Manifestation is an important and useful tool which can be applied towards the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CE/CME credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CE/CME credits.
Within the toolbox of mind-based and body-based skills which are developed and applied in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance is a skill known as manifestation. This has been described in detail by James Doty, MD in his book, Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How it Changes Everything. It is important to understand how to incorporate a manifestation practice within our overall daily routines and development of mind-based and body-based skills within the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete. As Doty emphasizes, the practice of manifestation can contribute significantly to pursuing our goals in any domain of life.
At the outset, it is important to understand what is referred to as a manifestation practice. Doty defines manifestation as “defining an intention such that it gets embedded into our subconscious, which functions below the level of consciousness. By doing so we activate brain networks associated with goal orientation that make an intention important, salient, or noteworthy.“ In essence, what is described within this definition is that we are able to orient our mind and body towards certain objectives through this practice. In so doing, we increase the likelihood that we will be successful in our pursuit.
It is important to consider that while the practice of manifestation can be directed towards any particular goal or objective, it is particularly powerful when it aligns with our passion and purpose. As discussed in past articles by identifying passion and purpose, we are able to provide ourselves with a roadmap or northstar to guide our efforts, particularly in the face of obstacles and setbacks. This can be applied to our pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance. By incorporating a manifestation practice, we potentiate the positive impact of aligning with our passion and purpose.
While a manifestation practice can be oriented towards achieving material outcomes, it is of particular importance when it is aligned towards higher level objectives and desires. This is on account of a similar concept within the consideration of purpose. Both manifestation practices and aligning towards purpose are of particular benefit when they are in pursuit of something greater than ourselves. This provides a particularly strong inclination towards persevering through the inevitable obstacles and challenges that will occur along our journey.
Within his description of manifestation, Doty explains the mechanics by which the manifestation practice works. Essentially by performing a regular manifestation practice, we orient our salience network towards identifying cues and stimuli along the internal, external, and relational pathways which are contributory towards and complementary of that which we are manifesting. As discussed above, this practice is of particular benefit when it aligns with our passion and purpose, and especially when it orients towards something which is greater than ourselves.
The manifestation practice itself, as described by Doty, involves a daily routine in which we use a contemplative or meditative type of practice to first ground ourselves and then place a focus and emphasis upon that which we are manifesting. When considered from the framework of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete, there is substantial overlap with leveraging our biology.
In particular, a manifestation practice is dependent upon an initial ability to shift into anchored and grounded states. This provides the necessary foundation for placing attention and focus upon that which we are manifesting to allow it to become embedded in our subconscious, as described by Doty. If we are unable to shift into an anchored and grounded state, the neurophysiological implications of the activated and overwhelmed states, with their resulting impact on our salience network and shift towards negativity bias, will preclude our ability to successfully embed that which we are manifesting within our subconscious. With this understanding, it becomes clear how the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete form an important foundation for a manifestation practice through the ability to shift into anchored and grounded states.
Another aspect of the manifestation practice is that of synchronicity. Doty describes the concept of synchronicity as being one in which we identify contributing and perhaps coincidental elements within our lives, which we may not have anticipated, but nonetheless contribute towards the process of obtaining that which we are manifesting. In order to take advantage of the concept of synchronicity, we must remain open to new alternatives and unexpected directions which are contributory to our pursuit. This aligns very clearly with the skill of mental agility, which has been discussed in a past article. In order to optimize mental agility, thereby optimizing our capacity to consider new alternatives and explanations, we must first shift towards anchored and grounded states. This understanding further reinforces the foundational aspect that the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete provides for a manifestation practice.
It is also useful to consider that the neurophysiological pathways underlying the manifestation practice are continually occurring, whether we are conscious of this or not. When we consider a manifestation practice, we typically place a positive connotation such that we are developing the ability to embed within our subconscious something that we wish to achieve or accomplish. This is the intended purpose of manifestation. As described above, the mechanics by which this occurs is through embedding within our subconscious and salience network that which we focus upon through manifestation.
The same process, however, can result in embedding within our subconscious undesired outcomes if we are not conscious of what we regularly focus our attention upon. In a sense, we are continually manifesting within our lives, whether we are conscious of this or not. If we are not aware of what we are manifesting, it becomes more likely that this will be in a negative or pessimistic direction given the default nature of our nervous system towards threat and risk detection. In order to overcome this, it becomes particularly important to leverage our biology towards anchored and grounded states and to manifest that which is in alignment with our passion and purpose.
As can hopefully be appreciated from the above discussion, a manifestation practice can be a substantially beneficial component to our regular routines. At a minimum, it is important that we understand that which we are manifesting and ensure that it is not in an undesired direction. By incorporating a manifestation practice within our daily routines, we can significantly contribute towards our pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance.
To learn more, including about polyvagal informed coaching for healthcare professionals and others in high demand domains, please visit www.darindavidson.com.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CE/CME credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CE/CME credits.
REFERENCE
Doty, JR. Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything. New York: Avery, 2024.