“The Science Behind the Secret” Review

I’ll start with some extractions from the back of the book:

“For over forty years writers have described and pondered the aspects of The Law of Attraction in works such as The Power of Positive Thinking, Creative Visualization and the

phenomenal best seller The Secret… Now, Dr. Travis Taylor–scientist, engineer and science fiction writer who has studied the esoteric nature of quantum physics and the universe–takes the reader on an eye-opening journey of understanding this theory.

Through modern quantum physics Dr. Taylor shows that The Secret is actually a restatement of the accepted physical models of quantum coherence and entanglement… The Science Behind the Secret–Decoding the Law of Attraction shows us that with every thought we have we are creating our own reality and that we can control our own realities if we learn how…”

Recently I blogged about the cognitive dissonance with the LoA that I experienced during my fifteen month departure.  I read so many books, but it was after this one that I returned to blogging.  It’s not that this book had a transformative effect on me, but it was nice icing on the cake.

Let’s get clear on Travis Taylor’s credentials.  He holds a doctorate in optical science and engineering, three masters degrees–in physics, aerospace engineering and astronomy–and a bachelors degree in electrical engineering.  He’s worked on various programs for the Department of Defense and NASA for the past sixteen years.  His current work involves advanced propulsion concepts, substantial space telescopes, space-based beamed energy systems, and next generation space launch concepts.  Now to the review.

Taylor uses a very southern-U.S.-folksy tone.  I’ll admit that it seems like he reaches just a bit too far with this tone, and at time it feels goofily contrived, but it didn’t keep me from reading with interest and ultimately appreciating the book.

Taylor starts with his incidental viewing of the Oprah program, which his wife likes to watch.  One episode featured those who had appeared on and contributed to The Secret. The other featured an interview with author Louise Hay.  While a number of comments made him flinch, watching these programs brought him back to themes he’d become aware of in his study of quantum physics and human consciousness.

To start off with, Taylor makes clear that technically a “law” is something that people have hypothesized, theorized, experimented with and tested diligently, and then argued and debated through peer review, often over generations, until the scientific community finally verifies it as a “law.”  So we should be clear that, from a scientific viewpoint, the Law of Attraction is not really a law, but more a “maxim.”  A maxim is something considered a general truth or principle, which has not been subjected to the above scientific rigor.  (I think most people believe deeply in plenty of things that, for one reason or another, the multi-generational scientific community has not “proven” with such rigor.)

One thing I like is how he makes a distinction between two principles:  the one you hear all the time and the one that more specifically addresses what the LoA community embraces.  We always hear that the basis of the Law of Attraction is that like attracts like. But, as Taylor points out, often this isn’t true at all since science has often shown that opposites attract. Yes, there are a lot of other situations in modern physics in which like does attract like, but the more specifically interesting point is that (to borrow from my About page) our thoughts modify our reality.

“The idea behind it is deeper than just “birds of a feather” or “like attracts like.”  The idea is that you create your own reality.  You create your universe around you by how you perceive it, interpret it and feel it.  And if you don’t believe me…just wait until we get to the science.”

Taylor proceeds with a bit of a history lesson on the LoA, followed by the quantum physics of how it might work.  He does his best to describe quantum theory, waves and particles to us in laymen terms.  Not easy.  Then we get into the real substance of this book as he discusses “qwiff’s” (or quantum wave functions,) what they are and how they move and interact with each other, coming together to manifest an intention equal to or better than what we asked for.

For some, delving deeply into the (usually) very complex things associated with the LoA seems confusing and unnecessary.  And if you don’t have the interest in so delving, fine.  But still others think that the nature of the LoA is so unusual, so seemingly woo-woo, that it’s ridiculous or even embarrassing to admit an interest in it.  For them, I recommend this book.

In case you think the world and your relationship to it is basically defined, documented and understood, you’ll find that scientists have been making many bizarre discoveries for decades.  Consider the fact that a single particle can exist in two distant places at the same time.  Consider “quantum entanglement,” which shows that two different particles that were once “entangled” will remain such, and when action is performed on one it affects the other despite their distance.  Even Einstein called it, “spooky action at a distance.”

