All about Placebo

[arby]

There are so many areas of Lucid Dreaming that there is so little about. The placebo effect and how it effect the dream state is among these and is surely one of the most important. I wrote this up to introduce the concept and to provide a quick reference for anyone that wants to link here when trying to explain something. Its a slightly long read but should be worth it. Placebo, originally a purely medical term has roots in dreams too. Very deep roots. Placebo can be explained as such. An action that achieves a result without any basis other then the mind thinking that the result should be achieved. Placebo is simply the act of tricking yourself into an erroneous result. The infamous example of this in medicine is the fabled sugar pill. A friend has a very bad headache and so you give them a sugar pill telling them that it’s very strong headache medicine. They are under the assumption that they shouldn’t feel the headache anymore and therefore don’t. Under normal circumstances however, the sugar pill should have done nothing against the headache. The example of placebo in lucid dreaming is this small, insignificant part: ……. Control. All of control. Everything that you do in a dream that gets you a result is placebo through and through. Think about it. Stemming from what we know of placebo, what would happen if we took an unmarked pill in a dream? The classic sugar pill. Its effects would be exactly what we believe would happen. If we think its headache medication then we will be rid of a headache for a while. If the thought crosses our mind that its tinged with poison then we might find ourselves on the ground soon writhing in pain. Now, how about a more common example? Lets say, lifting an object. If the object should be light enough for you to life it, you make the connection between you pulling up on it and the object traveling upwards and you lift it. If you think the object should be too heavy, you would make the connection between you pulling on it yet nothing happening. Simple right? Perhaps it even seems a little irrelevant. How would you, however, go about lifting the heavy object? Quite simply, you have to believe that it will lift. But, often this wouldn’t work for a person that hasn’t mastered control so we incite placebo. All you need is an action and a mental link between that action and the object rising. For example, you could think “Once I snap my fingers, the object will shoot up into the sky!” Then, you snap your fingers and it will hopefully shoot up. This control technique won’t always work however. All control techniques lack a 100% success ratio. This is simply due to the fact that control techniques rely on a pre-built mental link between the action and event that takes place. If you do not have confidence that the action will trigger the event, it’s liable fail. This is why tailoring your own control techniques is a good idea. Take the event that you hope to cause and find the action that you can do that will most likely cause it. Back it with a bit of willpower and confidence and it will be likely to succeed. What you can do to induce events is only limited to your imagination. I've used an easy button (from the staples commercials) to help me achieve the sought after result. It can be as logical or illogical as you can make it. I've killed a samurai by opening up a pink umbrella. It burst a major vein in his head. XD Eventually, once you get good enough at manipulating your environment, you can skip having to do the action and skip straight to the event. You tell yourself that its gonna happen and that’s that. Understanding and manipulating your mind is the key to control. I hope this helps you to get better dreams or at least understand more about the dream world.

[arby]

Hm... I think I may have put this in the wrong place. Can someone move it to Dream Control for me? P.S. whoops I didn't mean to edit this when I moved it. Sorry.--Moonbeam

[Moonbeam]

OK, that's better. Sorry, that was my first action as a Dream Guide other than welcoming a newbie (and I managed to screw it up) but here you go. By the way, good ideas. I wish I could apply these better. When I finally have another real lucid, I hope I remember these words of wisdom. (Good job killing a samarai with a pink umbrella! Now that's convincing yourself that the impossible can happen!)

[arby]

(Good job killing a samarai with a pink umbrella! Now that's convincing yourself that the impossible can happen!) Its not too hard to do. Most people limit themselves to what they can do in the real world - and with good reason, its the only thing they know and the only connections they've drawn - in contrast, the dream world is very, very easy to make "impossible" things happen. But why do you think so many people do moves they have seen on TV or in the Matrix? Sure, they're cool.. But they're also limited in their excitement and number. So why are they so common? Simply, its because they're what we know and we've already drawn the connections for them. "If I lean backwards Matrix style, I can dodge bullets" If you can't make your own connections, take those that you already know and abuse them to no tomorrow =P

[arby]

Bump Comments/ complaints anyone? I always want yo know if my endless rambling has actually worked/helped someone or if you see something wrong tell me. The best way for me to learn more is to discuss it with others.

