Mind Magic

A deep exploration of the neuroscience behind manifestation, with a six-part plan for realizing your dreams

“Powerful and profound . . . James Doty explains how intention is manifested in the brain and offers six steps each of us can use to create the life we want.”—Arianna Huffington, author of Thrive and The Sleep Revolution, CEO of Thrive Global

For decades the practice of manifestation has been widely dismissed as self-involved, materialistic pseudoscience. But as neuroscientist and recognized compassion leader Dr. James Doty reveals, manifestation introduces us to different possibilities, and it lays the groundwork for a kinder, better world.

Doty grounds us in the practices that change our brain structures: attention, meditation, visualization, and compassion. This mind magic allows us to move through the world in ways that help us see clearly—reclaiming our agency, realizing our dreams, and reaching out to help others along the path.

Where previous works about manifestation have focused narrowly on outward success and individual benefit, Mind Magic delivers an openhearted call to make manifestation part of a deeper contribution to healing the problems we face today.

James R. Doty, MD, is the New York Times bestselling author of Into the Magic Shop and Mind Magic. An adjunct professor at Stanford University and the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), he served on the board of a number of nonprofits, including as the chairman of the Dalai Lama Foundation. Dr. Doty passed away in July 2025.