prayer therapy

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DELHI PSYCHIATRY J OURNAL Vol. 12 No.1 APRIL 2009

Delhi Psychiatry Journal 2009; 12:(1) Delhi Psychiatric Society68

reducing stress and anxiety 1,10

promoting a more positive outlook and astronger will to live

Prayer have the ability to move the imaginationinto a meditative space. prayer, can alter our

perceptions, deepen our app reciat ion of thecommonplace, and collapse the distance betweeneveryday life and a more numinous experience.Prayer, is a deeply imaginal experience that opensus to mystery, to the ineffable by allowing us adeeper felt sense of the created world. Examiningthe effects of prayer upon health outcomes has beencontroversial, the authors acknowledge. However,carefully examining the role of the human spirit

in healthcare does not diminish its mystery, but itseparates the mystery from the question of utilityin healthcare practice, Krucoff said. 15

William Stewart, 16 said there was a growing body of scientific work suggesting that prayer doeshave a beneficial healing effect. Most people whohave a cancer diagnosis now engage in some sortof social support activity, he said. If we look at

prayer as a support network, it could contribute tothe well-being and healing of an individual. JohnArndt, 14 a great mystic says, Our end is to seek,

find and ultimately be one with God, and prayer isthe means to achieve that end. Richard Rothe 17

too stresses the same point when he says that thereligions impulse is essentially the impulse to praytherefore the non-praying man is rightly considered to be religiously dead. Gill 9 quotes in his essay whatwhite singer told him about prayer, Prayer is notlike you and me, its like a holy person. It has a

personality five times that ours. No one can sincerely practice a faith, certainly

not the Jewish, Christian, or Muslim faith, for itshealth benefits. Theists engage in prayer becausethat is where they encounter God. The central,crucial thing about prayer is that it is a way of entering into a personal relation with the creator and sustainer of life. In prayer, humans come beforeGod as creatures acknowledging a difference in kind

between themselves and God. They come notsimply to a more powerful person who has whatthey need, as they might come before a judge or a

parole board, but before the One who is the sourceand the end of their existence. They come to God,whose perfect knowledge and love precede their

petitions and make them possible. Certainly they

present themselves as needy, but they do not comesolely to get their needs met, at least in the sense of a list of petitions and intercessions for which they

pray. They come to meet their most fundamentalneed as theists perceive thisthe need for God.

The studies through history have evidenced that pr ay ing and benedict ions have truly beenconsidered in the world of human beings. In theholy Quran, mental health has deeply beenemphasized and about 6236 verses are talking aboutthe efficient human training. Praying (benediction)means the statement of needs and requests towardsthe source of knowledge and authority and showingcourtesy towards divinity. God says, call me then I

will accept what you say a. Praying could be a wayfor calling God for help. The Prophet told a needy

person would you like me to inform you of whatever stops your pain even if it is a poison?He answered yes then the prophet answered :Praying. Also Imam Ali (A.S.) has mentional that

praying is the key factor of success and is a way of salvation; he added that the best praying is the onewhich originated from a purified heart. Today

psychologists have found that praying and faithwould decrease stress, disappointment and fear. The

Holy Quran in Rad , verse 28, say be aware!Allthe hearts never remain safe except with the nameof God.

Some commentators argue on the basis of thosestudies of prayer with positive results that healthcare professionals ought to engage in discussionsof prayer with their patients and encourage them inits practice. Others venture even further,maintaining that such studies indicate that

physicians and nurses should initiate prayers withtheir patients at the bedside.

