I love this book and, having read it several times, I know I will read it several times more. When I read a non-fiction book I use a Bic four coloured biro and fully engage with the txt. I underline, highlight, write comments in the borders and sometimes draw pictures. Certainly, there are a lot of asterisks and exclamation marks!!!!!! (pun intended) 😊. This book, for the first time, made my red ink run out!
The book is about how we can understand and use in a proactive and intentional manner, the – normally subconscious – placebo effect to improve our health and who we are as a person. The author starts with numerous examples of how this has worked in different situations and looks at both the placebo (positive change) and the nocebo (negative change) effect.
I pretty much skimmed through this chapter as I was already a firm believer in the placebo effect. However, what I didn’t know was how it actually works. The author divides the concept into very manageable bits and although at first glance you may think “wow, this is a really heavy medical book”, it’s not. Granted there’s a colour section in the middle which shows loads of different brain scans but if you skip through these (as I did) I would argue that it’s very readable to the average person with no medical training.
The sections address sociology, psychology, biology and quantum physics in a way in which you can’t wait to turn the page and learn more. And importantly, the author is able to tie all these aspects into a fluid and coherent argument for his position, without tying the reader in knots!
He talks about how we interact with society in the same way, day in and day out which ensures our past becomes our future. He explains how within ourselves we habitually expect certain things to happen, and so they do. But then he goes deeper, much deeper, into the actual biology and chemistry of how this process occurs. He drills down into the cellular, DNA and quantum levels so the reader gets a complete understanding of the body’s processes. He supports this approach by arguing that the more we know and understand something, the more empowered we are to use it and facilitate change.
OK, I know, that all sounds a bit dry and boring, but I promise you it’s not, it’s enlightening and empowering. And, I’m definitely not an academic geek. I only have a small brain and if somethings woffle, poorly presented or just the author trying to show how clever they are, I bin it. I like to know stuff that’s useful to me, stuff I can use to change myself and my life for the better. And this is that type of stuff. It 100% allows you to know yourself better and that’s priceless – and something you won’t find on Google!
Even if, at the moment, you decide to do nothing with the knowledge, it’s fascinating to know and will have the benefit – if you’re my age – of keeping your brain a bit active! 😊. In my opinion, this is a great book that deep dives into the placebo effect and presents it in a very readable and enjoyable way.
Sam Law
