If only life were so easy...

The new book and DVD, "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne is the latest self-help craze. The "secret" that Byrne is referring to is the law of attraction, which states that we create our own reality through our thoughts. When I read that, my first reaction was "isn't this what cognitive psychologists have been telling us for years?" But as I read on, I saw that she doesn't mean that we figuratively create our own reality, she means it literally. On the DVD a woman admires a necklace in a store window and it is then around her neck. A child thinks about having a new bike and it shows up on his doorstep. According to the MSNBC article, "contrariwise, a worrywart who obsessively checks the locks on his bicycle returns to find it stolen; the law of attraction has called down on him just the predicament he hoped to avoid". If this were true, my mother's house would have burned down long ago (she checks the stove about a dozen times before going to bed at night).

The book holds that we can command the universe to give us what we want without any work. Simply "Ask, Believe, Receive". So you know all those kids in third world countries who we see on those depressing commercials? Well, apparently all they need to do is focus their energy and thoughts on food and they won't starve to death; food will just drop into their laps. I'm sure they don't normally spend much time thinking about eating. Hope someone lets them in on this "secret".

Byrne's recommendation for losing weight is to avoid looking at fat people. According to the "law of attraction", if we aren't focusing our thoughts and energy on being overweight, we won't be overweight. MSNBC has an excerpt from the book in which Byrne discusses her own past weight issues. She states, "The most common thought that people hold, and I held it too, is that food was responsible for my weight gain."

Whether people have been told they have a slow thyroid, a slow metabolism, or their body size is hereditary, these are all disguises for thinking “fat thoughts.” If you accept any of those conditions as applicable to you, and you believe it, it must become your experience, and you will continue to attract being overweight.

Guess I don't have to go to the gym anymore.

I could just go on and on about how ridiculous this book is. A woman on the DVD states that she cured her breast cancer in 3 months by visualizing herself well and watching funny movies. I can see this being possible; psychologists and doctors have long known that visual imagery can be helpful. I use that stuff with clients all of the time to help with anxiety and depression. And our mental health affects our physical health, that's no secret. But the scary part is the thought that people may fully believe in the "law of attraction" and avoid seeking medical help. Imagery may help some and even cure someone once in a while but it's certainly not going to cure cancer in every one who tries it. John Norcross a psychologist and professor from the University of Scranton calls it "pseudoscientific, psychospiritual babble". He states "We find about 10 percent of self-help books are rated by mental-health professionals as damaging. This is probably one of them. The problem is the propensity for self-blame when it doesn't work."

When you read about "The Secret" on Oprah.com, it sounds very spiritual and not materialistic. It talks about using the law of attraction to deal with tragedy, to improve your marriage, and to live up to your potential. However, the MSNBC article states

On an ethical level, "The Secret" appears deplorable. It concerns itself almost entirely with a narrow range of middle-class concerns—houses, cars and vacations, followed by health and relationships, with the rest of humanity a very distant sixth.

I have to note that I have not read the book, so maybe my judgments are premature, but it sounds like complete bunk to me. I hate being manipulated and it disgusts me when the american public buys into bullshit with no scientific background.