You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter

I read two of Dr. Dispenza's other books, "Evolve Your Brain" and "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself" and I loved them both, so I had to buy his newest book, too. It's true what some reviewers noted, the book does repeat a lot of information found in his previous books, but I didn't mind it much because it served as a reminder for me, and there was plenty of new material, so it wasn't just rehashed material. Still those of you who have read his other books, be prepared for some repeated material. Another thing is that he cites the fire-walkers and strychnine swallowing ministers as people who are using an altered state of mind to accomplish something amazing. I read that it's nothing so amazing, there's a trick to it, and I think the strychnine-swallowing ministers are phonies - there is no proof to prove they actually drank strychnine, it's likely just a show, sleight of hand. Sometimes these books cite "miracles" which I doubt, even though I do believe extraordinary miraculous events occur frequently, and I do believe the stories of healing during his workshops noted in his book. Overall, the book provides much hope, and I really enjoyed it. I dogeared many pages to reread later, and plan to implement this in my life. I'll update my review in the future if I'm able to make any astounding changes in my body. So far I haven't done the "meditations" enough times to say (I've only done them twice so far). As for meditations, they are not. The scripts are hypnosis scripts, including an induction into the hypnotic state, after which the positive suggestions for self-transformation are introduced. It's absolutely, 100% hypnosis. He is basically introducing you to the meditative state (which is extremely hard to achieve, personally I suck at it) via hypnosis. Using hypnosis to help you get to the meditative state. Which is an interesting idea, as meditation is quite difficult and can be frustrating, as it's very tricky to do for any extended period of time (more on that in a moment - for anyone who isn't already familiar with meditation). Anyway, to clarify my point, Dr. Dispenza has a hypnotherapy diploma from the same college of Hypnotherapy that I do, HMI, which is located in Tarzania, California. It's a reputable, accredited college of Hypnotherapy, and Dr. Dispenza is trained as a hypnotherapist. I read this in his own account so I know it to be true. The script he uses is definitely hypnosis, (although there are many forms and styles of hypnosis). I don't say this as a criticism at all. Hypnosis is extremely useful in healing, and self-transformation. I just don't understand why it's called "meditation". Hypnosis and meditation are very similar in some ways, but in hypnosis, we do an induction to get the client into a state of relaxation (as Dispenza explains, the altered brain wave state) and then we introduce suggestions specific to the change the person wishes to accomplish. In meditation, you must clear your mind of ANY thoughts and attempt to keep thoughts of any kind at bay, to find the "gap" between the thoughts. It's very difficult NOT to think, as our brains are used to thinking constantly. The hypnotic state is not as difficult to get into, if you know self-hypnosis or are working with a hypnotist or using a recorded hypnosis. But meditation and hypnosis are not the same. Also, meditation has become very accepted in the mainstream, even hospitals will tell people meditation is good for you - hundreds of studies, including clinical studies, have been done on the benefits of meditation. Hypnosis remains somewhat on the fringe, despite some studies showing remarkable benefits from hypnosis, it is NOT as accepted as meditation, and when it IS used in healthcare settings, they often use silly terms such as "guided visualization" or "guided meditation" to keep from frightening people from the word "hypnosis" which is PRECISELY what it is. This is because many people still see hypnosis as "mind control" or "making someone get on stage and quack like a duck" it is still seen by many as frightening, suspicious, fake, or ridiculous. Hypnosis is none of those things. In the hands of a competent practitioner, hypnosis is an extraordinary tool for healing, changing habits, and improved mental and emotional health. It's great that Dr. Dispenza is using hypnosis to help people reach the meditative state, access the quantum field, and heal their minds and bodies. I don't understand why he doesn't call a spade a spade though, and call it what it is: hypnosis. The only thing I can think is that it's perhaps to avoid turning some people off or garnering ridicule. Readers can either buy his hypnosis recording online for a small fee, or they can record the script he includes in the book. He graciously provides the reader the option to record their own version and not purchase his - which is more than many authors do these days, they usually try to make you buy their add-ons and don't provide free options as Dr. Dispenza has done. Personally I prefer recording my own, as I did with his other book, as I'm familiar with recording hypnosis recordings for my clients. I purchased his recording on the last book, but ended up recording it myself anyway as I preferred my recording over his (simply a matter of personal preference, not saying that mine was better than his). Any reader can use his script to record their own free copy of his hypnosis session. All in all, Dr. Dispenza's work is very encouraging and it would be great to see the medical world begin to use people's minds to heal themselves. It's extraordinary that so little research has been done into something as important as the "placebo effect" and I thank Dr. Dispenza for taking it upon himself to do this. It's very clever, and the potential, if this can be mastered, is extraordinary.

