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The Science Of Manifestation: Can This Stanford Neuroscientist Convince A Skeptical Dan To Give It A Shot? | Dr. James R. Doty

Jul 22, 2024 1h 15m 29 insights
<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p>Our guest today is <a href="https://www.jamesrdotymd.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James R. Doty</a>, a neurosurgeon who has just written a whole book about the science of manifestation – although, as you'll hear him admit, there's very little 'magic' involved in his process. </p> <p>James R. Doty, M.D. is a Stanford neurosurgeon, neuroscientist, compassion researcher, inventor, entrepreneur, author and philanthropist. He's the founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. </p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Doty's six steps to manifest</li> <li>His very interesting backstory</li> <li>The art and science of intention setting and the role of our neural pathways.</li> <li>How caring can ignite our Parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn can help us manifest better</li> <li>Practical tips for embedding an intention into our subconscious.</li> <li>The keys to understanding what we want vs. what we need</li> <li>And how to 'alert the bloodhound' to harness the full power of your mind</li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Related Episodes:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/amishi-jha-388" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#388. The Science of Training Your Attention | Dr. Amishi Jha</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/thupten-jinpa-repost" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Art and Science of Compassion: Thupten Jinpa</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/paul-gilbert-425" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#425. Compassion Is the Ultimate Tool for the Truly Ambitious | Paul Gilbert</a></li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Sign up for Dan's weekly newsletter</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3QtGRqJ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Follow Dan on social:</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>TikTok</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Ten Percent Happier online</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/46TZglY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>bookstore</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Subscribe to our</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>YouTube Channel</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Our favorite playlists on:</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3Qa8kMT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Anxiety</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3MjtMxF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sleep</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QvyA5J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Relationships</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QxZASc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Most Popular Episodes</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/james-doty</a></p> <p><br /></p>
Actionable Insights

1. Prioritize Service and Connection

Engage in actions of service and connection with others, as this activates your parasympathetic nervous system, optimizing cognitive brain networks and creating the best physiological conditions for manifestation.

2. Supercharge Intentions with Impact

When setting intentions, explicitly imagine and focus on the positive impact your success will have on other people’s lives, your team, and your family, as this altruistic perspective supercharges the manifestation process.

3. Distinguish Wants from Needs

Dismiss the narrative that external achievements like wealth or power will bring happiness, and instead understand the difference between what you want (often driven by fear) and what you need (connection, service to others).

4. Cultivate Equanimity

Develop an evenness of temperament (equanimity) by understanding the transient and impermanent nature of both highs and lows, accepting that all experiences pass and learning resilience from challenges.

5. Practice Non-Attachment to Outcomes

Work passionately towards your goals, but practice non-attachment to specific outcomes, accepting that things may not always go as planned due to the impermanent nature of the world.

6. Cultivate Belief in Your Power

Believe in your own immense power to change your brain and lay down neuropathways, as this is the first step to embedding intentions and overcoming limiting beliefs.

7. Internalize Self-Worth

Understand that self-worth and fulfillment can only come from within; no external achievements or affirmations can truly make you feel whole or good about yourself.

8. Replace Negative Self-Talk with Affirmations

Actively replace negative self-dialogue (e.g., ‘I’m not worthy,’ ‘It’s not possible’) with explicit self-affirmations to counteract self-criticism and build self-belief.

9. Reflect on Past Manifestations

Sit down and examine what you have already manifested in your life and understand the underlying reasons why, as this self-awareness is a crucial first step to intentional manifestation.

10. Enter Relaxed State for Intention

To effectively embed intentions into your subconscious, first engage your parasympathetic nervous system by being relaxed, open, and present, as this optimizes cognitive brain networks.

11. Develop Attention and Focus

Cultivate the ability to attend and focus your mind, as these are critically important skills for embedding intentions and achieving your goals.

12. Learn Body Relaxation Techniques

Practice exercises to relax your body, especially if you’re chronically tense, as this helps disengage the sympathetic nervous system and allows for better focus and attention.

13. Value Tag Your Intentions

Consciously make your intention salient and attention-grabbing (value tagging) to embed it into your subconscious, allowing your brain to detect and filter relevant stimuli from the environment.

14. Clearly Define Important Goals

Clearly define the things that are truly important to you, as this activates your unconscious mind to seek out and recognize opportunities related to those defined intentions.

15. Utilize Visualization Protocol

Follow a visualization protocol: make a list of your intentions, write them down, read them silently, read them aloud, and then close your eyes to visualize what you want to manifest.

16. Intensive Intention Embedding Practice

To deeply embed intentions, create a list of desired manifestations, read it silently, read it aloud, and visualize it multiple times a day (e.g., 50 times), using sensory engagement to make it real.

17. Start Small to Build Belief

Begin with small, achievable actions (e.g., a short morning walk) to demonstrate to yourself that change is possible, gradually building confidence and altering your belief system about what you can accomplish.

18. Be Consistent and Show Up

To change your mindset and circumstances, consistently show up and do the work, even in small steps, as consistency is fundamental to habit formation and belief transformation.

19. Increase Visualization Clarity

Regularly practice visualization exercises, making your mental image of the desired outcome increasingly clear and vivid, to strengthen your intention and make it feel more real.

20. Value the Journey and Relationships

While pursuing goals, prioritize the journey and maintain strong relationships and human connections, as sacrificing these for the goal can lead to emptiness and unhappiness.

21. Be Someone Others Want to Help

Cultivate qualities of goodness, caring, love, and compassion so that others are inspired to support and help you achieve your aspirations, recognizing that no one succeeds alone.

22. Practice Small Acts of Altruism

Cultivate altruism and generosity through simple, everyday actions like holding a door open for someone, which helps shift you into a relaxed, parasympathetic state conducive to optimal brain function.

23. Recognize Universal Suffering

Understand that everyone experiences suffering, which can change your perspective, foster compassion, and help you look at the world and your interactions through a more empathetic lens.

24. Engage with Compassion, Not Suspicion

Approach interactions with others through a lens of compassion and understanding of shared suffering, rather than suspicion or anger, to foster connection and receive support.

25. Set Plausible Goals

While believing in your power, set goals that are within the context of plausibility, understanding that extreme, physically impossible outcomes are unlikely.

26. Commit to Belief and Work

Cultivate absolute belief and commitment to your goals, and be willing to put in the necessary work, as this dedication is crucial for manifesting change in your life.

27. Diversify Opportunities

Diversify your opportunities and remain open to different paths, as outcomes may not always unfold exactly as planned, and external circumstances can impact your goals.

28. Beginner Intention Setting Practice

In a quiet space, spend 3-5 minutes thinking about an intention that serves a larger purpose beyond yourself, then write down why you want it, how it will be of service, and how it will benefit you, repeating this until you gain clarity.

29. Improve Lives with Simple Gestures

Recognize that you have the daily ability to improve another person’s life, even through simple gestures like saying ‘hi,’ regardless of time, money, or resources.