Sorry but, you can’t “collapse the wave function” to manifest

“I am going to show you how to collapse the wave function to manifest your dreams”, is how I wanted to start this post.

Because I would see these Quantum Leap manifestation coaches talking about quantum physics as a means for manifestation, and I wanted in on this secret.

But once I researched what that meant, I discovered “collapsing the wave function” doesn’t have anything to do with making your dreams a reality.

I’m going to share what I learned about collapsing the wave function, and why it has nothing to do with your future self or goal getting. 

Why believe me? My post-secondary education is based in science. Mostly biology and chemistry, with some physics. So I am keenly aware of the scientific method and research standards. Personally, I’ve been learning about quantum physics since my 20’s on and off as a hobby. Mostly through books and online videos. I’ve studied topics like string theory, parallel worlds, quantum loop gravity, relativity, consciousness, and philosophy from theoretical physicists like Richard Feynman. Because I saw so many preaching the wonders of quantum with spirituality and manifestation, I even took a university course online called “Quantum Mechanics for Everyone”. In that course there were virtual experiments around collapsing the wave function and entanglement and the double slit experiment. I may not be a practicing physicist, but I’ve taken a broad approach to learning about it and I want to share what I know.

What is Collapsing the Wave Function?

Collapsing the wave function is a term from quantum mechanics. The wave function is a mathematical equation that describes the probability of a measurement for a quantum particle.

Many real life physicists, theorists, and researchers will tell you that collapsing the wave function does not represent a physical phenomenon. According to famed physicist Erwin Schrödinger, wave function collapse was more a mathematical description of our knowledge of a quantum system rather than a physical event.

About Quantum Particles

“Quantum” is the smallest measurable unit of something. A “particle” is a unit of something that has energy and may or may not have mass. A “quantum particle” is the smallest measurable unit of something with energy that is governed by quantum mechanics. Quantum particles are the fundamental building blocks of our Universe. They include things like electrons, photons, and quarks.

The thing that is very different about quantum particles, as opposed to objects we encounter every day like a car or a cat, is that their behavior is governed by probability rather than certainty.

Random Probability

If I push a ball, it will roll and come to a stop. There are variables I can calculate to determine where the ball will stop based on the weight of the ball, the force used to push it, the trajectory, the friction of the table it rolls along, the slope, etc. If I have enough variables, I can predict exactly where the ball will stop. This is done using classical (or Newtonian) physics. It deals with objects we can see and touch like cars, rockets, and planets. In this type of physics, there’s an action with a predictable reaction that lets us know the outcome ahead of time.

But with quantum particles, instead of a predictable action-reaction chain like pushing my ball, there’s a range of possible outcomes governed by probabilities. That means if I do action A, I could get reaction B, C, D, or even X, Y, Z, but each outcome has a specific probability. I can’t predict which one I’ll get in a single event, but I can calculate the likelihood of each result.

Possibilities and the Wave Function

A gaming die has 6 sides. We can say it has 6 possibilities. When it’s being shaken before the roll, there’s a one in 6 chance of landing on any one of the numbers. When I roll the dice and it lands, I have reduced from 6 possibilities to 1 because a selection has been made. There are no other possibilities for this dice once it’s landed.

The wave function is describing all the possibilities of the quantum particle for the particular experiment being done, as if we’re shaking the dice before a roll.

When the wave function “collapses” it means there has been an interaction with the particle and the measurement is now known, so the wave function no longer applies. Ie it “collapses” because we have our answer.

The wave function asked “what are the possibilities?” And the interaction caused an answer. It is “this”.

Interacting with Quantum Particles

What is interesting, is what gives us the answer and collapses the wave function is an interaction. And an interaction can be an observation.

So imagine you have this apparatus that will measure something about a quantum particle. Until a measurement is made, you would use the wave function to predict what you might get. Except, if you try to see where the particle is going along this apparatus before it gets to the end where a measurement can be made, you’ve unintentionally interacted with the particle and in that interaction, the answer is revealed, so the wave function collapses.

When there is no interaction, the particle behaves like a wave, seemingly able to take multiple paths at the same time, as well as interfering within its own wake.

This makes it seem like the particle is all places at once and the observation is the key that brings the particle into existence. Or “collapses the wave function”. Either the observation along the path, or the observation of the measurement at the end. So researchers are confronted with consciousness and the nature of reality, and philosophical questions when conducting these experiments.

Because we don’t yet know what consciousness is or the full picture of reality, it’s easy to take experimentation within quantum physics to apply to real life.

But since you’re made of quantum particles as well as the experiment and you exist in the universe that is woven together through correlation, you’re actually part of the apparatus that’s being used in the experiment. You are the detector and once a detection is made, the answer is revealed. Ie the wave function collapses.

But that’s experiments under specific conditions looking for specific results. The wave function doesn’t even apply to many experiments and theories within quantum mechanics. And quantum physics and real life don’t seem to have a direct connection.

An Analogy for Reality and Quantum

Physicist Carlo Rovelli has this wonderful analogy in his book, Helgoland. I’m paraphrasing. He said quantum mechanics is like studying car engines, but reality is like traffic. You can know everything there is to know about car engines. But knowing everything there is to know about engines tells you nothing about traffic. Because there’s a cumulative effect and other factors that brings about traffic. There is no jump between car engines and traffic. Nor does there appear to be a jump between quantum mechanics and reality as we experience it as social human beings.

What does it all mean?

I’m not sure what people who say they “collapse the wave function to manifest” are trying to convey. They’re either misinformed or straight-up lying. I don’t want to crush their dreams or business model so I’m not going to @ them. But I don’t want well meaning folks to be fooled.

I imagine the misinformed camp think the present is a bit like having a bag of apples. A bag of apples is full of potential. I can bake a pie, I can make apple slices, I can peel the skin and dry the apple out to make a wrinkled faces for a scary doll, I can make juice, I can make cider. Maybe they think the world is in a quantum state like the bag of apples. Full of possibilities, waiting for a selection to be made. Like winning the lottery or manifesting your soul mate. Once I take action by using up the potential in the apple and make a selection or observation from the possibilities, I’ve “collapsed the wave function”. But, I don’t actually know what folks who talk about collapsing the wave function are trying to describe.

It seems that collapsing the wave function for manifestation is – at best – a metaphor for going from a lot of possibility, to interacting with reality through determined action to create an outcome. Although, it’s not a very good metaphor since collapsing the wave function is not a physical phenomena, but a mathematical equation under experimentation. Plus the outcome is random. Where manifestation is specifically about not being random.

I still absolutely believe that miracles happen and you can manifest your dreams and desires. However, I’m not convinced that we do it by “collapsing the wave function.” Sorry, not sorry.