ESCUCHANDO AL PLACEBO, O CÓMO AVERIGUAR POR QUÉ FUNCIONAN LOS TRATAMIENTOS

Abstract

: e placebo effect is powerful and has been proved effective in multiple studies, competing even with well-established treatments. It is not an unspecific or inert effect. It has a ubiquitous nature and accounts for all types of treatments, although psychology is the area that makes it comprehensible. Discussing and discovering what makes it so effective is a useful and illustrative task regarding how treatments work. In this sense, it must be emphasized that in order for the placebo effect to operate, it must be considered from a contextual view, it does not require deception, and it does require a person with problems, in homeostatic imbalance. e study of the conditions in which the placebo effect occurs has been useful in delineating which aspects are important in treatments. ese are as follows: the provision of information and its meaning, the patient’s previous experiences and beliefs, the application of the treatment under favorable conditions, and the use of well-recognized and accepted treatments in their foundations and procedure.