Dr Joe Dispenza is an American author, lecturer and researcher who teaches people how to change their habits of thought, feeling and behaviour through meditation. His books, including the New York Times bestseller You Are the Placebo and Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, his online courses and his week-long retreats have drawn a large following around the world. [1] [2]
Who is Dr Joe Dispenza?
Joe Dispenza studied biochemistry at Rutgers University, holds a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in neuroscience, and earned his Doctor of Chiropractic from Life University in Atlanta, Georgia. He went on to postgraduate training and continuing education in neurology, neuroscience, brain function and chemistry, cellular biology, memory formation, and ageing and longevity. [3]
He reached a wide audience as one of the scientists, researchers and teachers featured in the film What the BLEEP Do We Know!? By 2014 he had lectured in 27 countries on six continents, teaching people about how the brain works and how they can change. [3] His books, from Evolve Your Brain and Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself to You Are the Placebo and Becoming Supernatural, set out his model of personal change. [1] [3]
His mission, in his community’s words, is to help people “remember how unlimited we truly are” and to demystify the process of change. The work combines teaching, meditation, retreats, online courses and books, and a cornerstone idea runs through all of it: your personality creates your personal reality. [2]
Since 2012 he has studied the effects of his advanced workshops with teams of scientists, and that work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals. [1] [4] [5] Today he teaches through week-long retreats in the US and Mexico, online courses and a monthly live session. [6] [7]
His approach in brief
- Become aware. Notice the habitual thoughts, feelings and actions that make up your personality.
- Change your state. Use meditation to move beyond the analytical mind and the familiar past.
- Rehearse the new self. Feel the emotions of your new future before it arrives.
- Walk as it. Carry that new state into your day with your eyes open.
At a glance
Work: author, lecturer and researcher
Education: BSc with an emphasis in neuroscience; Doctor of Chiropractic, Life University
Best-known book: You Are the Placebo (New York Times bestseller)
Teaching: retreats, online courses, Dr Joe Live
Film: What the BLEEP Do We Know!?
Good fit if
You enjoy blending science and spirituality, you like long guided meditations, and you want a structured way to break old habits of thinking and feeling and step into a new version of yourself.Our take
Read Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself and do one of his guided meditations each morning for a month. His team recommends exactly that pairing as the place to begin.The tools of Dr Joe Dispenza
Dr Joe’s books, courses and retreats build on one another, but a few ideas and practices sit at the heart of the work. Tap a card to read more.
Your personality creates your personal reality
A cornerstone of Dr Joe’s work is the idea that your personality creates your personal reality. When you change, or your personality changes, your life changes. To arrive at a new future, he teaches, you must first change yourself. [2]
In his model, personality is made of how we habitually think, act and feel. We are more than our bodies and more than our habitual thoughts, behaviours and feelings, and the work is about mastering ourselves to create something new rather than repeating the past. [2]
As he puts it: “When we choose something new, it’s because we finally realize that continuing to choose the same will bring us only more of the same experiences.” [7] To try it, write down three thoughts, three behaviours and three feelings you repeat most days, then choose one of each that you would like to change.
Breaking the habit of being yourself
His best-known book, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, is the one his team recommends to newcomers. It sets out the knowledge behind his work and step-by-step tools for making measurable changes in any area of life. [7]
The book is paired with companion meditations designed to help you become more skilled at changing your brainwave patterns and moving into the subconscious mind, where you can change unwanted patterns of thought, behaviour and emotion. [7]
The process follows a clear arc: become aware of the old self, let go of it, then rehearse the new self until it starts to feel natural. If you like structured courses, his team also suggests The Formula online course, which teaches the “what” and “why” of creating brain and heart coherence so the “how” becomes easier. [7]
Morning and evening meditation
Dr Joe’s meditations are long and guided, and many are set to music. His Morning and Evening Meditations are a common starting point: they focus on bringing your intention and attention to your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and on reflecting on your effort each day. [7]
He also hosts Dr Joe Live, a monthly hour-long conversation with insights into his tools, teachings and meditations plus answers to questions from his community. [7]
How to begin: choose one guided meditation, do it at the same time each morning for 30 days, and keep a short journal of what you notice. Our meditation guide covers more ways to build a daily practice.
