The Placebo Effect

A doctor friend and I often discuss health and healing. He’s a brilliant person and has read hundreds of books since he retired on health with various case studies done by western medicine. He claims that now he has an open mind to other forms of healing after reading Iain McGilchrist’s two volumes of “The Matter with Things” which discuss the functions of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. He says that up to this point he has been totally driven by the left brain. But when I tell him about holistic healing methods, he claims that there is no scientific proof for these methods. He acknowledges that there are starting to be more case studies showing the healing abilities of acupuncture and grounding. When I point out that there are also a lot of testimonials, that has no value with him as he just wants to see case studies. And when I mention that a healing technique like Reiki worked for me, he dismisses it as a placebo effect.

It has been shown during case studies that people who took sugar pills or sodium injections also called placebos have had the same positive results as the people who took drugs that are being tested. So, the placebo effect is recognized by medical scientists and their only explanation is that the expectation of being cured helps the brain release chemicals that heal the body. People believe in the cure, but they don’t realize that they are tricking the brain into thinking that what they are taking will help them. I think that it goes beyond this psychology, and because of the fact that a placebo sometimes works, it means to me that the body has the ability to heal itself, and that we can use our subconscious to do this. It demonstrates the spiritual law that energy follows thought.

There are books about this, but I remembered a holistic healing technique that I wrote about that use our subconscious for healing. It was the article on remote healing where I mentioned “The Silva Mind Control Method”. Jose Silva developed this method using meditation. He taught people on how to get into a meditative state and use alpha brain waves from meditation to visualize whatever they wanted including being healed and he had great results. He also used affirmations like “Every day in every way, I get better and better” which he borrowed from Emile Coué to talk to our subconscious. Whenever a negative thought comes up, Jose also suggests this affirmation which he also used from Emile Coué, “Negative thoughts, negative suggestions, have no influence over me at any level of mind”.

LeRoy Malouf is a holistic healer who uses the Yuen method to heal yourself. In using this method, you get into an athletic position like a basketball player guarding an opponent which is in a crouch with your arms out. You then focus on your midline at your core and up your spinal cord. You imagine energy giving you strength up and down your midline. You do this by waving your hand up and down in front of your top half of your body. If you sense any weakness at any spot, you keep waving your hand at that spot until you feel 100 per cent strong. He came up with a cute little song to influence your subconscious and your cells which can be found at: https://ewbp.com . Leroy also uses the Yuen method to ger rid of negative concepts that we’ve been thought such as aging degeneration. You move your hand up and down in front you and think of getting rid of all the things that you’ve been told about the deterioration of your body as you get old. Leroy is 92 years old and does cardiovascular workouts six times a week.

Listening to binaural beats also help you access alpha, theta, and delta brainwaves as does having a good night’s sleep. These brainwaves will also tap into your subconscious and will help your body heal. But I think that the best way to tap into your subconscious is to use silent meditation. Before you start your meditation, remember all of the joy and gratitude in your life. Don’t just think of it, feel the joy and feel the gratitude. This will put your subconscious in a good place for chemicals to be released from your brain. Here is a great little cartoon that has a simple explanation on how to meditate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5N0AytiUk4 . Sitting quietly with your legs crossed either on the floor or in a chair, with your palms up in your lap, try not to have any thoughts. Starting with deep breaths will signal your body that it’s time to relax and then return to normal breathing. Focusing on your breath is the key to meditation. Thoughts will come and go and that’s okay but always return to your breath. If you still have problems, you can use this little tip that my friend taught me. Instead of having your palms up in your lap, fold your hands in front of your chest. As you breathe, focus on the sensation between your middle fingers. Your hands will get very warm as you feel the energy flowing through your body. So, instead of tricking your mind with a placebo, you will have the power of your subconscious to heal yourself. You will also have access to something far greater than a cure.