Is their a Neuroscience of Manifestation & law of Attraction?

In his fascinating book "The Brain," neuroscientist David Eagleman delves into the intricacies of how our brain makes decisions; Understanding this process reveals how the brain works ahead of us, simulating future scenarios and assessing our potential feelings about them. This concept isn't just about scientific curiosity; it connects deeply with popular ideas like the Law of Attraction and manifestation.

The Decision-Making Process:
Eagleman explains that our brain is constantly running simulations of possible futures. When faced with decisions, whether small (like choosing between biking or taking a cab to work) or significant (like career changes), the brain projects forward the likely outcomes based on options under consideration. In effect, imagines various states and evaluates how we would feel about each one. This "gut check" mechanism helps us make choices that align with what we expect will make us feel good.

Future Simulations and Gut Checks:
At every moment, we have numerous options. Our brain narrows these options by predicting future emotions. It performs a heuristic simulation, a sort of mental shortcut, to forecast our feelings. This process intends to optimise our expected future feelings. Essentially, our brain's goal is to guide us to choose the path that it predicts will lead to the most favourable emotional state.

The Connection with 'Law of Attraction':
The idea of future simulations and gut checks in neuroscience is strikingly similar to the principles behind the Law of Attraction and Manifestation Philosophy; Internet gurus promoting these concepts often advise visualising the future and 'feeling the feelings' associated with achieving those desires. They suggest that by feeling as if your goals are already accomplished, you can attract those outcomes into your life.

Visualisation and Expected Feelings:
Both Neuroscience and Manifestation principles emphasise the importance of future feelings. Neuroscience explains that our brain's decision-making process involves predicting how we will feel about future events. Law of Attraction philosophy advises visualising and emotionally experiencing your desired future. This alignment suggests a scientific basis for why visualisation and manifestation techniques might be effective.

Neuroscience Backing Manifestation:
Understanding this link provides a new perspective on Manifestation techniques. It suggests that these practices might be grounded in the way our brain naturally functions. When you visualise and emotionally engage with your goals, you are essentially doing what your brain does when making decisions- optimising for expected positive feelings.

David Eagleman's book "The Brain" offers a wealth of information about how our brain works. It's not just a technical manual; it's a story about US, our evolution, and the future of AI & Humanity. The book is full of insights into the brain's mechanisms and its role in our lives.

Eagleman's exploration of neuroscience provides valuable context for understanding human behaviour and decision-making. By reading this book, you gain a deeper appreciation of how our brain shapes our experiences and choices. It's a compelling read for anyone interested in the intersection of science, psychology, and personal development.

Conclusion:
The connection between neuroscience & 'Law of Attraction' highlights the power of our brain's decision-making process; By simulating future scenarios and predicting our feelings, our brain guides us towards choices that align with our emotional well-being. This scientific understanding enriches our perspective on manifestation techniques, suggesting that they may be more than just pseudoscience—they may be rooted in the fundamental workings of our brain.

For those intrigued by these ideas, "The Brain" by David Eagleman is a must-read. It offers a comprehensive look at how our brain functions, shedding light on the fascinating processes that drive our decisions and shape our lives. By exploring this book, you can gain insights that not only enhance your knowledge of neuroscience but also enrich your approach to personal growth and decision-making.

My Healing Journey - Should you Take Therapy?

The past 18 months have been rough for me; to say the least.

I have been to Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Healers, Therapists, Activity Groups, Astrologers,Psychics, Tarot Card Readers, etc.

My first therapy session began with me saying, "I am unhappy yet I don't know the reason. I have a high paying respectable job which offers me work-life balance. I have no family obligations. I have no rift with anyone. At the outset, nothing seems awry. Still! I am morose and have a melancholic outlook towards life. What's wrong with me?"

And in the last therapy session 3-4 months back, I said that I am happy and I don't know the reason.

That seemed like a full circle.
When I narrated the above to a Spiritual healer, she was enraptured.

No, I didn't have any clinical symptoms. I was perfectly fine. Yet, I was not well. 
The phase also marked the end of a journey. It wasn't easy for me.

Around 13 years back, when my mother had died of a prolonged illness, I was shook from my foundation. I had lost all zeal to live. I remember saying to my flatmate and co-worker that, "it seems like my 'जठराग्नि' has got doused by the loss of my birth-giver."
Few years later, one of my closest friends reminded me of that phase of life and said that if I could survive that phase of my life, I can see through any small setback like a 'bad breakup'.
This has stuck with me ever since.

If I can see through the loss of my mother, the only person I admired & adored at the same time, I can definitely weather through any storm in life.

I am reminded of few lines from Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, 
“No truth can cure the sorrow we feel from losing a loved one. No truth, no sincerity, no strength, no kindness can cure that sorrow. All we can do is see it through to the end and learn something from it, but what we learn will be no help in facing the next sorrow that comes to us without warning.”

Seems like life is a series of Cathartic episodes. 

Truth being told, there was a phase in life, when I was unable to take shower as the mere act of closing my eyes and putting my head to the flow of cold water scared me to the bones. 
I have gone through that phase. It is in my past, now. Thankfully! I am full of gratitude to all the professionals I worked with and the blessings of the divine. As without the grace of the ever merciful, not a single leaf flutters even in a raging tempest.
Jai Sri Hari!

