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The claims made by both the book and film have been highly controversial, and have been criticized by reviewers and readers in both traditional and web-based media. The book has also been heavily criticized by former believers and practitioners, with some[who?] claiming that The Secret was conceived by the author and that the only people generating wealth and happiness from it are the author and the publishers.
Others assert The Secret offers false hope to those in true need of more conventional assistance in their lives—for example, in 2007 Barbara Ehrenreich, an author and social critic, ridiculed the book's weight control advice to "not observe" overweight people.[11] According to the Religion Dispatches, Byrne argued that natural disasters strike those "on the same frequency as the event" and implied the 2006 tsunami victims could have spared themselves.[12] In businesses using the DVD for employee training or morale-building, some reacted to it as "a gimmick" and "disturbing" like "being indoctrinated into a cult".[11]
In 2009, Ehrenreich published Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America[13] as a response to "positive thinking" books, like The Secret, that teach "if I just change my thoughts, I could have it all".[14] She worried this was delusional or even dangerous[12] because it avoided dealing with the real sources behind problems.[15] It encouraged "victim-blaming, political complacency, and a culture-wide "flight from realism" by suggesting failure is the result of not trying "hard enough" or believing "firmly enough in the inevitability of your success". Those who were "disappointed, resentful, or downcast" were 'victims' or 'losers'.[12] Ehrenreich advocated "not negative thinking or despair" but "realism, checking out what’s really there and figuring out how to change it".[14]
Historian and ethicist John G. Stackhouse, Jr. also provided historical context for "The Secret," critically locating it in the tradition of American "New Thought" and "mind over matter" philosophy and popular religion in his weblog.[16]
On the Adam Carolla podcast, Dr. Drew said "The Secret" promoted "primitive thinking" as a replacement for actually earning esteem.[17]
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