The subject of the law of attraction has been done to death over the past 15 years. So much has been written and said, so much has been claimed, and yet there is still considerable confusion about whether this stuff really works or not.
The basis of the law of attraction is that "like attracts like"
This is expanded in "The Secret" and it is stated with certainty that:
The cosmic vending machine
The way this is usually sold is that if you think enough of the right thoughts, with sufficient intensity, you can manifest whatever it is that you want and the "Universe" will deliver it into your life.
In this model the "Universe" is seen as a cosmic vending machine.
Many of us have at some or other stage in our lives [often at times of desperation] bought into this and given it a go.
Does it work?
Sometimes it works and more often it doesn't.
When it doesn't, we tend to react in one of two ways, we either throw our copy of "The Secret" in the bin, grind out teeth and soldier on in varying degrees of solitary desperation or, we decide that we are missing something and buy another book or take another course.
Please don't think I am sneering or disparaging these behaviours. I have done both! I have experienced amazing success and positive outcomes in my attempts to manifest things and abject, soul destroying failure.
On the plus side, I have experienced financial success, amazing relationships, health and healing and on the negative side I have experienced soul crushing set backs and seemingly irresolvable long term defeats.
Why I am writing this article?
I have thought about tacking the subject of the law of attraction for a long time and I have avoided it partly because I felt that the whole subject had become a cliche and mainly because I didn't feel I had anything useful to say.
So why did I change my mind?
Two things caused me to change my mind:
Evaluating the law of attraction
We are now going to take a look at some of the key aspects of the law of attraction:
Redefining the law of attraction
After we have evaluated the law of attraction, we are going to look for a balanced approach based on solid foundations which we can use for practical application of the law of attraction that I will redefine as
The Law Of Response And Outcome
Causation can be defined as action A causes outcome B.
Correlation is a relationship, thus action A relates to outcome B.
What is claimed about the law of attraction?
In "The Secret" Rhonda Byrne says:
“Your whole life is a manifestation of the thoughts that go on in your head.”
“If you have any lack, if you are prey to poverty or disease, it is because you do not believe or do not understand the power that is yours.…”
“You cannot 'catch' anything unless you think you can, and thinking you can is inviting it to you with your thought. You are also inviting illness if you are listening to people talking about their illness. As you listen, you are giving all your thought and focus to illness, and when you give all of your thought to something, you are asking for it.”
[I have heard other teachers of the law of attraction making similar claims and statements.]
The direct inference of these statements is that people are only poor because of their poor thoughts. People are only sick because of their thoughts of illness.
Let's apply these statements to some real life examples:
Now let me share some of my own experiences:
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Are the claims made about the law of attraction true? Or is it a lie?
The claim made, by many of the teachers of the law of attraction, that there is a direct causal link between your thoughts and the circumstances of your life is not true.
Frankly, it is preposterous and insulting to millions of people who are suffering sickness, poverty, violence and restrictions, through no fault of their own, in circumstances that are imposed on them!
It is a lie because it is a partial truth masquerading as an absolute truth.
It's a partial truth because we can prove from observation and scientific studies that "like does attract like" in social interactions in the physical world that we live in.
But it is a total lie based on pseudo-science to state, as a law, that your thoughts create everything that happens to you in terms of your health, wealth and the circumstances of your life. There is no scientific evidence to support this claim.
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Is there ANY correlation between your thoughts and the circumstances of your life?
Personal and observational experience, and scientific research shows that there can be correlation in the area of how you respond to experiences.
Contrary to what the proponents of the law of attraction tell you, there is more to this than vision boards, positive thoughts and a largely passive approach. This is a multi-dimensional and holistic approach that takes time, effort and application.
There are a number of factors that can establish a correlation between how your thoughts determine your responses and the
outcomes you experience.
Here are some of the main factors:
The combined effect of these main factors, and the causation of the outcomes they create will, in my experience, strengthen the correlation between your intentions and the results that, over time, will manifest in your life.
