Changes in psychoneurotic patients with and without psychotherapy.

Patient's expectancies and non-specific therapy as a basis for (UN)spontaneous remission

“…Since "spontaneous" remission is, on the basis of arguments raised thus far, a misnomer, it is suggested that the somewhat more unwieldy but appreciably more accurate term "non-specific therapy remission" be substituted for it. 2 Let us now examine the evidence supporting the formulations presented above. Hankoff, Freeman and Englehardt (13) investigated the prognost,ic implications of placebo reactivity .with outpatients recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital who were placed on a three week trial of placebo administration and subsequently classified as placebo reactors or as non-reactors.…”

The Efficacy of Psychotherapy

“…Barron and Leary [1955] found no significant differences in the changes of M .M .P.I. scores of neurotic patien ts having psychotherapy and patients on the w aiting list.…”

Prior Structure Versus Ambiguity as a Therapeutic Variable

“…Patient consultation with an intake interviewer, psychological tester, and/or other sequentially pretherapist members of the treatment staff served as a nonspecific type of therapy which had symptom reducing consequences. Further, Barron and Leary (1955) and Dymond (1954) have provided corroborative evidence that such consultative interventions are perceived by patients as treatment because of the conveyed &dquo;placebo effects&dquo; of interest and attention. Assuming that patient improvement did take place with staff members other than the patient's eventuall therapist &dquo;when no such change was deliberately being attempted,&dquo; it becomes more obvious that purposive, carefully planned use of the time prior to therapy can bring about patient change, or at a minimum &dquo;priming&dquo; him so that his therapy can proceed more rapidly and effectively when it does start.…”