Your desired reality, or DR, is the place and time where you’d most like to exist. In reality shifting it can be almost anywhere: Hogwarts, the Avengers Tower, UA High, or your own life with a few things changed. The life you’re living right now is your current reality, or CR.
Shifters believe it’s a big multiverse where everything happens somewhere, so you can shift to any place you can imagine, even a fictional one. The idea took off online in 2020, mostly among Gen Z. That’s why TikTok is full of people describing their shifts to Hogwarts and the MCU.
How Reality Shifting Works
There are many different reality shifting methods, but at its core, shifting means intending yourself into your desired reality. A basic attempt might look like this:
- Lie down or sit somewhere quiet, at a time you won’t be disturbed, and close your eyes.
- Focus on your intention to shift to your DR.
- Know that you’ll soon be in your desired reality. Some go a step further and act as if they’re there already.
- Notice any symptoms of shifting, like tingling or feeling very light or heavy. Shifters read these as a sign they’re getting close.
- Open your eyes. If the shift worked, shifters say you’ll be in your DR, and you come back to your CR whenever your script says you will.
Some feelings are never shifting symptoms: chest pain, a pounding heart that won’t settle, trouble breathing, fainting, a seizure, a severe headache or strong dizziness. If any of them happen, stop and get checked by a doctor. Call your local emergency number straight away for sudden chest pain that doesn’t go away, or chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headed or short of breath. The same goes for gasping for air or not being able to get words out, and for anyone’s first-ever seizure.
Why Scripting Your Desired Reality is Important
Before you try to shift, take the time to “script” your desired reality. Scripting means writing down the specifics of your DR, like:
- Where you live
- How old you are
- Who your family and friends are
- How you meet your friends
- What your home is like
- What you can do there (magic, a quirk, a skill)
It’s common to script a few safety lines too: that you can’t be seriously hurt, that you feel no real pain, and a word or gesture that brings you straight back to your CR. Write those first, then the fun parts.
Many shifters find it easier to write their shifting script with a template. Our free shifting script templates explain how to script, step by step.
What It Feels Like to Shift to Desired Reality
People who say they’ve shifted describe their DR as feeling as real as their CR: solid, detailed and clear, not hazy like a dream.
Scripting shapes a lot of your DR. But many shifters say they don’t control every detail once they arrive. The people there act like real people, with their own fears, wishes and choices, and shifters see that as part of what makes a DR feel different from a dream.
Read a few shifting stories to see how others describe it.
How Time Works With Reality Shifting
You may be wondering whether your DR “pauses” while you’re away, so you don’t miss anything while you’re in your CR.
You don’t need to worry about that. Script that whenever you return to your DR, you arrive at the exact moment you left.
The same goes for the other direction. You can script how much time passes in your CR while you’re in your DR, down to the moment you come back. Plenty of shifters script that only a minute or so passes, so nobody at home misses them.
What are Some Popular Desired Realities to Shift To?
Anywhere you can dream of visiting or living, shifters say you can shift to. These are some of the destinations you’ll see come up again and again in shifting communities.
1. Hogwarts
Hogwarts is one of the most popular desired realities.
If you dream of going to wizarding classes with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna, put together a Hogwarts shifting script and try some methods for shifting to Hogwarts. Pick your house, your wand and your year before you go.
2. Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
If you want to join the Avengers or live in another part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’re far from alone. The MCU is a favourite with shifters, and Avengers scripts are easy to find in shifting communities.
You can even bring your friends. Group shifting is when you and your friends script the same DR and shift there together for a shared adventure, and it works for Hogwarts, MHA or anywhere else just as well as the MCU.
3. My Hero Academia (MHA)
The manga and anime world of My Hero Academia is another popular destination. Develop your quirk and hang out with your classmates at UA High.
Shifters often use shifting subliminals for MHA. A UA dorm ambience track, the kind of background sound you’d hear in the dorms, can help you settle into the setting while you shift.
4. Stranger Things
If you want to help protect Hawkins, Indiana, from the Upside Down alongside Dustin, Lucas, Will, Mike and Eleven, try shifting to Stranger Things.
There’s even a method named after it, the Eleven Method. As you probably guessed, it involves playing white noise and focusing with your eyes closed, the way Eleven does to see into other places. It’s a fitting way into her universe.
Stranger Things is a scary world, so script it to match how much fright you actually enjoy. You can be in the Party without ever meeting a Demogorgon up close.
5. Naruto
Naruto is another popular anime DR, where you can join Naruto Uzumaki as he works toward becoming Hokage. Want to be a respected ninja of the Leaf? Script it before you shift.
6. Genshin Impact
Players who can’t get enough of Genshin Impact may dream of living in Teyvat full-time. Shifting there would let you explore its open world in a way no screen can.
Any method works, but a fun one for a game world is the lucid dream method, where you use a screen as a portal. Start with a lucid dream of playing Genshin Impact, then pass through the screen into your DR.
7. Undertale
Undertale has a smaller but loyal following among shifters, and plenty of its monsters would rather be your friend than fight you.
What about a game world with fights and danger? Shifters handle that in the script: script that you can’t be hurt, that the monsters are friendly to you, and that you can leave the moment you want. Staying safe in your CR is a separate question, covered in the safety section below and in our guide to whether reality shifting is dangerous.
8. Your Favorite K-Pop Band (or Any Band)
Another popular DR puts you on stage as a member of your favourite K-pop band. It doesn’t have to be K-pop: any band, in any genre, works the same way.
One way in is a variation on the Piano Method. Instead of playing the piano alone on stage in your visualization, picture yourself playing the instrument you’d play in your favourite band.
Then script a band member to meet you at the end and walk you through the door into the universe where you play together.
