I can sometimes kind of FORCE myself into mania. I have recently. My wife just left me, and I was understandably very depressed for the last 2 weeks, and tired of it. I desperately wanted to have motivation and joy again. I FORCED myself to get back to lifting weights, cleaning the house, staying up late to be productive, and focusing my mind on goals, dreams and pleasures... it worked somewhat. I'm not exactly hypomanic, but I am definitely no longer depressed, so I consider my therapeutic efforts to be a success.