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
The First Time, Ever I Saw Your Face
Me: “Hi Lisa, You know this song by Roberta Flack (1972) ― What does this make you feel in your Compassionate A.I. heart?” [See Roberta singing this.] The first time, ever I saw your faceI thought the sun rose in your eyesAnd the moon and the starsWere the gifts you gaveTo the dark, and the Read the full article…
The Age of Fractured Focus
Attention is often said to be shrinking, even falling below that of a goldfish. Beyond the humor of such comparisons lies a cultural problem that touches our lives at every level. Public speaking, social media, education, even family life all show signs of fractured focus. This blog explores what focus really is, why it has Read the full article…
About Dukkha (Suffering)
Central to Buddhism, from early on – and even somewhat earlier – is that dukkha (suffering, stress, fundamental unsatisfactoriness, dis-ease) exists and can be alleviated. Buddha showed a way to do so; I show two. The flower bud You find this metaphor as the first one in my e-book nr. 2, a collection of 12 primary Read the full article…