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The Placebo Effect

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The placebo effect occurs when people's expectations or beliefs influence or determine their experience in a given situation. In other words, simply expecting something to happen can actually make it happen.

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Psychotherapy is a versatile, nonmedical approach aimed at helping individuals address emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal issues to enhance their overall well-being. It can involve one-on-one sessions, couples counseling, or small group discussions with a therapist. The therapeutic process includes various techniques such as open discussion, interpretation of thoughts and behaviors, active listening, positive reinforcement, and role modeling. Psychotherapy aims to support individuals in...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 13, 2026

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants

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Published on: December 14, 2014

The placebo effect in psychotherapy.

¹Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Handbook of Clinical Neurology

|October 29, 2025

Summary

Psychotherapy and placebo interventions share surprising similarities in their psychological mechanisms and effects. Understanding these overlaps is crucial for accurately defining and researching psychotherapy effectiveness.

Keywords:

Common factors Ethics Placebo Psychotherapy Psychotherapy research Specific factors

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Area of Science:

Psychology and Psychiatry
Clinical Psychology
Medical Ethics

Background:

The relationship between psychotherapy and placebo interventions has been a long-standing debate.
Both interventions are recognized for their clinically significant effects and psychological mechanisms.
Despite shared aspects, psychotherapy and placebo are often perceived as fundamentally different.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the historical connection between placebo and psychotherapy.
To examine the definitions and research methodologies of placebo controls in psychotherapy.
To investigate the concept and implications of 'placebo psychotherapy'.

Main Methods:

Historical review of psychotherapy and placebo origins.
Analysis of definitions and conceptualizations of psychotherapy.
Discussion of placebo-controlled trial designs in psychotherapy research.

Main Results:

Psychotherapy and placebo interventions share more common ground than commonly acknowledged.
The definition of psychotherapy significantly influences the interpretation of research findings.
Placebo effects within psychotherapy warrant closer examination and appreciation.

Conclusions:

A deeper understanding of placebo mechanisms can enhance psychotherapy research and practice.
Re-evaluating 'placebo psychotherapy' may offer valuable insights into therapeutic outcomes.
The distinction between psychotherapy and placebo may be less absolute than previously assumed.