The Spiritual Placebo Effect

I felt inspired to write on a subject that fascinates many seekers in the spiritual and occult realms — ‘The Spiritual Placebo Effect.’ It bridges science and spirituality, belief and healing, showing how faith itself can become medicine for the soul.

Understanding the Placebo Effect - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo 

The placebo effect is a phenomenon where a person's physical or mental health improves after receiving a ‘sham’ treatment, unknown to him,, such as a sugar pill, simply because they believe it will work. This effect is powered by expectation and psychological influence rather than the treatment itself, often leading to real physiological changes. It is widely studied in clinical trials to determine the true effectiveness of new drugs.

In simple terms, when a person believes that a certain medicine will cure their illness, even if that medicine is not real, the very belief initiates a process of healing. The mind’s conviction becomes the bridge to transformation.

Now, The Spiritual Placebo Effect.

The Spiritual Placebo Effect - When someone believes in a guru, mantra, ritual, or healing crystal, that belief itself becomes a bridge between their ordinary mind and their higher potential. The external object or practice might not hold inherent power, yet the belief energizes the inner being, unlocking dormant possibilities. 

• The mantra works because the devotee believes it works.
• The guru’s touch heals because the disciple’s trust is total.
• The ritual purifies because the heart surrenders through it.
• The outer form merely gives the inner faith something to hold onto — a symbolic key to open the door within.

Now, in Spiritual or Occult Realm, there is a lot of skepticism around The Spiritual Placebo Effect. We get to hear things like - 

• It may be the case that anyways your problems were about to end and you happen to meet that Guru and now, you are unnecessarily projecting the resolution on that Guru or his Mantra or his Remedies.
• What is the proof that your problems resolved due to that Guru or Mantra or Remedies or Meditation? What is the connection between two?

Let me try to respond to such doubts or questions in a few different ways - 

1. Firstly, this question or doubt is generic in nature and not specific to a person (Guru) or any activity. Like, if you had been doing any ritual given by any Guru and if your problem had got solved than this questioner would have raised the same question or doubt of proof of connection between the problem and resolution.

2. Ironically, the skeptic seems more comfortable with your suffering than with your healing — because your healing challenges his worldview.

3. This kind of questioning shows a lack of faith in the subtle law of cause and effect operating at the energy level. The skeptic believes only what can be seen or measured, forgetting that the most meaningful aspects of life — love, trust, and consciousness — are invisible. Spiritual processes operate in the inner, unmanifest dimension, not the outer, material one.

4. He also needs to learn that Spiritual Journey is always an internal one. So, its functioning is bound to be unmanifested one. He cannot seek the manifested proof of spiritual processes just like a materialistic one as the dimension is completely opposite; i.e. Inward Vs Outward.

Now, let’s look at this skepticism from another level –

5. Skepticism is ultimately rooted in a sense of separation — the belief that problems, actions, and resolutions exist apart from one another. In truth, they are interlinked. A problem sends us on a quest for a path; the actions on that path lead to its resolution. Everything exists in a chain of interconnected events.

6. At some point of time, we need to realize that problem in life, actions to resolve the problem and the resolution of problem are all interlinked. Problems in life sends us on the search of path by which we can resolve them and then actions taken on the same path leads to resolution. They are all interconnected as we are all interconnected.

7. For instance, suffering in health compels us to seek medicine, and taking the medicine leads to recovery. Nothing is separate — cause, action, and result are parts of one flow. Curiously, skeptics rarely question the origin of the problem but are eager to question the source of healing.

Now, let’s deal with question or doubt in yet another way –

8. If the placebo or spiritual placebo effect proves anything, it proves the power of the human mind. Through belief, the mind can create both illness and its cure. Hundreds of healing modalities exist worldwide, and all have worked for someone, somewhere — because belief is the common thread connecting them all.

9. Even the most skilled doctor cannot help a patient who lacks belief in the treatment. Faith is not a substitute for action; it is the energy that activates it.

10. Some of our problems are real, while others are fictional — creations of the mind. Yet to the person experiencing them, both appear real. Whether one dreams of an accident or actually meets with one, the fear and pain feel genuine. A spiritual teacher or mantra helps us ‘wake up’ from the dream of suffering, showing us that problems are actually devices for growth and awakening.

11. What I am trying to say that if there is a real problem, we have to find the real solution or treatment to help person. But if problem itself is fictional then real treatment can actually harm someone. Suppose someone has a dream of meeting with an accident then giving him painkillers and injections in his sleep can only aggravate his suffering. All he needs is someone who can help him awake gently.

12. As I understand, spiritual remedies and mantras only help us in waking-up and seeing that there is no problem (accident) at first place. They help us in making us realize that problems in life are perfectly placed to make us learn and evolve. They are perfect devices. So afterwards, we start seeing problems as blessings in disguise.

13. Thus, even if a so-called fictional treatment helps someone awaken and find real relief, that healing is authentic. The relief a person feels after waking from a nightmare is no less real than the dream itself once was

14. As I said, if at all Placebo Effect or Spiritual Placebo Effect proves something then it proves the Power of Human Mind. It proves that a Human Mind through believing can create an illness and its cure both. So, if a Guru or Mantra or Remedy is helping you switching your mind from illness to cure then I don’t find anything wrong in it and I am all for it, regardless of all skepticism or doubt.

15. Ultimately, what we call the ‘Spiritual Placebo Effect’ can also be understood through Gestalt Psychology. Gestalt teaches that when perception changes, understanding transforms — the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. In the same way, spiritual practices alter how we perceive life, and that shift in perception brings healing and clarity.

When we change our inner perception, the whole reality reorganizes itself around that new understanding. What seemed like a placebo is actually a profound transformation of consciousness.

Gratitude!!!