You may ask what worked for me?
Let me lay down the 4 tenets of healing:

1. You are not responsible for your suffering. Maybe!
2. There is no shortcut to healing journey
3. Your friends & family are ill-equipped to support you in healing
4. Always consult an Expert Practitioner. Psychiatrists, Psychologists, etc.

So, you may ask, "Should you take therapy?"
Yes!
By all means.
I am a proponent of universal talk therapy; a space where you get to bare all your ramblings & demons from the deep recess of your hearth of emotions & thoughts.  
You need the expertise and a non-judgemental space to pour out your feelings. Merely talking things out sometimes works like magic in breaking the patterns that ensnare your mind. 
So, how do you find an effective mental health expert?
Let me think and write another post.

Have you seen the movie : "Bhool Bhulaiyaa" ?

Life is series of Cathartic episodes - Fursat by Vishal Bhardwaj

Life is series of Cathartic episodes.

As 2023 started, I watched Fursat, a film Shot on iPhone 14 Pro by Vishal Bhardwaj.
Before you think this post is a movie review, wait!
I won't divulge anything about Fursat. 

Watching this film, triggered few dormant, ungerminated emotions inside me. I went into a state of reminiscence. This made me jump from one episode of my life to the next, realising that we don't really move from sorrow to serenity, it's only sojourn which halts us! Then catharsis follows, it heals you, it makes you another person.

Now, another note : The film has nothing to do with nostalgia, healing or melancholy. That's how catalysts work. 

Life goes on, we are a creature of habit & adjust to all hardships, to go through a series of cathartic episodes and keep healing and evolving!

Well, on a slightly unrelated note, crying is also good for health. And, crying is part of Catharsis too! 

The Worth of an Option

What do you need to recuperate from, after the death of a loved one? And, what does society offer you the luxury of?



Almost towards the end of Norwegian Wood, the main protagonist runs away into the hills to recover from the loss of a person with whom he shared a difficult relationship. 
We all lose people. People we love, people we care about, people we want to hold onto. And, sometimes we feel their worth, their importance, once there is no way they can walk back.
"The dead remain dead." 

When you lose someone and it triggers an unusual feeling in you, a confused state. A state which shouts at you, "You never cared about the existence of this person. Yet their departure, their ultimate absence is gnawing you from inside."
This is the loss of option. 
Now, you longer have that person.
Now, you can't muster up the courage to resurrect them back into your life. This death of an option is more palpable than the death of the person. This is how some people go away, their involvement in our lives, is categorically more important than them as a person!
Such a tragedy! It is!

Some people die early, some people die alone, some people don't die, only their worth as an option dies, as they were long dead much before their body succumbed. They were dead for the people they considered to be the most important people in their life. This is unfair. Is life fair?

I Heard Everything

When I was in class 4, I was in the swing(Jhula) like just another toddler experiencing the new found joy of oscillatory motion.
Going back & forth, with full gusto!



My uncles broached a sensitive topic. They started talking in English, oblivious of the fact that kids of my age could also understand English.
 That was just so naive, on multiple levels! I heard everything.
Yet I didn’t respond or react. I kept enjoying my swing.

 Maybe I learnt to selectively not respond from this incident!

                             
I met Purna, while she was almost about to alight from the metro train. It was not out of the blue. We had coordinated that, to the T.



I just didn’t give her the agency she deserved. In the hopes of bringing fun, to the otherwise mundane lives of ours, I chose spontaneity.

I’ve always fancied my choice of spontaneity & extempore, over the carefully curated version of life & speech led by most folks. Of course, excess of most things are/is bad!
I just feel that we might have exceptions to this thumb-rule quite often than we realise.



So, Purna was visibly a bit displeased.
 Perhaps, she had something else planned in her mental itinerary. 

We kept on talking on our metro ride back to the place where I thought it would be more appropriate to spend some meaningful time.


She kept on bringing new conversation pointers, and I got immersed in them. It was as if I was trying to hold arrows coming towards me in a basket.


And, she started to complain that either am I not listening to her or I have a hearing problem.

How do I tell her that 'I heard everything', I noticed everything, I took all the cues. I just chose not to respond to everything or at times I just wanted to confirm what she said.
Maybe to give her a chance to rephrase or choose a different topic to broach. Makes Sense?

I heard her joke about the 'fallen bread slice'.
'Kitna Gira Hua hai!' (How fallen is this slice of bread!)

I listened to the joke, smiled mentally, savoured it and didn't show any reaction.
She was unhappy about my lack of acknowledgement. 
As if, I am just not interested in the conversation.

She wanted to know. She wanted the feedback. Did she also want approval? My approval?
Why so? Who am I? And, what does my approval mean to her?

Of course, if it was Validation which she was seeking, I'm at fault. Validation when sought, must be provided. I have learnt this from her.

Purna (पूर्णा or पूर्ण) in Hindi means Complete. She is complete. So, why she seeks my approval or anyone's approval?

