Buzzapp Master 
With so many people swearing by vision boards, affirmations, or the all-mighty law of attraction to accomplish their goals, it’s fair to wonder: Wait…does manifesting work? Maybe you’ve dabbled yourself, journaling your dream life into existence or repeating intentions before bed. Or perhaps you roll your eyes every time some TikTok creator credits “lucky girl syndrome” after meeting their soulmate or getting a promotion. Either way, manifestation is everywhere, promising everything from inner peace to financial success if you just think hard enough.
While it may feel like a pop psychology staple these days, manifestation isn’t exactly new. The idea of bringing something you want into existence through focused intention and belief has roots in the 19th-century New Thought spiritual movement, which held that our thoughts could influence the material world and that positive thinking was the key to solving most of life’s problems. The concept also shows up in ancient spiritual teachings, including Hindu philosophies that emphasize the unity of mind, body, and the universe.
All that said, it can be tough to parse whether manifestation is a legit mindset tool for our modern uses or just another form of wishful thinking. To help you separate the fluff from the facts, we asked experts how focusing on your goals can actually shift your behavior—and ways to try manifesting in a way that feels practical, not magical.
What is manifestation and why is everyone obsessed with it?As a self-help tool, “manifestation is about creating a vision for the future, putting energy and intention into making that vision a reality, and then aligning your thoughts, emotions, and actions accordingly so that your vision can come into fruition,” Denise Fournier, PhD, LMHC, a psychotherapist in Miami who specializes in mindfulness and personal development, tells SELF. Some people may do this via a formal ritual of, say, lighting a candle and speaking a certain intention during a full moon, while others may incorporate positive intentions into their daily meditation practice. It could even be taking a brief moment while journaling to write out a specific goal you set for yourself. Point is, manifestation can be practiced in many different ways.
As for why manifestation remains so popular, Patty Johnson, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at Nia Integrative Healing in Oak Park, Illinois, tells SELF it may be a way for people to reclaim a sense of control in an overwhelming world—especially when constant exposure to alarming news can make us feel so powerless. After all, who wouldn’t find comfort in attracting a big ol’ raise to help ride out the recession or summoning an international romance to whisk you away during these chaotic times?
Aside from the control-over-your-destiny appeal, manifestation can also be a form of self-exploration, since it involves figuring out (and putting your attention on) what you really want in life. It’s similar to astrology and learning about your zodiac sign in that it may allow you to tap into your psyche and provide a framework for understanding your inner self. (Of course, there’s no concrete scientific evidence that being a Pisces makes you more sensitive, but astrology may offer an additional perspective on your possible personality traits.)
“In essence, self-exploration practices like manifestation, astrology, and meditation can help us hone in on ourselves and what matters to us,” Julia Bartz, LCSW, a therapist who has written about mindfulness and manifestation, tells SELF. “Most of us have been taught from an early age by our families and social institutions what we should find important. For example, we may have been conditioned to think that our main goals should be accumulating wealth, creating nuclear families, or even becoming famous.”
Whether through manifesting practices or otherwise, thinking about what you want in life may help you prioritize what’s actually important to you—whether that’s leaving a relationship that’s no longer working for you, say, or applying for a job in a field you’ve always felt passionate about. And in the context of today’s many unsettling realities—like threats to democracy as we know it, wars in Ukraine and Gaza, continuing racial injustice, progressing climate change and resulting natural disasters—it makes sense that you may be inspired to reflect on your values and priorities.
But does manifestation actually work?If you look at manifesting from a goal-setting point of view, there’s definitely some validity to the concept.
In general, research has shown that positive thinking, one of the core concepts of manifestation, can be beneficial to your overall mental well-being—it can lead to lower instances of depression and better coping skills during stressful situations, according to the Mayo Clinic. On top of that, a positive mindset may help you get mentally closer to your objectives. For example, recently published research by Australian psychologists found that survey participants who practiced manifestation also perceived themselves as more successful in the present and future and demonstrated higher levels of self-confidence in achieving their goals than those who did not.
Sure, visualizing an objective—or writing down what you want—isn’t going to magically make your wish come true, Bartz says, but it may increase your odds of success by working similarly to a self-fulfilling prophecy. And there’s a 2016 review published in The Encyclopedia of Mental Health to back up the concept that your outlook on how a situation will play out (positive or negative) can influence the outcome. For example, the review references a study in which teachers started a school year with more positive expectations for certain students, viewing them as “late bloomers” likely to improve throughout the year. Compared to students for whom there were no expectations, the “late bloomer” group saw greater performance improvements because, the researchers found, the teachers gave them more time and attention.