9. Star Wars
Star Wars is a well-known shifting favourite. It’s a galaxy of humans, aliens and helpful droids, with the Force running through all of it. Train as a Jedi, fly with a smuggler, or simply live on a quiet planet with a droid of your own.
Script your arrival in detail: the planet, the year in the saga, and who meets you. A vivid first scene, like stepping off a ship into a busy hangar, makes the shift easier to picture.
10. Steven Universe
The gentle, welcoming, diverse world of Steven Universe is a lovely place to relax and spend time with animated friends.
Yes, you can shift to animated worlds. You can also script how they look: you could be an animated person in an animated Beach City, or script everything to look “realistic”, like our world.
You could use crystals for shifting here, since they suit a world built around the Crystal Gems. Try placing a garnet, an amethyst and a pearl under your pillow before you lie down to shift.
11. Your Perfect Life
Not every DR is fictional. Many shifters create their own desired reality and script their perfect life.
That life might be close to your own with a few key differences, or completely different from your current reality. Either way, script out your dream life, close your eyes, and shift.
Be kind to yourself while you write it. A perfect-life DR works best as a place you enjoy, not a list of everything you dislike about yourself or your life now.
12. Anywhere You Want
There’s no reason to limit yourself. A fictional universe, a world you invented for a story or game, a better version of your current reality: shifters say you can go anywhere you can imagine.
Online shifting communities are a good place to find ideas. Keep your real name, school and location to yourself there, as you would anywhere online. If you like, reality shifting symbol clothing and accessories are a quiet way to show your interest.
Is It Safe to Shift to Your Desired Reality?
Inside your DR, shifters rely on the script to keep them safe. Out here in your CR, the honest answer is that nobody knows for sure, because shifting has barely been studied. A 2021 paper in the journal Current Psychology, one of the first scholarly looks at shifting, notes potential risks, including a decreased sense of control over your own thoughts. The same researchers say whether shifting can cause distress or get in the way of daily life simply hasn’t been researched yet.
So treat your DR as somewhere you visit, not somewhere you escape to. The researchers point out that pouring time into shifting instead of facing real problems, like loneliness or social anxiety, may do harm. Your DR is a fun place to go. Your CR is where your friends, family and future are.
Take a break and tell a parent, a trusted adult or a doctor when any of these show up:
- Sleep paralysis that keeps happening. That’s when you can’t move or speak as you fall asleep or wake up. On its own it’s scary rather than dangerous. See a doctor if it happens often and you’re scared to go to sleep or tired all the time.
- Feeling outside yourself, as if you’re watching your own life from a distance, or feeling the world around you is unreal or “foggy”.
- Losing track of what’s real, or spending so long on shifting that you skip sleep, school or meals.
- Shifting stays on your mind all day, and a break feels impossible.
- Feeling hopeless about your CR, or wishing you could leave it for good.
Sometimes wanting to stay in a DR forever is really about not wanting to be here at all. If you’re thinking about ending your life, please tell someone today. You can say exactly that to whoever picks up; it’s what they’re there for. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US takes calls, texts and chats at any hour. Samaritans pick up free on 116 123, day or night, across the UK and Ireland. Tele MANAS, India’s free 24/7 helpline, is on 14416 and lets you choose your language. If you’re in danger right now, call your local emergency number.
Tips for Successfully Shifting to Your Desired Reality
Shifting can take a lot of attempts the first time, and that’s normal. Don’t measure yourself against the instant shifts people post online.
Our shifting tips cover the basics, like scripting everything in advance and shifting to a waiting room first, then on to your DR.
Subliminals and affirmations for shifting are the usual way shifters build confidence that they can do it. Others lean on the Law of Assumption: act and feel as if you’re already there.
Use whichever method feels right, change it to suit you, or skip methods altogether. Shifters say it comes down to belief and intention, not a fixed set of steps. Just don’t trade your sleep for it. Try at a normal bedtime, take breaks when it isn’t working, and come back when you’re rested.
Frequently Asked Questions About Desired Realities
What is the most popular desired reality?
There’s no official count, but Hogwarts is the usual answer. Researchers who looked at shifting posts online in 2021 called the Harry Potter world one of the most popular places people shift to, and listed Star Wars and My Hero Academia among the other favourites. The MCU and a scripted version of your own perfect life come up a lot in shifting communities too.
Can you have more than one desired reality?
Yes. Shifters say there’s no limit to how many DRs you can have or visit. You could set up your waiting room with several doors, each leading to a different DR; our waiting room ideas can help you design it. Your DR can be a world someone else made up or one you create from scratch.
How long can you stay in your desired reality?
As long as your script says. Many shifters script that only a few minutes pass in their CR however long they spend in their DR. Always script a way back, such as a word you say or a gesture you make that returns you to your CR right away. If you find yourself wanting to stay in your DR for good and never come back, take that seriously: pause shifting and talk to a parent, a trusted adult or a doctor. If those thoughts are about ending your life, the free helplines in the safety section above answer day and night.
Can you talk, eat, etc. in your desired reality?
Yes. Shifters say talking in your DR feels the same as talking in your CR, and you can eat there too, including foods that don’t exist in your CR. You might be asking because talking or eating feels hard in your dreams. Many shifters say a DR feels different from a dream, more solid and more real.
Can you die in your desired reality?
Shifters believe what happens in a DR follows the script, so they settle this before they go. Many write in that they can’t die or be seriously hurt, that they feel no real pain, and that a safe word brings them straight back to their CR. If you’re worried about it, add those lines before your first shift. If questions about death keep coming back to you, or you’re having thoughts of ending your life in your current reality, please talk to someone today: a parent, a trusted adult, or a free helpline such as 988 in the US, Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK and Ireland, or Tele MANAS on 14416 in India.
