---
aliases:
- Henry K. Beecher
born: 1904-02-04
category: Psychics & Remote Viewers
died: 1976-07-25
location: Peck, Kansas
summary: Beecher's work contributed to the understanding of how perception of an event
  or a situation - real or imagined, rational or irrational - can cause consequential
  actions to occur.
tags:
- Person
- RemoteViewer
---

Henry K. Beecher (1904–1976) was a controversial anesthesiologist who, for the [Central Intelligence Agency](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) in the 1950s, studied the Placebo Effect. The placebo effect is a remarkable phenomenon whereby a harmless pill or simulated treatment produces real-world physiological effects in humans[^1].

Beecher's work contributed to the understanding of how perception of an event or a situation - real or imagined, rational or irrational - can cause consequential actions to occur. This concept is also related to the Thomas Theorem, which states that "if men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences"[^1].

[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.