Individual aspects of imagination, realness of imagination
dry mouth, throat, goosebumps or warmth
DRY MOUTH
All IP respondents described a vivid and detailed imagination, which was maintained during the intervention phase. Concerning the pill, the majority of participants imagined characteristics of the pill that resembled real pills, including form, size, color, and taste. Participants were also able to regularly reproduce the desired state connected to the pill:“I found it impressive how I was able to revive this feeling from this situation that I imagined [during the treatment session]. That I truly felt it for real and that it continued to work later when I took the imaginary pills [by myself].” (IP; Subject 14)"It was like a mental picture, but I could really picture it quite well, so like the color, shape, size and then also the taste in the mouth and also the physical effect, so really quite quite well." (IP; Subject 19)Five respondents reported having found it helpful to link the desired effect of the IP with the positive situation identified during the treatment session. For example, some participants focused on specific situations, such as playing an instrument (e.g., ‘when I take the IP, I want to feel the way I feel when I play the cello’) or more complex imaginary scenarios, by being mindful and focused at present:"So, I always imagined it like this, as if I would now go from the desk in my room to the kitchen and open the drawer, take out the pill, have it in my hand, put it in my mouth and then take a sip of water. I really imagined myself doing the movement but just stayed at my desk. […] Each time I could say to myself ‘I’m going to take a little round pill that’s bright yellow. It has no smell, no taste’. I think that helped me to make this mental journey, to imagine the whole way to the kitchen every time, every step." (IP; Subject 18)Remarkably, some participants had physical sensations in their bodies during their IP intake. Based on suggestions during the exercise in the treatment session, one participant felt the imagined pill sliding down her throat. This sensation reinforced the trust in the pill for the interviewee, who was surprised that an imagination can induce such a bodily feeling. Other participants reported experiencing side effects such as a dry mouth, goosebumps or warmth radiating from the abdomen. These side effects were suggested during the pill intake in the treatment session to demonstrate the IP response and were in fact found to be helpful in convincing people of the pill’s efficacy. Overall, realistic and detailed imagination were regularly reproduced and maintained during the three weeks of intervention:“[…] when I thought of it, it didn’t take a long time for the image to appear, but it appeared like when I would think of a piece of paper or of a pen as if I had already had it for real or seen it before [… .]. So, if I would draw it now, I’m not good at drawing, but if I had to draw it, I would be able to.” (IP; Subject 11)