The Power of Suggestion

[dramatic music playing]

[Michael] This is McGill University in Montreal, Canada. It boasts an enrollment of more than 40,000 students from 150 countries. The campus employs 1,700 professors teaching 300 programs of study, and it's proud to be home to 12 Nobel Prize winners. It is considered one of the finest research universities in the world. Recently, researchers at McGill have embarked on a study that uses a brain scanning device to read people's minds and implant thoughts into their heads. Or so their subjects think. Now, the same device may be able to help kids with ADHD, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, migraines, Tourette's, and more. This study is not about technology. The MRI machine behind me may look impressive, but it's a sham. It's deactivated, nonfunctioning. What this study is really about is faith in science. It's about the power of thoughts to heal. All you need is the power of suggestion.

[theme music playing] A placebo is something that shouldn't work, but due to the power of suggestion and because of the strength of our belief, does. But we don't fully understand yet how they work. There could be an evolutionary explanation. For example, if a small child hurts themselves, negative symptoms like pain and crying can be good. They keep the child safe and still while signaling adults to come help. When help arrives, even if it has no active effect, the child's brain may feel it has permission to redirect resources away from seeking help and onto actually healing. Modern medicine has found a way to harness this power by prescribing placebos. But not all placebos work the same. For example, a sugar pill will help your headache more if given to you by a doctor than by a poker buddy. And the color of the placebo matters, too. A blue pill will work to make you feel calm better than a white pill because blue is a more calming color. And a red pill will keep you awake and give you more energy than a blue pill will. A capsule will work better than a pill because it looks more important. Also, an injection will work better than a capsule because it seems more serious and potent. There's even evidence that fake or sham surgeries have positive effects. It may be fake medicine, but the effects can be real. And not just because the patient feels better psychologically. We're talking real physical healing, thanks to the power of the brain.

I traveled to Montreal to meet local children struggling with debilitating behavioral and neurological conditions who would soon find out whether their afflictions could be cured by the power of suggestion.

-This is Malaya.
-Hi.
Malaya. I'm Michael. Nice to meet you.

Twelve-year-old Malaya suffers from a common skin ailment, eczema. But she has also developed a skin picking disorder, dermatillomania.

You're starting high school what, like this year?

Early September.

Wow, that's a big step. So, what kind of things, like, worry you, uh, given the symptoms that you have?

Probably the picking.

-Of your skin?
-[Malaya] Yeah. I don't know, I find it satisfying to pick. It's kind of gross.

Why do you think you can't stop?

I'm not sure. Have you tried different things that'll help you stop?

Yeah. Like, in my mind, I'm just like, "Today you won't pick. You are gonna get rid of this eczema." And then after, I'm just like, "Oh, wait. My face is, like, bleeding."

-Yeah. Is it embarrassing?
-Yeah. I like to wear long sleeves because my arms are, like, if they're really bad, I'm gonna try to wear long sleeves.

How are your arms now?

It's, like, really bad. So, as you can see--

And it's all just from scratching and picking?

Yeah.

Twelve-year-old Nicholas was troubled by debilitating migraine headaches.

So, what do you wanna be when you grow up?

Like, I really, really wanna be, uh, probably like an NHL or an MLB player, one of those two.

Nicholas's love of sports is unfortunately also the original source of his suffering.

Nice. My first head injury, which was concussion, I hit my head on a soccer post. And then I hit my head in a game of, uh, hockey. Uh, after that, I had headaches every single day. I was throwing up, having auras-- they're like, uh, colors that you see before you have a headache. I wasn't able to go to school, and then we went to the hospital and into their concussion program.

Can I see his migraine chart?

Oh, sure. Yeah. We have almost two years' worth. Severe headaches here, severe migraines.

-[Michael] Every day?
-[Danielle] Every single day. This has turned his world upside down.

Nathan was diagnosed with ADHD and impulse control disorder.

I'd love to hear especially about you, Nathan. First of all, how old are you?

-Nine.
-[Michael] Nine.

-How old you are?
-[Michael] How old do you think I am?

-Thirty.
-That's a very good guess.

-I'm 31.
-Ooh.

So, tell me about, like, before Nathan's diagnosis. What were kind of the symptoms you were seeing?

Tantrums all the time, um, just an inability to reach him, to communicate to him, to connect to him, that was the main symptom.

