Rewire Your Brain: Think Your Way to a Better Life

Scientifi c American Mind
article reviewed the variety 
of studies that measured the placebo effect in medicine (Nieme,
2009). Many different medical conditions have been treated with 
placebos. Some of these studies are shown in the table below. 
P l a c e b o M e d i c i n e
Disease
Average percentage of 
patients for whom a 
placebo therapy worked
Number of studies
Cancer
2% – 7% (tumors 
reduced in size)
10
Crohn ’ s disease
19%
32
Duodenal ulcer
Healing in 36.2% – 44.2%
79
Irritable bowel syndrome 40%
45
Multiple sclerosis
11% – 50% (less after 
two to three years)
6
If physical conditions respond to a placebo, how much more 
would psychological conditions respond, because the placebo effect 
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58 Rew i r e
Yo u r
B r a i n
is psychological? Thus, what you believe has a powerful effect on 
what you experience — even physically.
Wiring Positive Thinking 
There is a two - way street between your moods and your thoughts. 
This is why CBT is very effective in treating depression. The goal 
of CBT is to “ correct ” your dysfunctional thoughts so that you can 
change how you ’ re feeling. In CBT you repair your cognitive dis-
tortions. If you are depressed, you probably get bogged down by cog-
nitive traps, or beliefs that promote negative moods. These cognitive 
traps are distortions of reality. There are many cognitive distortions, 
too many to list extensively. Here are some common ones: 
•
Polarized thinking:
black and white, all or nothing, good or 
bad, wonderful or rotten
•