In this article, we will look at the lullaby method — a manifestation method endorsed by the likes of Neville Goddard and Joseph Murphy.
What is the Lullaby Method?
The lullaby manifestation method is extremely easy to do and will work for anyone. It’s especially useful for those who don’t like visualizing.
The lullaby method is done at night before bed where you are naturally in a drowsy mental state bordering sleep. Once in this state, repeat a short, easily recited affirmation in such a way that it lulls you to sleep.
If you’re tired and lacking in focus, this technique is perfect as it encourages minimal mental effort, and sends you to sleep afterward.
How to Do the Lullaby Method
The optimal time to do the lullaby method is at night before bed. Here you encounter what Charles Baudouin calls “spontaneous outcropping of the subconscious” — the subconscious emerges from the depths and becomes responsive to the thought of the conscious mind.
This is how to do the lullaby method:
Step 1: Creating an Affirmation
Clarify what you want, and then condense it into a short phrase or affirmation that can easily be remembered. The phrase should be simple, easy to repeat, and have a repetitious rhythm to it. This gives it a lulling influence on the mind.
Examples of Affirmations/Phrases
The phrase could simply be “I am successful, I am successful…”
A very simple one proposed by Neville Goddard is “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Recite this while keeping your particular goal in mind.
Another one is Émile Coué’s “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.” This one is great for those who seek general improvement.
Step 2: Going to Bed
Lay in your bed, and let yourself relax. Make sure you’re comfortable and ready to sleep.
Step 3: Reciting the Affirmation Like a Lullaby
Mentally (or aloud) recite your lullaby in a rhythmic, droning manner. Do so with conviction and confidence, but not forcefully. Do not worry about the “mental articulation” of the phrase. It should be so effortless that it will repeat itself in your mind near-automatically.
The droning, repetitive manner in which the phrase is recited should steal the attention of the mind and relax it. You do not necessarily have to be consciously aware of the phrase recited — at some point, you will be so close to sleep that this is not possible anyway — but don’t let your mind wander off and get lost in another train of thought.
You do not need to add emotion to it, as this will only make you restless. Emotion will often come on its own.
The idea, recited in this manner, permeates the mind and acts as a lullaby that gently soothes you to sleep. By nature, falling asleep happens as a result of relaxation. Above all this method should be easy, relaxing, and pleasurable, performed with no sense of strain in the mind.
If You Cannot Fall Asleep
If you cannot fall asleep, repeat this practice until you are very drowsy, then stop it, and let yourself fall asleep as you normally would. The recited idea will still be fresh in your mind.
If you have difficulty falling asleep with this practice it may be that you are trying too hard — either focusing or articulating the phrase.
The Efficacy of The Lullaby Method
The power of the lullaby method in manifesting one’s desires lies in its ability to leverage the spontaneous “outcropping” of the subconscious that occurs just before sleep. In this state, you are not fully asleep and not fully awake. The subconscious has risen to a degree in which it becomes suggestible, yet you’re not asleep, and thus still able to direct your thoughts. This method uses this naturally occurring state to its advantage by turning an affirmation into a lullaby that 1) concentrates the mind on the thing desired and 2) gently rocks one to sleep where the affirmation will be further contemplated by the subconscious over the course of the night.
These are the main components of the method:
- Rhythmic repetition: The method’s efficacy is partly due to the rhythmic nature of the repeated affirmation. Just as the steady rhythm of a pendulum or the consistent rhythm of “binaural beats” can lead to deep relaxation and trance, so too does the repetitive cadence of the chosen phrase in the lullaby method. This rhythmic repetition captures the attention, steering it away from the day’s concerns and focusing it on the thing desired.
- Effortlessness: Because you have to fall asleep, the lullaby method forces you to use minimal mental effort, and this is a crucial step when impressing the subconscious. The effortless nature of the repetition ensures that the practice does not stimulate the mind unnecessarily, which might otherwise keep one awake. It culminates in sleep, during which the subconscious can process the idea without the interference of conscious critique or disbelief.
- Suggestibility: the natural mental state leveraged and further enhanced by the lullaby method significantly amplifies the subconscious mind’s receptivity to suggestion, making the phrase or affirmation all the more impactful.
- Subconscious habituation: Daily use of this exercise is essential. When we repeatedly expose our subconscious to specific phrases or affirmations, especially in a state of relaxation or just before sleep, we’re essentially training our mind to adopt these affirmations as part of our belief system. This is similar to how a habit forms.
