Placebo From an Enactive Perspective

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Science
• Embodied Cognition
• Philosophy of Mind

Background:

• Placebo effects are controversial due to complexity and variability.
• Current explanations rely on problematic assumptions like dualism and reductionism.
• Existing research often overlooks the embodied and interactive nature of therapeutic contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically assess current explanations and empirical evidence of placebo effects.
• To propose an alternative theoretical framework based on the enactive approach.
• To reframe placebo interventions as modulators of embodied and interpersonal processes.

Main Methods:

• Critically assessing existing literature on placebo effects.
• Applying core enactive concepts (autonomy, agency, sense-making) to placebo research.
• Utilizing Gilbert Simondon's ontology of individuation.
• Analyzing placebo interventions through the lens of embodied dimensions (organic, sensorimotor, intersubjective).

Main Results:

• Problematic assumptions hinder understanding of placebo effects.
• The enactive approach offers a more workable framework by moving beyond binary distinctions.
• Placebo interventions act as modulators and triggers within embodied and interpersonal regulatory processes.
• Therapeutic interactions are better understood through participatory sense-making.

Conclusions:

• The enactive approach provides a novel framework for understanding placebo effects.
• Embodied and interpersonal processes are crucial for placebo responses.
• Investigating therapeutic interactions requires a focus on participatory sense-making rather than solely individual traits.
• This framework moves beyond traditional explanations like expectation and conditioning.