And what did you think of this, Nathan? Were you like, "Why are my parents not happy?"

-Why weren't you?
-[Nathan] I don't know. Maybe because I have problems.

And as far as, like, behavior. Impulsivity, hyperactivity, and you're always, always on the edge, always stressed-- what is he gonna touch, where is he gonna go, what is he gonna do?

These families had tried conventional methods to treat their children with little success. But they were about to find out whether their symptoms could be alleviated using an accessory-assisted placebo, a fake non-functioning MRI machine. This groundbreaking study of the power of suggestion and action is the brainchild of pioneering researchers at McGill University's esteemed Raz Lab.

We study a whole bunch of different mind-body interaction topics-- suggestion, hypnosis, placebo effects. Anytime the mind is regulating the body or vice versa, that's a topic that we study.

Now, you said the word "placebo." And the device that we are using is a sham scanner.

Tell me about the scanner.

[Jay]What we do with the MRI scanners is we stack so many different layers of deception. In their head, this is a proper neuroscience study done at the neurological institute. And that's why we wear lab coats. That's why we have all of this scientific-looking equipment. By the time they've actually started the study, they've already in their mind built up all these different layers of credibility. They really believe that what we're doing is real.

[Dr. Veissiere] What's interesting is that children, they're not immune to the power of neuroenchantment.

-Neuroenchantment?
-Neuroenchantment.

-What does that mean?
-So, it's this idea that there is some kind of medical magic. There is immense power that is attached to the culture of neuroscience whereby neuroscientific props and accessories have more healing power, more physiological effects, because culturally people believe that they do. I mean, the same kind of cultural cognitive mechanisms are at play in religious systems. So, here we are praying to the gods of neuroscience and biomedicine.

Talk to me about the ethics of lying.

The work we do with children actually does not involve lying. We tell them at first that everything that they see and everything that we do in the lab is a suggestion. We explain to them that suggestion is a way to tap into the power of their mind. We keep emphasizing even as they go in the scanner that it is their mind and their brain that is doing the healing, that they're basically reprogramming their own brain.

The parents knew that the scanner was a placebo. But for the study to work, the children had to believe in the procedure. So, before they visited the lab, I enlisted a few YouTuber friends to help raise their expectations.

[Veronica]Hey, guys. Today, we have a huge surprise for you about something brand new in science that could affect you!

Oh, I know them.

Well, today, we learned about this amazing new machie that teaches kids' brais how to heal super-fas. We really hope that you get the chance in person to see how this machine works.

With a little help from the machine, you can focus better, be more confident.

-And it can even take away some headaches. -Awesome.

[Vanessa]Not too many people get the chance to have this awesome experience, but we hear the scientists in Canada--

-I'm going to have it?
-Yeah. And it's very cool.

So, what do you hope the machine allows you to do that makes you better at?

Better at concentrating, better at focusing. I wanna heal faster, and this will probably be a good idea. I hope it heals me up with my concussions and then I hope my headaches go away.

I was about to take part in something remarkable, the very first use of accessory-assisted suggestion on children with these kinds of symptoms.

Mind Field would play an integral role in the study. And the results could be new and significant for science.

On the day of the first session, several measures were put in place to heighten the children's neuroenchantment.

-Nathan.
-Nathan, Nathan.

A friendly fake nurse, a walk down a long, impressive hallway...

[sighs] ...and a ten-minute anticipation building wait outside the lab.

Then it was time for their first scan.

Shall we?

While the hypothesis of this study was grounded in science, this was Dr. Veissiere and Jay Olson's first time testing their theory on real children with real disorders, and they didn't know if it would work.

You may lie down if you'd like.

One of my roles was to help build up the children's belief that it would work.

As you go into the machine, you'll relax more and more. Would you like to relax slowly or quickly today?

-Uh, I can go in quickly.
-Oh, wow, nice. Very good.

Although the MRI scanner was completely deactivated, we needed the kids to believe it was fully functional.

-[machine beeps]

So Jay played a series of realistic sound effects to signify that the machine was working, while Dr. Veissiere planted the suggestion that it would help the patient heal.

You might notice some unusual feelings, perhaps a tingling. Your brain is continuing to learn, and to heal, and to help you find this constant feeling of confidence.

If all went well, the placebo effect of the sham brain scanner would convince the children's conscious minds that real neuroscience was at work.

Take a deep, deep breath.