If a study seemed to show that intercessory prayer did not produce the expected beneficialmedical effects, this would not clearly display thatit had been inefficacious. Proponents of testing

prayer could argue that it had not been carried outwith the appropriate intensity, uttered by personsof sincere faith, or pursued by sufficient numbersof people. If, on the other hand, a study seemed toshow that prayer had produced therapeutic results,this would not necessarily demonstrate that it was

pr ayer that had brought about these res ult s.Opponents of testing prayer could claim that theywere accidental and that the study had not been


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At the time of admission, patients were randomized toreceive remote, intercessory prayer (prayer group)or not (usual care group). The first names of patientsin the prayer group were given to a team of outsideintercessors who prayed for them daily for 4 weeks.Patients were unaware that they were being prayed for, and the intercessors did not know and never met the patients. Compared with the usual caregroup (n = 524), the prayer group (n = 466) had lower mean SEM weighted (6.35 0.26 vs 7.13 0.27; P=.04) and unweighted (2.7 0.1 vs 3.0 0.1; p =.04) CCU course scores. Lengths of CCUand hospital stays were not different. Remote,intercessory prayer was associated with lower CCU

course scores. This result suggests that prayer may be an effective adjunct to standard medical care.

OLaoire 18 examined the effects of intercessory prayer on self-esteem, anxiety, and depression in406 subjects (who received either no prayer,directed prayer, or nondirected prayer) and in the90 intercessors. There were no specific benefitsdetected for the prayer groups.

A pilot study 19 of the effects of intercessory pr ayer on 40 recover ing alcohol ics likewisereported no clinical benefit. Walker et al 19 examined

the intercessory prayer in the treatment of alcoholabuse and dependence on 496 patients. those who

prayed (agents, n = 90) and those who were prayed for (subjects, n = 406). Agents were randomlyassigned to either a directed or nondirected prayer group; photos and names of subjects were used asa focus. Subjects were randomly assigned to threegroups: those prayed for by nondirected agents, acontrol group, and those prayed for by directed agents. Prayer was offered for 15 minutes daily for 12 weeks. Each subject was prayed for by three

agents. Subjects improved significantly on all 11measures. Agents improved significantly on 10measures. A significant positive correlation wasfound between the amount of prayer the agents did and their scores on the five objective tests. Agentshad significantly better scores than did subjects onall objective measures. Subjects views of the locusof Gods action showed significance in threeobjective measures. Improvement on four objectivemeasures was significantly related to subjects

beli ef in the power of prayer for others.Improvement on all 11 measures was significantlyrelated to subjects conviction concerning whether

they had been assigned to a control or anexperimental group.

Sicher et al 20 conducted a pilot study of theeffect of intercessory prayer on patients enteringtreatment for alcohol abuse or dependence. Inaddition to standard treatment, 40 patients admitted to a public substance abuse treatment facility for treatment of alcohol problems who consented to

par ticipate were randomized to receive or notreceive intercessory prayer (doubleblind) by outsidevolunteers. Assessments were conducted at

baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. No differenceswere found between prayer intervention and nonintervention groups on alcohol consumption.

Compared with a normative group of patientstreated at the same facility participants in the prayer study experienced a delay in drinking reduction.Those who reported at baseline that a familymember or friend was already praying for them werefound to be drinking significantly more at 6 monthsthan were those who reported being unaware of anyone praying for them. Greater frequency of

pr ay er by the pa r tic ipant s themselves wasassociated with less drinking, but only at months 2and 3. Intercessory prayer did not demonstrate

clinical benefit in the treatment of alcohol abuseand dependence under these study conditions.Prayer may be a complex phenomenon with manyinteracting variables.

One study evaluated the effect of distant prayer on patients with advanced AIDS because so many

people with HIV said they were relying on spiritualhealers and getting benefits from prayer. Twentyof the 40 patients were prayed forsix days a week for ten weeksby experienced healers fromChristian, Jewish, Buddhist, Native American,

shamanic, and other traditions. The healers had photos of the patients and knew their first names,CD4+ counts, and symptoms. A rotating healingschedule randomized healers to patients on a weekly

basis to minimize possible differences in healer effectiveness. The study employed a pair-matched design to control for age, higher T cell count, and illness history. After six months, the investigatorsfound that the prayedfor patients had significantlyfewer new AIDS-defining illnesses (2 vs. 12), sawtheir doctors less often (185 vs. 260 visits), and spent fewer days in the hospital (10 vs. 68 days).They also showed marked improvement in mood.


