Beyond the Placebo Effect

When I’m teaching the Consciousness Medicine (CxM) healing work to new students I’m often asked if everyone can do it.  In the beginning, I asked myself the same question.  Is it a gift or is it teachable?  Over the years I’ve worked out that by activating a few key aspects of being a conscious human being, the CxM work is something that everyone can learn and practice.  And in nearly 20 years of teaching, I have never found someone who cannot access the healing power within us all!

One of the principles I talk about to help activate the healing potential within is the placebo effect. A scientific phenomenon that proves the existence of a mind-body connection that creates a beautiful bridge between science and spirit.  Going beyond the placebo effect means expanding the idea of using conscious intention to activate self-healing capabilities available to us all.

The placebo effect is when a person’s health improves after receiving a placebo, or inert substance that does not contain an active substance meant to affect health.  First observed in the 18^th century when fake or ‘snake oil’ treatments showed actual therapeutic benefit, it wasn’t until the 19^th century that it was recognized as having clinical importance in medical research. 

Today it is used in clinical trials by every major pharmaceutical to help determine if a medicine is working better than no treatment at all.  Usually done in what is called a double-blind experiment, where neither the study participant nor clinician knows who has gotten which treatment, the placebo effect averages out to about 30% but can climb as high as 80% in some cases. One-third of the participants who received no active treatment felt a health benefit equal to those participants who received the active compound.

The reason for the placebo effect is that the person believes that the medicine they receive will work for them.  This is the power of the mind-body connection.  When our mind believes it, the body will manifest it. 

In holistic approaches to healing, we hear a lot about the importance of the mind-body approach to whole-person healing. That our thoughts, feelings, beliefs and attitudes can affect our health both positively and negatively.  To treat a condition successfully, we must include all levels of being. 

This is also the foundation for Consciousness Medicine which I developed to create a healing modality that would bring forward deep and lasting change using skills to treat the body matrix: physical, energetic, emotional, ancestral and spiritual.

In my clinical practice, I use the power of the mind-body connection to encourage clients to use visualization as part of their healing.  For example, a client with a cancerous tumor used my suggestion of visualizing the blood supply being cut off to the tumor and the tumor disappeared.  Another client who had a broken bone, reduced healing time significantly by visualizing a fully healed bone during their meditation time. 

Visualizing the colors of the chakras, or energy centers in the body can help to clear the energy body and bring forward emotional stability.  For example, visualizing a round spinning ball of ruby red light of the root chakra can help reduce anxiety and increase self-confidence.  With medication, connecting to the intention of maximizing positive effects and minimize negative effects will do just that.

As a molecular biologist, I am always intrigued when science bridges the gap with explanations of how complementary healing approaches work.  The placebo effect gives evidence of the power within us as human beings to be able to heal ourselves with pure, focused and sustained intention.  It shows us the direct link between how our thoughts and beliefs can shape health and well-being. 

Another scientific principle that supports this mind-body connection on a biochemical level is that researchers have found the presence of neuroreceptors on many cells throughout the body.  These receptors receive signals sent specifically from the brain and activate or deactivate biological processes that support our health.  By using focused intention, we can supercharge the connection between our mind and body.  

Allow this knowledge to move you into an empowered place where you have full access to the healing power within you. When we combine this belief with a fully embodied presence of being and a clear intention we activate the place where healing happens, and our vibration shifts and allows the components of your reality to shift into a healthier, happier and more harmonious place.