Selected Nonpharmacological Therapies for Chronic Pain: The Therapeutic Use of the Placebo Effect

Chronic pain is a common problem requiring a multidisciplinary approach. Nursing can offer diverse therapies complementary to the medical-surgical approach. Guidelines for practice and challenges for research are outlined for selected nonpharmacological chronic pain therapies. This article discusses the placebo effect, which is common to all therapies. Placebos can therapeutically empower patients to stimulate their psychophysiologic self-regulation abilities. Effects, theories, ethics, and therapeutic methods of stimulating the placebo effect are explored.