There is growing gulf and dichotomy in people I know and friends on the subject of healing, spirituality and health. On one side are friends who are more ‘new age’, following wellness protocols, tarot cards, zodiac signs and using crystals for healing. On the other, my cold hard rationalist friends. For me, I’m somewhere in the middle but very much opposed to both extremes. Let me be clear, I think crystals and zodiac signs are complete fantasy. I also think people who look at science as the be all and end all are divorcing healthy rational thought and replacing it with dogmatic religion of science. This podcast sheds some light on the topic and is a great way of expanding our view on a topic which is so often polarizing.
Hidden Brain looks at several cases where placebo is much more than a delusion or “unintended benefit” as it is often seen today. To most people, the placebo effect is almost a derogatory term for something which isn’t real. Actually the placebo effect is INCREDIBLY REAL and valuable and sometimes even works better than real medicine and even real invasive surgeries. Isn’t that amazing?
It also gives us perspective in why so many people jump onto new age healing practices and other mumbo jumbo. No they don’t actually work. But you believing in something, ANYTHING, does produce real measurable effects! The same can be said for chiropractors and other forms of nonsense esoteric healing. They aren’t doing anything beyond perhaps a mild massage, but really, your body and brain are undergoing real changes because of the power of your mind.
I highly recommend this podcast and invite my friends to discuss it with me. It might change your mind if you believe in things like healing crystals, and it also might tempt some of my staunch rationalist friends to reconsider “pseudo-science” and quack medicine and believe in more traditional mumbo jumbo healing.