[Xei]

Yeah, Placebo is a really important factor. Lucid power is all about optimism, man! 8) I'm not sure if it's the only factor though. For example, a common technique for 'conjuring' objects from nothing is to just feel really deep inside your pockets for that object, provided it's small enough; something which has always worked in my (very limited) experience. Placebo probably plays a large part in that. But also, I think, plausability and familiarity play a role too. Everybody says it's pretty much impossible to make something just appear in front of you, no matter how much you believe. And you'd think that at least some people would've had enough optimism to manage that. On the other hand, feeling inside your pockets, which is a very believable and usual way of finding an object, is a lot more sucessful. You could probably even manage it with a pessimistic mindset.

[Super Duck]

Just found this in your sig. I, personally, am well met with the placibo effect in LDs but this may prove useful when chatting to noobs. Nice one arby.

[adraw]

Bump Comments/ complaints anyone? I always want yo know if my endless rambling has actually worked/helped someone or if you see something wrong tell me. The best way for me to learn more is to discuss it with others. Helped? Of course. You have one perfect talent. ANd that is ... You know how to generalise. I hope, there would be more of this cool "tutorials". I love talking about concepts, becouse they increase overall understanding of dream state. And placebo is one direct part of dream world. Cool you shared.

[Raylin]

Well, as you said, it all boils down to the fact that everything in a dream is technically placebo, merely because everything is created by your mind. Nothing has any external reference, and so can only exist as your mind creates it. Another poster mentioned reaching deep into your pockets to conjure something. Again, it's placebo (in the way we're using the word here, anyway). In order to pull the thing out, you'll need to expect that it'll be there. In other words, you think it'll be there, so it is. Exactly the same as how you think the sugar pill will work, so it does. The idea of plausibility is also linked to this. If something is more plausible, it simply makes it easier to think it will work, so more likely that it will.

[arby]

Well, as you said, it all boils down to the fact that everything in a dream is technically placebo, merely because everything is created by your mind. Nothing has any external reference, and so can only exist as your mind creates it. Another poster mentioned reaching deep into your pockets to conjure something. Again, it's placebo (in the way we're using the word here, anyway). In order to pull the thing out, you'll need to expect that it'll be there. In other words, you think it'll be there, so it is. Exactly the same as how you think the sugar pill will work, so it does. The idea of plausibility is also linked to this. If something is more plausible, it simply makes it easier to think it will work, so more likely that it will. Yep, you've got it. The one comment that I wanna make is that plausibility isn't consistent in dreams. Some dreams say that pink elephants are plausible. Just remember that if you go to bed with a plan for control.

[The Cusp]

I had filled an aspirin bottle full of M&Ms and wrote lucidity pill on them. I tried taken one every night before bed. After a week, it still didn't work, so I just ate them all. That didn't work either.

[Moonbeam]

It's strange; I can't just tell myself "I believe this will work!" and have it work, even if I think I really believe it. I'm always surprised when it doesn't work--cuz I really believed it would! Like conjuring a thing in my pocket, or whatever. I have to just do it without any thought at all. The way I get impossible things to work is to incubate them until it just happens automatically. If I think about enough, eventually I'll do it in a dream.

[ninja9578]

I agree with the original post placebos can have enormous effect on a human mind. I'm a avid supporter of "new-age" cure. I know that they have no scientific basis for curing people, but the mental power that they might is more powerful than a real drug. [Of course, not for everything.]

[arby]

It's strange; I can't just tell myself "I believe this will work!" and have it work, even if I think I really believe it. I'm always surprised when it doesn't work--cuz I really believed it would! Like conjuring a thing in my pocket, or whatever. I have to just do it without any thought at all. The way I get impossible things to work is to incubate them until it just happens automatically. If I think about enough, eventually I'll do it in a dream. Belief is a strange subject. Do we really know what we believe? Most often then not "I believe ____" is just a reflection of what others say we should believe/what we think most people believe. Makes people easy to persuade, no? Belief goes much deeper. It's like comparing backseat religion and faith. The dream world is a physical manifestation of your mind. If in the dream world is "will be" or "can be" that it off the mark. If some thing "is" in the dream world, it "is" no beating around the bush. If it is not, you only think you believe. Or have you guys experienced differently? (I'm getting this info solely from my own experiences, mind you)

[Placebo]

Hey, look, a thread about me... hehe This is mainly why I thought of the name So yep, belief is a cornerstone of dream control, IMO too. The control technique you talk about is a trick I call 'shortcutting'. E.g. You can't fly, so you pick up a jetpack conveniently in the box next to you. Once you're flying, you remember to throw it away and remind yourself that it was just a trick.

[arby]

Hey, look, a thread about me... hehe This is mainly why I thought of the name Theres the evasive devil! Get him!