Patterning is technique B in the 1983 Army report's list of Gateway tools, on page 20. The report describes it as "use of the consciousness to achieve desired objectives in the physical, emotional, or intellectual sphere": while in Focus 12, concentrate on a goal and project it "with the intention that the desired objective is already a matter of established achievement." The report explains it with its hologram model and records a warning from Monroe trainers against forcing the pace.
The description on page 20
The theory behind it
The warning
Patterning in the report's proposals
Where to read it
What the documents say, and what people claim
The description on page 20
The report says patterning "involves concentration on the desired objective while in a Focus 12 state, extension of the individual's perception of that objective into the whole expanded consciousness," and then its projection into the universe "with the intention that the desired objective is already a matter of established achievement which is destined to be realized within the time frame specified."
Three parts, then: hold the goal, expand it to fill awareness, and release it as already done, with a deadline. The report puts this among six tools used only after reaching Focus 12; see What is Focus 12? and the Gateway tools.
The theory behind it
The report is explicit that patterning rests on a belief: "the belief that the thought patterns generated by our consciousness in a state of expanded awareness create holograms which represent the situation we desire to bring about." Once such a thought hologram exists, it "becomes an aspect of reality which interacts with the universal hologram to bring about the desired objective which might not, under other circumstances, ever occur."
This follows from the model on pages 7 to 9, where the universe is a hologram and the mind a smaller one tuned to it. If thoughts are energy patterns, the author reasons, strong enough thoughts can shape what happens. In his words, "our thoughts have the power to influence the development of reality in time-space as it applies to us if those thoughts can be projected with adequate intensity." See Why does the Gateway report call the universe a hologram?
The warning
The paragraph ends with a limit and a caution. The bigger and stranger the goal, "the more time the universal hologram will need to reorient our reality sphere to accommodate our desires." Then: "Monroe trainers caution against attempting to force the pace of this process because the individual could succeed in dislocating his existing reality with drastic consequences."
That sentence is reported from the trainers, and the report does not say what "drastic consequences" means. It is the only warning attached to any tool in the document. Readers who treat patterning as a quick manifestation trick are skipping the one line the Institute, by the report's account, wanted them to hear.
Patterning in the report's proposals
The idea returns at the end. Step K on page 27 suggests groups in Focus 12 "build holographic patterns around sensitive areas to repulse possible unwanted out-of-body presences." Step L suggests advanced participants "build holographic patterns of successful attainment and rapid progress for advanced colleagues to assist them in progressing through the Gateway system." Both are patterning applied to the program itself, and both are proposals, not reports of use.
The documents: patterning is a Focus 12 visualization in which a goal is projected as already achieved. The report grounds it in a belief about thought holograms, says big changes take time, and passes on a trainers' warning not to force it. No outcome is recorded.
The claims: that the CIA or the Army validated manifestation, or that patterning is a proven way to get what you want. The report's own word is "belief." It describes a practice and a theory, and leaves both untested.
Last updated November 4, 2026.
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The Gateway Process, answered: Page 25, Focus 10 to 21, the frequencies, click-out, who wrote the 1983 Army report and whether it works: short answers with page numbers and CIA record IDs.
What is Focus 12 in the Gateway Process?: The 1983 Army report calls Focus 12 a state of expanded awareness and lists six techniques used in it (pages 20 to 21). What it says, and what it does not.