You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter

Dispenza describes the conditions that should be met for optimal meditation practice. He instructs the reader to meditate right before bed and directly after getting up in the morning. He states that the naturally induced alpha-theta waves that occur when entering or leaving sleep make meditation practice easier. Choosing the best time to meditate requires practice and experimentation, and Dispenza assures the reader that they can pick the time that works best for themselves.

The meditator should choose a quiet spot and wear comfortable, loose clothing with no distracting elements like scratchy tags or jingling jewelry. Meditations should last around an hour.

Dispenza warns that the body will try to distract the mind from mastering emotions, so he offers an example of “gentle but firm refocusing” (271) through a story of taming a horse. The meditator should treat distracting thoughts and emotions calmly and kindly, but refuse to surrender to them.

To prepare for the meditation, Dispenza introduces a Buddhist technique called open focus. Open focus involves sensing the body and its environment instead of analyzing it and trying to pass judgment or improve on any aspect of it.

Dispenza uses his unique take on quantum physics to describe the goal of meditation. He states that it is impossible to access the infinite possibility of the present moment if the meditator is tied to their own identity, body, place, and time.