Placebo for psychotherapy

In medicine, you know the Placebo effect: A pill that contains no active ingredient, is followed by an improvement of symptoms, because a positive effect is expected. This principle also works in the psychotherapy provided the Placebo is attributed a corresponding meaning, and the relationship between therapist and Patient is well.

If a Placebo psychological effects are attributed to, it can actually have an effect that lasts for several days. This has been shown by scientists at the University of Basel in three experiments. They found that the effect of psychological Placebos in a friendly relationship between the therapist and patient is just as important as the corresponding expectation.

A total of 421 study participants, the researchers tested the psychological effect of films that were predominantly decorated in green. In the process, they gave a part of the patients, the following statement: "Green soothes, because it enabled early embossed emotional schemas." In addition, they varied the environment and used either a neutral or a friendly atmosphere. Following the Film and a few days afterwards, the participants rated your personal.

Study leader Prof. Dr. Jens tabs rating the results as follows: "The observed effects were comparable to those of psychotherapeutic interventions." Directly after Watching the film, the effects were the greatest, but even after a week, the positive effects were still detectable.

ZOU