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APRIL 2009 DELHI PSYCHIATRY J OURNAL Vol. 12 No.1

Delhi Psychiatry Journal 2008; 12:(1) Delhi Psychiatric Society 71

Byrd 3 led the way for investigators intent uponlearning whether distant prayer can help heal withhis 1988 study of 393 patients in San FranciscoGeneral Hospitals CCU, half of whom were prayed for by a group of born-again Christians. Byrd found that the prayed-for patients were less prone tocongestive heart failure and cardiac arrest and fewer of them needed diuretics and antibiotics thancontrol-group patients.

Astin, 2 was principal investigator in a recentsystematic review of data on the efficacy of variousforms of distant healing, including prayer and noncontact therapeutic touch. Twenty-three clinicaltrials involving 2,774 patients met the investigators

criteria for inclusion: random assignment, placeboor other adequate control, and publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Fiftyseven percent of the studiesshowed a statistically significant treatment effecton at least one outcome measure.

One study detailed a ten year experiment of Prayer Therapy at the University of Redlands. Their study showed that prayer brought renewal, rebirth,that men and women received beauty for ashes,and were released from fears, depression,discouragement, and marital difficulties. Dramatic

physical healings resulted with stuttering, arthritis,migraine headaches, and high blood pressure as aresponse to the power of prayer. There were somespectacular recoveries from various diseases, but

just as important were the day to day adjustmentsto life, the life more abundant, the joy and peaceachieved right were they were by individuals whomade remarkable to adjustments to life. In their experiments, they had three groups. Group One wasthe Psychotherapy group. They received

psychotherapy with no mention of pr ayer or

religion. These people showed a 65% noticeableimprovement in both test and symptoms. GroupTwo was designated, Random Prayer. These

people prayed on their own every night without benefit of psychological insight. They showed no progress in the test, backsliding in some instances.Symptoms were not noticeably improved. GroupThree was the Prayer Therapy group. The Prayer Therapy group received instructions on positive

praying and psychological guidance. The Prayer Therapy group made a 72% improvement in testand improvement of symptoms.

An analysis 2132 of 43 studies on people with

advanced cancer said that people who reported spiritual well-being were able to cope better withtheir illnesses and find meaning in their experience.In research done specifically on women with breastcancer, spirituality and prayer has been associated with less depression and a more positive sense of well-being.

Another study looked at 84 women in Texaswho had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Thewomen completed questionnaires about their spirituality and their psychological response to

breast cancer. The results showed that prayer wasassociated with improved psychological wellbeing.

An correlational study 10 examined preferred

prayer styles and associated scores on measures of anxiety control and trait anxiety in a sample of 85college students. Results suggested that individualswhose prayer styles were characterized by activerather than avoidant coping were likely to evidencegreater perceived control of anxiety and lower levelsof trait anxiety.

Javaheri 13 has describe some aspects of prayer healing in Iran. Although mainstream allopaticmedicine is the dominant model in Iran, many other kinds of healing are currently also being used. This

study has been carried out using participatoryobservation and in-depth interviews with fourteenhealers who worked in Tehran. Also one hundred and seventy patients who referred to healing centerswere interviewed through random sampling. Thefindings indicate that, despite the increasing growthin scientific medicine, traditional healing is stillalive. It is a cultural way of coping with health

problems.Hobbins 12 examined The effects of distant,

intercessory prayer on health outcomes in a range

of randomised, blinded clinical trials. Within asample of 15 such studies published in the medicalliterature, many were found to have ignored or waived key ethical precepts, including adequatestandards of care, patient confidentiality and informed consent. Prayer was considered in moststudies to pose negligible or no risk to subjects,despite the fact that no clear mechanism of actionnor any safety monitoring procedures weredescribed. As a result, many studies did not meet

basic ethical standards required of clinical trials of biophysical interventions, making applicat ion of their results ethically problematic. If investigators


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wish their data to adequately inform the use or rejection of intercessory prayer to improve health.