I bought this book quite a while ago, but I only recently had the chance to finish it, and I’m so glad I did. You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter was truly eye-opening and inspiring. Dr. Joe Dispenza explains in a powerful and understandable way how the mind and body are deeply connected. It offers hope that positive change is possible when we begin to understand our thoughts, beliefs, and habits. I found it motivating, insightful, and full of valuable lessons. It made me reflect on my own mindset and the role it plays in everyday life. A fascinating read for anyone interested in personal growth, healing, and the power of the mind

Dr. Joe Dispenza’s most recent work, You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter, is the perfect follow-on to his earlier work, Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself. Those who have studied the rationale and practiced the procedures discussed in Breaking the Habit (as I have done) will find this latest volume offers even more clarity about how to “fine tune” meditative sessions, so that practitioners can change themselves in significant and lasting ways. You Are the Placebo recounts compelling stories of people who have healed themselves – and remained healthy, by following a mindset focused on possibilities, rather than obstacles and problems. They didn’t allow the opinion of others – “professional” or otherwise – to short-circuit the beliefs they held and in many cases, felt intuitively about healing. Dr. Joe’s process in part involves “open focus” – closing one’s eyes, taking attention from the outer world and placing it on the space around us in a way that removes considerations about the material world, allowing us to…not think. Transport yourself to the present moment, moving your intention and thus your energy to a place beyond time and thought. Allow your brain, the central nervous system, and the rest of your body to begin working together, becoming more balanced and integrated. Instead of a linear, material world of limited potential (mostly because we keep responding to new events in the same conditioned, often unproductive ways), it is possible to enter the “quantum field” of unlimited possibility existing beyond space and time. In breaking the habit of being our old selves, we can begin to shape a new and more productive physical and emotional reality. In current brain research, the evolving science of neuroplasticity confirms that our brains are capable of change and improvement to an advanced age, via the construction of new neural pathways or synapses. It is becoming increasingly evident that the quality of how and what we think can go a long ways toward keeping us healthy – or making us sick. So often in life, those who are adept at helping others heal have had to go through their own baptism of fire first. In the first section of You Are The Placebo, Dr. Joe discusses what many would call – at the very least - a miraculous recovery, after he suffered severe spinal injuries when struck by an SUV while cycling in a triathlon. How he fashioned – from the inside out – the philosophy and practice that led him, against the odds to a place of optimum health, presents a powerful and informative read. Fifteen months ago, for over six weeks, a ruptured disc placed me in the most excruciating, unremitting pain I’ve ever experienced. A specialist told me “The only option for you is spinal fusion”. A prescribed medicinal pain patch – dialed down in potency by 75% at the pharmacy before it was filled – still literally almost killed me. The healing chiropractic work Dr. Joe performed at his clinic, along with my own meditation, following the very practices described in this book, enabled me to achieve a full recovery without surgery –in the process leaving behind a number of my old self’s limiting habits. I have also come to feel the incredible power and serenity that the simple act of expressing gratitude on a daily basis has brought into my life. We’ve all heard about the importance of expressing it after something helpful has happened. Before meeting Dr. Joe, I had never heard anyone recommend being grateful beforehand. Try it and see what you think. One very powerful aspect of his work involves the recognition that all of our behaviors begin first as thoughts. You think about a previous experience involving sadness, fear or anger. Soon your brain begins to respond by interpreting that emotion from the record of your past, leading to physical changes. With the body fully involved, you act out that emotion, which through time can become a temperament, even a personality. With your emotions driving your thoughts, you simply create more of your past. The result is a predictable, repetitive linear path, not unlike scenes from the movie Groundhog Day. Dr. Joe teaches you how to turn off this destructive thinking before the body can begin to act upon it. Eventually it can be left behind altogether, as a brighter future is brought into being with the help of new responses fashioned by and for yourself. If our thoughts truly create our reality – or at the very least have a major impact on its formation, then an understanding and practice of the techniques fully discussed in this book can provide actionable advice leading to profound levels of personal transformation. As Dr. Joe says, in his Introduction about examples of the self-healing he later discusses, “…you don’t have to be a monk or nun, a scholar, or a spiritual leader to accomplish similar feats.” My own experience in studying and practicing what Dr. Joe discusses in You Are The Placebo leads me without hesitation to recommend his work to anyone who desires to bring about systemic change in their lives, and who is willing to spend a bit of time and self-discipline to do so. Break the habit of being yourself –by yourself - and my guess is you’ll conclude that continuing to invoke the old ways of responding to things no longer deserves to play a role in your present – or your future.

