skyglide Explore Beyond
I used to think that it was a problem with the modern American medical system, specifically how many people can’t afford to use it. While that is probably some of the cause, quack nonsense fares pretty well in countries that do have socialized medicine. Mexico, Australia, China, India, and Canada all have robust public healthcare systems, yet quacks and woo peddlers do just as well there.
Nor can you chalk it up merely to lack of information. The only bright side to living in a world of constant mis and disinformation is that factchecking has also never been quicker or better. Clearly, access to the truth isn’t the issue, either.
I started thinking about this a lot earlier this year when I began seeing hypnosis clients again. Hypnosis definitely falls under the “alternative medicine” banner, alongside acupuncture, reiki, and other vaguely mystical practices. Yes, hypnosis is backed up by a lot of science and used by licensed psychologists the world over, but when the rubber meets the road, it’s just the placebo effect on steroids.
Some hypnotists obscure this fact, but I like to be honest with clients. Just because it’s the placebo effect doesn’t mean it’s not real. The placebo effect is heavily studied and can clearly yield beneficial results. Manifesting is a scam, but you also can’t underestimate the sheer power of positive thinking sometimes.
One of the things I tell clients as I prep them is that most people have a lack in their day-to-day lives. We’re all so busy that we rarely take the time out to meditate, pray, or just have a quiet think. Likewise, we’re surrounded by people who criticize and demand instead of someone telling us how wonderful and strong we are. Contemplation and encouragement are just not part of the daily routine.
Those moments are essential to feeding our need for spirituality. It’s there that humans have revelations and dream of a better world. It’s one thing to say “I want to be happier,” and another to feel as if some force is moving you toward happiness.
Alternative medicine is the shortcut to this feeling. It’s basically like going through McDonald’s, but instead of filling your belly, it fills your soul.
This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. There are days when we desperately need a quick dose of both fatty foods and inner strength. As someone who is constantly trying to carve out five minutes to eat in-between assignments, fast food can be a godsend.
But it’s not something you want to live on all the time, and neither is alternative medicine. Too much rewrites the brain to desire only that thing. The short rush of peace that comes from an acupuncture session or, yes, hypnosis, is great. I tell all my clients that they’ll feel euphoric for up to 36 hours, and they usually do.
After that, though, is when the work begins. It’s when they have to take the memory of that feeling and turn it into new behaviors and habits. The high is just a launchpad, a quantum of energy and dopamine meant to shock the system into a soft reboot.
Some people never get to the next step, though. They start chasing the first high again for its own sake, and that can be addictive as any prescription drug. One minute they’re basking in the afterglow of a reiki session, then next they’re giving money to some dude on Facebook who swears his supplements will prevent cancer. Like any addict, the more people try to talk them out of it, the deeper they dig. Addictions protect themselves at all cost. That’s why rationality is so rarely effective against them.
Our lives rob us of the experiences that fill our need for faith and spirituality. We’re too busy, too inundated with news, and too goddamn tired. Who has time or money to go on a journey of self-discovery? It’s hard enough just to take a half a Sunday off to play video games.
That thirst is where alternative medicine often thrives. It gives us the feeling of exultation and mystery in a fraction of the time. Used the way a starving person uses a McDouble after a twelve-hour shift, it can be wonderful. Too often, though, it becomes just another substance to abuse. In this case, it eats away the brain’s ability to tell fact from fiction and truth from lie.
Even in countries where you can go to the doctor for free, quackery thrives. This is why. Those places are better than America in some ways, but they still demand too much of the average person. Until we change the way the world works so that we’re not hustling without time for rest and meditation, we’re going to keep falling for woo and nonsense because that’s all we have time to feed our brains.
