Manifesting: How the Reticular Activating System Shapes Your Life

Have you ever been encouraged to manifest something you desperately wished for—winning the lottery, getting that promotion, meeting the love of your life?  The advice usually sounds something like this:

Think positively.

Visualize what you want.

Believe it is already yours.

Picture the wish coming true in your life.

The Law of Attraction is the underlying principle used to explain how manifesting works. Simply put, like attracts like. According to the Law of Attraction, our thoughts have the power to attract experiences that are in alignment with those thoughts, allowing people, for example, to improve their health by visualizing themselves becoming strong and healthy. In short, think positive thoughts, and positive things will come into your life. Think negatively, and you risk attracting negativity.

There is something deeply appealing and comforting about the idea that our thoughts have the power to shape reality. It gives us a sense of control. Instead of simply waiting for life to happen to us, we can imagine the future we want and somehow call it toward us.

But is that how it really works?

There is no empirical evidence demonstrating that the Law of Attraction operates as a literal force of nature, that thoughts or “energy" attract corresponding external events. Yet, versions of this idea have existed going back to Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher, whose Argument from Affinity held that “things share a natural attraction or fate with entities of a similar essence or nature.”  More recently, social media have popularized ideas such as “Lucky Girl Syndrome,” the belief that consistently expecting good things to happen will somehow cause them to happen.

Interestingly, one of the most well-researched forms of psychological treatment, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), is built around a concept that sounds surprisingly similar: thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected and can influence one another and affect the experiences we have and the events in our lives.

Consider two people facing the same challenge, say taking on a new project at work:

One thinks:  I'm terrible at this. I'm probably going to fail.

The other thinks:   This is difficult, but I will certainly try to figure it out.

Neither thought guarantees an outcome, but the thoughts may lead to very different behaviors.

The first person might think of all the times when things didn’t work out, avoid the challenge, or become so anxious that giving up seems like the only answer.

The second might try different approaches, ask questions, and keep persisting even after encountering a roadblock.

Eventually, their experiences and final outcome may begin to look very different, not because one person “manifested” success and the other manifested failure, but because their beliefs and thoughts influenced their emotions and behaviors, which, in turn, influenced what they did, how others responded to them, and what opportunities arose as a result.

Research in psychology supports these connections. Studies have found associations between positive thoughts and psychological states and outcomes, such as improved problem-solving, resilience, and reduced anxiety.  Conversely, negative psychological states lead to discouragement and giving up, even though the person actually has the skills and ability to complete the task.  Our thoughts and mental energy, do indeed impact what happens in our life, which sounds a lot like manifesting.

Manifesting: How the Reticular Activating System Shapes Your Life

First I want you to ponder for a moment the vastness of all the sensory stimulation that our brain manages from moment to moment - visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory,  internal, external, endless stimulation.  The general ballpark figure is hundreds of millions of sensory units a second. Yes, a second! Let that sink in, for a minute!  How many billions is that in an hour, in a day?  Hard to comprehend, right?

Clearly, we cannot consciously process all that sensory information, so in comes the Reticular Activating System (RAS).  The RAS is a network of neurons in the brainstem that plays an essential role in arousal, wakefulness, the filtering of sensory information,  and the regulation of attention. Thanks to the RAS, only 10ish units per second get through to the conscious level for processing and decision-making, and even most of those are subconscious.

The RAS is continuously filtering the input of sensory information. In effect, the RAS is the gatekeeper -- Is this important? Should I pay attention to this?  Only information that is deemed significant by the RAS is allowed to rise to the level of conscious awareness, while all other information is handled automatically at the unconscious level.

It helps explain why we definitely notice some things while we are completely oblivious to others.  Think of a time when you were considering buying a car and, after considerable research, you figured out what car you wanted, say, a Jeep. Once you made that decision, you start to notice Jeeps everywhere;  it might even seem as though everyone is suddenly driving a Jeep. In fact, all those Jeeps were already out there on the road; you just never noticed them until the RAS snapped to attention.

The same principle can apply to our thoughts and beliefs.

