If you’ve spent mere moments in the wellness world, you’ve likely come across the ideas of manifestation and the Law of Attraction. Articles like “How to Manifest Wealth” or “10 Ways to Attract the Life you Want” seem to be everywhere.
While I’m not terribly well-versed in this philosophy, it troubled me from the first time I heard people talk about it. And yet, it feels like there isn’t much room in many holistic wellness spaces to express frustration with it.
Luckily, this week I had the privilege of viewing an Instagram Live hosted by Holisticism about this very topic. It was so refreshing to hear this particular discussion about manifestation language, as it reflected the feelings I’ve had about it for a long time. It helped me really solidify and give more words to the general discomfort I’ve had around this topic, and I wanted to be able to share some of those thoughts.
First, for those who don’t know, the Law of Attraction is basically this: our thoughts manifest reality, and so if we can change our thoughts, we can manifest that which we desire. Now, there are some pieces of this that can be helpful. As a former therapist, I’ve used cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques with many clients, which says generally that changing negative thought patterns into more helpful ones can impact our behavior and our emotional states; this can help us cope with our situations and help us manage our response to them. Where I feel the Law of Attraction principles can go awry is that they tell us that if your situation isn’t what you want it to be, you can think yourself into a new situation—you attract what you think. The flip side of this is that if your situation is not what you want it to be, your thoughts must have also attracted that reality.
Not only do I find this to be a bit shame-based, but it rests on patriarchal, capitalist ideals and completely disregards the impact of systemic oppression. This is where my discomfort with it has been centered—there are circumstances larger than what mere positive thinking can overcome, especially when we are not in positions of power, and the Law of Attraction is extremely binary in its approach. Changing one’s thoughts does not solely have the power to change one’s situation if that situation is largely a result of problematic power structures, and blame should not be placed on the oppressed for that—injustice is not manifested by the oppressed, but rather by the oppressor.
Now, please hear me—I am in no way saying that people experiencing oppression are incapable of making changes in their lives or that our thoughts don’t have any impact on our experiences. What I am saying is that the Law of Attraction particularly caters to privileged, middle-to-upper-class white people, and it does not leave much room for there to be circumstances larger than the person trying to manifest a better situation. In this way, I have found this sort of manifestation language to be in itself oppressive.
How can I look at a Person of Color and tell them they can attract a life free from oppression and racism just by changing their thoughts?
How can I tell an unhoused person that they can think their way into a new home?
How can I tell an individual with low or no income that they can attract money and wealth simply by focusing on thoughts of abundance?
How can I tell an immigrant that they have complete autonomy over their situation, while in reality the unjust systems remain in control?
How can I tell a trans or non-binary person that they can manifest a life free from discrimination solely by thinking positively?
How can I tell any person from a marginalized community that they alone have the responsibility to change their situation?
Not only does this place the entire burden of responsibility on the oppressed, but it completely releases the liability of the oppressor.
It says that those in power need not worry about being accountable for the unjust systems, because each person is in charge of their own destiny, oppressed or not.
Again, I am not saying that people experiencing oppression do not have the strength and ability to succeed—I am saying that I, a cisgender white person, have been allotted much more room to “manifest success” compared with someone who does not have the privilege I carry. And this privilege is unearned—it was bestowed on me at birth by the systems that work to keep the oppressed down.
With this privilege, it is my obligation to speak to the unjust systems—those that directly impact me, and those that don’t. And I am shirking that responsibility if I endorse the idea that the Law of Attraction philosophy works equally for everyone and is relevant to everyone’s situation. It does not, and it is not.
When systems work for or against certain people, that needs to be what we look at first. Any successes I may have might be partly due to my thoughts and choices, but those always occur within a particular context—a context in which “success” is much easier for me to attain than it is for others because of the unjust systems in place. While we may each be responsible for our own selves, our choices, our actions, the intricacies of the systems that impact our lives are too complex to be able to make overarching statements about manifesting the life you want. In reality, systemic oppression serves to ensure that certain people will have a much harder time living the way they wish, and no amount of positive thinking will manifest real change if we aren’t taking steps to dismantle those systems first.
To be clear, I’m still learning. I’m not here to be a voice of Truth, just of my truth. I’m not here to say that manifestation language hasn’t been helpful for people, or that only people in privilege can use it. I’m simply here to speak to some of the problems with it and to encourage recognition of the systems in place that subtly—and often not so subtly—serve to keep “abundance” out of reach for some, as well as reinforcing the capitalist definition of what “success” should mean. Disrupting systemic oppression is a crucial step for truly ensuring that real abundance can be experienced by all and not just those who are privileged enough to be able to attract it without facing unjust barriers.
Thank you to Holisticism for inspiring this article! You can find them at www.holisticism.com.
If you’re looking for a therapist who aligns with these perspectives, head to www.alyssa.mcleantherapy.com for more information on my therapy services!