In Dr. Dispenza’s newest book, "You are the Placebo" we are provided with the life-affirming knowledge that our thoughts and expectations can transform our lives by helping us overcome illness, disease, and numerous other afflictions that limit our ability to enjoy life to the fullest. I do not read medical journals, so I can’t make this statement with certainty; however, I would suggest that this book is likely one of the most up-to-date and exhaustive works on the Placebo Effect available today. Furthermore, for those that do not enjoy overly technical books, I would say that in spite of the fact that the nature of this book requires medical and scientific terminology to be used, this is still a very readable book. In my own words, in very simple terms, I see the essence of the placebo effect as: mind over matter. Our minds have the power to overcome disease, depression and a vast number of negative situations that manifest in our body. Our thoughts, combined with expectation, can remedy heart disease & cancer, reduce pain, and even simulate the benefits of an actual operation. Perhaps it sounds too good to be true; however, the placebo effect has been rigorously studied throughout history and continues to fascinate/confound scientists to this day. In order to better acquaint the reader with the workings of the Placebo Effect, Dr. Dispenza uses the first part of the book to recount numerous scientific studies that illustrate how our minds can physically change our bodies, simply through what we think and what we expect. A doctor using saline water as a replacement for morphine in the late stages of the war, people suffering from depression feeling uplifted by simple sugar pills, even patients who underwent simulated knee surgery feeling less pain and being able to walk properly again – all the result of the a placebo being used. There is also the negative side of the placebo, referred to as the nocebo, wherein a person believes that they are ill, will die, or that they are suffering from the ill intentions of another person. For example, in some cultures where people believe in the ability for a person to be “cursed” by a witch doctor, there is the potential for negative beliefs and expectations to due substantial harm. The “curse” thought is implanted in the mind of the individual who then believes in the “curse”, which then eventually manifests in physical form. People have been admitted to hospital and, even under medical supervision, with no detectible illness, have died because of their negative expectations and beliefs. After the initial discussion and the sharing of the scientific research on the placebo effect, Dr. Dispenza goes on to the most important part of the book: how we can make use of the placebo in our personal lives. By providing actual, coloured, brain scans and EEG scans Dr. Dispenza illustrates that by altering our thoughts and beliefs we actually alter our physical bodies. This part of the book is very detailed and a cursory discussion would not do it justice, but I think this quote from the book will emphasize the essence of what is being said, “…we direct the formation of new neural pathways and the destruction of old ones through the quality of the experiences we cultivate…The goal here is to change our beliefs and perceptions about your life at a biological level so that you are, in essence, loving a new future into concrete material existence.” This then leads into the final portion of the book wherein Dr. Dispenza provides information on a meditation that will assist us in making use of the placebo effect. With over 300 pages in this book, there is certainly a lot of detail and information for anyone simply interested in learning more about the placebo effect. More importantly though, if one truly grasps the essence of what is being shared, that our thoughts and beliefs have a vast potential to heal or harm us, then a person becomes empowered and they can then more consciously create a life in line with their desires. In a very real, physical sense, the placebo effect proves that we can change our reality with our thoughts and expectations: what information could be more empowering than that? ** While this book can be read independently of Dr. Dispenza’s previous book, "Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself" I would suggest that reading it prior to, "You are the Placebo" would be worthwhile.**

Perfect quality!! lightning fast delivery))

Vejo hoje uma nova tendência na Medicina. Uma nova abordagem. Uma visão mais holística do doente. O Clínico, e sou Clínico de Dor, necessita entender este novo conceito. A perspectiva da Psico-Neuro-Imuno-Endocrinologia. Um pensamento gera um sentimento, que por sua vez, gera uma emoção. E está geralmente, acarreta grande transtorno na homeostase do organismo, com a liberação de vários hormônios, que se não controlados, darão origem a vários distúrbios, proporcionando a instalação de desequilíbrios endócrinos ou mesmo doenças físicas. Mudando o pensamento, você muda o sentimento, que por sua vez mudará as emoções.

The book arrived quickly. Their packaging was really good and the book was great too.

This book explains how thinking differently can actually change your body. Dr Joe makes it easy to see why mindset matters so much. Its been a real help and companion for me since I have bought it. I read Dr Joe's books on repeat. Real treasure to have to heal and also navigate life. If you dont have it, you are missing out...I have all of Dr Joe's books and ofcourse I am not a cult like followr although he deserves it.