Jennifer Longmore starts every day in exactly the same way.
Before getting out of bed, the 40-year-old ‘manifests’ positivity by picturing exactly how she wants her day to go.
Having practised the technique since her teenage years, Jennifer credits manifestation for her thriving business as a spiritual teacher and happy family life, and believes it should be more widely used by people looking to attain their hopes and dreams.
‘My mum first taught me how to send and use energy to shift my mood,’ she tells Metro.co.uk. ‘When I was younger, the effect was pretty instant. I now see it as an underutilised superpower.’
Jennifer’s belief in the power of manifestation is nothing particularly new. The notion that you can use your mind and belief system to ‘attract’ positive influences and energy was first introduced in the 19th century, but has since garnered new followers thanks to its resurgence on social media.
Video-sharing platform TikTok boasts an astonishing 9.3 billion videos tagged as ‘manifestation’, with people from all walks of life claiming that the technique has seen them become wealthy, meet their true love and overall carved out the life of which they’ve always dreamed.
Even celebrities as powerful as Oprah Winfrey and as respected as Bernardine Evaristo have attributed their success to manifestation.
Dubious? You’re right to be. But experts in the field want people to understand that the art of manifestation is not basic wish-fulfilment, nor a woo-woo pseudoscience.
Roxie Nafousi, a manifestation expert and self-development coach, is keen to stress there’s more to manifesting than just thinking about money and hoping for the best, in contrast to what most TikTokkers would have you believe.
‘What a lot of people think about manifesting is that it’s just visualising what you want and just waiting for it to happen, and that’s a real misconception,’ she explains. ‘It uses the law of attraction, which dictates that like attracts like. It’s about aligning your behaviour and taking action, and not being passive and waiting for things to happen.
‘Our minds have the power to push us forward and can lead us to make some incredible change.
‘It’s a self-development practise to live by, it’s not this mad, far-out idea some people think it is. Manifestation sees people procuring their vision, removing fear and doubt, aligning their behaviour, embracing gratitude and trusting the universe.
‘The fundamental belief at the core of it is making sure you treat yourself well.’
But while the principles at the heart of manifestation may focus on self-worth, belief and positive change, others argue that using ‘the power of your mind’ to achieve goals can set a dangerous precedent.
TikTok is awash with videos from people who claim that you can keep negativity, pain and even Covid-19 at bay through manifestation ‘techniques’ that range from simple visualising to the more ridiculous (one video urges people to put a glass of water by their bed at night, think about what they want and drink the water in the morning to manifest the result).
Those who found this hasn’t worked for them? Well, the onus (and therefore the fault) lies with you for not doing it properly, as opposed to the myriad other factors responsible.
If I could just “think away” the pain, I would have done it years ago
Emma Rosier is concerned about the sharp rise in people claiming that using ‘manifestation’ is a one-stop shop for all your desires – particularly when it comes to wellness and health.
The 24-year-old performer from Guilford suffers from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a chronic connective tissue disorder that can leads to frequent full and partial dislocations of the limbs, as well as constant pain.
‘The idea of manifesting good health can be very dangerous to those that are chronically ill,’ Emma tells us. It could easily lead on to segregation and mistreatment of those that others deem haven’t “manifested” hard enough.
‘We are already told by health officials every day that the onus is on us to look after the rest of our health (I.e weight, exercise, diet etc), so if “manifestation” of better health came into the mainstream, it could lead to us being thrown further into the hole of no help.
‘I have been battling with my illness for 16 years, and if I could just “think away” the pain, I would have done it years ago.’
Roxie herself adds that as someone from a family of doctors, she would never advise that someone turns their back on western medicine to embrace manifestation on its own.
Instead, she believes that manifesting helps people make positive decisions about their future, changing their mindsets to one of positivity and self-belief.
Roxie says: ‘Manifestation is not magic. It’s about bringing positive change, and the building blocks of that starts with kindness to yourself and believing you deserve good things.
‘I always say to my clients that if they want to succeed in making their dreams come true, but they continue to treat themselves like sh*t, then manifesting won’t work.’
While Emma is sceptical about manifesting, she does agree that having a positive mental attitude has benefited her when it comes to coping with her chronic illness.
‘I think that if I wallowed in my pain and anger at my lack of ability to do the things I want, whenever I want, I would never get out of bed,’ she says. ‘Sometimes, putting your mind in the right positive space can be the difference between staying in bed all day, or at least getting something productive done.
‘There is a fine line between “manifestation”, faith healing and positive thinking. To me, they all share commonalities, such as a positive mindset and the belief in a “higher power” that can come and cure you in some way.
‘However, positive thinking lends itself more to self-control and things you can do yourself, whereas “manifestation’ leans further towards faith healing as it lends itself more to the idea that a higher power will help your health.
‘When you have a chronic illness, it is difficult to remain positive at a times, and I don’t believe anyone should be held to the standard of always thinking positively. We are battling with our own minds and bodies every day, and it says nothing about your inner strength when you have to take a step back from daily activities to look after yourself.’
It’s something Dr Jane Leonard also emphasises. Having worked on a Covid ward throughout the pandemic, she credits positivity as helping her through darker times – but stresses that she couldn’t just ‘manifest’ her way out of it.
‘A positive mental attitude has a positive impact on mental health and a key factor of self care,’ she says. ‘You have to be proactive and take action to make change.
‘But it’s not that simple. Patients suffering from chronic illness who need support from medical services.
‘A positive mental attitude will help, but you should always take advice from a medical professional to help optimise physical and mental health.’
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