And, speaking of Einstein, he also recognized the nature of human consciousness when he said, “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

I found the book thought-provoking and stimulating.  I bought it for around $15 in an airport bookshop.  Since airports also charge three bucks for a bottle of water, I imagine you can find it for less elsewhere.

Holosync: Effortless Meditation

One of the things I’ve tried to do for the past few years is find myself in a nice, consistent

groove of spending time with my intentions.  My wife, Rachel, and I have experimented with a number of different meditations, guided meditations, etc., but we didn’t end up sticking with any of them for too long.  In Rachel’s case, she was always frustrated with meditation.  She just didn’t feel like she was doing it right.

I can relate.  You’re relaxed, listening to the music or waves or whatever, focusing on your breathing…but your mind keeps darting around.  At some point I decided this was okay.  I wouldn’t stress it.  But it really bugged Rachel.  She felt that, because of her sometimes distracted mind, her meditations weren’t very effective.

Enter Holosync.  Now I’d heard about this company over three years ago and had read a bit about it.  I’m going to keep it as simple as possible.  Holosync is a program that involves listening to audio tracks through stereo headphones.  What you consciously hear is waves and pleasant chimes, but in the background have been placed tones.  The frequency of the tone being played in your left ear is different than the one in your right ear by a measure of ten cycles per second.  When your brain attempts to process these two tones, something very cool happens.  Your brain waves will begin to resonate to the difference between those two tones.

Holosync audio tracks will take your brain waves from the ordinary waking pattern of Beta, then to Alpha, Theta and Delta.  As this happens the fluctuations in your brain are

continuously increasing.  These fluctuations give your nervous system input, but it’s at a level your brain is not used to handling the way it is currently structured. So your brain, being amazingly adaptive, is forced to reorganize itself at higher, more complex levels of functioning so that it can handle what it couldn’t before.

There are different levels to Holosync, and Rachel and I are still on the initial “Awakening Prologue.”  For the first two weeks you listen exclusively to the 30 minute track called “The Dive.”  Starting on week 3, you listen to “The Dive,” followed by another 30 minute track called “Immersion.”  That’s pretty much it.  There are other tracks you can purchase that include subaudible affirmations in a variety of areas–and soon Rachel and I will be able to record our own affirmations that the Holosync people will place behind their tracks.

After four months of The Dive and Immersion, we’ll then move onto other levels, which use the same technology, but which begin moving to deeper and deeper frequencies that will continue to keep our brains evolving.  But what’s the effect of Holosync?

This is something I deal with a lot.  Many programs or neurotechnologies seem to place an emphasis on overcoming emotional dysfunction or learning how to be a happier person.  These are not things I struggle with.  The good news is that you don’t have to be a basket case to benefit deeply from it.  Over time new neural pathways are being created between both hemispheres of your brain, which is purported to lead to what scientists call “whole brain functioning.”

I can testify that, over the past two months of using Holosync consistently, my ability to focus, concentrate and think more clearly has improved.  I notice it when reading or in conversations.  Also, while I used to stress when writing, now my ability to kick out a blog post seems much easier.  But the thing that keeps me coming back to it is this:  I enjoy doing it every single day.

The real beauty of it is that you don’t have to worry if you’re doing it right.  Your brain could be thinking about a thousand different things totally unrelated to your personal growth; it’s still working!  Bill Harris, the founder of Centerpointe Research Institute and Holosync, tells the story of a certain experiment in which several people were having their brain waves measured while using the program.  Afterward one woman told the researchers they may as well throw out her data because she just hadn’t been able to concentrate.  But they were able to show her that, despite what she thought, her brain waves had dipped deeper than anyone else in the experiment.

Now while you don’t have to reach deep levels of concentration while doing Holosync, you certainly can if you want to.  And I have been using these unbelievably relaxing periods of time to focus on my intentions, to see my life the way it will be and have deeply enjoyed the experience of doing so.

The upshot:  Holosync is pleasurable experience that helps create a positive routine for me.  It’s good knowing that my brain’s capacity is being improved, but it also gives me that opportunity to focus on my intentions every single day.  Thumbs up!