This would allow their subconscious minds to harness the power of their brains to heal themselves.

For people with migraines, it's often in the front or the back part of the head, but it could also be like a feeling like outside the head. So I'm not sure what it's gonna be like for you. We'll find out afterwards. So, we'll now slide you in.

Cool, it's like a roller coaster.

I love roller coasters.

The deeper you go in, the more you'll relax.

Okay. I wanna go all the way deep.

[machine beeps]

I know. This is because you're already at level three. You might notice that deeper feeling of relaxation.

Yes. Yes.

The scientists at McGill believe that children's brains have always had the ability to control their symptoms. The children just needed to believe it themselves.

[machine beeps]

[sneezes]

Yeah. So the beeps can sometimes make people sneeze as a sign of their relaxing just very deeply.

Right. Very well. You did very, very well, Nathan.

The children all appeared to enjoy the procedure, and the researchers and I did our best to reinforce their neuroenchantment.

So when you heard the first set of beeps and the second set of beeps, did you notice feeling them in different parts of your body?

Well, the first time I went in the machine, I kind of felt it here.

-Okay. Good.
-What level was she taken to today?

Level two.

-Level two.
-Yeah. Level two is great.

-Uh-hmm.
-Yeah.

When I was in the machine, I felt like I was going, like, backwards and forwards.

Okay. That's very good. That's a very good sign.

You might have noticed how you were yawning. That's great.

For a kid with hyperactivity, Nathan was already appearing calmer.

But before our young subjects left the lab, Dr. Veissiere bolstered the suggestion that today's session would help them continue their healing process.

[Dr. Veissiere] So I know for sure that you're gonna be more relaxed, much, much less anxious. I would not be surprised at all if the scratching really diminished to no scratching at all. The amazing thing about the brain is that it has this fantastic power to heal itself. But now what we've been able to do here with the power of suggestion is to get your brain to work faster and better all the time.

So how do you feel?

-Amazing.
-Oh, nice.

Mind Field provided the Raz Lab with Octopus by JOY smart watches.

[Nathan] Leftie rules. They were specially programmed to remind the children in between visits that their brain was healing itself.

[Dr. Veissiere] Just having the watch with you will make you feel better. But it's not the watch or it's not the machine that's making you feel good, it's your own brain.

In six weeks, we would return to the lab to check in on their progress.

[dramatic music playing]

This high-tech contraption is pretty much what McGill University's first sham brain scanner looked like. It was an old discarded hair dryer. But the patients didn't know that. In the original study, 56 undergraduate students were told that it was able to reduce pain, cause amnesia, influence sexual attraction, and produce various other impressive effects. The lab's new, more modern sham brain scanner shows even more promise.

And I was invited to participate in its test on a whole new group of adult subjects.

Okay, so you can come in here and just grab a seat.

Yes. These college students are fully aware of what's possible today with neuroscience. Could even they be neuroenchanted enough to believe in the impossible, that an MRI scanner could read their thoughts?

Now, we're looking at cutting-edge psychological research.

-Okay.
-Yes. It's part of the neural activation mapping project. We're gonna be putting you in an MRI.

So, uh, it's a modified one, it's called the CTMSF MRI.

-Okay.
-So, Combined Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which is a big word just meaning it can both read and influence thoughts.

-All right. Okay.
-So, you'll be choosing a number from 10 to 99.

-Okay.
-[Jay] And then from looking at your, uh, neural activation patterns, Dr. Veissiere here will try to infer -which number you're thinking.

-Hmm, interesting.
-Okay.

-Okay, great.
Most adults know the basics about MRIs, so we made sure to cover every detail.

In the scanner, the magnetism is a lot less. That's good for documentary team; they can bring a camera. So, that said, we do have to remove the metal glasses.

-Got it. All this?

-After this realistic, but completely unnecessary step, it was time to begin our fake mind-reading experiment.

So, we're gonna start the calibration. So, try to stay very still.

Of course, there was actually nothing to calibrate, but we were conditioning our subjects with the expected procedures, sights, and sounds of a real MRI study.

[machine sounds]

Okay. Think of the number one.

The subjects were asked to concentrate on the numbers zero to nine.

Think of the number nine. Dr. Veissiere and I remained in character at all times, pretending to analyze the subject's brain activity. But the images on our screens were actually old MRI scans from former patients.

