Hey, guys!

I'm new to this forum so this is my first time posting, but I've been gathering information here for awhile now! haha

I was just wondering if anyone has heard of the Law of Attraction and if they've thought of applying it to allow their body to naturally match who they really are?

I'm sort of terrible at explaining theories like this, but basically it was explained in the book "The Secret" and a lot of others similar to it. It explains that ANYTHING you can imagine is possible to you, when you get rid of limiting beliefs and accept that anything you want can be reality.

Oh! I actually find this interesting post on a forum based on the Law of Attraction regarding sex changes if you're interested too. http://www.powerfulintentions.org/group/changingphysicalappearance/forum/topics/sex-changes-through-loa

Any thoughts?

I'm not a believer.

And I don't think that things work like that with regards to gender.

I don't believe in the Law of Attraction, at least not the way "The Secret" presents it. It's like prayer IMO; it's a confirmation bias. You attribute the things that DO come true to the Law of Attraction, and dismiss the ones that didn't. But there's no way of telling whether those things would have occurred or not without the LoA.

Either way, I did try using the Law of Attraction a little over a year ago, for about a month, in everything including my transition. It did not work.

It's pseudoscience and there's no empirical evidence supporting it.

First, Welcome to the forum!

  I believe in the Law of Attraction, but  "The Secret" is really a rough intro to the subject. As for changing your body using this method the task is quite a challenge. Beliefs, definitions, and desires need to be thoroughly identified so that resistant ones can be dealt with.

  While possible using this approach most of us don't have the focus needed to accomplish this right out the gate. As Abraham-Hicks( Esther Hicks) says do what feels right and then be open to allowing your desires to manifest through the path of least resistance.

  For more info on the subject check out videos of Abraham-Hicks talks and their website as well. I have found more sources in addition to Abraham that follow a similar thread as well (Bashar, Seth, Thoth, Ramtha). Good luck on your journey.

See you in the vortex. 

I don't know much about the Law of Attraction specifically, but I have heard a lot of people report that when they started coming out, and especially started moving toward medical transition, they perceived physical changes that felt confirming to them. It's hard to say whether those changes (increases in hairiness, for instance) are measurable, or whether there really is something in claiming your own identity and starting to live into it, and your own experience changes as a result.

More and more, psychology and biology are being shown to have real effects on each other, so I don't see why there can't be a connection here too. If it's the trans person's own sense, whether they are getting read correctly more or not, that's the important thing. It's a study where n=1. 

I am sorry if it offends anyone but to me the  "Law of Attraction" is a great way to make a lot of money selling books.
I desperately wanted to be totally the same as all my male peers when I was younger, and despite all that I am here now as Karen, and not in an early grave as G******. 
Lots of people in the Holocaust wanted to live, but wishing didn't help them either did it?
So, basically it's just another charlatan's con I'm afraid.   
Karen.

There's a bit of "science" involved with "positive thinking". The so-called positive thinkers statistically do have more going for them. I've read a number of things over the years about how positive-thinkers exhibit certain qualities that naturally lead them to seemingly have more success than their negative-thinking counterparts. For instance, positive-thinkers are more apt to strive to achieve a goal, which a negative-thinker might not even start a process or give up easily thinking that they can't do it anyway so why bother.

I stumbled on the first Law of Attraction book a number of years ago and read it. I kind of separated the "woo woo" from the principals that I think helped me to change my outlook on a number of things simply by thinking more positively. I didn't feel like I was directing/attracting "energy" at all, but I am one of those people that believes that everything is made up of energy. So in a metaphysical sense, there could be something to it, but I'm not sure. Throughout my life I've kind of had an ability to manifest things in my life though. If I really, really wanted something, it would come to pass. But I attribute that more to the positive-thinking thing and setting things in motion. I also would tend to focus on whatever it was A LOT. Focus is an important aspect of it for me. About 5 years ago I also started writing a lot of things down. I realize this is something Law of Attraction mentions too, but for me, it helps with that focus thing.

While I've never been able to change my body by simply willing it to happen, I have been able to get out of deep depressions, cure my anxiety, and change my mental outlook to something more positive. In other areas, I've been able to do seemingly "impossible" things.

I think the human mind is one of the most powerful things in existence and I believe there's a lot more out there in the universe that we haven't even begun to really comprehend yet. To me, it's got nothing to do with a couple who was pushing books and seminars or Opera or any movie. I also feel that a lot of positive things can happen with a change of perspective or way of thinking. If you're negative and depressed all the time, how can you see and appreciate the good things?

I kind of agree with the possibility of the Law of Attraction being a helpful factor in sex change. I can't say for sure if you can visualize and manifest your body as biologically identical to your gender identity, and just as well I can't say for sure that it can't happen either. I have been using this law for about 7 months, and many intended and unintended manifestations and "synchronicities" have taken place in my life.

