Demonstration: Exploring the rise of alternative healing culture

A friend recently showed me her little stash of notes, tiny pieces of paper carefully folded to reveal wishes that were “thrown out into the Universe.” “Every time I need something, I write it down on a piece of paper, fold it up, and keep it under my pillow,” she said with the conviction of a believer.

The art of willing things to happen through the power of affirmations, desire and focus gained momentum during the onset of the pandemic, when online Google searches for manifestation increased by over 600 per cent. Sneha Rao, 28, who was in the US during the pandemic lockdown, living alone in a walk-up apartment, says, “Most people in their 20s and 30s felt their hopes had been dashed by the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. A friend told me to join a two-day online manifestation workshop (Manifesting Happiness). It was cathartic to feel like I had control over my destiny when everything around me seemed dystopian.”

Demonstration is part of the everyday lexicon.

Nowadays, there are many followers of alternative modes of healing and online spiritualism. Keywords like manifestation, affirmations, trauma healing, spiritual awakening, etc., are ingrained in our language. On Instagram alone, there are around 11.91 million posts on #manifestations, 8.57 million posts on #affirmations, and 15.35 million posts on #spiritualawakening. Practitioners of this type of spiritualism have found it easier to convey their message with these key phrases. Manifestation coach Shilpa Arora Sharma (Instagram account: @shilpaarorasharma) believes that “Online spiritualism is purpose-driven. I call it practical spirituality, where one can adopt what one needs to incorporate.”

The first time the word demonstration entered the pop culture lexicon was through the book The secret (2006) by Rhonda Byrne, which spawned several self-help books and a film, The secret: Dare to dream starring Katie Holmes, which spread the core concept: the more you think about something, the more you attract it to you. Most manifestation coaches have been harping online on how the right energy vibrations from the universe are enough to bring what you desire. Writer and trend forecaster Lucie Greene, in a New York Times interview, had noted that manifestation, along with a handful of belief systems, is being resurrected by a young generation in the name of wellness, which, for Gen Z in particular, can be a form of self-soothing.

Manifestation life coach Khushbu (Instagram account: @khushbu.kweigh) works with clients from all over the world, mostly in their 20s and 30s. Sharma also runs an affordable program that is primarily targeted at working professionals in their 20s and 30s, while her premium clients are in the 35-45 age group.

These days, the internet is filled with self-affirmations and slogans from influencers and coaches preaching the gospels of self-actualization, self-esteem and self-realization. The rise of internet evangelists offering guidance has brought these alternative concepts into sharp focus. “Terms like manifestation have become commonplace,” Khushboo notes. Her view, she says, is that to be the best version of yourself and manifest the high quality of life you seek, you have to change yourself from within. “I usually ask my clients what they want and then ask them what kind of routine they should follow that best aligns with their goal. You have to become the change you want to experience.”

Does manifestation really work?

Sanjana R, who is in her mid-20s, read a lot about affirmations to find the right partner for her. “I used to practice routines where I imagined myself living with my partner, traveling and doing everyday chores alongside him. Looking back, I feel I saved myself a lot of tears, negativity and bitterness during that period.” Those affirmations seem to have worked. “I actually manifested the guy of my dreams and we got engaged!”

But not everyone sees such results. Lakshmi* talks about her ordeal. “I have been manifesting my business vision for five years and have even tried meditation techniques to materialise it, but as soon as the milestone approaches, some setback occurs and I have to start all over again. A healer told me it is due to my past life karma.” By the way, past life karma and trauma are some of the words healers refer to when explaining supposedly insurmountable obstacles.

“I did individual healing sessions to remove the negative energy from my past life karma,” says Lakshmi. She is sure that things will change for her soon.

The Financial Benefit of Being a Manifestation Coach

This author attended a two-day spiritual healing workshop, curious to see what actually happened. The healer, who lives in the US, taught several exercises to the more than 200 participants. By the end of the second day of the workshop, which was mainly devoted to discussing the financially lucrative option of being a healer, many had signed up for the course.

Online spiritualism fosters unexamined optimism and business has picked up for its practitioners. Most practitioners and coaches talk of manifesting unexpected financial gains through their chosen path. Sharma, who previously worked at IBM, also joins the chorus. “I earn way more than my monthly salary at IBM. There is no doubt about that.” While all of them, including influencers who seem to be lower down this chain, associate their popularity with effective results, those engaged in social media marketing disagree. “Most of them know their audience, post engaging content and are consistent,” says Nishitha, who manages social media accounts for clients including art galleries. “Some offer freebies like crystals to attract more followers.”

Dr. Venkataraman, who has been watching from the sidelines his teenage daughter’s newfound faith in affirmations and manifestation, says the concepts are low-hanging fruit and easy to grasp.

“If you think about it, this kind of spirituality doesn’t require studying or following any rituals or traditions,” he says. “It’s like promising them a dream and then telling them to sleep and dream better. If the coconut falls from the tree, fine, if not, there will always be another coconut tree.” He believes that online spirituality and even religion actually offer hope to the hopeless, but that’s about it. “If someone is terminally ill, it wouldn’t be bad to try something, just to boost their morale.” However, healers and protesters have so far avoided health problems.

“There is a lot of scope to work on manifestation as an alternative therapy for health problems,” stresses Arora Sharma. “We believe that unresolved emotions and energies manifest as diseases.” Dr Venkataraman is sceptical of such claims. Devout believers are rarely put off by any reservations about this form of spiritualism, even though it helps project, conceptually, a life that believers wish to live. “Think of it this way,” says Sanjana. “It’s like positive thinking combined with dreaming. It works better than any religion for us.”

Whatever you like.

(Disclosure: This writer is protesting an apartment near Central Park in New York City.)

Jayanthi Madhukar is a writer based in Bengaluru.