By Daily Press Staff Writer
STATE OF MIND You have the power to change the world... and buy that new Mercedes-Benz. All it takes is persistence and positive thinking.
The belief that what you think, you receive is not new. In fact, it’s been around for centuries, but lately, it seems more and more people are becoming hip to the law of attraction and the complex field of quantum physics thanks to “The Secret,” a film that has won praise from the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Larry King, as well as harsh criticism from the main-stream press.
“The Secret,” based on the New York Times Best Seller of the same name by Rhonda Byrne, is the latest craze in self-help, preaching techniques that anyone can use to create lasting relationships, enhance one’s health and fatten their wallets.
“It’s a great movie, one that can change your life,” said Patty Warivonchik, as she left the Church in Ocean Park following a recent talk on quantum spirituality — the belief that all of the energy in the universe is connected and free flowing, allowing one to affect change through thoughts alone.
“I watch it every so often as a pick-me-up,” Warivonchik said. “It’s like a little pep rally. It’s great. Who doesn’t want to improve themselves, take a positive attitude towards life and create new possibilities, new realities?
“It’s the evolution of the mind. We have more power than we think.”
The novel has become a hot item at local bookstores and the DVD — released in March 2006 — a popular teaching tool for therapists and life coaches like Laura Fredrickson, whose Santa Monica-based company — Internal Design (internaldesigncoach-ing.com) — uses principles found in “The Secret” to help clients realize their inner strength and their innate ability to affect change.
Among her services is a mental detox in which Fredrickson helps people get rid of negative thoughts and beliefs, replacing those with uplifting images and desires to help one create inside their mind the life they really want to have. Like Gandhi said, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”
“I think the reason why ‘The Secret’ has become so popular is because people are hungry for what I call ‘soul food,’” Fredrickson said. “They are craving something that is going to give their life meaning and make sense of what a lot of people feel is a sense of chaos, especially in the world today with war and global crisis... “’The Secret” brings sort of an ownership quality back to an individual’s experience and allows them to feel more empowered about the choices they make,” said Fredrickson, who turned to the law of attraction more than a decade ago after spiraling into deep depression because of financial woes. “It gives inspiration and hope that what I’m thinking about is what I am going to create, instead of always feeling like a victim.
Interest in “The Secret” prompted Carrie Gebbie to create the Santa Monica Law of Attraction Meet Up group (lawofattraction. meetup.com/99), which gathers once a month at the Main Library. Their next meeting is set for Thursday, when a yoga instructor will give a free lesson on life skills yoga, which takes keys from the physical to understand what is occurring emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
Gebbie, known as the ambassador of abundance in her group, said she has used teachings learned from “The Secret” in her everyday life, even when she gets a parking ticket.
“You always have to honor your feelings,” Gebbie said. “I’m not one who believes everything is perfect, so you have to recognize when you are angry or upset and then try to learn a life lesson from the situation. Everything happens for a reason. If someone dumps you, that means they probably weren’t right for you, they weren’t there to help you serve a higher purpose... For a parking ticket, I always think that the money is going back to the schools or to help pay for roads or someone’s salary.
“It’s my chance to tithe, and I get over it.”
“You can either be a conscious creator or an unconscious creator, but any way, we are always creating.” — FOR A PARKING TICKET, I ALWAYS THINK THAT THE MONEY IS GOING BACK TO THE SCHOOLS OR TO HELP PAY FOR ROADS OR SOMEONE’S SALARY. IT’S MY CHANCE TO TITHE, AND I GET OVER IT.”
GREED IS NOT SO GOOD?
While it may sound easy enough, it isn’t, which is one of the central criticisms some people have with “The Secret.” Many feel the film focuses too much on the material and provides a dubious recipe for greed, social apathy and blaming the victim.
In addition, therapist Ray Doktor said the film gives people false hope, especially those who have experienced trauma in their lives.
Someone who is abandoned as a child can easily fall into a depressing pattern in which loved ones are kept at a distance out of fear of being hurt by getting too close. This can create strong emotional charges that fire in certain instances, causing one to lose control over their thoughts and give into their feelings, Doktor said.
“What I teach is for people to learn how to identify with their core emotions and how they drive our perceptions and how those perceptions create themes in our lives,” said Doktor, who is holding a seminar on “The Secret” this Saturday at Wild Oats on Wilshire Boulevard. “In ‘The Secret,’ they postulate that you can override those emotions by just creating positive affirmations, which is true. But what if something negative happened a long time ago and has been reinforced by several other instances?”
Doktor said the best way to achieve inner peace is to serve others. Obtaining wealth for one’s own benefit is possible, but if one is doing it solely because they want more material things, they may find roadblocks along the way.
“We are a very individualistic culture, probably the most individualistic in the world,” Doktor said. “So when you are trying to do something to only benefit yourself, chances are it won’t work.”
UP HIGH AND ON THE DOWN-LOW While it does emphasize positive thinking as a means to achieving wealth, “The Secret” also talks about using principles found within to live healthier and bring positive, loving people into one’s life, Fredrickson counters.
“It talks about true love and how if you focus on the fact that there are no good women or good men left in Santa Monica, that’s what you are going to attract — people who are no good,”she said.
So where do traditional religious beliefs fit into all of this?
Right alongside, Gebbie claims. “I like to say it like this, ‘What gravity is to God, the law of attraction is to God,” Gebbie said. “I really believe that no matter what someone’s religion is, the law of attraction affects them just like the law of gravity. The beauty is that people of all religions are attracted to this. We have Jewish members, Buddhists, Christians... everyone plays a part.”
Doktor said Jesus Christ practiced principles in “The Secret,” which accounts for some of the healing miracles he performed.
“This was never meant for people to be rich,” he said. “It was used more to affect feelings and to create a better way of living. It was about helping people and their country, not about money.”
For Warivonchik, it’s the opportunity to be a leader, not a follower, that keeps her intrigued in the principles. It’s a way to lead a more positive lifestyle and not sweat the small stuff that can cause someone to have a bad day, a horrible week and, ultimately, a meaningless life.
“Negative patterns are hard to break away from, but this provides you with the opportunity to wipe the slate clean,” she said. “Now, I’m the conductor in life. I’ve got the wand.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 24, 2007. Read the original PDF.