What Is 'Reality Shifting'? The Baffling Trend Making A Comeback On TikTok

Welp, the teens are reality shifting again.

In the early 2020s, teens on TikTok, quite possibly due to Pandemic-related boredom, got into a bizarre practice called "Reality Shifting," after which they'd post videos about how to do it and the remarkable journeys they went on visiting other planes of reality. Evidently, the community never went away, and is getting another algorithmic push on TikTok. Here, we'll explain the "reality shifting" phenomenon.

What Is Reality Shifting?

The basic idea of reality shifting is that a person can hypnotize themself to live in a universe of their choosing. It appears to be inspired by the work of Neville Goddard, who wrote on self-help and mysticism, at least according to the Redditors who began discussing the practice on /r/DimensionJumping in the mid-2010s.

To achieve this, practitioners attempt to consciously enter a state of lucid dreaming, where they can control the environment around them in the dream state. To do this, practitioners can listen to repetitive music or count backward from 100, inducing a transliminal state that allows them to control a vivid reality of their own.

How Did Reality Shifting Start Getting Popular?

Incredibly, "reality shifting" started taking off on TikTok in 2019 because Harry Potter stans really wanted to live in Hogwarts and date Draco Malfoy. To achieve this, users shared tips for a "script" for others to follow when they entered their Hogwarts-based reality.

The element of Harry Potter-based cringe and the high level of disbelief others had toward the practice of reality shifting drew a content market, as several creators began racking up views mocking the community.

How Has Reality Shifting Returned In 2024?

It seems the "reality shifting" community never actually died out, but it has been reinserted into many algorithms, as several videos related to the practice have racked up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok. These come from people who claim to have successfully reality shifted after years of trying, which could explain why the practice is drawing interest again.

Furthermore, there's no way to actually verify if any practitioners of reality shifting have successfully done so — they can't return from another plane of reality with a photograph, after all. This has led to suspicion on whether the practice is real, while others insist it is, and everyone only has each others' word to go on.

This makes it fun to discuss, and while we can't independently verify whether it's possible to hypnotize yourself into going on a date with Draco Malfoy, we won't look down on anyone who wants to try.

For the full history of Reality Shifting, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.