What if the Placebo Effect Isn’t a Trick?
How important is it that you take the time to listen to and have compassion for the client you’re about to work on and after you’ve worked on them? This is a fascinating article about the placebo effect. For decades, doctors and researchers poo-pooed the placebo effect, saying there was no science behind it. Even though there were was a ton of evidence showing that it worked over and over again. Well, now there IS some good science behind it! Not only does it demonstrate once again that the placebo works, but it shows how the placebo effect actually affects specific molecules in the brain to achieve the desired healing effect. Confirmation of mind over matter! What’s really interesting for massage and other bodywork therapists is that the studies show that the Interpersonal Connection between the practitioner and the patient/client has as much or more to do with achieving positive effects as anything, in terms of stimulating those brain molecules. Think about that the next time you work on someone. How you interact with them may have as much or more to do with how they respond to the wonderful techniques you offer them.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/07/magazine/placebo-effect-medicine