Fact vs Faith / Science vs Belief What we are looking for here are the scientifically proven facts that support the law of attraction rather than the beliefs that are stated as facts by the law of attraction teachers. To return to the basic premise of the law of attraction which can be summarised as: “Your whole life is a manifestation of the thoughts that go on in your head... If
you have any lack, if you are prey to poverty or disease, it is because
you do not believe or do not understand the power that is yours.…You cannot 'catch' anything unless you think you
can, and thinking you can is inviting it to you with your thought..." That wouldn't matter if it was just a harmless piece of non-sense, but it isn't harmless. At a minimum it is used as the basis to support a large self-help industry generating billions of dollars a year selling material to help people to turn this false belief into a reality. In any other context than the self-help industry "the law of attraction money making machine" would be regarded as a fraudulent misrepresentation. In the worst scenario it may cause many people to feel that there is something seriously wrong with them that needs fixing. If there IS scientific evidence and you would like to send me the full verifiable details I would be happy to print that information here. *********************************
The nature and structure of beliefs The structure of a belief, has three-parts that can be presented as: Cause –> Effect –> Meaning So, if THIS causes ... Then, the effect is... And THAT means... So to take a simple example: I am feeling miserable and unhappy [cause] I have a few beers [effect] and it makes me happy [meaning]. So,
we are back to causation and correlation and since we have no
scientifically verifiable proof that your thoughts cause and create your
whole life experience: What is stated in the law of attraction is a belief. In my view: *********************************
Psychological distortions and cognitive biases There
are many psychological distortions and effects that will occur which
can cause us to draw inferences and conclusions that are incorrect. For example: [1] The Placebo and Noceba effects: The Power of Expectation These
effects are drawn from medical science and are about the power of
expectation about the outcome of a medical treatment and the power of
that expectation in causing the actual outcome. Placebo effects are where a patient is given an inert substance of no medical benefit and yet, it has been proven in multiple tests, between 30% and up to 60% of patients' conditions improve because they believe they have been given a medicine to make them better. Noceba
effects are the reverse where patients suffer the expected side effects
of a medicine, or their condition worsens, when they have been given an
inert substance. Both of these effects can be applied and observed in non-medical settings. [2] Confirmation Bias It
is sobering to realise just how many ways there are in which we can
deceive ourselves into seeing a correlation or causation where there is
none. To illustrate the point, here is a quick overview of cognitive
biases and the psychology of human misjudgment Confirmation Bias "... is our tendency to cherry-pick information that
confirms our existing beliefs or ideas...This cognitive bias is most
pronounced in the case of ingrained, ideological, or emotionally charged
views. Failing to interpret information in an unbiased way can lead to
serious misjudgments. By understanding this, we can learn to identify it
in ourselves and others. We can be cautious of data that seems to
immediately support our views."
Do our thoughts have magnetic resonance and attract events, situations and outcomes into our lives?2. EVIDENCE BASIS - The Law Of Attraction
As we established above, in considering correlation and causality, there is no scientific basis for this belief and therefore it is false.
4. RESONANCE - The Law Of Attraction
Inner Domain [Response/'here' = Outcome]
In the inner domain of reaction/response and outcome, there is a causal link between your thoughts and feelings and how they shape your responses to events which affects the outcomes we experience. Science supports this.
But there is no scientific evidence that thoughts have resonance.
What happens is based on cause and effect, between response and outcome, not resonance.
*********************************
Outer Domain [Creation/'out there' = Outcome]
Do our thoughts affect "out there" in the realm of possibility and create things and bring them into out lives?
We live in a universe that is based on energy, or to reframe that, we live in an energetic universe. This a scientifically verifiable certainty.
However, whilst current scientific understanding may support the idea of a participatory universe, there is no conclusive scientific evidence that we do live in a participatory universe.
So from a scientific perspective there is no evidence that our thoughts have any effect on "stuff out there" or that "stuff out there" responds to our thoughts or is anyway participative.
The scientific claims made by teachers of the law of attraction on the magnetic resonance of thoughts are based on pseudo-science and as such are meaningless.
*********************************
My personal view: "Is there an interaction/participation between our consciousness and the outcomes we experience?" Short answer is: "Yes, in the dimension of consciousness." The more considered answer is that my personal view regarding creation "out there", in the realm of possibility and leading to an outcome, is that I have a belief [aka a working hypothesis] that we do live in a participatory universe and that it does interact with us. I have outlined my experiences that have created and shaped this belief in The Red Pill. It is my belief, based on direct personal experience over 20+ years that your life purpose has a major bearing on the nature of this interaction: "Even
though you may not be consciously aware of it, your life purpose exerts
a tremendous influence over what happens or doesn’t happen in your
life, in your personal life, your relationships and in your business and wealth creation
efforts." -------------------------------- Typical manifesting is me-centred. I want more money, better relationships better health - these are ego-driven goals. There is nothing wrong with that, it is entirely natural, but as you engage with the spiritual dimension your priorities change and you start to ask: "What does life want from me?" What you will find is that if you are willing to let go of what you think your dreams are, and ask that question, then your higher self will help you to understand your life purpose - your mission and gifts - and will show you [for want of a better expression] your soul dreams. -------------------------------- It is my belief that there is correlation between consciousness and outcomes because: But, science has not proven it so, we can not state that it is causal. Please don't take my word for any of this - test it for yourself!