Imagine someone who repeatedly tells themselves, “I am stupid. I can't do anything right.” That belief becomes a high level thought that the RAS prioritizes. When something goes wrong, the person will immediately notice it and interpret it as evidence that the belief is true.

You make one mistake at work?

I knew I couldn't do this.

Someone doesn't respond to your text?

Nobody wants to talk to me. My friends are mad at me.

You don't get the opportunity you wanted?

Things never work out for me

Once the thoughts that you are a failure are activated, the RAS will look for the confirming evidence, while overlooking the ten things that went well:

the compliment...the successful project...the friend who called...the problem you solved...the difficult thing you handled successfully.

In other words, the mind can develop a tendency to notice information that confirms what it already expects. That is how self-fulfilling prophecies are born!

Positive thinking isn't about walking around pretending everything is wonderful. And it is not about telling yourself you'll win the lottery tomorrow. And it certainly is not about blaming yourself when things don’t work out because you supposedly “manifested” it.

Realistic positive thinking is something different.  It is the belief that you can handle what comes next.

I don't know how this will turn out, but I'll figure it out.

This is difficult, but I can ask questions and I can tackle it one step at a time.

I made a mistake, but that doesn't mean I'm a failure.

I haven't succeeded yet, but I can learn.

Thoughts, whether positive or negative, can change behavior.  And behavior can change outcomes. What happens when someone repeatedly thinks, “I can handle difficult situations”? They may be more willing to take on challenges, recover more quickly from setbacks, and interpret difficulties as temporary rather than as evidence of personal failure. Their confidence may also affect how other people respond to them, and again, what opportunities may arise as a result. No magic required!

Perhaps this is the important thing to understand about manifesting. We may not be able to think something into existence simply by wishing for it, but our thoughts can influence the way we move through the world. What we repeatedly focus on can shape what we notice. What we notice can shape how we behave. And how we behave can change the experiences we create for ourselves and opportunities we take. 

The Law of Attraction may be less useful as a literal explanation of how the universe works than as a metaphor for how our minds can influence our lives.

Here are three easy steps to fine tune your RAS:

Gratitude -  think of the things that have gone well in your day, the positive interaction you had with others while you were out and about, the conversation you had with a friend or family member, the beautiful day that made it possible to go for a hike...Having gratitude is not just new age advice, something you can do that will make you feel better somehow.

Now that you know about the RAS, you know what to do -- when you focus on thoughts of gratitude, you are effectively telling the RAS, “this is important, make this a priority.” The RAS responds by sifting through millions of bits of information to bring to consciousness other experiences that were worthy of gratitude. In effect, you are teaching the RAS to recognize those moments in real time and to bring them to your conscious mind.

Mind Your Self-Talk  - what you say to yourself, is what your RAS deems as important for you to notice.  You may have grown up in an environment where name calling was common and “normal,” so it is now “normal” for you to respond with self-critical, angry, and harsh words directed at yourself.  The RAS will raise the self-talk to the level of “Highly Important! Look for Confirming Eidence!” Over time, negative self-narrative become the self-fulfilling prophecies that we talked about earlier.  To make matters worse, that negative self-talk creates an internal atmosphere of stress which can trigger depression and anxiety. You can read here about how your cells in your entire body are affected by negative self-talk. So mind what you say to yourself because the RAS is obediently responding to everything you say.

Set Goals - when you set goals, your RAS is called into action because goals are priorities, and that is the “bread and butter,” the job of the RAS.  Make your goals small and reachable.  If you want to become fit, don’t sign up for a gym membership with a vague plan to work out.   Start small in your living room - do some squats, do some wall push ups, lift some 2lb dumbbells. Go for a  5-10 minute walk, and the RAS will notice and make it a priority.  You can read here about how to set up SMART goals that will help your RAS focus on the right goals.

Think of your RAS as your personal life coach that moves your life in the direction you manifest.

Watch your thoughts, for they become your words.

Watch your words, for they become your actions.

Your actions become your habits,

Your habits become your values,

Your values become your destiny.

                     -- Gandhi

Dr. Dana Watts

Clinical Psychologist

Helping Clients in the Greater Cleveland Area

440-895-1100