Law of attraction and The Secret

Domain XIV · Western esoteric, divinatory & new spiritual movements · Rhonda Byrne, William Walker Atkinson · 1906

What it is

The law of attraction is a teaching from the New Thought and mind-cure stream (rooted in mesmerism; see 081 and 084) holding that what a person consistently thinks about and feels becomes their reality. In Byrne's presentation, everything is energy vibrating at a frequency; a person's thoughts and…

Format

• The law of attraction is a belief system and self-help practice, not a therapy; it has no published clinical protocol, phases or session counts. Two frameworks are relevant: the practice's own sequence, and the clinician's sequence of work with a client who practises it. No source gives session…

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status (one line). No controlled evidence shows that thoughts attract external events; research on positive fantasies finds that idealised fantasy alone predicts less effort and attainment (Oettingen), and belief in manifestation is associated with riskier financial choices and past…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Does it use a device, heat, cold, water or a physical procedure? Has a medical professional checked that it is safe for you?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• flexible, enjoyable practice without fear, guilt or financial strain.
• a child who hides sadness or fear to avoid "bad vibrations"; missed health care.
• referral felt as rejection; frame it as adding support, and keep continuity where possible.
• missed appointments, stopped medicines, self-blame for illness, family conflict about treatment.
• more self-trust and broader support; caution about labelling any group, describe behaviours not labels.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.