Yes, I must hear everything what she says. I must listen to her like an obedient student. I must give her the agency, the power of choice when she deserves it.
We all keep learning & evolving. Maybe we are not  पूर्ण yet!

Of course! I heard Everything, Purna!

PS : Work of fiction
PPS : “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” - Mark Twain

Punardarśanāya (पुनर्दर्शनाय)

Goodbye is a misnomer. How can be parting any good?
Only, if you had said Good-riddance, it would have made sense.
What we like, we always wish to postpone its departure.

You see, life goes on, we feel that a phase of life, a moment, could be captured and relived as many times as we can, or worse, we wish to freeze moments and live forever in moments; life doesn't work like this expectation of ours!

We always need to let go of 

I'm reminded of this famous line, "I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go..."

The intention of a 'Goodbye' in my mind & heart, is : It was great to spend time with you, I wish you the best, take good care of yourself!
And, you just let go of the sight, touch & physical presence. How? How are we supposed to take good care of ourselves in the absence of what kept us ticking, what motivated us from the troughs of our menial existence? How?

Perhaps, we could pack it up with hope? Let's do it sooner (and mean it!)

पुनर्दर्शनाय! (Punardarśanāya)

How to Understand Death?

What?
Now, that you have put me on the pedestal, let me be audacious & sermonise.

Once every few years, keep changing your situation. Meaning, change the place where you live, change where you work, bid adieu to your favourite eatery, ... you get the drift?

So, this is what happened.
I went to submit laptop to my previous employer. While I was in the cab, this thought dawned upon me. Isn't this exit process & formalities similar to the death rituals or rather I would say, अंतिम संस्कार (Antim Sanskar)?

Once you let that feeling seep into you, it's no turning back. You feel drastically different about the same building, same security, same reception, ... everything stays the way it has always been. And, it will be like that for a long time to come. Alas! you would be no more. You would have bid your time, now it's your turn to spread your wings. Now, it's your turn to fly into the next phase.

I understand we miss our colleagues, and we soon find new ones. Ultimately, it all feels like a rite of passage. The less we were attached to our old friends in the old company, it has lesser impact.

How beautiful it would be if we could feel the same for our body, friends, family, belongings...One day we will die, leave all of this behind. 

Do you miss your old childhood school? Old childhood friends? College?
Of course, Yes!
And, deep down you know that you have grown up and grown out of those experiences & emotions.

Ultimately death knocks on all doors!

You are closer to death than you were before reading this blog post.
Book Suggestions Below:
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Coffee?

 Why do we enjoy coffee? Why do we sit in Cafes? 

To listen to something like "All I've Ever Known · Bahamas" and ruminate about the life you wish to have?
May be not. May be you have a different reason. That being said, there is a pleasure about sipping an overpriced drink laced with sugar and a kitschy slow/low background music playing around to keep you company.
This makes you feel like you have a halo, not around your head but around your thoughts; Around your life which has slipped through your hands like sand. This reminds you about someone. This reminds you about yourself; When you were someone different.

Or else, you are just a pretentious braggart buying your expensive coffee to distract your mind away from the senseless chatter you keep recycling in your head.

No, I'm not putting people on different rungs or putting anyone/anything on a pedestal. This is just me listening to "All I've Ever Known · Bahamas" on a Saturday morning and reminiscing about the times I hopped around the city to visit the new quaint coffee/tea place to idle away my time or to meet the next ... you know who? *sigh*

A lot definitely happened when I had coffee.  

Leaving you with the song which made me write this (below)


Book Suggestions Below:
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Money, Assets & Friends

What do you really need in life? No, apart from Oxygen, Water & Food?
Do you need money? Do you need a house? Do you need a lot of friends?
Do you need a lot of servants? Do you need a chauffeur driven car?
Do you need to be an Investment Banker? Do you need to be as relevant, popular & wealthy as Elon Musk? 

Chew on it!

There are no absolute answers, you have what you need. You strive for what you want. Your life, your choices! But, yes your choices have consequences. No value judgement on either your choices or consequences.

You want what you want!

As, I have aged over the last decade, it has dawned on me that I really don't desire all the fancy things/titles I so aspired for, few years back. A lot of what I wanted appear quite frivolous and meaningless. May be this is a phase, too! No, this isn't mid-life/quarter-life crisis! All I want now is a cup of tea, a comfortable chair & view of snow-clad mountain glistened by early morning sun! Is it a lot? 



Money still buys ...

Of Course, nothing is free in this world. You either need to have a lot of assets or stream of money/cash flow to get anything of material value. Tea is not free, chair isn't free unless you make your own, any picturesque view comes with a price tag! 

How about expanding the radius of your self-centred life?

We have all become hyper-individualistic, or is it just me? Anyway, truth is we mingle only to jingle, these days. Most of our material needs are taken care of without any human interaction! But, is it sustainable? I know, I am failing miserably to drive down the point that we all need people. Call them friends, family or well-wishers! 

There, I have completed the triad! Money, Assets & Friends! That's all we need in life. Rest are just bells & whistles. Again, over-simplifying a lot of nuances of life.

PS : I have written more than 100 posts on this blog!