When it comes to manifesting something believed as impossible, I guess it's a chicken-and-egg situation. (In other words, releasing doubt is said to allow the manifestation to occur, but the physical or intellectual evidence or belief weighing against your manifestation's likelihood, just makes too much sense to refute. But seeing it as impossible means that you still have doubts or beliefs that hasn't yet been released, therefore contradicting the "miracle" that you are trying to manifest.)  But as Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company once said, "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right."

I would say that the basic meaning of "Law of Attraction" or "The Secret" is that your present life is a mirror of your past beliefs.

I can't take this seriously enough to give a reasoned reply

I've never heard of LoA before actually, but from reading the posts that have already been made, it doesn't seem to have much merit to it. If I'm reading correctly, then it's...positive thinking, you could even say that it's similar to prayer. I was particularly interested by Poptart's comment, "You attribute the things that DO come true to the Law of Attraction, and dismiss the ones that didn't," Definitely sounds like prayer to me. And in my opinion; no matter how positive your thoughts are, you can't change reality, to a degree. A person with diabetes, being very positive while shoving cake in their face is likely going to go into a diabetic shock and possibly die, but perhaps that's a bad example, you can judge that for yourself.

Either way, I'll never look at my transition this way, because gender isn't JUST how you think about yourself. Sure, you can think, "I'm a man," all you want, but if you still look like a woman on the outside, you're going to be called a woman when you're in public, and there's nothing that you can do about it.

Also, no matter how much time I spend thinking, "I wish I had a dick," It's never going to magically sprout from between my legs without the help of testosterone and possible surgery. As far as transition goes, what good is positive thinking if you can't change your body? Sure, it can help get you out of depression; but so can watching a good movie, a stupid joke from a friend, or a bar of chocolate.

I don't know much at all about this LoA, but it sounds ridiculous to me, why give it such a mystic name if it's nothing but, "Keep thinking positively!"

wellcome,

I never heard of the law of attraction before now.
so far of what I read i belive in it,
I surely think you get most if you really try your hardest.
of corse we all have bad luck, but to do your best and stay positive is the best way forward.

however, I dont understand how the connection is put for this and being transgender all exact.

Quote from: GentlemanRDP on April 15, 2012, 09:46:57 AM
And in my opinion; no matter how positive your thoughts are, you can't change reality, to a degree. A person with diabetes, being very positive while shoving cake in their face is likely going to go into a diabetic shock and possibly die, but perhaps that's a bad example, you can judge that for yourself.

There's a difference from someone who lives in a fantasy world where they think nothing but positive thinking can help them with anything. The realistic positive thinkers would not make a decision like that because it wouldn't be logical in the first place.

Cool! No worries about offending me or anyone. haha The whole reason I posted this was for open discussion! I just thought it was a very interesting concept. Its good to be open to different ways of thinking.  I always thought this forum was a really open-minded place, so its interesting to learn what everyone thinks.

Honestly, I didn't do the concept of the Law of Attraction justice, so if you'd really like a more in-depth explanation search it up! Also Quantum Physics and the Law of Attraction. Very interesting to say the least!

I have my own sort of non-mystical version of LoA which has to do with my general philosophy of how to live my life.

I believe in living my life as honestly as possible in order to attract the people and situations that are compatible with me. If you are used to putting up an image of yourself in order to please other people, that's a false image, and you attract the wrong kind of people as friends, lovers, etc. If you depict yourself incredibly honestly (and this is something trans folk in particular get more than most, I think) then you will attract compatible people and situations and be a happier person. There's no mysticism or invisible energies necessary to explain this. It's just common sense. But a lot of people don't get it.

It's that basic premise that if someone can't accept you as you are, then they're not worth having as a friend in the first place. Live your life boldly and proudly exactly as you are inside and see who sticks around and who leaves. Use that as a barometer of your friends. And this applies to situations as well. Go enjoy the things you really like, and you will find more people, connections, and opportunities that are in line with your personality.

No mysticism necessary to understand it.

Quote from: justmeinoz on April 14, 2012, 06:40:41 AM
I am sorry if it offends anyone but to me the  "Law of Attraction" is a great way to make a lot of money selling books.

Don't be sorry.  Rationality is always better than irrational, baseless superstitions.   This stuff is confirmation bias, and nothing else.  You notice when it works, and forget when it doesn't.

If the power of positive thinking and wishing on a star actually worked the way "The Secret" purports that it does, then a lot of people out there would not be gay or trans at all, would they?

And worse, by buying into this you put the blame on the shoulders of people when randomly bad things happen to them.  That they were just not thinking correctly.  That's a dick move.