When Mantras Don’t Work: The Science Behind Manifestation and Nervous System Alignment

Melanie Mishler (: 00:23

Hello love and welcome back to the podcast. Today I wanted to talk about mantras in manifestation and what actually works and what doesn't work. ⁓ I wanted to talk about this because I was watching this YouTube video the other day and this quote manifestation teacher, manifestation expert, he was basically saying that if you watch his video over and over and you repeat this mantra,

that your manifestations and wealth will just flow into your life. And watching it, I just felt this wave of frustration. Not because mantras don't work, but because they don't work like that.

And when people teach that manifestation is just ⁓ think positive thoughts or repeat this phrase, it does so much damage

because manifestation is not magical thinking. There's actual science and strategy behind it. There's nervous system work that needs to be done behind it. And that toxic positivity and that kind of BS, it doesn't serve anyone. And this is important because all of the women that I work with, they're all super smart. They're successful in so many ways. They've done the work, they've read the books, they've done the retreats.

But very often they'll find theirself stuck in one area of life or maybe they feel like there's something more for them that they haven't quite tapped into. And very often when they're doing quote, the work and nothing shifts, it can be frustrating or even worse. What happens sometimes is people will think, well, maybe this dream or this desire that I have

just isn't for me or maybe I'm too late or you know, the stuff that goes on in our head. You the market's saturated, I should have done it years ago, I'm too old, all the things. So let me say this clearly because I really believe this. If you have a desire that's inside of you, then you already have all the potential inside of you to realize that desire and to bring it into a physical reality.

I believe that in my So, mantras aren't the problem, but here's the thing, repetition of something you don't yet believe.

is basically magical thinking and it can have the opposite effect of what you're trying to do.

So let me explain a little bit of the science behind that and why that is, because you know, I'm equal parts woo woo neuroscience, somatics and strategies. So I always like to tie everything together.

So for you science people, our brains, have neural pathways that form through repetition and emotional experience. So when you think a thought and you feel it, especially if you feel it vividly, your brain experiences this as real. Our brains don't know the difference between an actual experience and a

vividly felt somatic experience, one that we imagine

and rehearse like vivid sensory activation with. And this is why athletes rehearse, right? This is why Olympic athletes use this. So many top, top level people use this.

It's why embodied visualization works. trauma can be triggered by just a memory alone or a scent or a word, right? Our body doesn't know the difference. So if you say a mantra, I'm abundant, but your chest tightens, your nervous system

isn't on board with that mantra. If you say something like, I'm confident, but your stomach drops, then your body is rejecting that thought. And here's the kicker. When you repeat a mantra that your body doesn't believe, you actually are strengthening that opposite belief because your system is going like, nope, that's bullshit. That's not true.

So that's why repetition without regulation, It just becomes noise

and it can actually slow us down from getting to what we desire. but if we repeat a mantra that we believe, a mantra that we embody, it can actually be really powerful. And here's the good news. We can also change and shift what we believe. So if we currently don't believe, let's say that you have the ability to be wildly successful in your business,

That's just a belief and that belief, can be shifted gently with some work. So let me tell you about the mantra that I have. This is actually a mantra that I have used for years, for decades actually. And my mantra is this, it's things are always working out for me. Now here's the thing though. I believe this mantra, I believe this to my core. Even

would. And many of you know,: 2025

I started believing it because I lived it. And what I mean by this is like, I have watched doors close that I didn't know, but needed to close, right? I've seen hindsight reveal things that they felt devastating in the moment and turned out to be the best thing that happened. And through that lived experience, my nervous system has learned that, yeah, things are always, always working out for me. So,

When I say it now, what happens is my body softens. I just breathe deeper. I experienced this huge wave of relief. Just kind of wash over my body. Even when I'm in the middle of something stressful or uncertain.

my body doesn't brace, it doesn't argue, it simply agrees. And this is why this mantra works out for me, because I know it to be true. And when I'm in the middle of big change or uncertainty and I tap into this, things shift very, very rapidly, because I don't just believe this to be true. I know it in my bones. I know it in every single cell of my body. So what I want to invite you

to is instead of repeating something that you secretly think is bullshit, I want you to find a mantra that's believable to you. One that is expandable, that your body can actually meet and soften into. Because that YouTube video I mentioned, he was teaching people to repeat this mantra.

I'm wildly wealthy and money flows easily to me. And he was promising that if you say that enough times, you're magically going to become wealthy. But here's the thing, if you are struggling to get your business off the ground or if you're stressed about finances or you don't believe that you can actually increase your revenue or double your revenue, then that mantra, it's probably just going to backfire because like I always say, you cannot

fool your body into compliance. can't fool your nervous system. You can't override a belief that you still think is true. So what's more helpful is to gently kind of move yourself up the scale or to gently shift our beliefs. And we do that by starting softer, by starting with something that's believable. And maybe that is I'm learning how to hold more money or

I'm open to new levels of income or I believe it's possible to increase my income. I mean, you can just start there. Or this is one that I really love because I always love to use other people as so one you might use is I know or I've seen other people with fewer resources than me find success. And if they can do it, I can do it too. So I want you to

feel the difference between those kind of mantras and what this guy was teaching.

One feels like bullshit and one feels like, yeah, I believe that I can soften into that because I want to remind you manifestation doesn't happen from what you want. It happens from what your body believes is possible and what you believe is safe to receive. And this is where my work lives, right? This is not about chanting or bypassing or pretending. It's about rehearsal.

This is about somatic activation and slowly expanding our capacity to hold what you say you desire, you deserve. And here's the thing, I know you can do this, not because I'm selling you bunch of hyper because you've already done it. I guarantee you there are things in your life right now, this very moment, that once felt impossible to you.

that now feel completely normal, right? There are things that you once deeply, deeply desired. And at the time you had no idea how they were going to happen, but somehow they did, right? wasn't magic. This was identity expansion. It was your nervous system recalibrating to your desires. It was your beliefs catching up to your experience.

And the beautiful part about this is that we can do this intentionally. We can move the needle slowly and we can build belief instead of trying to force it.

And if this is resonating, I just want you to know this ties directly into the YouTube episode I did this week where

I talked about identity and energetic shifts ⁓ because here's the thing, mantras don't create your identity. Your identity, it creates your belief, your beliefs create your actions, your actions create results, and that, my love, is manifestation. So again, yeah, repeating a bunch of times something that you don't believe, it's not going to magically change your life. Don't buy that hype.

saying something that your body agrees with, rehearsing something that you can believe, that is really, really powerful. And slowly teaching your nervous system that it's safe to hold more, that it's safe to expand, that it's safe to receive. That, my love, it changes everything.

Alright, I hope that this was helpful this week. Im really glad you joined me today. And if you have any questions about this, please pop them in comments or send me an email at And as always, please like, subscribe and share this. Until next week, keep manifesting an epic life.