Ep. 59: The Placebo Effect

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Ron begins by asking Deb for her interpretation of what the placebo effect is.

• Deb describes her understanding of the placebo, involving doctors and medicines, and the stories that people have that change after receiving the placebo medication.
• Ron then explains the true medical tests that involve placebos, and the role they play, noting that sometimes the placebo drugs have the same effect on people.
• Ron notes that placebos having effects on people shows him the power that our stories can have on both our bodies and minds.

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Deb works through her new understanding of placebos, asking whether we really have the power to heal ourselves through stories.

• Ron describes stories of placebos people already use in their everyday lives.
• Deb follows this up by asking how she might be able to incorporate the power of these stories to help her feel better.
• Ron says that there are some things going on with our bodies that are psychological, rather than physical.
• Deb and Ron discuss the power that stories can have on the effectiveness of drugs.

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Ron asks what are the real stories she is following, and the true story within herself, rather than the story that she is trying to tell herself.

• He continues down this thought process and asks whether we can really trust ourselves and the stories that we tell ourselves.
• Deb asks whether we can dupe ourselves into believing something works when it doesn’t.
• She relates this back to a Macklin Method of creating yourself, and the authenticity attached to those stories.

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After Ron adds his comments, Deb explains how plus-self people can be sceptics on whether others are really trying to help, and close themselves off from accepting those stories.

• Ron explains his experience with plus-self people, and how over time he realized they were often even more scared than he was.
• Deb draws the line between fear and skepticism, and the ability to accept help from others and yourself.
• Ron and Deb continue discussing the harm this can be doing to you and your relationships with others.

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Ron then asks Deb how she can think to use the placebo effect.

• Deb says it starts with noticing our own stories, and fighting your reptile brain.
• Ron agrees that if we aren’t able to notice where the stories are coming from, then we all we can do is react, versus taking responsibility of our own actions.

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Ron follows that up by asking Deb how she would share this lesson with someone, and how much the stories in our head create the world around us.

• Deb says to try to identify when you had a placebo that worked, and what that story was that worked or didn’t.
• Following that, she wonders what would happen if people can’t hold that they are the one creating the story.
• Ron says he holds that everybody can hold that, and gives his advice on how others might be able to share this lesson.
• Deb questions whether she wants these stories to run her life and how she is feeling.
• Ron says being left alone with the stories in your head is viscous because you are isolated, but that sharing these stories can help.
• Ron shares a personal story of when he had a story in his head about a coworker, and how changing that story altered their relationship for the better.

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Join us to hear how understanding the idea of “self-talk” — and what you can do about it — could change your relationships and life for the better.

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Visit www.macklinconnection.com

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