THE MIND IN HEALING: PSYCHIC HEALING AND PLACEBO EFFECT

Imagine lying on your bed, tired with your eyes closed, as a warm wave of energy washes over you, swallowing any darkness you feel. That warm tingling sensation courses throughout your body, soothing the tiring discomfort from your headache, and bringing in a deep calming serenity. Opening your eyes you see the world; it is still the same yet feels like a newer place, a healthier one. Or was it you who has healed? But if there was no medicine, then how did the pain miraculously disappear? Is it our hidden capacity or is there something else at play?

This brings us to two unconventional methods that challenge traditional medicine: the Placebo Effect and Psychic Healing. The placebo effect is an interesting phenomenon where simply believing in a cure can lead to real, physical changes in the body. It’s closely associated with the patient’s perception of the treatment. Imagine being given sugar pills under the impression that they’re potent medicine for your high fever. You take them as prescribed, and remarkably, you feel better and see your temperature drop the next day. This is the placebo effect at work—the sugar pills, in this case, are the ‘placebo,’ and belief becomes the healing agent. Multiple scientific studies have proven the effectiveness of the different placebos to cure different ailments.

The complex mind and body relation is what governs the Placebo Effect. Classical conditioning is a form of learning where an association is formed, which is then remembered, affecting future experiences. Like, you may have reported a decrease in fever after taking a placebo ‘sugar pill’ that looked similar to fever medication that was previously effective in curing it. Whenever the same stimulus is encountered in the future, the patient conditions himself and shows a previously imprinted response in his memory.

On the other hand, Psychic Healing is an ancient healing practice that surrounds the concept of altering the energy system that is believed to be residing inside each individual. It focuses on healing a diagnosed ailment by either injecting new energy or realigning the supposedly existing energy. Often called by different names— spiritual healing, energy healing, mental healing, etc., it is practiced in multiple forms such as— Qi, Reiki, Crystal healing, etc, all focusing on the body’s energy system. It is a form of complementary healing, treatments that are not part of conventional scientific medicine. However, it is at times considered quackery as the healers usually lack any conventional medical knowledge and solely base their treatments on their gift of healing. But is it just a quackery?

Reiki, as previously mentioned, is a form of psychic healing technique. Having originated in Japan, it is a relaxing form of therapy that is applied through gentle touch, with the practitioner laying hands either on or just above the specific regions of the body, a way of infusing or balancing energy in that region by allowing the flow of energy from the practitioner. Scientific studies have proven that it can successfully activate the parasympathetic nervous system thus guiding the patient towards healing. For example, A 2019 British Medical Journal Supportive and Palliative Care review concluded that Reiki is useful for relieving pain, decreasing anxiety, and depression, and improving quality of life in several conditions.

Similar to the placebo effect, Psychic Healing can also be governed by a psychological phenomenon such as vicarious conditioning. Through vicarious conditioning, individuals may develop positive beliefs about psychic healing by observing others’ positive experiences, even without direct involvement, through reading articles, watching videos, reels, etc.

But are they both governed by just biology or is belief involved?

Science has proven that belief does cause chemical changes in our brains. A study conducted by the University of California in the USA showed that endogenous opioids are responsible for painkilling effects during surgery. A belief that pain will be relieved produced these, whereas a contrary belief blocked them, thus elevating the pain. Hence, we can say that a belief that the ‘sugar pills’ would cure fever, will cure the fever and when you firmly believe that the ‘reiki’ you are receiving will relieve you from pain, then it surely will do so. Therefore, expectancy plays a role: when individuals strongly believe in the healer’s abilities or the healing process, their anticipation of improvement can lead to actual psychological or physiological changes. Together, these mechanisms create a psychological foundation that enhances the perceived effectiveness of psychic healing or the placebo for those open to it.

Another factor that might second the belief system is imagination. To a large extent, the brain does not distinguish real from imaginary. Thus, when you imagine something is happening, that indeed is happening as the brain produces chemicals to confirm that it is indeed real. A study was conducted by Harvard Medical School in the USA about two groups of students playing piano, in imagination and real respectively, over five days. The brain scan of each of these groups was taken and examined, which surprisingly revealed that both the groups were playing it in real, as the scans were revealed to be the same. Hence, if you imagine, or visualize, that the ‘sugar pills’ are indeed healing you from your fever, the brain will release chemicals that would help you heal. Similarly, if you visualize that the practitioner is transferring healthy energy in your body that is aiding you to heal, the brain will release chemicals that will heal you. 

Furthermore, several other influential factors are at work when we talk about both these methods, namely, the patient-physician relationship, the patient-healer relationship, and the environmental circumstances or cultural influences. For example, owing to India’s deep cultural roots embedded in Ayurveda and Spirituality, people here are more likely to practice and find psychic or energy healing techniques like Kundalini Yoga, Meditation, Reiki, etc., more effective than most other countries around the world. 

Although similar, placebo and psychic healing differ significantly in the source of their healing effects. In the placebo effect, healing is internally activated within the patient’s mind and body. Psychic healing, however, is thought to involve an external healer or energy source that influences the patient’s recovery. Additionally, the former has been extensively researched and documented in scientific literature, whereas the latter remains a partially unexplored field with fewer empirical studies, leaving much of its mechanisms and efficacy open to further investigation. While both have their advantages, each has its limitations. Neither approach has been proven effective for all ailments, and certain complex health issues remain beyond the reach of these methods alone. However, when combined with conventional medical treatments as complementary treatments, both placebo and psychic healing can enhance the healing process, potentially accelerating recovery and improving patient well-being. 

Thus, this brings us back to our original question: do we all carry a hidden capacity for healing, within us, that is waiting to be awakened?

About the Author

Rujula Rawool is a second-year student pursuing her Bachelor’s in Applied Psychology at NMIMS. Whether she’s lost in her vivid imagination world or writing about it, Rujula is always engrossed in creativity. She harbours profound love for art, design, computers, music, books, and especially heartfelt poetry. Driven by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, she is constantly learning and applying what she discovers. Her passion for understanding human behavior led her to the field of psychology, where she continues to explore the intricacies of the human mind.

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