Research
Study #1
The Changers were tested for effectiveness in 2024 in an initial controlled RCT study. Under the title ‘The effect of an open placebo on stress and well-being in students’, a research team led by Prof. Dr. Stefan Schmidt from the University Medical Centre Freiburg evaluated a standard Changer (Neurelaxil) and individualised stress-reducing Changers in a group of N = 137 students suffering from high stress levels. The students were randomly assigned to one of three groups:
(1) Waiting control group: These students did not receive any intervention at first, only after a waiting period of three weeks.
(2) Standard changer: The students received the changer Neurelaxil.
(3) Individualised changer: The students in this group received approximately 45 minutes of solution-focused coaching, during which they were able to develop their own changer.
The changers were taken twice a day for three weeks. After three weeks, it was found that both Neurelaxil and the individualised changers significantly improved stress levels. The effects proved to be lasting. In a follow-up survey after three further months without further treatment, they were still present.
This study was supported by a research grant from the EBTA - European Brief Therapy Association.
Click here for the preprint of the article on our study.
Study #2
A second study in collaboration with the Medical School Hamburg (Prof. Dr. Enno Hermans & Dipl.-Psych. Stefan Beher) will investigate the benefits of Changers during the waiting period for young patients in child and adolescent psychotherapy. Start of data collection: end of 2025.
Study #3
Another study, in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Stefan Schmidt from the University Medical Centre Freiburg, will also investigate the benefits of Changers during the waiting period for psychotherapy – but in this case with adult patients. Start of data collection: end of 2025.
Study #4
A fourth study, planned for 2026, will focus on the epigenetic effects (miRNA) of taking Changers. In collaboration with Prof. Dr Kilian Hennes, a socio-molecular biologist at the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, biological markers will be collected as criteria for recording the effects of the open Changers placebo.
