‘Manifesting is science not magic’ - Irish neuroscientist Dr Sabina Brennan on how we can rewire our brains to help achieve goals

In an extract from her new book, Dr Sabina Brennan reveals how we can use neuroplasticity to actively shape our reality

How manifesting works in the brain

Sabina Brennan

Manifesting has frequently been written off by the scientific community as pseudoscience or ‘woo’. However, on closer inspection a lot of the denigrating comments from scientists are directed at the misconception that manifesting is passive, wishful thinking rather than the active practice that is the subject matter of my new book, The Neuroscience of Manifesting.

Neuroscientist Dr Alison Bernstein states in an article published in Vice magazine that manifesting is not supported by science, pointing out that we cannot conjure things out of thin air, nor can we break the laws of physics. Having said this, she goes on to clarify that she has no issue with certain aspects of manifesting, which she likens to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), such as learning to control our thinking, modifying how we respond to certain situations and developing new habits.