The Spirituality Expert: You Can’t Manifest if You’re Full of Trauma! Address Your Shadow Work!

Here are the top 10 key takeaways from Lewis Howes' conversation with spirituality expert Billy Carson that will transform how you manifest your dreams and understand reality.

1. Conscious thought multiplied by action equals manifestation

Billy Carson shares his formula for manifestation: CT multiplied by A equals M. Conscious thought multiplied by action equals manifestation. He illustrates this with a childhood story of selling his toys door-to-door to get money for ice cream. He had a clear vision of what he wanted, took concrete action toward it, and achieved his goal.

This principle is complemented by the emphasis on being specific with what you want to manifest. Vague desires produce vague results. Carson advises visualizing in great detail what you want to achieve, meditating on it as if you already possess it, and then taking consistent action steps to make it reality.

2. Forgiveness is essential for manifestation

According to Carson, forgiveness, especially self-forgiveness, is the crucial first step in manifesting what you want. He explains that many people don't believe in themselves because they're carrying guilt and regret about past actions and decisions, which creates internal blockages to success.

He shares a personal example of how his fiancée helped him release physical pain through a forgiveness exercise. Looking in the mirror and forgiving yourself creates space for new possibilities. Carson emphasizes that we cannot manifest effectively when we're "full to the top with trauma" because manifestation requires energetic space that trauma occupies.

3. The power of positive affirmations

Billy Carson attributes much of his success to consistently speaking positive affirmations. He recommends saying affirmations like "I am the architect of my life" and "I am worthy of abundance" to reprogram your mindset and create new neural pathways. Through consistent practice, these affirmations can literally change your DNA.

Scientific research has shown that speaking positive affirmations for 21 days can rewrite DNA in the human body. This practice helps shift from negative self-talk to empowering beliefs. Carson explains how words carry frequency and vibration that affect our cellular structure, making it essential to carefully choose what we say about ourselves.

4. We are living in a fractal holographic matrix of light

Carson describes the universe as a "fractal holographic matrix made of light." He explains that everything we perceive as solid is actually just light frequencies slowed down to create the illusion of solidity. Humans can only perceive less than 1% of the light spectrum, meaning our reality is just a sliver of what actually exists.

Through quantum physics experiments like the double-slit experiment, scientists have observed that particles behave as waves of potential until a conscious observer collapses them into the illusion of reality. This understanding reshapes how we view our ability to influence reality through consciousness and supports the idea that we can manifest our desires through focused thought and action.

5. Trauma must be addressed to create space for manifestation

Trauma stored in the body blocks our ability to manifest effectively. Carson explains that many people suppress trauma, pretending they're fine while carrying unresolved emotional wounds. This trapped energy occupies space that could otherwise be used for creation and manifestation.

Through his own experience with his wife Elizabeth, Carson learned to address childhood traumas like witnessing violence and experiencing dysfunction. As he cleared this trauma, he gained more capacity to manifest abundance. He stresses that we must look at trauma directly, even though it's uncomfortable, to create the energetic space needed for our desires to materialize.

6. Your thoughts and words shape your reality

The words we speak about ourselves and our circumstances directly impact our reality. Carson emphasizes that speaking negatively about yourself or your possibilities ("I'll never be able to afford that") immediately collapses those potential realities. Your subconscious mind believes what you say, and your cells attune to those frequencies.

Our thoughts aren't confined to our skulls but radiate outward, impacting our physical bodies and the world around us. Carson points to EEG technology as evidence that thoughts leave our brains. He warns against casual negative self-talk like "I suck" or "I'm horrible," recommending instead to reframe challenges as opportunities for growth and improvement.

7. Shifting from competition to collaboration mindset

A major obstacle to human peace and progress is our fixation on competition over collaboration. Carson describes how he shifted from a competitive mindset (developed in sports) to a collaborative approach in business, which required less energy and produced better results. This shift acknowledges abundance as unlimited rather than scarce.

The competition mindset creates unnecessary battles and drains energy. By focusing on collaboration, we recognize that others' success doesn't diminish our opportunities. Carson shares how networking and building relationships led to business deals he wouldn't have secured through competition. This perspective aligns with creating a peaceful world where people work together rather than fighting for dominance.

8. Emotions directly impact our energy and life outcomes

Our emotions generate electromagnetic fields that extend 8-20 feet from our bodies and affect everyone around us. When we're stressed or angry, the cortisol in our biofield can increase cortisol levels in others nearby. Conversely, positive emotional states can raise the frequency of those around us.

Carson learned the importance of processing emotions rather than suppressing them. After decades of being stoic and emotionally unavailable, he discovered the freedom of expressing and feeling emotions fully. He emphasizes that emotions should flow through us rather than becoming stuck, and recommends focusing on happy memories to shift from negative emotional states into more positive frequencies.

9. Time is malleable and an illusion

According to Carson, time as we experience it is an illusion. While the "arrow of time" helps us navigate the third dimension, in higher dimensions past, present, and future exist simultaneously. Scientific experiments have shown that the brain can sometimes detect images before they appear on screen, suggesting we're not experiencing "real time."

Top performers like Michael Jordan appear to slow down time because they're operating closer to "real time" than others. While most people experience reality with a seven-second delay, elite performers might reduce this to two or three seconds, allowing them to anticipate and react with seemingly supernatural ability. This advantage comes largely from their unshakable belief in themselves.

10. Reconnecting with your authentic self beyond programming

Most people live with a false identity built on programming received between ages one and seven. Carson emphasizes that we're given a name, race, and religion at birth and spend our lives defending this identity without questioning who we truly are beneath these labels. Breaking free from this programming is essential for authentic living.

The journey toward authenticity involves examining beliefs and values critically rather than accepting them blindly. This can be challenging because questioning deeply held beliefs causes physical and emotional discomfort, and may risk rejection from family or community. However, Carson insists that discovering who you truly are beyond societal programming is worth the discomfort of questioning.