Submission declined on 19 January 2026 by Guninvalid (talk).
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Comment: Very good start, better than almost all of my other declines. But there's a handful of signs of AI generation, but more importantly, the writing style seems to be closer to that of an academic paper than that of a Wikipedia article. "One article published in 2023"- published where? By whom? But generally speaking, content that is uncontroversial doesn't need a source declaration like this at all, only a citation. guninvalid (talk) 08:44, 19 January 2026 (UTC)
Reality shifting, also known as RS or shifting, is an activity in which practitioners attempt to enter alternate universes through meditation and focus. The universes targeted are often the pre-existing worlds of popular fiction, such as the Harry Potter universe or Marvel Cinematic Universe.[1] Most practitioners are teenagers and young adults.[2]
There is no scientific consensus that a person can shift their consciousness to alternate realities. It is generally viewed as a personal experience rather than an objective manipulation of reality.[3] While shifting is widely seen as harmless, there is concern among experts about its impacts on people with pre-existing mental health conditions.
Reality shifting became a trend on social media in mid-2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was likely sparked by the sudden increase in social isolation and resulting stress.[4][2]
Overview
[edit]Shifting generally includes aspects such as concentration and meditation, and is performed with the explicit goal of shifting one's consciousness to a specific alternate universe. This distinguishes it from similar phenomena such as lucid dreaming, tulpamancy, and self-hypnosis.[2] The desired reality may be invented by the individual, but is commonly the universe of a popular work or series. Prominent examples include the fictional universe of Harry Potter, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Shadowhunters world, the universe of Star Wars, and various anime and manga such as My Hero Academia.[1][3][2]
Various induction techniques are employed to assist in reality shifting. For example, the "Alice in Wonderland" method involves visualizing oneself to be falling down a rabbit hole into the desired universe. Similarly, the "elevator" method requires one to imagine themselves riding an elevator up a series of floors, intensifying their "energy levels" until the top floor is reached and the elevator opens into the target reality.[3] The "raven" method involves lying on one's back and counting to one hundred while focusing on what one plans to do in their new reality.[4]
Virtual communities, found on social media platforms like Reddit and TikTok, have been formed around reality shifting. Users discuss their shifts to alternate universes and share tips and tutorials on how to enhance their experience, such as through "scripting" the shift to better control the storyline, or listening to "subliminal" music.[1][5]
Health concerns
[edit]Reality shifting has not been researched enough to directly connect it to mental health disorders.[2] According to Joshua Klapow, a clinical psychologist, "The practice of reality shifting is not inherently unhealthy. However, if a person is using it increasingly more and more to escape their present life, concern arises."[4] Especially within the online community, reality shifting can be reified as an actual transition to another universe.[2] Several people reported to Business Insider that shifting became an obsession for them and interfered with their daily life.[4]
"Respawning" is a term within shifting communities to describe a permanent transfer to their desired reality. This is a radical escapist concept which involves either leaving behind a "clone" or "stand in" to continue to operate their body,[2] or physically dying in order to move their consciousness to the new reality. Respawning is encouraged by a fringe community within the larger RS community. On YouTube, several videos published were designed to incite a heart attack or similar "natural death" in viewers so they might respawn. Though some users commented that they felt symptoms, it is not scientifically plausible that these videos induce medical emergencies.[4]
Reality shifting, alongside The Backrooms horror media and other social media and pop culture influences, was linked to a sudden onset of tics in a 15 year old girl.[6]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Tarnovetska, Yuliya (2 November 2025). "Reality Shifting in 2020: A Form of Self-Hypnosis?". The Columbia Science Review. Archived from the original on 17 November 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g Somer, Eli; Cardeña, Etzel; Catelan, Ramiro Figueiredo; Soffer-Dudek, Nirit (30 October 2021). "Reality shifting: psychological features of an emergent online daydreaming culture". National Institutes of Health. Springer Nature. Archived from the original on 6 December 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ a b c Travers, Mark (20 March 2024). "A Psychologist Explains the Phenomenon of 'Reality Shifting'". Forbes. Forbes Media. Archived from the original on 28 April 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Colombo, Charlotte (26 January 2022). "ShiftTok: 'Reality shifting' where users say they're transported to another life has exploded on TikTok, but former shifters say it harmed their mental health". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 1 December 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ Cavender, Elena (27 July 2021). "TikTok's reality shifting trend mixes dream-like consciousness with fandoms". Mashable. Archived from the original on 14 December 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ Necpál, Ján; Šoltýsová, Marcela (11 April 2023). "Functional movement disorders triggered by reality shifting and the Backrooms—another social media traps". Retrieved 15 January 2026.
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