Spirituality predicts outcome independently of expectancy following flower essence self-treatment

The aim of this study was to determine whether absorption and spirituality predict the placebo response independently of expectancy. This was an open study of self-treatment with self-selected Bach flower essences. Participants' expectancy of the effect of flower essences, attitudes to compleme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of psychosomatic research 2006, Vol.60 (1), p.53-58
Main Authors: Hyland, Michael E., Geraghty, Adam W.A., Joy, Oliver E.T., Turner, Scott I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Absorption
Adolescent
Adult
Attitude to Health
Child
Expectancy
Female
Flower remedy
Flowers
Humans
Male
Medicine, Traditional
Middle Aged
Nonspecific
Phytotherapy
Placebo
Prospective Studies
Psychological Theory
Self Administration
Spirituality
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Summary:The aim of this study was to determine whether absorption and spirituality predict the placebo response independently of expectancy. This was an open study of self-treatment with self-selected Bach flower essences. Participants' expectancy of the effect of flower essences, attitudes to complementary medicine, holistic health beliefs, absorption, and spirituality were measured prior to treatment. One month after the start of treatment, participants responded to an e-mail enquiry about symptom change using a single seven-point change scale. One hundred sixteen participants (97 university undergraduates and 19 staff) completed all assessments. Spirituality and absorption together predicted additional variance compared with a cluster of expectancy measures comprising expectancy, attitude to complementary medicine, and holistic beliefs (increment in R 2=.042, P=.032), and spirituality alone (but not absorption alone) predicted more additional variance than did the expectancy cluster (increment in R 2=.043, P=.014). Our data are inconsistent with conventional explanations for the placebo effect. The mechanism underlying the placebo response is not fully understood.
ISSN:0022-3999
1879-1360
DOI:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2005.06.073