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For years, I poured myself into manifesting my dream life—crafting vision boards, raising my vibrations to attract abundance, meditating for inner peace, visualizing success, journaling my intentions, and repeating affirmations.

Yet, year after year, my life became more out of control. My health deteriorated, my career fell apart, and my marriage broke down.

At each turn, I leaned harder into my manifestation rituals. I even maxed out my credit cards to hire a business coach, desperate to show the universe that I fully trusted and was surrendering to align my energy.

“Your mindset is out of alignment,'” my coach constantly lectured during our group calls.

But I was doing everything I was taught—I lived and breathed the manifestation lifestyle.

Why isn’t this working?

Why am I not manifesting my dreams?

Am I broken? Cursed?

These questions became louder with each failed attempt to “align” my energy. It felt like the more I tried, the more things unraveled.

Hitting Rock Bottom

Physically depleted, emotionally drained, and financially strained, I was finally forced to hit pause. That was the first time I considered that maybe this wasn’t about trying harder, thinking more positively, or tweaking my vision board.

Gradually, a painful truth started to emerge: none of the manifestation advice I had been following addressed healing my past, my trauma, or the survival responses trapped in my body.

In fact, my business coach’s mindset reprogramming had actually deepened my wounds, stirring up trauma that had never been properly processed.

I realized I hadn’t just been following a misguided approach—I’d been participating in a cycle of toxic spirituality and personal growth that was taking me backward and leading me further away from my dreams.

I was taught to stay focused on my thoughts while my body remained locked in a cycle of pain and suffering.

I was trying to build my dream life on a foundation that was crumbling beneath me. And not a single teacher or coach had even mentioned how trauma healing might be the missing piece in my journey. Turns out, it’s a massive issue in the wellness industry.

Toxic Manifestation Teachings and Trauma

When I was deep into manifestation practices, I kept hearing, “Change your mindset,” “Just believe,” or “Raise your vibration.” But no one mentioned what to do when you’re carrying trauma that overrides these efforts.

Trauma doesn’t only show up in obvious ways; it seeps into our beliefs about who we are and what we’re capable of. These aren’t just little fears you can think your way out of—these beliefs are woven into our core, and they protect us, whether we’re aware of it or not.

Manifestation isn’t just about attracting what you want; it’s about aligning with who you truly are. If you’ve experienced any kind of trauma, your body might be operating in “survival mode,” making it hard to match the expansive energy of abundance or love. It took me years to recognize that my body and mind worked overtime to protect me. And as frustrating as it felt, that realization was the first step in creating genuine change.

Letting Go of the “Limiting Beliefs” Narrative

Most manifestation advice pins our struggles on limiting beliefs. I used to nod along, repeating my affirmations, hoping they’d work if I just believed harder. But for many of us, limiting beliefs aren’t simple thoughts we can flip into positives.

Trauma embeds these beliefs in our subconscious, making them feel real and urgent. My old belief that “I’m not enough” didn’t just come from a negative thought—it was a survival mechanism from a time in my life when I was taught that my worth was conditional.

If you’ve tried to change your mindset only to end up feeling more frustrated, it’s not your fault. Trauma can dig in deep, making us feel “stuck” no matter what we do. Instead of forcing a new belief, try meeting yourself where you are.

Gentle affirmations, like “I’m learning to see my worth,” can be a lot more supportive for your nervous system than “I am worthy” if it doesn’t feel true. It’s not about bypassing negative thoughts—it’s about embracing healing at a pace that feels safe.

Shifting Energy with Compassion

Then there’s the advice to “match the energy” of what we want. I tried to be as calm and “high vibe” as possible, but something wasn’t clicking. As I dug deeper, I realized that my body was still in a state of survival, always on high alert. When you’re stuck in survival mode, the idea of letting in peace or abundance can feel miles away because our bodies are focused on safety, not expansion.

If you’re struggling to match the energy of your desires, I found that starting with simple nervous system regulation—like deep breathing or grounding exercises—can make all the difference. Trauma-informed practices such as gentle movement or somatic exercises can also help clear that stuck energy. Once your body feels safe, it becomes easier to open up to new energies and possibilities.

Embracing Uncertainty (Without Losing Hope)

For those of us who have survived trauma, surrendering or “letting go” can feel scary because it’s wired into us to stay in control for survival. I used to feel like I was doing it all wrong when I couldn’t just “detach from the outcome.” Now, I see that letting go is more about creating small steps toward feeling secure rather than jumping to a place that doesn’t feel realistic.

Trauma-Informed Manifestation and Honoring Your Unique Path

If you’re wondering how to apply all this, know that trauma-informed manifestation isn’t about following strict rules or shaming yourself when things feel hard. It’s about aligning with your true self at a pace that feels safe and supportive.

It’s about gently shifting your energy and exploring your desires from a place of compassion. And most importantly, it’s about giving yourself the freedom to be exactly where you are without forcing change.

Remember, the journey of manifestation is unique for each of us. Trauma-informed manifestation is about creating space for your true desires to emerge and honoring your journey with patience, compassion, and resilience. When you approach manifestation this way, you’re not just calling things into your life—you’re nurturing a foundation that resists the person you’re becoming.

Is your Manifestation Practice Actually Toxic?

If you’ve been trying to manifest and feeling deeply frustrated, you might be taking yourself further away. We all know that manifestation is touted as the key to unlocking our dreams, but it can turn toxic when it leads to unhealthy behaviors, unrealistic expectations, or cycles of self-blame. For many, manifestation teachings lead to “toxic positivity“—the idea that we must suppress real emotions to “stay positive.”

Toxic positivity is insidious and often hard to recognize. It encourages us to suppress our genuine feelings, pushing aside anything that isn’t “positive.” Over time, this can lead to deep self-blame when things go wrong, as we’re left feeling as though our actual emotions are somehow the problem.

Another aspect often overlooked in the manifestation world is privilege. Many manifestation teachers come from places of privilege, even if they don’t recognize it. Their lives may have been relatively stable, allowing them the freedom to “think positively” without the heavy weight of survival-based concerns.

For those facing real-life barriers—whether financial, social, or rooted in past trauma—this advice can feel deeply out of reach, even disempowering. Recognizing these patterns and understanding the role of privilege can lead to a healthier, more balanced approach to manifestation that embraces both inner healing and the realities of our unique lives.

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