You’ve heard of the placebo effect- where a medication doesn’t really have a therapeutic effect, but you THINK it does, so you experience a benefit.
It’s the basis of most scientific studies …. and a statistic reported in every package insert of prescription medications. Basically, it implies that the placebo effect is bad, that is wrong and that we should laugh at any positive benefits received from a placebo.
But wait…. is it really bad? What is wrong about experiencing a benefit WITHOUT actually ingesting a chemical (aka a drug). Isn’t that the epitome of NATURAL health? The only people who believe that the placebo effect is a bad thing are those who have a financial interest in selling a product.
Let’s dive into this “placebo effect”.
In essence, it’s all in our mind… which means that our MIND is incredibly powerful! I’m sure that you’ve experienced this in some way shape or form (likely unrelated to health). This is the premise of meditation and being in an enlightened state: You create the world you want to experience in your mind first; you create your beliefs and expectations then you live it.
Here is a simple exercise that you can try:
Close your eyes and take a deep breath to relax.
Think of a time when you felt alive, excited and full of joy. Recall a specific incident that caused you to feel this way.
Now pay close attention to what you are feeling in your body. Is your breathing a a little deeper? Your heart beating stronger? Perhaps you have a little smile on your mouth? Do you hear music in the background of your mind? Notice all of these little things.
Ok… now I want you to open your eyes. Enjoy the moment you just experienced with your eyes open.
Next, with your eyes still open, recall a specific incident when you felt sad, maybe depressed. Don’t think too much, just recall a specific incident… perhaps you lost a job or you dropped your child off at college.
Now close your eyes again and take a deep breath. This time, remember the time feeling of excitement and joy…. but recall the specific incident of sadness (not the feeling of sadness, the incident that caused the it).
What do you notice about the intensity of that sadness? If you are able to recall the incident, but keep your mind focused on the FEELING of excitement and joy, then you probably noticed that the incident that caused the sadness feels less depressing, less heavy.
What you just experienced, this lightened intensity, is the power of the mind….. it is this power that can create the placebo effect.
This may all sound a little woo-woo to you, but it isn’t. Actually, neuroscience has caught up to this woo-woo stuff and has ways to document the power that our mind has to physically change our body and the energy around us.
If you are interested in learning more about energy medicine and the placebo effect, I encourage you to read the following:
- “The Essential Guide to Neuro-Linguistic Programming” by Tom Hoobyar & Tom Dotz
- “A Practical Guide to Vibrational Medicine” by Richard Gerber, MD
- “The Placebo Effect” by Joe Dispenza, DC
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