Placebo effects arise from the interplay of biological, psychological, and social processes within the clinical context. This lecture illustrates how expectations, verbal suggestions, treatment rituals, and sensory cues shape symptom perception in domains such as pain, nausea, and appetite. Drawing on neurobiological, psychophysiological, and molecular evidence, it explains how top-down expectancy processes interact with autonomic, hormonal, and inflammatory pathways. The findings support a multidimensional model of contextual healing that elucidates how cognitive meaning is translated into both symptomatic and biological change. Implications for an evidence-based, context-sensitive clinical practice are discussed.

The guest speaker will be Prof. Dr. Karin Meißner, Professor of Integrative Medicine in Health Promotion at Coburg University of Applied Sciences.

The event will be held in English. Participation is free of charge and possible both online and in person. Online participation is via a zoom.