Imagine falling asleep, and then waking up in an entirely different universe. Not only do some people think this is possible, this is what reality shifters hope to accomplish. According to the Urban Dictionary, reality shifting is traveling to different realities in the universe. How many people heard about reality shifting was when it became popular on Tiktok in late 2020. Between the theory of reality shifting itself to how one would place their consciousness into a different reality, one must ask the question- is there a possibility that reality shifting is real? 

The theory

Reality shifting, at its core, wouldn’t be complete without the Multiverse theory- the belief that there are an infinite number of realities for every choice in life, branching out into different paths for every decision One makes. What reality shifting adds to that is the belief that someone can take their subconscious and transfer it to any part of the multiverse in any reality. People who reality shift, shifters, are people who believe they can shift into any reality they desire.  

Terminology

The shifting community uses terminonogy describing important aspects of the field. The two most common terms are CR, or ‘Current Reality’, and DR, or ‘Desired Reality’. A CR is this reality, the place that the general public is familiar with. A DR is a reality that shifters wish to live in. Shifters try to shift from their current reality to their desired reality. And, depending on the shifter, these Desired Realities can look very different: a reality where the shifter is famous, a reality where they live in a different country, or even a reality based off of a shifter’s favorite movie or show. Another term that is used quite often is a script, or a kind of roadmap that could dictate many things. A few examples are what reality the shifter wanted to go to, what happened, the shifters appearance, a time ratio between your current reality and your desired reality, and much more.

Methods

There are many different ways to shift, called ‘methods.’ Methods are what shifters use to help them shift into their desired reality. One of the most popular methods is the Raven method. When getting ready to sleep, one should put their body in a ‘starfish’ position- a position where none of your limbs are touching. Then, one is supposed to count to 100 while reciting affirmations. An affirmation can be something along the lines of, ‘I am in my desired reality,’ or ‘I am shifting to my desired reality.’ Then, one is supposed to focus on any shifting ‘symptoms’ they get, such as feeling like one is falling or flashing lights, and then try to drift to sleep, still visualizing their Desired reality. Two main  methods on how to shift are ‘awake’ methods and ‘sleeping’ methods Many awake methods mention meditation as a way to shift to one’s DR. sleeping methods, however, focus on when you are sleeping. But if one can ‘shift’ while they are asleep, could reality shifting be considered lucid dreaming?

Lucid dreaming

Lucid dreaming is a type of dream in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are not in the real world. There is a reality shifting method involving lucid dreaming, and it makes one wonder if shifting, in reality, is just lucid dreaming. Self-acclaimed lucid dreaming expert David Love called reality shifting is not lucid dreaming and is, in fact, a cult, saying that reality shifting groups ‘show many similarities with the early formation of cults,” and he continues on to say that Reality shifting is a “Financial staple for morally bankrupt adult content creators. Who, taking advantage of the trusting young minds of children and young teenagers, create content that further promotes this misleading and unhealthy belief system,” (Love). 

The Gateway Project 

Another item Love refers to in his article is a certain CIA document that the shifting community uses to prove shifting, called ‘Analysis And Assessment of Gateway Process,’ created on June 9, 1983. It was released to the public on September 9, 2003, 20 years after it’s initial creation. This 29 page document talks about many theoretical topics “brought into the language of physical science,” wrote Army Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Mcdonnel, who was one of the participants in the Gateway Process. Among these topics were three important topics related to reality shifting- biofeedback, transcendental meditation, and hypnosis. These were not only what was used in the Gateway process, but also are used in reality shifting. Hypnosis is commonly recognized, being the induction of a state of consciousness in which a person loses the power of voluntary action and is highly responsive to suggestion or direction. Hypnosis is often used in therapy to recover suppressed memories as well. Transcendental meditation is a mental practice to put the body and mind into a state of relaxation and rest. This form of meditation often comes in breathing work and relaxing muscles. The most important idea to mention, however, is biofeedback. Biofeedback was described in this document as visualizing a desired result, using affirmation and repetition, which are also commonly used in reality shifting. It was said that biofeedback can “even (come) in the form of scenarios invading both visual and aural perception,” wrote Bentov, the scientist behind the process. Biofeedback sounds like what many shifters have experienced in their Desired realities. 

Robinson Students Speak on reality shifting

Sophomore Vynn Le said, “Yeah, I think there’s a possibility it’s real, for sure.” and regeardring The Gateway Process, they added, “Well, my Father is a Buddist, so he believes that when you reach a certain level of meditation, you can protect yourself from sickness and stuff, and when he told me that I was like, ‘yeah!’” 

Junior Skylar-Jordan Martin said that “Traveling between dimensions through meditation just doesn’t make sense from a science perspective. I think it’s just lucid dreaming, honestly.” he also said that the Gateway Project could be an example of reality shifting.

Conclusion

It is still impossible to tell whether or not reality shifting is a real thing. Perhaps, with an advance in neural science, there could be a more definitive answer, but for now, the question of ‘is reality shifting real’ isn’t one that can be answered.