Leaving my life on hold, I turn next to Deepak Chopra who offers SynchroDestiny, "in which it is possible to achieve the spontaneous fulfilment of our every desire." Spontaneous fulfilment of my every desire sounds positively terrifying - a Midas-like neurological affliction and also ultimately quite dull. "Be careful what you wish for" would have to take on a whole new level of significance, and what on earth would remain to look forward to?

Unlike Grabhorn's text, replete with split infinitives and an exhaustion of exclamation marks, Chopra's is readable and sophisticated, better at disguising the pseudoscience. "At this moment," he tantalises, "the seeds of a perfect destiny lie dormant within you." I merely have to release their potential in order to create a future for myself "more wondrous than dreams". That Chopra has published nearly 40 other books, 13 of them after SynchroDestiny, is not considered to contradict the assertion that the single key to happiness is contained in this one.

Possibly the most successful of these recent Law of Attraction publications is The Secret, the brainchild of an Australian named Rhonda Byrnes, whose book and DVD have each sold many millions of copies, heavily endorsed by appearances on Oprah. Watching The Secret is an extraordinary experience. Loin-clothed men scribble frantically on parchment. Knights Templar dash about incomprehensibly. Sinister Gothic chords echo while a woman unpacks her suitcase. The names of famous men flash on the screen - Plato, Shakespeare, Edison, Hugo. They all knew The Secret, it would seem.