Working with the Law of Attraction generally goes one of two ways: you try it out for some weeks but give up quickly when nothing manifests, or you have great success with it and your whole life is changed.
I’m sure most reading this article has watched or read The Secret at one point in their life, this was a book that really bought the concept of the Law of Attraction to the masses.
However for a lot of people there is something missing. They do all the affirmations and exercizes but nothing happens, there’s a block there but they aren’t sure what it is.
How Does Manifestation Work?
Here is where shifting your mindset on how this all works really turns things around. The Law of Attraction works when we are focused with all of our being on where we would like to go – nentally, physically and energetically.
It’s about lining all of the pieces up internally so that there is no other option but for the physical components to fall into place. Manifestation isn’t about surface level thought or a facade of positivity but how you carry yourself everyday and every moment.
It’s all about alignment. You have to dig deep and dissolve all the mental and subconscious barriers you have around your goal. You have to learn to communicate with your subconscious mind and bring congruence to your conscious and unconscious states.
To manifest our conscious and subconscious minds need to have the same goal. This is where sleep manifestation comes in. Learning to use the time you are asleep each night to prime your subconscious mind and direct it to where you want to go is invaluable.
Why manifesting before sleep is so powerful
The main reason I write this post is because manifestation, specifically before sleep, is super powerful!
We all know the benefits of a regular nighttime routine, and how what we do before sleep affects the day after, the same applies to manifestation.
Before sleep the subconscious mind is much more suggestible, and so this is a great time to recite affirmations and set new intentions.
The time before sleep is important on a spiritual level too, this is discussed by Neville Goddard and a few other spiritual writers.
On an energetic level, the collective is winding down. People have settled down for the evening and there is less noise. If you’re sensitive to energy you can usually feel this shift.
We also associate the time between 3 and 4am with the supernatural; the witching hour, where is the veil is said to get thinner. Whether this is literal or cultural it doesn’t really matter, you can use the energy of this time to your advantage.
A lot of people enjoy the nighttime hours best because this is where they feel they can express their energy the most safely and authentically. For several years of my life I was a night owl for this very reason. There is this sense, late in the evening and into the morning hours, where there is less pressure to perform and anything feels possible.
Your sleep/dream state is where the subconscious mind comes out to play and if you meet it there you can begin to shift things in your psyche quickly which ultimately shifts your physical reality.
Manifestion Sleep Routine
Most of us spend our time before sleep worrying over a day that has already passed or deliberating over a day that has yet to come. These worries then simmer in our subconscious mind all night, making themselves known in our dreams. Then we wonder why we wake up grumpy.
Instead try spending ten to twenty minutes tonight before sleep visualizing your goal. Make the visualization as vivid as you can mange, incorporating the emotions you would feel in this scenario.
You could also set aside ten minutes to write out what an ideal day would be like for you. Again add as much detail as you can, inserting the emotions that you would feel if this was a reality for you. Write it in the present tense as if it has already occurred.
Now you want to go straight to sleep. No mindlessly scrolling on social media or watching random videos. Allow the last thing on your mind to be an uplifting vision of your future timeline. What you have visualized will now begin making its way to you as you sleep.
This can eventually influence the type of dreams you are having, which is a good sign you are on the right track; your conscious and subconscious mind are on the same page.
How to align your energy before sleep
There are so many different ways to align your energy before you sleep. Setting intentions and doing visualization is one part of the process. Make sure you are also creating an uplifting atmosphere.
- Set the mood with relaxing music
- Incorporate smell with essential oils
- Say a prayer
- Listen to an affirmations video on YouTube
I have been enjoying listening to affirmation videos on YouTube before sleep recently aswell. These are great for the nights where you are low on energy, but want something to get you focused in the right direction.
Binaural beats are a type of music that influence our brainwaves. These can get us into the theta and alpha brainwaves more easily, which are great for relaxation and getting into a sort of trance. You can find affirmation videos on YouTube that have binaural beats included in the backing track.
Getting enough deep replenishing sleep is also important for all of these steps.
Dream Incubation
Elaborating on this idea, the next technique you can try is what I like to call dream incubation. Priming your mind to dream of the goal you would like to accomplish and breathing life into your earlier visualization.
Back in 2015 I was drawn to travel, I had a goal in mind to travel around South East Asia for a few months. The only problem was I didn’t yet have the means. I had no plan of action, my goal seemed ridiculous.
Nevertheless I maintained that vision for a whole year, every day was dedicated to making it happen and building up a monetary safety net for myself.
I definitely put in the physical work required however it was my mindset that kept me going. It was the vision that I allowed to simmer in my mind each day that pushed me along.
I remember not so long before I left I actually had a vivid dream of travelling in one of the countries I had written down. It was only a matter of months before I was actually there is the flesh.
Here’s what you do: As you are drifting off to sleep begin visualizing how an ideal day would go for you. Or visualize yourself attaining your goal. Just as before it works best if you make it as vivid as possible and infuse emotion with it.
Try to hold this vision for at least ten minutes. Once again you want to go straight to sleep after you’ve finished visualizing, let the last thing on your mind be what you want to come to fruition.
You may not succeed the first time however if you are consistent this visualization will seep over to the dream state. You might get a dream living out your dream scenario or receive hints and guidance in your dream about what you should do to achieve your goal.
Don’t forget to write down the dreams that you have. This will further connect your conscious and subconscious mind and signal that you are taking your dreams and as a result your manifestations seriously.
Neville Goddard’s SATS
There is a similar technique I found later on by author and mystic Neville Goddard. He named this technique SATS (state akin to sleep).
To develop the last section a little more we have to talk about hypnagogia. This is the state between wake and sleep where dreams start to form in our mind.
If we can get to this state consciously, that takes our visualizations just that little bit further – they impress deeper into the unconscious mind, which is what we want.
So how do you get into this state?
After some years of a daily meditation practice I have noticed that I naturally find myself in the hypnagogia state quite often. A consistent meditation practice will help, along with holding some awareness at the point of sleep.
You’ll start to notice colors and shapes forming and can direct them with a little conscious effort. Bring that vision you created into this flowing, in-between state.
Now this technique can induce sleep paralysis. Eventhough that isn’t a ‘bad’ thing, it’s something to keep in mind if you have had negative experiences with it before.
How to succeed with manifestation
Note that these techniques will not magically change your life if you are not proactive in other areas too. These will help get the ball rolling alongside using affirmations, meditation and maintaining a positive mindset throughout the day.
Use the night time visualization and dream incubation as one tool in your arsenal. This is about diving deep into your unconscious mind and shifting it to be in alignment with your conscious goals, it’s not an overnight thing.
One of the biggest reasons our manifestation efforts ‘fail’ is because the intention we set is not believable enough to the subconscious mind. It’s great to have big goals for ourselves, but on a practical level we have to create some momentum first.
If you are doing all of the techniques and not seeing any result in your physical environment, take a small step back. What is your next step towards your goal? Focus there and build it up week by week.
Have you ever tried manifesting as you sleep? Were you successful?