Explanation for Mandela Effect and Reality Shifts

While the term “Mandela Effect” is relatively new, having been first coined in 2010 by blogger Fiona Broome, the phenomena it describes has been around much longer. Author PMH Atwater was the first to call this phenomenon by the name “reality shifts” in a chapter by that same title in her book, Future Memory. My book, Reality Shifts: When Consciousness Changes the Physical World, was first published in 1999, and provides scientific insights into what might be going on when people observe differences between what they remember and what current historical evidence at that time suggest.

Thanks to the advent of the internet and social media making it newly possible (since the late 1990’s) to share notes about this relatively off-beat phenomenon, people first began sharing their surprise at noticing differences between their memories and facts starting in the late 1990’s–as well as differences between their memories and memories of others. The RealityShifters ezine begun in October 1999 has now documented hundreds of such first-hand reports from people on every continent and many countries over the past 20 years.

What does it mean to shift reality / jump timelines?

What’s really going on when we notice a discrepancy between something we thought we knew for sure and what the current reality ‘has always been’? What we know can be summarized as our sense of self awareness holds the key:

Quantum phenomena occurs at all levels of reality–not just ‘in the quantum realm.’ Such phenomena involves instantaneous changes of state, and includes seemingly improbable things as: so-called ‘spooky action at a distance’ and instantaneous exchanges of information through quantum entanglement, quantum teleportation, and superposition of states. Quantum phenomena require an Observer, and the measurements obtained by an Observer has everything to do with what choices the Observer makes. Observers can influence past events, also, so choices made now can change what has previously occurred. It becomes clear that quantum physics delivers us with all we need to experience reality shifts when we are both the Actors in and the Observers of our lives. As we expand our awareness of self to be more than just Actors experiencing physical events, but also Observers of our actions, thoughts and feelings–we can expect to witness more than one record of historical events. 

A non-scientist layperson might presume that if we’re talking about quantum physics effects occurring on the macroscopic (large) scale, then scientists ought to be able to agree on how this might occur and what role consciousness plays–yet there is not yet any such agreement. Instead, we have a number of interpretations of quantum physics, which include several variations of “many worlds” or multiverse theories, holographic interpretations, and the Copenhagen ‘classical’ collapse interpretation–and an equal lack of convergence of agreeement as to what consciousness is.

Regardless which quantum interpretation most appeals to you, within a context of acknowledging there must be a way to bring together classical physics with quantum physics in a “Theory of Everything,” and agreeing that such a theory must include consciousness in the form of an observer is central to starting to understand a scientific explanation for the Mandela Effect–and thus, an Observer’s recognition of their independent consciousness is sufficient and necessary for their subsequent experiences that can feel as if they’ve jumped from one ‘reality’ or ‘timeline’ to others. An Observer’s awareness of having jumped between realities or timelines is a paradox, in the sense that all possible realities co-exist in some form, yet we typically only remember one–or in some cases two or more.

There are still mysteries to be more fully explored, but at the heart of it lies a reassessment of our fundamental assumptions about who we are, and how reality operates. We find clues in these areas when we view the differences between the way we typically believe we live in a “classical physics” world, yet we are seeing ever-increasing evidence that suggests primacy of quantum physics. And some of the greatest insights can come from taking a closer look at ways that Quantum physics differs from Classical. The differences between classical physics and quantum physics that are essential to recognize here include:

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Cynthia Sue Larson is the best-selling author of six books, including Quantum Jumps. Cynthia has a degree in Physics from UC Berkeley, and discusses consciousness and quantum physics on numerous shows including the History Channel, Coast to Coast AM, the BBC and One World with Deepak Chopra and on the Living the Quantum Dream show she hosts. You can subscribe to Cynthia’s free monthly ezine at: http://www.RealityShifters.com