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The Science of Manifestation: Hacking Your Reticular Activating System
- Already Successful
- Jul 28, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 31, 2023
You've probably heard a lot about the power of manifestation and the law of attraction lately. But have you ever wondered what the actual science is behind how our thoughts and beliefs shape our reality? To be honest, that line of thinking was never really my cup of tea.
But, as it turns out, it’s not magic - it’s science. There's a part of your brain that acts as a filter for what you perceive in the world around you. It's called your reticular activating system or RAS for short. Your RAS is responsible for screening out unnecessary information and focusing your awareness on what's important. It acts as the filter between your conscious and subconscious mind.
The reason it does this is because it is a survival mechanism. Your brain can only process a certain amount of information at any given time, so it prioritizes what is most relevant for your survival. For example, if there is a tiger about to attack, your brain only needs to focus on that information in order to prompt you to take immediate action…run away. Details like the color of the grass, the scent of the air, or the background music are all irrelevant in that moment. This is where the RAS comes into play. It analyzes incoming information and determines what is essential for your survival, allowing only the most important details to pass through while actively blocking out the rest.
Even in everyday life, where there are no real physical threats, your senses are constantly being bombarded with information. So your RAS works to sort through all of it to highlight what's important to you based on your habits, priorities, and beliefs. This helps you focus on what matters and tune out unnecessary distractions. Think about it, it's how you can tune into a single conversation at a noisy party or spot your name on a page instantly. (And thank goodness! Can you imagine the sensory overload that we would have if our RAS wasn’t acting as the gate keeper?)
An interesting study was conducted on couples with newborn babies who lived near airports. Surprisingly, both parents could sleep soundly even when a plane took off nearby, which is a very loud noise. However, the mother would instantly wake up if the baby stirred in the next room, even at a much lower sound level. This is a perfect example of the RAS at work. The RAS has learned through neural pathways that the noise of planes is not important to the mother. What matters to her is taking care of her child. As a result, the RAS starts blocking out the sound of planes. On the other hand, when the baby stirs, the RAS recognizes this as crucial information and lets it through, causing the mother to wake up.
The RAS works based on what you focus your attention on and what is important to you. And the good news is that you can actually intentionally hack your RAS to work for you. By controlling your thoughts and focusing on what you want, you can legitimately manifest your desires and shape your destiny.
It's Not Magic, It's Science
Yes, you can hack your RAS to help you achieve your goals through manifestation. You can do this by reprograming your RAS to notice certain things more often. This is the science behind manifestation and the law of attraction. When you focus your mind on specific goals or outcomes (what is important or relevant to you), you are essentially training your RAS to be on the lookout for opportunities and resources that can help make that outcome a reality.
Let's take the example of wanting to buy a new car, specifically a gray Ford Explorer. Once your RAS realises that this car is important to you, it will begin scanning the environment for any opportunities or "coincidences" that can help you achieve that goal. You may start noticing a significant increase in the number of gray Ford Explorers on the road. However, it's not that there are actually more of these cars out there; rather, you are simply more aware of them because your RAS is actively searching for that specific information in your surroundings.
Here’s another example, say you want to manifest a new career opportunity. By visualizing what that might look like - a new job offer, networking connection, mentorship, etc. - you are signaling to your RAS that this is something important to be on alert for. Your RAS will then start scanning your environment for anything related to new career opportunities and bring them to the forefront of your mind. Things that your RAS may have previously filtered out as unimportant background noise may now grab your attention as a potential lead.
This is how manifestation works. When you focus on your goals and desires, the RAS filters in opportunities and resources to help you achieve them. It's not magic, it's science. This can happen in any area of your life, including searching for a job or meeting your soulmate.
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How To Harness The Power Of Your RAS
Visualization
Visualization is a powerful technique for retraining your RAS. When you visualize something, you are activating the same parts of your brain as you would if you were actually experiencing it. This helps to strengthen new neuropathways and primes your RAS to become more sensitive to related thoughts, opportunities and resources. To harness your RAS for manifestation, spend time each day visualizing your goals and desires in vivid detail. Picture what it feels like to achieve them. The more you practice, the more your RAS will filter for opportunities and resources to make your visions a reality. Your RAS can't distinguish between an actual event and a vividly imagined one, so to your brain, visualizing success is the same as experiencing it. This is how manifestation through the RAS can seem like magic - opportunities you never even noticed before start popping up, as if out of nowhere. But really, your RAS has just gotten very good at tuning into that frequency and directing your awareness to it.
To use visualization effectively, find a quiet place free of distractions. Relax your body and mind, then begin to vividly imagine what you desire as if it’s happening right now. Make the visualization as sensory rich as possible by incorporating sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures. The more real you can make it feel, the more impact it will have.
Some tips for powerful visualization include:
See it happening through your own eyes, in first person. This helps to strengthen the emotional connection.
Repeat your visualization regularly. Like exercise, repetition leads to mastery and the most profound results. Even visualizing for just 5-10 minutes a day can make a big difference.
Feel the emotions you would feel if your desire was fulfilled. Emotion is the fuel that activates your RAS.
Include as much sensory detail as possible. The more senses you engage, the more real it will feel to your brain.
Stay focused on the end result, not the how. Let your subconscious mind figure out the path to get there. Your only job is to hold a clear vision of what you want.
Affirmations
Affirmations are simple yet powerful statements that you can say to yourself regularly to activate your RAS. When you repeat affirmations, your RAS takes notice. It perceives your desires and positive intentions as personally significant, so it tunes you into anything in your environment that matches them. This heightens your awareness and motivation, opening you up to new opportunities that can help manifest your goals.
Some tips for effective affirmations:
•Write in the present tense, as if you already have what you want. For example, “I am happy and successful.” This helps your mind believe it is so.
•Be specific. Rather than “I have abundance,” try “I make $10,000 per month working 4 days a week.” The more specific the affirmation, the more precisely your RAS can tune you in.
•Repeat daily. For the most powerful results, repeat your affirmations when you first wake up and before bed. This keeps your desires at the forefront of your mind during the day and while you sleep.
•Speak with passion. Put some energy and enthusiasm behind your words. Your emotional state activates your RAS, so the more passionately you speak your affirmations, the more your RAS will respond.
•Write them down. In addition to speaking affirmations, write them down by hand. This stimulates another part of your mind, reinforcing your intentions. Keep your written affirmations where you can see them often.
Conclusion
So there you have it, the secret sauce behind turning your dreams into reality. Your RAS is a powerful tool that can be used to your advantage once you understand how to hack it. Stop filling your mind with self-doubt and negative beliefs about what you can achieve. Instead, flood it with images, sounds and feelings of the life you want to create. The more you activate your RAS through visualization and affirmation, the more you train your brain to only notice the opportunities and resources that will help make your desires come true. Before you know it, you'll be living the life you've always imagined. The universe will seem to just hand you what you want on a silver platter. But really, you created it yourself through the power of your mind. So get out there and start hacking your RAS - your dream life is waiting for you, you manifestation queen!
Best, Cydney xxx
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