E254 | Dr. John Kiely: The Power of Placebo in Sport, Management and Life

“Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”

I’ll credit Tom Hanks and The Polar Express with this quote.  And although it’s a children’s Christmas movie, it couldn’t hold more true in the real world today.

In today’s episode, Dr. John Kiely explains how our beliefs impact our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and gives us several tactical takeaways for success in any realm.

Well known for his role as a performance coach, Dr. Kiely has worked with athletes of all ages, in a variety of settings, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the 2008 Olympics, and the 2004 Paralympics, as well as both junior and senior IAAF World Athletics Championships. He’s a prolific writer, speaker, and presenter with more than 60 articles to his name and currently supervises professional doctorate candidates pursuing practice-based doctoral-level qualifications while working in professional multi-disciplinary performance environments.

To help us understand the complexity of the placebo effect and managing people, Dr. Kiely details:

• The different methods that can be used to manage high-pressure situations (17:20)
• The “secret” behind how the placebo effect works (42:25)
• How to leverage the relationship between pain and placebo (52:20)
• The danger of placebo’s evil twin and what thought processes to avoid (1:08:45)

Referenced Materials:

The Placebo Prescription

A fascinating landmark study of placebo surgery for knee osteoarthritis

A controlled trial of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee

Attribution and Person Perception

Connect with Dr. Kiely:

Twitter: @simplysportssci

Instagram: @simplysportssci

Research Gate: John Kiely

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