Some neuroscience suggests that manifestation can help get your brain behind your goals too. According to Dr. Johnson, repeating a thought over and over—maybe in the form of a mantra—can help the brain zero in on those more positive goals. Not by magical attraction, but by actually activating what are called “task-positive networks,” or systems of goal-oriented nerve cells working diligently toward what you’re hoping for, SELF previously reported.
At the end of the day, whether you call it manifesting or goal planning, “taking the time to envision what you want and how to get it can help you take the steps to make it happen,” explains Bartz.
What’s not so legit about manifestation?While it may get you into a positive mindset and help you focus on reaching your goals, the idea of manifestation can fail to acknowledge some of the systemic barriers to success in our society, Bartz points out. “For example, if you want to become an artist, you may feel discouraged that you’re getting constant rejections—but the fact of the matter is that our society doesn’t foster and support many of its artists,” she says.
The concept of manifesting your reality can be problematic at best for members of marginalized communities too. For example, the odds could be stacked against you to succeed in environments where the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color are not centered. “People may believe that the power to make things happen resides solely within them and their mental energy, but the reality is that there are systemic barriers for people who live with poverty, discrimination, and marginalization that mere manifesting can’t make go away,” Hawlan Ng, PsyD, a psychotherapist and executive coach based in San Francisco, tells SELF. “Failing” at manifestation could lead to self-blame and even guilt among marginalized people—feelings that can be risk factors for anxiety and depression, adds Dr. Ng.
Besides being potentially exclusive and idealistic, other experts feel that manifesting could be leaning too hard on “magical thinking,” almost as a way to bypass dealing with your past and the present. Manifesting can be a tempting way for people to avoid past traumas or difficult situations, but it’s important for many people to come to terms with their pain first before focusing on the future, Dr. Ng says. One way to unpack all of this is to meet with a mental health professional before trying to manifest any new goals, if you’re able (here’s some advice for finding affordable mental health help).
How to manifest in a practical wayManifestation might not sit well with you, depending on your situation. And, again, looking into your metaphorical crystal ball and wishing for something to occur probably isn’t going to change your circumstances overnight. But if you’d like to give it a shot, there are some guidelines for trying the practice in a way that can support your mental well-being.
Keep in mind that there’s no exact right way to manifest, so your strategy can be whatever you want it to be, as long as it consistently includes inner reflection (to get clear on what you really want for your future) and practical actions (to help get you there), Bartz says. Here are some expert-approved suggestions to get you started.
1. Align your actions with your intentions.
As great as it’d be if a goal came to fruition just because you focused hard on it, manifesting isn’t the same as making a wish—so don’t treat it like blowing out the candles on your birthday cake. “Yes, the intention is important, but action is a necessary piece that can’t be taken out of the equation,” Dr. Fournier says. If your goal is a healthy relationship, for example, this might look like being intentional about putting yourself out there by joining a group (anything from a book club to a softball league) where you could meet new people, rather than simply wishing and waiting for a significant other to one day show up at your doorstep.
2. Write it down—and keep it in your line of sight.
In manifestation, clarity and consistency matter. Making your goal feel tangible—whether by writing it down or building reminders into your routine—can help keep your intention top of mind. Dr. Fournier suggests putting it on a Post-it you’ll see every day or jotting it in a journal if you need privacy. You can also set weekly calendar reminders to check in with your vision. Even a quick 10-minute reflection can help you stay connected to what you’re calling in and notice whether your actions are aligned with that intention.
3. Try speaking your goal out loud.
Like we mentioned, repeating your goal can help reinforce it—but saying it aloud might also surface any underlying negativity or misalignment. For instance, if you say, “I want a new relationship because I’m so bored of my life,” you might realize that your focus is more on your frustrations than on calling in something healthy and new. Hearing it out loud gives you a chance to gut check what you’re really putting energy toward—and tweak it if needed to better reflect what you truly want.
4. Consider making it a meditation ritual.
Manifesting can be a spiritual practice on its own, if you choose to use it that way, but you can also incorporate it into a regular mindfulness practice. “Some people like to meditate and envision how they would be feeling after they’ve achieved their goal,” Bartz says. That’s one way of focusing your positive energy toward the reality you’re hoping for and the steps it’ll take to get there. (Here’s how to meditate if you have no idea where to start.)
Bartz also recommends writing your goal on a candle (on the jar) in permanent marker—or simply thinking of a candle as a visual symbol of your goal—and lighting it every day as part of a morning meditation ritual. Will the candle magically burn all of your student debt to the ground or make your soulmate slide into your DMs? Maybe; maybe (probably) not. But, again, by keeping your goal at the forefront of your mind, you might be more likely to focus your thoughts and actions toward achieving it. (And at the very least, candles create a chill vibe.)
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