The Placebo Effect

Let’s talk a bit about the placebo effect, which is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as: “improvement in the condition of a patient that occurs in response to treatment but cannot be considered due to the specific treatment used.” It’s often referred to as used in drug trials, but it truly can be applied to any circumstance in which a person experiences both objective and subjective improvements that can’t be tied to a specific input. This incredible process is way under discussed and underrated in my opinion!! Because it illustrates that the brain and body have the ability to heal itself by thought and perception alone.

If somebody creates a desired result with the placebo effect, that to me is best case scenario because that means that that person created measurable change all within their own body and through their own biological process. They created chemical reactions, a physical change, a change in reality completely from within themselves without any exogenous therapy – nothing! That change literally came from within them. That is the essence of you are truly the medicine. The experience of having a placebo effect is within you at all times. That potential energy of healing lives inside of you. It’s what you believe about the sugar pill that allows you to utilize it.

The Placebo Effect Without A Sugar Pill

So why can’t people just do this on command? Well the reason the average person would need some sort of sugar pill or sugar therapy to create that healing effect, is because of the limitations of the mind. There’s nothing special about the sugar pill or any applied protocol. Of course, it’s just nothing. But the reason why a lot of people can’t do that in the day to day on their own, is because their mind is telling them a different story about the circumstance that they’re experiencing. Their belief system says they need something to create the improved effect. So when they’re given a sugar pill or a therapy and they’re assured – “this is going to create this change,” they believe it, accept it as truth, and they’re able to surpass the limitations of their mind and their own consciousness.

However, with intention, you are able to do this without somebody giving you a sugar pill. How? With intention, aligned changes in behavior and a shift in mindset and beliefs. Something I observe working with clients and patients over the years, is that there is somewhat of a negative connotation with the placebo effect. People don’t want the sugar pill. They don’t want the sugar therapy. They want the “real thing.” (This makes sense if you break down how the subconscious mind and ego operate, but I won’t dive into that here.)

Ironically, it doesn’t get realer than absolute autonomy over your own healing.

It’s A Win Win

When I start working with someone, there’s often a lot of moving pieces to the work that we’re doing. We’re working a little bit on food, a little bit on hydration, a little bit on herbs. Maybe they’re getting acupuncture. They are changing their routine. We’re talking about maybe some supplementation. And people will start to have an observable and positive change. They’ll sometimes come to me and they’ll ask, “Is it this? Is it that? Is it the placebo effect?” And I explain:  1. It’s everything working together. What you’re doing is providing the inputs to restore function to your body & 2. It very well could be the mechanism the placebo effect. Just focus on the fact that it’s working and you are healing. 😊

When you’re experiencing the placebo effect, it doesn’t mean that whatever the therapy you’re involved in is null and void. It just means that the pharmacy inside of you is actually surpassing any measurable effect of any substance or therapy that you’re receiving. For example, I’m an acupuncturist. There are research studies that show that people who get poked with toothpicks have the same observable change than people who are receiving acupuncture. That doesn’t mean that there’s not objective changes and a physical experiences happening with real acupuncture, but it does mean that the thought alone that you’re receiving acupuncture can also create that physical experience and that observable change.

A Decision Alone Creates Change

Something else I notice working with people is that often people will start to get better without doing much at all, other than making a decision they are going to get better and they are done being unwell. They make a commitment to themselves. So even just the act of making a decision saying, “I’m going to eat healthier,” or “I’m going to be a different person,” or the thought of setting out to do something worthwhile, already creates a cascade of a neurological and biological responses in the brain and body. That process already starts to occur just by deciding you’re going to do something. Just by thought alone, the decision starts to facilitate the placebo effect. Circling back to what I said at the beginning of this, placebo effect is the best case scenario because it means you don’t need anything outside of you to facilitate your own healing, which is the absolute truth.

It’s Okay To Utilize A “Sugar Pill”

It’s okay to need or want something to be your “sugar pill” and that can absolutely be a part of your journey. I put sugar pill in parenthesis because it can be anything. Your sugar pill could be a supplement, a ritual, a routine, a therapy etc. Just the act of doing something putting you in the energy of what you want and starting to behave like the person who feels how you want to feel. Just behaving and thinking like a healthy person, you’re going to start to feel like a healthy person. Everything is energy and how you perceive your body and your belief systems play a huge role in your physical experience. We are energetic creatures and we are ruled by energy. So get behind the energy of the health that you want to create and then move forward in alignment with what that is.

Feel free to download this free guide on simple foundations to cultivate vitality – you can be your own placebo and start living in alignment with how it is you want to feel – healthy, vibrant & energized!! ⤵️