Revision vs Mental Diet: Two Essential Neville Goddard Techniques Compared

Revision vs Mental Diet

Revision and mental diet are two of Neville Goddard's most powerful techniques, yet they serve distinctly different purposes. Revision works backward—rewriting past events to change their present influence. Mental diet works forward—monitoring and directing your current inner conversations to shape your future reality.

Both are essential tools in a complete manifestation practice. Understanding when and how to use each will give you far greater control over your inner state.

What Is Revision?

Revision is the practice of mentally replaying a past event exactly as you wish it had happened, rather than as it actually occurred. You take an unpleasant conversation, a rejection, a failure, or any unwanted experience, and you reimagine it with a positive outcome.

Neville Goddard taught this as one of his most important techniques. In his view, the past is not fixed—it is a series of impressions held in consciousness. By revising those impressions, you change their ongoing influence on your present reality.

For example, if you had an argument with your partner, you would sit quietly, close your eyes, and replay that interaction as a loving, harmonious conversation. You see it from first person, feel the warmth and connection, and accept this revised version as what actually happened.

Revision is typically done before sleep, when the subconscious is most receptive. You review the events of the day and revise anything that did not conform to your ideal.

What Is Mental Diet?

Mental diet is the ongoing practice of monitoring your inner conversations—the constant stream of thoughts, assumptions, and internal dialogues that run through your mind throughout the day. Neville Goddard emphasized that these inner conversations are the real creative force in your life.

Your mental diet is not about suppressing negative thoughts. It is about becoming aware of your habitual inner dialogue and deliberately shifting it to align with your desired reality. When you catch yourself thinking "they don't care about me," you replace it with "they love and appreciate me deeply."

The term "diet" is intentional. Just as you choose what food to consume, you choose what thoughts to entertain. A poor mental diet—filled with worry, complaint, and fear—produces a reality that matches. A clean mental diet—filled with assumption, gratitude, and knowing—produces the reality you desire.

Key Differences

Direction of Focus

Revision looks backward. It addresses events that have already occurred, rewriting their impressions in your subconscious. It is corrective—healing past wounds and removing limiting beliefs that formed from negative experiences.

Mental diet looks forward (and present). It addresses your ongoing inner state, shaping the assumptions that will create your future experiences. It is preventive—keeping your inner world aligned so that undesirable events are less likely to manifest.

When You Practice

Revision is typically a dedicated practice done once daily, often at night before sleep. You review the day's events and revise anything that was not ideal. Some practitioners also revise older memories during dedicated sessions.

Mental diet is an all-day practice. It is not something you do for 10 minutes—it is how you think throughout your waking hours. Every inner conversation is an opportunity to maintain or break your mental diet.

Effort Level

Revision requires focused imagination. You enter a relaxed state, construct a revised scene, and replay it with feeling. It is an active, deliberate exercise that takes 5-15 minutes per session.

Mental diet requires constant vigilance, especially in the beginning. It is less about focused sessions and more about habitual awareness. Over time, your new inner dialogue becomes automatic, but the initial period requires significant effort to catch and redirect old patterns.

What It Addresses

Revision addresses specific events and their emotional residue. If something happened that left a negative impression—a breakup, a failure, a harsh conversation—revision directly rewrites that impression.

Mental diet addresses your general state of being and habitual assumptions. It is not about specific events but about the overall tone and direction of your inner world. Are you habitually assuming the best or the worst?

Speed of Impact

Revision can produce surprisingly fast external changes. When you revise a specific event, related circumstances often shift within days. People you revised interactions with may suddenly contact you or behave differently.

Mental diet produces gradual, cumulative change. You will not see overnight transformation, but over weeks and months, your entire reality shifts to match your new habitual assumptions. The change is deeper and more pervasive.

How They Work Together

The most powerful practice combines both techniques:

• Use mental diet throughout the day to maintain alignment with your desired state
• Use revision at night to clean up any events that did not match your ideal
• Mental diet prevents new negative impressions from forming
• Revision clears out old negative impressions that are already stored

Think of it this way: mental diet is brushing your teeth daily, and revision is going to the dentist to fix cavities that already formed. Both are necessary for complete dental health—and both are necessary for complete mental health.

Practical Tips

For Revision

• Start by revising one event from each day before sleep
• Choose the event that bothered you most and rewrite it
• See it from first person and feel the revised version as real
• Do not worry about "accuracy"—your revised version is the version you are choosing
• For deep wounds, you may need to revise the same event multiple times

For Mental Diet

• Begin by simply observing your inner dialogue for a full day without changing it
• Notice patterns: what negative assumptions do you habitually make?
• Create replacement thoughts in advance so you are prepared when old patterns surface
• Be patient with yourself—changing lifelong thought patterns takes time
• Focus on the inner conversations that are most emotionally charged

Frequently Asked Questions

Can revision change events that already happened?

Revision does not change the physical past, but it changes the impression that past event holds in your consciousness. Since your present reality is shaped by your current assumptions and impressions, revising the past can and does change your present and future experience.

How strict does my mental diet need to be?

You do not need to be perfect. Neville Goddard acknowledged that negative thoughts will arise—the key is not to dwell in them. Catch the negative thought, do not judge yourself, and gently redirect to your desired assumption. Progress matters more than perfection.

Can I use revision for events from years ago?

Absolutely. Revision is powerful for deep-rooted memories that formed limiting beliefs. If you carry trauma or pain from childhood, relationships, or past failures, revising those memories can release their hold on your present self-concept.

How do I know if my mental diet is working?

The first sign is that you catch negative thoughts faster. The second sign is that your desired inner conversation begins to feel more natural. The third and most telling sign is that your outer reality starts reflecting your new inner state—people treat you differently, opportunities appear, and circumstances align.