The Placebo Response and the Power of Unconscious Healing

Placebo responses are automatic and unconscious and cannot be predicted based on conscious volition. Instead, they reflect complex interactions between the innate reward system of the nervous system and encoded procedural memories and imaginal fantasies. The placebo response contributes inextricably to virtually all therapeutic effects and varies in potency.

Key Features

• Automatic and Unconscious: Placebo responses occur without conscious prediction.
• Interpersonal Dynamics: The response is linked to trust, concern, and empathy.
• Therapeutic Contribution: Placebo responses play a significant role in therapeutic effects.
• Training for Caregivers: Optimising placebo responses is essential in care-giving.

Additional Information

The placebo response likely exhibits its own pathologies and the critical elements required to provoke these responses overlap substantially with what most current psychotherapies consider to be therapeutic.