no, the entire evening was the Film “Green Morph”. A green area slowly changes the hue to Yellow, then to Olive green and back. In the meantime continue to appear bright or dark green circles and disappear. The Whole process takes just seven minutes and should be good for the Psyche. Studies have shown that the colors Green and Yellow would have a profound positive impact on mood, especially for depressed patients, claims a friendly psychologist before the movie starts. “Let all thoughts and images and try them in the green color and the motion. The more you do it, the more you will benefit.”

Everything is just a deception. “Green Morph” was part of an experiment by psychologists to Jens tabs, head of the Department of Clinical psychology and psychotherapy at the University of Basel. The researchers used the green Film with a made-up effect, in order to prove that something exists as a psychological Placebo. In this way, they tried the mechanisms of action of psychotherapy to get to the bottom of this. Their results have been published recently in the journal “Scientific Reports”. “Our Trials show that the placebo effect occurs not only in the treatment with drugs, but also in psychotherapy,” says Jens tabs.

Placebo effect in psychotherapy

This is contrary to the Basel scientists are of the common view of his colleagues. Many psychotherapists find that the concept of Placebo have been looking for in your trade, preferably in the biomedical sense. “The effect of psychotherapy is based, among other things, the same as the placebo effect of positive therapy, maintenance, and trusting relationship with the therapist,” says Mario Pfammatter, at the Bern University clinic for psychiatry and psychotherapy to mechanisms of action of psychotherapy research. In pharmaceutical research, these psychological factors did not apply as the impurity elements, which covered the actually desired effect of drugs. “In psychotherapy, they are, however, Central and wanted.”

For Jens tabs, however, is not clear that the Placebo-concept is limited only to Biomedicine: “Our Experiments clearly show that it is possible to sell something as a psychotherapy, this is not.”

Friendly attempt to guide one more provides for the effect of

The Basel psychologists showed more than 400 healthy subjects, films such as “Green Morph” together with invented but plausible statement that the green color will calm you. If this statement – psychologists talk of Narrative – of a-friendly-empathic investigator was presented, were able to determine the researchers in the subjects by means of a standardized questionnaire to a real effect. The effect could be obtained even after a week. The strength of the effect was in accordance with tabs similar to those of real psycho-therapeutic interventions.

part of the subjects did not received this statement, other participants received the Narrative from a neutral instead of friendly-empathic experimenter presents. In both cases, the psychological Placebo was ineffective. “A plausible model of explanation is not enough for an effect,” says tabs. “It needs a good relationship with the therapist, and a expected effect.”

“An innovative study,” says the Bernese psychologist Mario Pfammatter. They show that even a fictional psychological theory building therapist could be effective if it is sufficiently plausible. “That was presumed to be 50 years ago, has now been proven however, to my knowledge, for the first time with an Experiment.” Pfammatter, however, is still of the view that the concept of Placebo is not part of the psychotherapy.

This is also the objection by Christoph Flückiger, head of the General intervention of psychology and psychotherapy at the Psychological Institute of the University of Zurich, praises the study, too. For him, the Basel experiments show that “it is not the method of treatment alone makes the big difference”. More important is the relationship with the therapist in combination with the proactivity of people who used their resources and their will to Achieve their goals. For the treatment practice, the study had only limited relevance, because with healthy subjects.

well-Established therapy methods are of similar effectiveness

tabs is that the results of his study could have for the concrete therapy consequences. “As practitioners we need to reflect that also in psychotherapy, placebo effects are possible,” says tabs, who is himself a psychotherapist. “We have to accept it and also the patients to make it transparent.” This does not mean that the therapy ceases to have effect, such as, among others, research from the Basel show. “Psychotherapy is a good treatment, whose effectiveness has been demonstrated in numerous studies,” says tabs. “Open, however, is still why and how it works.”

the type of psychotherapy with the established procedure seems to play in many cases, no role. Whether behavior therapy, psychodynamic therapy or humanistic psychotherapy – the efficacy is comparable. “Perhaps the psychotherapy looks very different than we believe actually,” says tabs.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 27.03.2019, 06:40 PM