Lived Experience Forum

[getbetter]

Does anyone believe in the law of attraction? that the thoughts we focus on will come to fruition, as a lot of us here can not help but focus on negatives right down to catastrophizing, are those thought more likely to come true?

[utopia]

@getbetter. This is an interesting question. I'm having a struggle day. So ill reply to this on the weekend. But I wanted to tag some people to your post.
@Former-Member @TheVoltarin @Appleblossom @Former-Member

[Former-Member]

Oh, good question @getbetter, I believe "that which we fear comes upon us" probably because were looking for it, a self fulfilling prophecy in expecting it to happen. Quantum Physics I think they call it. Have you seen the DVD 'The Secret' - it explains it well I thought. I think that's why mindfulness works so well, because we 'notice' things more, without judgement, fear or reaction. Louise Hay is big on affirmatiins and gratitude. It will be good to hear what others have to say on this. Hi @utopia xox

[Former-Member]

This question needs some more ice-cream. Will be back very soon

[utopia]

Hi @Former-Member. Lol @Former-Member

[Former-Member]

 Thanks for the tag @utopia - I hope you feel better soon.

Do I believe in the law of attention? In the following sense I do:-

When we focus on and feed negative thoughts our actions will usually follow as negative. This won't bring about positive change and the positive good things in life we would desire because "we aren't opening ourselves up to it". Negative thoughts leads to acts that are self destructive leading to negative situations and attracting the negative.

When focusing on more hopeful positive thoughts creates motivational action to make change, which opens us up to making the most of life opportunities that present themselves; "that makes the good things happen", and attracts the good things to us. 

[getbetter]

hello @Former-Member yes your explaination is easy to accept because our own actions create the negative event, I was thinking about some other force I guess you might say, that brings you the negative events even when your actions are not provoking it, you are just thinking about it.

I used to ride dirt bikes and one thing when riding trail was to notice a hazzard but not focus on it, if you said to yourself, now there is a tree up here be carefull not to bang you would hit it, were as if you only seen and thought of the tree for a mili second not focus on it, you would cruize past it, It was my friends who first alerted me to the phenomenon.

I also say it because pretty much all my biggest fears that I have focused on have come true.

[utopia]

@getbetter. That noticing the 'hazard' but then moving your thoughts past that, is exactly what mindfulness is about.
Do you use Mindfulness as part of your therapy - healthy living plan?

[Former-Member]

Hi @getbetter. I've been struggling with a response because I kept leaning to the idea of cognitive distortions. But you're talking about something else yeah? Something more phenomenal?

[Former-Member]

Hi @getbetter

So what you are saying is that could our thoughts draw a force of negative energy that could create the focused fear without our actions provoking it? 

I think I would need a specific example to analysis to give a response (your first example was not based on focusing on negative thinking/fears).

Say for example someone fears getting cancer and they focus on that fear most of their lives and then in time they contract cancer when leading a healthy lifestyle, doing nothing to invite it through their own actions. Did their negative focus on their fear of cancer attract the disease to their bodies? 

Firstly we would have to conclude if their are any other reasons to why this could of happened if our own negative actions did not attract this. Being are we genetically susceptible, do we live in an area with high pollution - is it human made chemical addictives to food that we consumed etc?

So to draw a conclusion on whether our thoughts drew the specific fear/negative energy to us (being law of attraction - like attracts like), we would need to rule out first all other possible causes before a phenomenon could become a theory.