Dealing With Woo-Woo

Have you noticed that Law of Attraction and Personal Development experts from time to time like to remind us that these subjects need not be considered (here comes the term) “woo-woo”?

Many aren’t comfortable with things they think are “far out,” “New Age” or “spooky,” so these experts would like to separate their work from such a stigma.

Here’s the thing:  in attending several LOA and Personal Development gatherings and meeting many individuals associated with them, I’ve found that plenty of them are, well, kind of woo-woo.  Of course many aren’t, but you don’t have to look far to find people in loose, flowing clothing (sometimes even tye-dyed,) wearing crystals, passing around their aura photo, talking about their Spirit Guides and latest emotionally charged psychic reading.

Don’t misunderstand:  I tend to like and get along well with these folks, often finding them interesting conversationalists.  Further, I went to a psychic a couple of times, don’t necessarily think things like crystals or aura photos are crazy, and I kinda like loose, flowing clothes myself.  But I’m convinced that for some the LOA is simply an extension of the 60s & 70s hippie movement, and they seem shocked when many of us don’t fall in line with things they consider clearly connected.

For example, for a few months last year I met with a group that was studying Kabbalah, the discipline and school of thought that seeks to define the nature of the universe and the human being, the nature and purpose of existence, and various other questions.  We were a diverse bunch, but one lady in her late forties was what I would call particularly woo-woo.  She was very touchy-feely and gyrated as she spoke about mystical, groovy things.  Once when someone began to question a certain personal pattern of thought, this woman raised her hand emphatically and said, “Hold it!  That sounds like a lot of judgment to me.” She tilted her head to the side dramatically, whispering, “No more judgment.  No more judgment.”

I’d had it up to here with this chick.  Everyone else just seemed stunned by her, so I spoke

up.  I explained that while I could understand that being harshly judgmental of ourselves and others might be counterproductive, that didn’t mean we couldn’t come to certain conclusions about what worked for us and what didn’t.  What, after all, was the purpose of this study group if we couldn’t form judgments for ourselves about what was and was not beneficial?  And might her objection not be considered “judgmental” itself?

I was listening to an Abraham-Hicks recording some months ago and heard a participant ask Abraham about how we should conduct ourselves in view of “global warming.”  Her question about this subject, which tends to blame humans for the fact that the earth has in recent decades (but not the past decade) been experiencing a warming trend, seemed to suggest this perspective was universally accepted.  Yes it must be a foregone conclusion that someone as wise as Abraham, a group of ancient, non-physical entities, would of course agree with this position.  What was Abraham’s reply?

“For those of you worried about “global warming,” we ask, Who burned the fossil fuels that melted the Ice Age?”

I did not have video of this, but can only imagine the reaction some people had to it.  Abraham expressed what I (and a growing number of others) believe:  that our planet’s temperature has always been in a state of continuous change and that the statistical blip people are all worked up over barely registers on history’s scale.  But this is a shocking apostasy for those who have created a religion around “climate change.”

While I don’t intend to make politics an important part of Law of Attraction Success Stories, I have wanted to make a distinction between this universal law and the politics some tend to associate with it.  I have come to understand why, in “The Secret,” Joe Vitale emphasizes that everything in our life is something we ourselves have created.

“This is one of the hardest concepts to get but once accepted its life-transforming. This is part of the overall giant secret here.” -Joe Vitale

My point is that looking to ourselves–as opposed to (for instance) the government–for our well-being is one part of taking responsibility for everything that happens to us.  Therefore, for me, any effort to have government assume a more important role in my life is an attempt to escape responsibility.

You and I might disagree about a few things in this regard, and I’m well aware that there are lots of “responsible” people found throughout the political spectrum.  But while “woo woo” is usually pretty harmless, I can’t help but notice some of the political positions taken by many who lean in that direction.  Positions that in the name of “peace, love & kindness” seek to transfer responsibility for one’s well-being from the self to the government.

But if like me you are a believer in the Law of Attraction–and want to improve your life through a better understanding of it–I encourage you to avoid supporting any effort that involves your reliance on government or anything other than yourself.