Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics: Psychosocial Factors Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects,2021, Geers et al

This is a study from Aarhus, Denmark recently published as a paywalled Letter to the Editor in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic.

Aarhus University has written a press release about the study. Aarhus is by the way also where Per Fink is located and the epicentre of the Danish "functional disorder" movement.

Quote from the press release (which is in English):

The new study deals solely with the participants’ subjective experiences. For this reason, the researchers cannot say with certainty whether or not negative expectations affected the participants physically. However, Lene Vase strongly suspects this to be the case.

"From general research into nocebo effects, we know that we are dealing with neurobiological effects. For instance, our expectations might trigger the release of neurotransmitters that can increase our experience of pain, which in turn affects our health. I can easily imagine this to be the case for COVID-19 vaccines as well. We will soon learn more about these effects. We are conducting a large Danish study in which we compare people’s experiences with a detailed neurophysiological examination to obtain reliable knowledge about the physical changes,” says Lene Vase.

Aarhus University COVID-19 vaccine side-effects: You get what you expect

 

So they've done the study, but the data doesn't support his 'theory' or worldview, so the strongest statement he can make is;

Way to do science guys

 

I have exactly the same reaction @Wonko ....

 

Expectations, cause symptoms...

If that's the cause and effect, I expect to win a big lottery....let's see what happens!

 

"In the new study on COVID-19 vaccines, the researchers asked the participants about their expectations for side-effects prior to vaccination. After vaccination, they asked the participants which symptoms they did in fact experience.

The results show that side-effects such as pain at the injection site, headache, joint pain, fever, nausea and fatigue are particularly influenced by expectations. "

Ok, so people who are aware that your arm can hurt after vaccination are more likely to report that it hurts if u ask them afterwards than people who are busy thinking about the work they have been missing out on and therefor are in ignore bodily symptoms mode because they have more pressing matters on their mind?

It would be interesting to see how many reported symptoms after vaccination if they beforehand had been told that the people who report symptoms after vaccination tend to be [insert negative stereotype that nobody want to be associated with]. Now, if they are actually going to have a control group like that this could be an interesting study.

 

shh don't say it so loudly. The prize will be split if more people win, no?

 

I'm getting my booster shot on Tuesday.

I fully expect many symptoms, related to PEM, coz the booster is occurring roughly a mile from my home, and getting there involves walking to a bus stop, standing waiting for who knows how long in what weather conditions, catching a bus with who knows what conditions inside, getting off the bus and then standing sitting around for up to an hour, buses are unreliable as to when they arrive or if they can be bothered to stop so leeway is needed when dealing with a fixed appointment time.

That's before I even enter the pharmacy that I have never been in before.....could be a long post so I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

The chances of my not being significantly worse after this endeavour are minimal.

But that's okay, the symptoms aren't real, just what I expect so what happens.

Gotta love these people making a living by saying that I and anyone like me which in thus case is probably everyone, aren't anything but suggestible, probably auto suggestible to boot.

 

What makes the researchers so absolutely certain that any effects (good or bad) from the jab that are expected and experienced aren't real? Are they suggesting that if someone expects something to happen it always will? If that's the case, I'm going to follow @DokaGirl 's example of the lottery and I will tell myself I'm going to wake up 40 lbs thinner the day after my next jab, and my hearing and eyesight are going to be perfect.

 

I heard something about the booster containing a rejuvenant, so I'm expecting to be 35-40 years younger after getting it.

(granted my understanding of rejuvenants mainly comes from stuff on the sci-fi channel and the like, but.....surely it's my understanding that counts?)

google spell checker insists that rejuvenant isn't a word, but my belief is that it is, so by the power of psychology....

 

Good headline, @John Mac

 

My other-half had a shot in both arms. One was the flu shot and the other was for pneumonia (which they offered on the spot).
One arm was red and painful. The other was fine.
He has no idea which was which.
How does that work for this theory then?

 

He obviously did not have time to form any preconceptions about the pneumonia vaccine.

 

Ok so if you never had the flu jab before, had bad effects from the covid AZ & then expected the flu jab to be the same... but it wasnt... how does that fit in?

 

I expected a worsening of dysautonomia symptoms but that didn't materialize. My side effects were very mild. The soreness at the injection site was more annoying than anticipated. Maybe the mind is not the all-powerful psychosomatic symptom generator they believe?

 

I seem to have unconsciously wanted an annoying and first ever inflammation of my olecranon bursa and paraesthesia of the exact ulnar distribution in my fingers after my first dose of Pfizer, I am trying to work out what it all means on a psychodynamic level , no secondary gain was received.

 

I expected the Spanish inquisition, coz the man said you should always expect the Spanish inquisition.

They appear to be late.