How God Works: The Science Behind Spirituality Healing Rituals: There's Power in Belief (From the Archive)
Sep 14, 2025
Join science writer Erik Vance, who dives into the power of suggestibility and belief in healing, alongside Stanford psychologist Alia Crum, who studies how mindsets influence our bodies. They discuss how personal upbringing shapes spirituality and the psychological aspects of faith healing. The conversation highlights the potent placebo effect, emphasizing the role of community and expectation in recovery. They explore fascinating examples of how our beliefs about food or medicine can significantly impact our physiological responses and overall well-being.
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Knee 'Cleansing' That Reduced Pain
- Erik Vance had a shaman in Mexico perform a knee 'cleansing' that involved symbolic sucking and paper figurines.
- He left pain-free that night despite not believing the ritual's mechanics.
Placebos Work Through Belief Not Chemistry
- Placebo effects come from beliefs about treatments, not only from chemical properties.
- These belief-driven effects can measurably change feelings and recovery.
Conditioning Produces Open Placebo Effects
- Conditioning creates internal placebo responses that occur even when people know a pill is inert.
- Repeated pairing of a pill with relief trains the brain to reproduce drug-like effects.