Doing his thing by being himself The need to take action The law of attraction teaching does not emphasize the importance of doing. The teachings as presented in "The Secret" focus mainly on the "being" aspect. But, taking action is critical. The reality is that most of the personal development trainers who have enjoyed big success have all taken a lot of action, worked very hard, faced and overcome a lot of setbacks. The idea of just "putting it out there" and waiting for the cosmic vending machine to deliver your manifestation is non-sense. Of course there are times and situations when we form an intention and the outcome we are seeking materializes quickly and easily, BUT that is the exception rather the rule. There are few short cuts in life. We are all suffer, we all experience set backs and disasters, and we learn from these experiences. Personal development and spiritual growth is tough, often painful, confusing and a lonely and confusing journey. To grow we often have to experience deaths of aspects of ourselves and either let things go or see them taken from us by what at the time appears to be a cruel fate. As I am writing these words - I received a promotional email: "Hi Stephen, Yesterday I sent you a free audio introduction to my Effortless Success course. I hope you had a chance to listen to it. If you did, then I bet you're ready to take the next step toward applying the Law of Attraction in your life..." This email was sent by a famous personal development trainer for whom I have great respect, nevertheless I fundamentally disagree with his reference to "effortless success". There is no such thing as effortless success. *********************************
Focus your action on developing skills After much trial and error I finally discovered: # Think effectively # Not think - via mindfulness practice # Manage your emotions - especially your responses to events # Engage with consciousness # Recognise and act on opportunities as they emerge # Cope with the disappointments and setbacks along the way It is these skills that build the correlation between your responses and your outcomes. *********************************
When do I take direct action to make things happen? Take direct action by acting on inner prompts and intuitions as they
arise. Use the "do-be-do-be-do" approach and check-in regularly with yourself and see if you feel an inner
prompting or intuition to do something - and when you do:
It is a very good thing that the law of attraction doesn't work as claimed, because the mind that has not
been trained to stop thinking is full of so much "junk thought". In
the Buddhist tradition the "normal" untrained mind is referred to as
the "monkey mind" jumping incessantly from one subject to another. Then there is the self talk - usually in the form of self criticism. And of course the ever present worrying... At
time of writing in October 2020 there is the continuing effect of
coronavirus which is destroying lives, health and jobs and causing the
suspension of the most basic civil liberties - all feeding our anxieties
and neuroses... I have addressed this subject and offered some constructive coping strategies for dealing with negative thoughts. In a followup article I outlined a simple model of the 3 levels to the mind and following on from that a basic understanding of working with the different selves. In
summary there is the unconscious mind, the conscious mind and the
mind of higher consciousness. Most of our uncontrolled thoughts come from our unconscious
mind. Our conscious mind is not capable of retaining a fixed focus for
any length of time. Many of us do not recognise our higher conscious
mind or, if we do, do not know how to access it and work with it. The key to developing a good working relationship with your mind is to have tools, techniques and resources that work with all levels of your mind. *********************************
So why doesn't the law of attraction work? [I have created my vision board, envisaged my success, thought positive thoughts and practiced my affirmations...] Short
and most fundamental answer is - because the different levels of your mind are in conflict and working against each other.
Kory Basaraba on behalf of Stuart Lichtman creator of "Cybernetic Transposition"
Cybernetic Transposition directly addresses one of the core reasons why the law
of attraction teachings in "The Secret" and all of the rest of the
related teachings do not work for many people. This process makes "the Secret" and all similar material look like Mickey Mouse in comparison!
Ben thought he could walk on water! Lessons from a Labrador Ben's experiences of response and outcome. Ben had led a sheltered a life. In fact for the first few years of his life, with his previous owner, he spent most of his time in doors. Once a day he was allowed out and he ran wild on a small piece of land adjacent to the owner's house. Ben had no sense of place or space, and led a life lacking in training and discipline. His experience of life reflected his upbringing - limited! Ben's owner was ill equipped to care for a lively Labrador puppy and eventually allowed him to be rehoused with a new owner [my son] who had understanding and experience of caring for a dog. Ben was so excited at his new found freedom and all the exciting possibilities that were now opening up for him. In fact he was so excited that he rushed frantically and with great enthusiasm into every new situation with limited understanding of the consequences and outcomes of his responses. The picture above shows Ben seeing water in a lake for the first time. With typical Ben enthusiasm he thought it would be fun to walk on the water... Ben had to learn a whole new set of skills to keep him safe, to develop a basic understanding of how things in his life worked, and to make a fundamental connection between response and outcome. His learning of these new skills didn't happen over night, it took Ben's new owner 6-12 months to train him. 2 questions for you:
5. DOING vs BEING - The Law Of Attraction
I wasted the first 25 years of my life living in the past and the second 25 years living in the future - always planning and setting goals and targets and trying to figure out how to achieve them.
6. THE CONFLICTED MIND - The Law Of Attraction
The objective is to have them all working together, moving you in the same direction, and at the same time!
THE LAW OF RESPONSE AND OUTCOME
The Law of Attraction Redefined
The outcomes that you experience are determined by your responses to the events in your life. This can be expressed as: Outcome = Event x Response The strength and quality of your response is determined by the skills and the experience you bring to it. The stronger your response - the better the outcome.
Key Skills These key skills and the supporting skills that are listed below will improve and enhance your ability to respond to events in the most creative and resourceful ways. In order of priority here are my recommendations for key skills to learn and apply. Each of the links shown will take to an article which contains clear steps, guidance and resources. Can you: One Page Summary Sheet With Action Points & Resources THE LAW OF RESPONSE AND OUTCOME
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You want to know "the secret"? Then here it is:
Download:
Recommended Resources:
Recommended Strategies:
Further Reading:
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