Disclaimer: This article is for informative and entertainment purposes only.
If you've spent any time on the anime side of TikTok, or even on the side known as "WitchTok," you may have heard murmurings of a trend rising among anime fans known as "shifting." The basic explanation of this trend is that a person can "shift" their consciousness from our reality into other realities, i.e. anime universes. The practice isn't exclusive to anime fans, as others have claimed to have visited the universes of series like Harry Potter, and even universes that are unknown to humans as a whole.
Over the past couple of months, TikToks and posts on certain sub-Reddits have appeared in which the poster claims to have visited the universe of an anime series. Posters say they have met and had conversations with some of their favorite characters, such as My Hero Academia's Bakugo or Sword Art Online's Asuna. Some posts claim that they have spent anywhere from a few minutes to a few months in the new reality when in our reality it's only been a few minutes. The posts range from being friends with characters to having romantic and sexual relationships to starting cults within these universes.
So, what is reality shifting? Also known as quantum jumping, reality shifting is a practice in which a person raises the vibrations of their very being to the point that they are able to experience a reality parallel to ours. This idea is based on the multiverse theory that there are an infinite amount of universes and timelines that happen in conjunction with the one we experience. Those familiar with astral projection may recognize the similarities, but the difference is that astral projection is a practice to experience a higher consciousness on an energetic level, whereas reality shifting is used to experience a parallel, physical reality rather than a higher, spiritual one. A very simplified way of explaining it is that shifting is moving one's consciousness from a body in this reality to one in another reality.
The practice seems to stem from a declassified CIA document titled "Analysis and Assessment of Gateway Process." In the document's 29 pages, the writer describes how they used physics and hypnosis in order to induce "out-of-body states" and experience an altered state of consciousness. In laymen's terms, they want to experience leaving their physical body to see what lies beyond our physical reality. Written in 1983 and released in 2003, this particular person is seeking to utilize the Gateway Experience.
The Gateway Program was created by the founder of the Monroe Institute, Robert Monroe. The Institute was founded in 1974 in an attempt to help others achieve a higher state of consciousness, such as out-of-body experiences. During the first 30 years of operation, an estimated 20,000 people came to the Institute to attend the Gateway Program. This, of course, led to interest from the U.S. Army, who began sending soldiers and scientists to attempt to use the Program in order to see if there was any sort of value in the practices being taught there.
Various methods were used in order to achieve this state. Binaural beats, meditation and hypnosis were only some of the methods used. It's advised that people seeking to alter their consciousness stop being logical, such as confining oneself to the limited physics of our known reality will inhibit the ability to have an out-of-body-experience.
So how are a bunch of TikTokers able to experience these fictional worlds? While there are various methods that people have claimed to use, one that comes up repeatedly is called "scripting." Scripting is when a person writes out their desired realities, such as "I am healthy. I am beautiful..." etc. and then enters a meditative state in order to raise their vibrations. It seems to be important to avoid any negative wording when scripting your experience so that you can achieve the best outcome. It is encouraged to also include flaws in your script, such as "I am shy. I am very jealous..." etc..
One of the methods that seem to be common is called the Raven Method. When using this method, the person should be tired, desirably just about to fall asleep, and lying on their bed with their arms and legs spread so that there is no physical contact with anything else. Next, they will slowly count to 100 while saying some affirmations. The closer they get to 100, the more they should begin visualizing their desired reality. Once they reach 100, they should be in that desired reality when they open their eyes.
Another method is called the Staircase Method. The person lies down somewhere comfortable and imagines themself at the base of a tall staircase. As they climb the staircase, each step should be represented by a tingling or vibrational feeling, increasing with each step. A falling or spinning sensation should follow. At the top of the stairs, the person should be able to look down and see themselves sleeping, then open their eyes to their desired reality.
So, why is this a thing? There could be a psychological reason as to why people want to escape the mundane reality we live in. In an article on Psychology Today, Diana Raab explains that people use things like daydreaming, meditation, music and video games to cope with daily stressors. This explanation could extend to reality shifting. Teenagers and young adults face many daily stressors, from dealing with rude customers while working low-paying jobs, to stressful home-lives, to just listening to the news at the moment.
Daydreaming is something everyone has done at some point in their life, so it's easy to see why someone may want to take it beyond the ordinary conventions in order to interact with a universe they connected with on an emotional level; the ultimate form of escapism.