The generous present moment
The generous present moment is one of Dr Joe’s best-loved ideas. He describes it as the only place where change can happen, because it is the only place where the unknown exists. When you break free from the familiar past and the predictable future, new possibilities open up. [7]
His meditation of the same name guides you into that state. The aim is to stop living by memory, rehearsing the same thoughts and feelings, and to rest in the present long enough for something new to emerge. [7]
Our mindfulness guide offers simple ways to practise presence in everyday life.
Walking meditation
Dr Joe teaches that meditation does not have to end when you open your eyes. His free Walk for the World meditation introduces what he calls practising with your eyes open and “walking as it”: carrying the feeling of your new self into everyday life, so you embody the change you want to see. [7]
His book Becoming Supernatural also includes practical exercises such as a walking meditation, alongside his teaching on the body’s energy centres and the present moment. [1]
To try it, after your morning meditation take a ten-minute walk and move as the person you want to become: notice how that person stands, breathes and sees the world.
Videos with Dr Joe Dispenza
Hand-picked and checked one by one, from Dr Joe’s official channel, Hay House, London Real and leading podcasts.
Start here
His core ideas
Long conversations
Articles about Dr Joe Dispenza
Dr Joe Dispenza’s books
Dr Joe has written several books, most published by Hay House. These four are his best known. [1]
Buy Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself in your country: US · UK · Canada · Australia · India.
Retreats, courses and meditations
Prices are listed in USD on his store. Retreats are held in the US and Mexico and tend to sell out, so his team suggests creating an account in advance. [6] Online courses, meditations and Dr Joe Live can be followed from the UK, Canada, Australia, Europe, India and anywhere else.
What the Research Shows
Dr Joe has worked with research teams to measure what happens during his workshops and retreats, and the findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals.
- EEG at a three-day workshop. A study of 223 people new to meditation, co-authored by Dr Joe, found large changes in EEG brainwave patterns during a three-day workshop. [4]
- A week-long retreat. Researchers at the University of California San Diego studied 20 participants at one of his seven-day retreats and reported neural changes during meditation and molecular changes in the blood linked to neuroplasticity. [5]
- Meditation in general. A review of meditation programmes found that mindfulness meditation can help ease anxiety, depression and stress. [8]
See: Dr Joe Dispenza on Instagram
Here are two posts from Dr Joe Dispenza’s official Instagram account.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dr Joe Dispenza?
An American author, lecturer and researcher who teaches personal change through meditation. His books include Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself and You Are the Placebo.
What is Joe Dispenza’s background?
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree with an emphasis in neuroscience and a Doctor of Chiropractic from Life University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Which Joe Dispenza book should I read first?
His team recommends Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, together with its companion meditations.
What does “your personality creates your personal reality” mean?
That your habitual thoughts, actions and feelings shape your life, so changing them is the way to create a new future.
What is the generous present moment?
His term for the present, which he describes as the only place change can happen because it is where the unknown exists.
Where are Joe Dispenza’s retreats held?
Mainly in the US and Mexico, with recent and upcoming dates in California, Colorado, Florida and Riviera Maya. They are listed on his website.
Has his work been studied?
Yes. Studies of his workshops and retreats have been published in journals such as IBRO Reports and Communications Biology.
Sources
- Hay House: Becoming Supernatural by Dr Joe Dispenza
- Dr Joe Dispenza: The Mission
- PRWeb: Dr Joe Dispenza introduces You Are the Placebo, with author biography (2014)
- Stapleton, Dispenza et al., Large effects of brief meditation intervention on EEG spectra in meditation novices, IBRO Reports 2020
- Jinich-Diamant et al., Neural and molecular changes during a mind-body reconceptualization, meditation, and open label placebo healing intervention, Communications Biology 2025
- Dr Joe Dispenza: Retreats
- Dr Joe Dispenza: Begin your journey
- Goyal et al., Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being, JAMA Internal Medicine 2014
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