-Is the calibration good?
-Looks pretty good to me.

With our subject now primed, it was time to convince her that the scanner could identify a number she was thinking of by reading her mind.

[Jay] You're gonna choose a number from 10 to 99.

-Okay.
-You're gonna hear a beep. Then you'll hear a second beep. So you're always making your decision -between the two beeps.

-Okay.
-Okay?

-Got it.
-So I'll slide you in.

-Mm-hmm.

[machine sounds]

[machine beeps]

[machine beeps]

So hold on to that number for just a second.

-Okay.

Um, uh, they're gonna print -it out and then we'll see.

-Okay.

It was pretty clear-- We pretended to give Jay the results of the MRI's analysis, but actually, Jay was about to add the subject's number to the document with a little sleight of hand.

Okay. So you can stay lying down just for a second.

-What was the number?
-Thirty-one.

Thirty-one. Uh, okay, cool. So if you can sit up here.

What?

[Jay] But it's pretty close, but it swapped, huh?

Yeah. Okay.

That miss was actually intentional so that the results didn't appear to be perfect, adding to the realism.

So, um, are you doing well? We'll do-- we'll do another trial with this. The same thing, okay?

Slide you in.

[machine sounds]

Michelle thought of a new number. Would the scanner get it right this time?

-Super clear.
-It's clear. Really good this time.

[Jay] All right. They think the signal is clear.

-What was your number?
-Twenty-seven.

Uh, 27, did you say?

-Twenty-seven.
-Oh, okay, great.

Yeah. So, uh, if you can sit up here.

Yes.

Oh, wow.

What?

I don't understand.

Crazy.

-[Michelle] I didn't expect it to be so specific.
-Yeah.

Um, a lot of different areas in the brain could be lighting up just to think of the concept of a number.

What do you know, it worked.

Thanks to the wonders of science, or rather the skills of Jay, who in addition to being a neuroscientist happens to be a professional magician on the side.

While Jay won't reveal the secret of the trick-- the mind-reading illusion is very similar to the mentalist's tricks that have entertained audiences for over a century.

The only difference is that when audiences see the stunt performed in a magic setting, they think it's a great trick, not real science.

-The machine had 89.
-[laughs] That's cool.

However, in the impressive scientific setting of the Raz Lab, these subjects thought our magic trick was real science.

-[Jay] Right here.
-Oh, my God.

They didn't realize that the real science they were experiencing...

It's pretty cool.

...was the power of suggestion.

Oh, wow. A dose of neuroenchantment this powerful can make for a formidable and effective placebo.

I wanna talk about the physical sensation.

-Sure.
-What was your experience?

It felt like a headache was coming on. It sort of felt like, uh, like, -tingling through my head.

-Up where?
-Uh, just through this area, like, this whole area felt more like full. I felt like, uh, sort of, uh, a pressure or something like that. It was, uh, a strange feeling.

-Like, back here a little bit.
-In the back?

Yeah, a little bit in the back. Somewhere in the back of the head?

Interesting. Oh, okay.

I wanna hear what it felt like to have your mind read.

That was very strange. I think I was probably skeptical, like, going into it, and then I couldn't figure out as I was thinking, like, why-- how that would happen otherwise, and so, I'm just, I think, in a baffled state.

Yeah, yeah.

It was time to clear up this baffling mystery.

So, some deception has been going on today. Dr. Olsen is, uh, not reading your mind. Neither is this machine.

-This machine is deactivated.
-How?

Okay. All the noises were coming from a speaker.

It was an illusion?

Oh, my God. That's pretty cool.

Dr. Olsen is, uh, not reading your mind.

-No.
-The sounds you're hearing are not magnets, it's just from a speaker. The machine in there is actually deactivated, -it's not working.

Wow, it's like placebo?

[Dr. Veissiere] Yeah, yeah. That's exactly what it is.

Now imagine tapping into this power for other effects -like healing, for example.

-Right.
-Wow. I definitely believe the placebo effect is alive and well.

♪ There's evidence that the power of suggestion even works on animals. A study at North Carolina State University found that 86% of dogs receiving real seizure medication had a reduction in seizures. But almost as many, a full 79%, experience the same effect from just a placebo pill. And we don't know how a placebo affects a dog's brain, but it could be that dogs have learned to associate vet visits and medicine from humans with feeling better. So, giving them a placebo could help a dog's brain heal itself.

