Mind Magic, by James R. Doty, MD
James R. Doty, MD is a neurosurgeon, neuroscientist, inventor, philanthropist, and founder of CCARE, a center for compassion research and education at Stanford University, and has collaborated with the Dalai Lama.
The real magic of manifestation is to intentionally embed the thoughts and images of the life you desire into your subconscious. “When you consciously direct your attention toward your desired goals, these goals become important to the brain”, says author James Doty. He goes on to say that if we are distracted, unfocused and vague (that’s me most of the time), our goals maybe limited, but as we learn to manifest consciously and direct the power of our attention, the brain gets the message “this is important”.
The first key is to become aware of your thoughts (this is where I am right now) and then learn to recognize your thought processes without getting caught up in the drama and the stories. Knowing your own mind is learning to notice the patterns of your thoughts as they arise and pass away. So when I am anxious or stressed I am not thinking clearly and relying on habitual negative behaviors (I really need to work on this). Doty says one way to overcome this is to practice stepping back and get off the train.
Manifesting is an ongoing process and Doty has created a 6-week program to help the reader master manifestation. Each step in the program is followed by practices of relaxation, journaling, visualization, meditation and focusing on your goal or intention. Here is a brief outline of the program:
- Reclaim your power to focus your mind and practice building inner power
- Clarify what you truly want and ask yourself what success looks like for you
- Remove obstacles in your mind, get your negative beliefs out of your head and shine a light
- Embed the intention in your subconscious, practice visualization and imagine possibilities
- Pursue your goal passionately and ask how does my intention benefit life
- Release expectations and open to magic, let go of attachment of the outcome
The book helped me see that I am in charge of my own life and I can rely on my inner wisdom, listen to the quiet voice and be open to possibilities.
“The mind is everything. What you think about you become.” ~Buddha