User:Jane Taaaa/sandbox

Jan Baptist
Hi, I would like to include in this article something about his mixing Christian faith with alchemical thought, using this reference[] and others like it. Does anyone object?

Bible
New Thought authors themselves have quoted the Bible to support and explain why the law of attraction works. Two examples of commonly quotes verses are:

Matthew 21:21–22
 * “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt..... you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Mark 11:24
 * "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.."

Other similar quotations from the Bible that New Thought authors have used in the context of the law of attraction are: Matthew 7:7–8, Matthew 8:13, Mark 11:23, and Luke 11:9.

Relation to science
Science. ref TMKS, ref the secret book.

Claims about how it works
Proponents and skeptics have both tried to explain either how the law of attraction works or how it seems to work for some people. It should be noted that some proponents make no attempt to explain it and instead only describe it and explain how it affects people.

Proponents
In the late 19th century radio waves were beginning to be put to practical use. Thomas Edison had previously called the phenomena etheric force which he believed to be a misterious force which pervaded the ether. The concept of the transmission and reception of radio waves was taken up by some of the earliest New Thought authors and used to help explain the law of attraction. They explained that thoughts were emitted by the brain in a similar way to radio waves, but at a much higher frequency, and that the human brain functioned in a similar way to a radio, receiving thoughts  that it has been tuned to receive. For them this demonstrated the principle that ´like attracts like´. It is from this idea that many New Thought proponents speak of a person's 'vibration' or 'frequency'. They claim good thoughts have a higher vibration or frequency than bad ones, and encourage people to 'raise their vibration' so that they only attract good thoughts and experiences.

In the 1970's quantum theory began to be used by some theorists to explain the nature of our thoughts. The first book to popularize this idea was the best selling book The Tao of Physics (1975) by Fritjof Capra. The 'orchestrated objective reduction' (Orch-OR) theory is believed by proponents of the law of attraction to demonstrate this is likely. They often describe the 'relational quantum mechanics' interpretation of the double-slit experiment to back-up their belief that our thoughts can interact with matter. These proponents combine the idea that thoughts have a frequency with the idea that thoughts come from quantum interactions, and to this they add Einstein's famous $E = mc^{2}$ equation, which for them demonstrates that "everything is energy". For proponents these ideas explain much about how the law of attraction works. Most recently proponents have added to these ideas that of quantum entanglement to demonstrate that we are connected to everything else in the universe, and so provide a theoretical mechanism through which the law works.

Skeptics
People who are skeptical of the concept of the law of attraction believe that there is no effect to explain, and if some people seem to experience this then it is only due to psychological factors. For example, they argue that humans are goal oriented and so focused attention on something will inevitably make it more likely to be achieved. Another psychological explanation is that human brains have a reticular activating system which is always on the look out for patterns and draws our attention to the things we look for. Skeptics argue that proponents of the law of attraction who want to attract something into their life merely notice that thing more. In addition skeptics claim that although positive thinking usually helps people to greater success than those who think negatively, it has nothing to do with the law of attraction and is purely a psychological principle. Lastly skeptics say that the law of attraction is an example of confirmation bias, which is the human mind’s tendency to notice and pay more attention to objects and experiences that match its preexisting thoughts and beliefs.

Parallels in science
There is no scientific evidence proving the existence of a 'law of attraction' as described by New Thought authors. However there are parallels that can be found in a group of interrelated psychological fields which include the placebo effect, cognitive therapy, and positive psychology.

The placebo effect
The placebo effect is an important consideration for all health researchers and is accepted to be a real phenomena, even if it is only subjective, especially in connection to sickness behavior. It describes how people's health can improve simply because they believe that they are being helped. Some people see the 'law of attraction as a "giant placebo effect".

Cognative therapy
Patients receiving cognative therapy are encouraged by the therapist to change their way of thinking and remove any distressing emotional responses they have. This approach comes fro the cognitive model which states that thoughts, feelings and behaviour are all connected. As such cognative therapy has some similarities to the way proponents of the law of attraction go about fixing their problems in life.

An example of how CT might work is as follows. A man, having made a mistake at work may believe, "I'm useless and can't do anything right at work." He may then focus on the mistake leading him to have negative emotion (frustration, sadness, hopelessness). Given these thoughts and feelings, he may then begin to avoid the activity where the mistake was made, and this act in itself works to further cement the negative behaviour. As a result constructive consequences become unlikely, and he may focus even more on any mistakes he may make, which serve to reinforce the original belief of being "useless." In therapy, this example could be identified as a self-fulfilling prophecy or "problem cycle," and the efforts of the therapist and client would be directed at working together to explore and shift this cycle.

People who are working with a cognitive therapist often practice the use of more flexible ways to think and respond, learning to ask themselves whether those thoughts are helping them to meet their goals. Thoughts that do not meet this description may then be shifted to something more accurate or helpful, leading to more positive emotion, more desirable behaviour, and movement toward the person's goals. Cognitive therapy takes a skill-building approach, where the therapist helps the person to learn and practice these skills independently, eventually "becoming his or her own therapist."

Motor imagery
The process of Motor imagery is one in which a person mentally rehearses a given action. Studies have shown that when a person repeatedly imagines performing an action, their actual performance improves. Some people view this as limited scientific support for the 'law of attraction'.

Motor imagery is frequently used in sport to improve technical skills. However for this to be effective the individual needs to have previously had physical experience of the skill being improved. It is also used help athletes recover from injuries and to help stroke victims recover some movement in affected limbs. It has even been shown to improve the performance of musicians..

Pfizer, a multinational pharmaceutical corporation, recommends visualization as a way to achieve "health and wellness goals".

Psychoneuroimmunology
Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of the interaction between the psychological processes and the nervous and immune systems, and is part of a wider medical field called Psychosomatic medicine. Researchers in this speciality have shown that stress increases risks in relation to infectious diseases and wounds, and that the lack of stress promotes the healing of both. Some people believe that these studies support the idea of the 'law of attraction'.

Optimism
Optimism is widely viewed as an important factor in personal success, but has also been shown to correlate moderately with health in elderly people. This has been demonstrated in relation to such people suffereing cardiovascular disease, and stroke.

Response expectancy theory
Expectancy theory

Other names
Fenwicke Holmes calls it the "law of Creative activity".

More Quotes
Earl Nightingale (19 ): "A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change."

Lilian Whiting (18 ): "When an object or purpose is clearly held in thought, its precipitation, in tangible and visible form, is merely a question of time. The vision always precedes, and itself determines the realization."

Jame Allen (1903): "Cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. Mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outher garment of circumstance."

Charles Haanel in The Master Key (1912): "Every thought is therefore a cause, and every condition an effect; for this reason it is absolutely essential that you control your thoughts so as to bring forth only desirable condtitions"

Ralph W Trine in In Tune With The Infinite (1897): "There is in connection with the thought forces what we may term the drawing power of mind, and the great law operating here is one with the great law of the universe, that like attracts like. We are continually attracting to us, from both the seen and the unseen side of life, forces and conditions most akin to those of our own thoughts. This law is continually operating whether we are conscious of it or not. We are all living, so to speak, in a vast ocean of thought"

Haanel: ""The Universal Mind is static or potential energy; it simply is; it can manifest only through the individual, and the individual can manifest only through the Universal. They are one"."

"" The Universal Mind is the life principle of every atom which is in existence; every atom is continually striving to manifest more life; all are intelligent, and all are seeking to carry out the purpose for which they were created"."