From Placebo to Insight
… there should be a gentle slope. Not a downfall.
(This text is not about what concretely is or is not a placebo.)
Gentle slope – principle
Many people do depend on their placebo, like a kind of crutch. To abruptly take this crutch away can have negative results: people fall and break another leg.
So, the gentle slope is not for being afraid of change. Actually it is (part of) what is most efficient towards change. In many cases, the non-gentleness in ‘change’ rather appears to be a resistance, since it’s quite probable that such change will like a pendulum… soon fly the other way again.
How-to
As far as I can see, an aggressive fight against placebo – or worse: aggression against placebo-engaged people – very seldomly leads to success. In many cases, the result is opposite: a hardening of parties, both in the trenches, internally being miserable.
So, how-to? Some ‘tips’:
Keep being rational.
Don’t be afraid to bring rational arguments. Of course, make sure they are rational.
Talking about them at several occasions may make them stronger and may also make you stronger in bringing them. It’s not altogether evident. Certainly not if you think it is without you doing your proper research, your homework. It takes some work to really help people, which is of course what you’re aiming at.
However: not coldly. Rationality may quickly turn into a cold stance that appears cold-as-ice. So:
Show your warm emotions!
It’s a mistake to think that this goes against rationality. On the contrary: both need each other [see: ‘AURELIS USP: ‘100% Rationality, 100% Depth’].
Come to the issue again and again.
A ‘side-effect’ of placebo can be that it makes people deeply dependent. Never underestimate this.
Also, never see in it a diminishment of someone’s worthiness. You may better see this as what a placebo does to people. So, repeatedly tackling the issue – in a gentle way! – may be needed. Every time you touch the person, you may find a new opening. Eventually, you may get inside.
Motivation. No manipulation. Thus, always respectful.
TRY to help in ‘not breaking another leg’.
An alternative may be your empathy. Another helpful factor may be – guess who writes this – AURELIS.
Actually, it’s best to have an alternative in place before the dependence on placebo disappears. This way, you really help the other person (or yourself) who might even be grateful to you. I guess (s)he will be if you give it enough time.
Let the other person change from inside.
Give room and time (patience). Put seeds in the ground. No trees.
Anyway, a planted tree would risk falling down through lack of strong roots.
People generally do not want to be dependent on placebo. [see: ‘Placebo Is Not Good for You’]
People do generally want to ‘grow’, if properly supported.
Of course.
What’s at stake is themselves.
Related Posts
Clearly Subtle
What is subtle may seem clear to one person and unclear to another — as can what is obfuscated to the same individual. What is genuinely subtle and what merely appears subtle can be very different. See also Subtlety. As in dancing the tango A subtle leader and follower may be in harmony. A subtle Read the full article…
Breaking the Cycle of Projection
Projection is one of the most deceptive psychological mechanisms. It feels completely real. The emotions are intense. The justifications seem logical. And yet, when we project, we are often fighting a reflection of ourselves. We externalize our inner conflicts onto people, groups, or even entire cultures, believing that the enemy is ‘out there.’ This creates Read the full article…
Self-Congruence in Education
What if education focused less on what we pour into students, and more on what grows from within them? This blog explores how self-congruence – inner alignment between layers of the self – can transform learning from accumulation to deep personal becoming. Especially in universities, this shift may be essential. The facts are important, but Read the full article…