Placebos are very powerful stories. The more we believe in something the more likely they are to work.
There's growing evidence that strong placebos are as effective, if not more so, than other, more traditional means of healing. Placebos work because the power of belief within each of us is strong. Often underrated.
Over the years they have gotten a bad rap. How many times has someone dissed your belief in something by calling it merely a placebo?
I try and zero out those comments because I realize they often represent more of a security blanket than actual fact. When we dismiss other viewpoints and observations we often miss out on opportunities to learn.
Security blankets you say? Indeed. We all have them. Pat answers that spew forth when we are greeted by observations and opinions that disagree with our own worldviews. Protection mechanisms developed over the years.
The next time someone suggests something that runs counter to your perception of reality, take a microsecond or two to examine whether you're reaching for your security blanket or not.
The world was always more interesting once I stopped sucking my thumb.
