Brahma Kumaris and the Placebo Effect

We've looked a lot at hypnosis in relationship to Brahma Kumarism, I wondered too about the Placebo Effect.

The placebo effect is the phenomenon whereby a patient can get better by an otherwise ineffective treatment; most likely because the individual expects or believes that the treatment will work.

The placebo effect is a psychological response to treatment and can arise not only from conscious beliefs but also from subconscious associations between recovery and the experience of being treated, e.g. from the pinch of a shot to a doctor’s white coat. Such subliminal conditioning can control bodily processes of which we are unaware, such as immune responses and the release of hormones. The perceived improvement of symptoms that characterizes the placebo effect.

The placebo effect is a real and powerful psychological response. It tends to be thought of as a response to a bogus treatment, but it is actually present in all treatments. It is generally a beneficial response, although due to the nature of its feel-good factor it is possible that symptoms of a serious illness could be masked by it when using a bogus treatment or therapy.

For example, if we believed the Brahma Kumaris were holy and going to see holy people make us feel better, then we do get better. It does make them holy, it is just the placebo effect. This slideshow explains what sort of things work, e.g. "bigger placebos are better than smaller ones". What better than a Global Placebo with huge mega-programmes and VIPs?

I am not saying Brahma Kumarism is all placebo. What I am saying is one would have to include a degree of its effect in any final analysis of how Brahma Kumarism works. Why does Brahma Kumarism not work on some people? Is it a question of fortune or rebirth, or do they just believe in it, and are not susceptible to hypnosis or the idea of "god spirits"?

Not believing in a treatment also makes it less effective, even when it is a real drug.

If you were born under a bad sign, you died five years younger from the same diseases as people born under good signs. But only if you believed in Chinese astrology.

http://www.mindpowernews.com/DarkPlacebo.htm

What is the very best way to learn a complex task? Is it practice, practice, practice, or is watching and thinking enough to let you imitate a physical activity

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 095836.htm

In BK, I think the main thing is the urge to belong to the group. How can one accomplish that? By doing what the others do. "Monkey see, monkey do".

If it is said you have to have some experience to recognize the Father, there will be something, not because the experience is there but because one wants to belong the experience is a self-fulfilling prophecy. And to not be left out under the influence of the threat in Murli, one must even lie to fit in. Or "You know that God never causes sorrow for anyone. He is the Remover of Sorrow and the Bestower of Happiness". So you have to be happy even if you are not because, (if you have recognized the "Father") and want to fit in, you can not show any sorrow, if you do, it is you fault ....etc.

Does that makes any sense?

Does that makes any sense?

Yes, it makes sense.

There is a lot of "lying to fit in" but that happens a lot in any groups, we pretend to be something we are not to fit in, to try the group out, then if we do not like it, we stop lying (to ourselves and others) and then drop out. It is known and happens a lot in cults. People join for 6 months to 2 years and then drop out. It happens so much in cults that *surely* the cult leaders must know it and just depend on 6 months to 2 years of free labor and money in the business plans.

In the BKWSU, usually after group meditations, there is a period as the class wakes up from the trance hypnosis where the leader will ask members of the group, "What was your experience?".

I think there is group pressure there to say something interesting, more interesting than what happened in reality. "Sore knees" or "I sat there quietly" is not much of an answer, so I think some people just make something up.

Some people do have wonderful and strange experiences, we cannot discount that and need to answer how and why, e.g. how much is real, how much is brain chemically induced, how much is placebo effect.

Additionally, I think although our minds might not, I think our bodies do like routine and getting up early. I think a lot of the feel good factor of pukka BKs are those two factors (and not have screaming kids to deal with nor talking and listening to too much crap, for the women), just like soldiers, sports people etc feel pretty really positive due to their discipline. For 10,000s of years, if not 100,000s, our bodies have evolved to wake up and run around at dawn, take a rest at mid-day, and then sleep when it gets dark.

Is it sleep depravation to wake up at 4 in the morning? Forced by your alarm clock? The body wakes up when it is done resting, break that rule and you create exhaustion.

Placebo effect? Yes ... I think the day one starts raj Yoga, and some things improve ... "it's Raja Yoga that did it"! Even it was something else that made you do things different.

Does that makes any sense?

Yes, it makes sense.

People join for 6 months to 2 years and then drop out. It happens so much in cults that *surely* the cult leaders must know it and just depend on 6 months to 2 years of free labor and money in the business plans.

I think you are right.

In the BKWSU, usually after group meditations, there is a period as the class wakes up from the trance hypnosis where the leader will ask members of the group, "What was your experience?".

That was common when I joined in the early 80's but has become very rare. I think it is because too many did not have any experiences and they were feeling bad about themselves and also because some others would have very weird experiences that did not fit within BK dogmas.

As for placebo, I always thought that it played a significant role.