Louchakova attempt to articulate theexperience beyond the ego, happening in the

practice of the Hesychast Prayer of the Heart.Explication of the dynamics of the direct intuition,Union, and ontopoiesis leads to a better under-standing of the psychological system generallycalled self, and suggests a number of methodo-logical approaches based on the enhancement of the essential elements of self-structure.

Conclusions

Throughout the history of human civilization

and in all religions, beliefs, faiths and cultures,praying has been a means of resort for deliverancefrom troubles, entanglements and hopelessness, or a request for realization of desires, treatment of

physical injuries, and mental worries. In the HolyKoran, there are numerous instances when the

prophets, (by Gods order), and some other peoplehave resorted to praying. One explicit example isin the Sura of Hamd, which is a part of our saying

prayers. This is not to declare that, according totheists, all studies of the importance of prayer and religious belief for the health of patients arevalueless. Nor is it to maintain that health care

professionals must ignore the prayer practices and spiritual concerns of their patients. Religious and spiritual beliefs are significant forces that shape thedecisions many patients make about medicaltreatment and help them to cope with illness and disability. This truth provides good reason for clinical caregivers to take their patients religiousfaith and prayer practices into account as they

jointly develop treatment plans.According to many researches done in this

field, praying and other religious practices can actas helps to heal those who suffer from different

pains and illnesses. Therefore it is clear that prayingand religious beliefs play an important role in the

prevention or decrease of mental, physical and emotional problems. The research suggests further interventions and adequate services to promotemental and physical health and the coping skill withregard to the use of religious strategies whileencountering problems and stressors.

Our research has shown the effectiveness of

religious beliefs in prevention of mental and

physical disorders.

References

1. Amini F, Malekshahi F. The effect of prayingand benediction on the rate of anxiety beforethe students exam sessions, 1st InternationalCongress on Religion and Mental Health,Tehran-I.R. Iran, 16-19 April 2001.

2. Astin JA et al. The efficacy of distant healing:a systematic review of randomized trials. AnnIntern Med. 2000; 132 : 903-10.

3. Byrd RC. Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a coronary care unit

population. South Med J. 1988; 81 : 826 9.

4. Crookall; The Power Of Prayer, TheGodscience Manifesto, 1970 1994.5. Cynthia B. Cohen, Sondra E. Wheeler, David

A. Scott, BSE, Patricia L. Prayer as Therapy;Questia, Vol. 30, 2000.

6. Dossey L. Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine, San Francisco,Calif., Harper, 1993; p. 141.

7. Duke Medicine News and Communucations.Results of First Multicenter Trail of Inter-cessory Prayer, Healing Touch in HeartPatients; July 14, 2005.

8. Durbin, Chaplain PG, Prayer Therapy, 1991.9. Gill PS. Trinity of Sikhism, 1973.10. Harris J, Schoneman S, Carrera S. Preferred

Prayer Styles and Anxiety Control, J ReligionHealth, 2005; 44 : 403-412.

11. Helen SV. Song of Prayer, a Course in Miracles;Vol I, 1997.

12. Hobbins P. Compromised ethical principles inrandomised clinical trials of distant,intercessory Prayer. J Bioethical Inquiry, 2005;2 : 798802

13. Javaheri F. Prayer Healing: An Experien-tialDescription of Iranian Prayer Healing, JReligion Health 2006; 45 : 166 172.

14. Johann A. Quoted by Eliade M. The Sacred and Profane, 1964.

15. Krucoff MW, Crater SW, Gallup D. et al,Music, imagery, touch, and prayer as adjunctsto interventional cardiac care: the Monitoringand Actualisation of Noetic Trainings(MANTRA) II randomised study. Duke ClinicalResearch Institute, Durham, 2005 Jul 16 22;

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