Placebo effect

Just watched a documentary on BBC in their Horizon series on "the placebo effect". As well as being interesting it reinforced to me how we each live in a world created by our minds. Outside things influence and change our perception but ultimately it is OUR perception that is our truth. The fact that even when some people know it is a placebo it can still work in 60% was even more astonishing. This seemed to show that we can suspend logical reasoning if it is to our " perceived" benefit.

If you believe, it works. Hypnotism is the same, as are faith healers, psychics, TV evangelists and voodoo doctors. It's just the degree to which you suspend logical reasoning. Clearly in some cases this ability to suspend logic has benefits. While complete abdication of logic can see the vulnerable abused and in a cult. 

What is fascinating is the minds ability to create a world in which belief is reality. There is a theory that there are infinite universes. I vaguely remember a quote that was something like "when a human dies a whole world ceases to exist". 

Clearly there are limits to this. One can't ignore the laws of physics. A belief that you can fly does not make it so. Where the external world can be suppressed momentarily, it seems the body can be at the disposal of the mind, and the mind can fool itself. Giving someone an empty oxygen bottle at a high altitude didn't increase the oxygen in their body, but did reduce hormones in the blood as if they had and enabled them to carry out tasks as if they had.

Even fake surgery. Where the theatre that goes around the preperation, gave people benefits as if they had the surgery. People with back pain, was the example. There was no attempt to set or mend broken bones. But clearly not all surgery is necessary. 

So if it is just the theatre of people in white surgery outfits, in a hospital setting that enables the mind to trick itself, you should be able to make the link to religious and other institutional ceremonies that impart some belief that things have change, for the individual or group.