Mistakes to Avoid
To succeed with the method, avoid these mistakes:
- Overcomplicating the Process: The beauty of the lullaby method lies in its simplicity. Avoid overthinking the process or your affirmations. Keep them short, sweet, and to the point.
- Being Inconsistent: Sporadic practice diminishes its effectiveness. Do it every night.
- Complex Affirmations: Avoid overly complex phrases. The simple implication of the desire is enough. It is no use giving a detailed, lengthy formulation of your desire.
- Expecting Immediate Results: Change takes time, but regular practice will accelerate the progress. After having done it, don’t think “This didn’t work,” as this will give a counter-suggestion and undo your efforts.
- Ignoring Resistance: If certain affirmations evoke discomfort or resistance, consider why that might be. It may be necessary to adjust your affirmations to better align with your current beliefs and gradually work toward more ambitious goals.
- Disrupting Sleep: If practicing the lullaby method significantly disrupts your ability to fall asleep, reassess your approach. The method should aid in relaxation and sleep, not hinder it.
Where Does the Technique Come From?
As far as I can discern, the idea of using phrases as “lullabies” in this manner has its earliest notable mention in the book Suggestion and Autosuggestion by Charles Baudouin.
While the foundational concept of using affirmations to influence the subconscious is deeply rooted in Émile Coué’s method of autosuggestion (and probably even before that), Baudouin may have been the first to explicitly describe these affirmations as mental “lullabies.” This terminology and this technique were later adopted by Neville Goddard and Joseph Murphy within their teachings of manifestation, which is how it has gained its popularity today.
Relevant Quotes on The Lullaby Method
Neville Goddard and Charles Baudouin both talked extensively about this method. Therefore, I have gathered some quotes that sum up their slightly different approaches to this practice.
Neville Goddard Quotes (from Five Lessons, Lecture series, 1948):
“Reduce the idea, condense it to a single, simple phrase like, ‘Isn’t it wonderful,’ or, ‘Thank you,’ or, ‘It’s done,’ or, ‘It’s finished.’ There should not be more than three words. Something that implies the desire is already realized. ‘Isn’t it wonderful,’ or ‘Thank you,’ certainly imply that. These are not all the phrases you could use. Make up out of your own vocabulary the phrase which best suits you. But make it very, very short and always use a phrase that implies fulfillment of the idea.”
“Whatever the phrase is, let it imply that the assumption is true, that it is concrete, that it is already a fact and you know it. Just relax and enter into the feeling of actually being what you want to be.”
“A most effective way to embody a desire is to assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled and then, in a relaxed and sleepy state, repeat over and over again like a lullaby, any short phrase which implies fulfillment of your desire, such as, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” until the single sensation of thankfulness dominates the mind. Speak these words as though you addressed a higher power for having done it for you.“
Charles Baudouin Quotes (from Suggestion and Autosuggestion, 1909):
“Some can send themselves to sleep by counting or by telling their beads, this being a sort of inward lulling. The verbal images evoked in such a manner arise spontaneously, without effort, owing to the fact that we have evoked them countless times since childhood.”
“A very simple means of securing this is to condense the idea which is to be the object of the suggestion, to sum it up in a brief phrase which can readily be graven on the memory, and to repeat it over and over again like a lullaby. The state of hypnosis thereupon ensues, with the effortless contention characteristic of the condition. We pass unawares into the preliminary stage of hypnosis. Relaxation occurs without our noticing it; reverie is neutralized by the presence of an idea which makes around itself a mental void.”
“If we graft it upon a condition of spontaneous outcropping, as upon the morning and evening states bordering upon sleep, we shall obtain maximum results. But it may also be usefully attained during the waking hours.”
“Immobilization can be brought about by a mental image, by an idea. Some can send themselves to sleep by counting, or by telling their beads, this being a sort of inward lulling. The verbal images evoked in such a manner arise spontaneously, without effort, owing to the fact that we have evoked them countless times since childhood.”
Baudouin recommends Émile Coué’s general formula: “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better,” stating that it has a “lulling influence.”
Conclusion and Summary
With this simple approach of using repetitive, positive affirmations as mental “lullabies,” anyone can begin using the powers of their subconscious. This method is exceedingly easy to do. It is especially beneficial for those who don’t like visualizing.
The key to success with the lullaby method lies in consistency, simplicity, and belief. Incorporate it into your nightly routine, allowing these gentle affirmations to guide you into a restful sleep and closer to your goals.
Anyway, I hope you found this article helpful. Please feel free to share your experiences with the lullaby method, or any comments, questions, or feedback you may have. Thanks for reading.
