[Enhancing the therapeutic potential of the physician-patient-relationship].

The dependence of the patient-doctor-relationship on social change is briefly pointed out. The special challenge for the therapeutic relationship patients with somatoform disorders give rise to, is thoroughly outlined. The fact that patients with somatization are prone to use unconventional therapies is the reason for an analysis of the placebo effect. This analytical consideration allows to demonstrate that the success of the unconventional medicine relies on characteristic healing factors usually hidden in the blackbox placebo. Acqainted with such healing factors the science oriented physician may recognize new possibilities to improve his therapeutic impact with a kind of supplementary placebo effect. Eventually a practical procedure based on modern psychology is proposed to deal with patients with somatoform disorders.