Whether or not the scientific principles behind the placebo effect are 100% understood, the fact is that “truth” is being called into question. When the placebo effect is active the subject doesn’t know what the truth of the treatment is -real or fake. Yet they respond as if it’s real nonetheless. Interestingly, even when given the placebo someone can still feel negative side effects as if they reacted poorly to a real treatment.
Essentially what all this means is that our bodies don’t determine the reality of our experiences as much as our minds do. What we believe -or want to believe- actually affects how we feel about ourselves. Thus our emotional state, where our anxieties, depression, and pain resides, is under our control. As impossible as it sounds, the truth is that we have much more influence over our mental and emotional states than we know. This allows us to choose our reality in ways we couldn’t before because the “truth” is no longer true. Only what’s true to us matters.