The brain is so powerful that just by believing something will work, it actually can work. This is the placebo response. We don’t know the mechanism [0] yet, but I think it is probably the same thing as manifestation [1].
I believe that visualization is powerful because once we have visualized something, we can start taking steps (either consciously or unconsciously) to actualize it. This could include reaching some goal, such as alleviating a disease state.
The placebo response is great. It doesn't require poisoning oneself with arsenic [1] or unknown substances [2]. It certainly isn't a substitute for real medicine.
This is a misunderstanding of placebo. Placebos do not cure anything. They change the user's subjective observations. For example, they're effective for pain because pain is subjective.
The placebo effect has been demonstrated many times to actually be able to alter objective bio markers and lab test results. This is why it’s so critical to do placebo controlled studies of drugs to determine that they actually have efficacy beyond the placebo effect.
Having said this, the placebo effect is no justification for medical deception. When people want medicine they shouldn’t get sold placebos that are marketed as actual medicine.
> A placebo presented as a stimulant may trigger an effect on heart rhythm and blood pressure, but when administered as a depressant, the opposite effect.
If placebos have been experimentally observed to induce changes in their subjects, then it holds that placebos can be used to alleviate symptoms similarly to conventional medications.
Comparing things to placebos does not imply that placebos have no effect. In some cases, placebos have very powerful effects, which is why we compare against them.
I believe that visualization is powerful because once we have visualized something, we can start taking steps (either consciously or unconsciously) to actualize it. This could include reaching some goal, such as alleviating a disease state.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo#Mechanisms
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifestation_(popular_psychol...