In our challenging world today, too many of us feel isolated, anxious, and insecure (Murthy, 2023; World Health Organization, 2023). We’ve lost our sense of agency, the belief that our efforts can make a difference.

James R. Doty, MD, the author of the new book, Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything (2024a), offers brain-based strategies for regaining our sense of agency and points out three reasons why so many of us have lost it.

1. Many people “carry unresolved trauma that continues to dictate their choices unconsciously” (2024a, p.61). Negative experiences in our childhood can get lodged in our brains, creating a narrative of fear that may continue to affect our adult perceptions and choices.

2. All human beings have a “negativity bias, which makes us turn to negative events or negative statements about ourselves because of how we evolved as a species to avoid threat” (Doty, 2024b). The brain’s scanning for threats that once helped our ancestors survive in the wilderness now keeps us focused on negativity, blocking our ability to perceive positive opportunities.

3. Contemporary culture triggers us with feelings of insecurity, capturing our attention with negative news, advertising, and social media. As Dr. Doty says, “In a Western capitalist society, it’s all about the money. And so instead of promoting positive stories or events which actually do not capture our attention, we turn to things that potentially are a threat to us.”

Add to all this the lingering effects of the Covid pandemic, along with increasing political and economic insecurity and many of us no longer feel safe.

We........

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