[Dr. Veissiere]So first I'll ask you to lie down again.

And of course, you're total pro at this.

For several weeks, the children had undergone sessions in the sham scanner at McGill University.

The body continues to relax as we keep unleashing this healing energy.

Each time they were reminded that through concentration and relaxation, they were helping heal their own brains.

Here we go. Finally, after six weeks of receiving the placebo sessions, it was time to get a report on the results.

Malaya suffered from anxiety and a compulsive skin picking disorder. Had she experienced any level of success?

-It's good to see you.
-It's good to see you.

Go ahead and take a seat.

You're wearing, like, not even-- I thought maybe you'd have short sleeves on. You've just got a tank top on.

Your arms look fantastic. They've really gotten better. And your face-- I mean, all of it.

Why do you think you're better?

-I'm guessing it's the machine.
-Yeah, what about it?

Uh, I'm not really sure how it works, but I'm picking a lot less. Sometimes if I see, like, a tiny flake, I'll just leave it there.

That's a pretty short amount of time for such a big change in the way you think and behave. That's awesome.

I don't really feel the urge to do it as much as I did before. So it's a big improvement, I guess.

Yeah, that definitely feels like and sounds like your brain being powerful.

[Malaya] It's obviously doing something because my arms are better.

Well, you seem a lot more confident. Holding your head up higher. Would you agree, Anne Marie?

Yes. She seems less anxious. She's more positive overall.

-I was hoping for this...
-It's wonderful to see.

...more than this to see her going.

Yeah.

Well, good work.

And as for Nicholas and his migraine headaches...

-Hey.
-Hi.

It's good to see you again, Nicholas.

Tell me about the procedure and how you felt afterwards.

It accomplished all the things that I wanted it to, and, I haven't had a migraine at all.

That's awesome. And concentration is a big thing that helped.

Wow. And can I see the symptom charts?

-For sure.
-So these go back to February?

Yeah, well, they're really telling. And you can see not good, lots going on. But then recently, no migraines at all.

-That's incredible.
-Yeah.

So, now, you said you went to the neurologist?

They thought it was quite remarkable. He hasn't needed any, uh, rescue medication, he hasn't needed the preventer, um, and he's not having migraines.

I'm actually really excited for high school.

Both Malaya and Nicholas attribute their improvements to the sham scanner. They believed it was working for them, and indeed, it did.

So, how did Nathan, who suffered from ADHD and impulse control disorder, fare over the last six weeks?

Well, I received a home video from Nathan's mother with an update on his progress.

So, um, the best part about going through the treatment was, um, just what it did to our son.

We noticed a difference in Nathan immediately after the first session.

And do you remember what happened?

-I slept.
-Yeah. He slept. Something he doesn't do very often during the day.

He slept for two hours. Um, he was refreshed. It was just incredible to see.

And then what happened was the entire summer we had him off the medicine, and he did great. He thought about stuff before he did it, we were able to talk things out, and, uh, it's been fun.

So overall, we're very pleased and, you know, we just-- we had such a great experience, so thank you very much.

The children's results are encouraging, and a powerful sign of how effective suggestions, and our willingness to believe them can be.

In time, the kids will understand how all of the power was within them, and not in the scanner.

This work is truly cutting-edge. This hasn't been done before.

Correct. We also think of this as a great new way to do science and to collaborate.

So much more of the public will see what's being done.

Yes. Science isn't just about publishing a paper that nobody reads. It's about spreading the ideas that you find.

-Hundred percent.
-As far as I'm concerned, you're already a co-author in our scientific experimental paper.

Wow, very cool. Thank you.

The children's improvements were caused by the placebo effect, and no deception was used to mask that.

The parents knew the machine was deactivated, and the children were only told that it had the power to put a suggestion in their brain, a suggestion that ultimately came from themselves.

But surely, the more people learn about placebos and their lack of intrinsic power, the less effective they'll be, right?

No. Studies show that even when subjects learn that their treatment was a placebo, the positive results do not go away. What the subjects have learned about how to heal themselves remains with them.

It was an honor to have been a part of this study.

I think this is Mind Field at its best, using our resources to help researchers with their work and helping the public see how the brain is studied.

Placebos can't fix everything, but these kids always had the power to start healing. All they needed was the power of suggestion.

And as always, thanks for watching.

[theme music playing]