"It is here where the trouble begins. There’s something intensely disturbing about the notion that we can make ourselves sick. Belief, not physiology, becomes the causal agent, displacing MSG or gluten as the source of blame for someone’s suffering. This can make us feel vulnerable, stupid, and weak, as though we have the choice to be better but lack the mental acuity to manage it. Not only that, it’s hard not to feel like a psychological explanation trivializes one’s condition—hence the expression “It’s only in your head.” But things that are in our heads aren’t fake or unimportant (OCD? anorexia?), and susceptibility to a nocebo effect isn’t a sign of weakness. Anyone can unknowingly invent a false memory or react to a substance that is actually benign."
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 01:47:33 +0000
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