ‘“ The effect you have on others is the most valuable currency there is.”’ I agree with this statement wholeheartedly and see that aligning your passion with a greater good can dramatically increase your successes. Lastly, trust in yourself to reach your goals. Doty describes an instance where a patient’s life was in his hands during surgery. It was very possible that the patient could slip away and there was panic in the room. However, Doty trusted in his subconscious abilities to guide him; perhaps even entering a state of flow to lead the surgery team to success.
8. The final chapter leads us to step six: “Release Expectations and Open to Magic.” Often times the path to your goals will not look as you initially envisioned. What looks like failure at first might change your course and lead to success. Doty tells the story of a woman who desires to travel to the Amazon to do humanitarian work and protect the rainforest, yet she has too many responsibilities in her current role with a hunger project. Next thing you know, she catches malaria and it changes the course of her life forever. Due to the months she needed to take off work through numerous misdiagnosis, she was not needed as much in her current role and that enabled her to eventually follow her dream of working in the Amazon. Doty then describes his numerous projects at work such as the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, a World Compassion Festival, and an international Compassion Corps. On a personal note, I think these endeavors may be worth researching, and also made me think that there is much in the world to be accomplished if we are innovative, dedicated, and take the risks and initiative to put forth such projects. The point is however that we should not get stuck on the outcome of any single result. Doty says that among his many projects, some will not be completed or yield the intended results, some will, and some take more time than originally thought. Doty explains that when he is overwhelmed, he uses a mnemonic he came up with to reset his mind. He uses CDEFGHIJKL for Compassion, Dignity, Equanimity, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Humility, Integrity, Justice, Kindness, and Love; focusing on one at a time and what they mean to him in his life. Considering gratitude, Doty discusses the importance of utilizing it in everyday life. He describes a study where patients who wrote letters of gratitude show long lasting changes in the brain, specifically in the medial prefrontal cortex. This is another way that we can take the focus of the mind away from negative experiences and open it to the positive experiences we want to see in life. Finally, a reminder is given on how past experience both good and bad shape who we are. The art of kintsugi dates back to the fifteenth century Japan. When a bowl is broken, it can be sealed back together with resin. Gold or silver shavings can be added to the resin to make the repairs aesthetically pleasing. This practice metaphorically represents how the mental scars of the past can build the spirit and make a person into a piece of art; even more grand than they were prior to breaking.
Doty concludes the book by telling how different his current life is now and how he has filled it with love and many reminders of staying true to his hearts compassion (such as a headless Buddha statue). He makes a profound statement that “only when we believe we are enough in ourselves do we find the ability to contribute to life, but only on contributing to our world do we discover we are inherently enough.”
This book proved to be an interesting read that balanced some scientific data with the untestable theories of manifestation. I found the numerous anecdotes of people struggling in life only to pull through their situations with manifestation techniques and sheer perseverance to be both fascinating and inspiring. Two of the main take a ways from this book for me include: The concept of positive thinking, affirmations, and expressing gratitude. This is a habit that I TrueType believe can change a persons life. Next, the subconscious mind is like a reservoir filled with thoughts and information that may in some form bubble to the surface and materialize in reality. This is perhaps where the Freudian slip comes from. By filling the subconscious mind with thoughts that align with your life goals, it will condition the mind to both seek and be prepared to accept these circumstances when the opportunity arises. Therefore, be careful what you think because your thoughts may become your reality. The book ends with a six week program to master manifestation which I have not completed yet so check back at a later date for updates!
Was there really magic revealed within the pages of this book? Well I guess it depends on your interpretation what magic truly is. So don’t just take my word for it. Grab a copy of “Mind Magic” by Dr. James Doty and find the magic for yourself!
Mindful Explorer 