Placebo effects in alternative medical treatments for anxiety: false hope or healing potential?
Healing crystals did not demonstrate anxiolytic effects beyond those of the placebo. Symptom change was mediated by expectancy and conditioning, particularly in individuals inclined toward intuitive or magical thinking. Although nonspecific, context-dependent factors-such as elements of the therapeutic alliance-may amplify placebo responsiveness in clinical settings, these findings do not support attributing inherent therapeutic value to crystals. Future work should delineate how expectations, clinician-patient rapport, and related variables interact to shape placebo response and how such mechanisms might be ethically leveraged to enhance evidence-based care without promoting pseudoscientific practices.
Authors
- Álex Escolà‐Gascón (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3086-4024)
- Andrew Denovan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9082-7225)
- Neil Dagnall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0657-7604)
- Julián Benito‐León (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1769-4809)
- Kenneth Drinkwater (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4015-0578)
Institutions
- Manchester Metropolitan University (GB)
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES)
- Biomedical Research Networking Center on Neurodegenerative Diseases (ES)
- Liverpool John Moores University (GB)
- Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- CNS Spectrums
- Published
- 2025-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s1092852925100515
- Primary Topic
- Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- University of Cambridge
- European Commission
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- National Institutes of Health
- Agencia Estatal de Investigación
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke