What Is Prayer

I have been focused more on the act of praying this week and why we humans do it and why we feel the need to.  Just what is prayer? For some people a person who prays is speaking to his or her higher self. For others, it is a means of speaking to a higher power beyond themselves.While putting together our COIC Prayer Request website and form I have had a number of emails and phone calls come in from church members some asking for prayers, some needing to talk.  I just want to pray for everyone.  Most church members are like me and believe in the power of prayer and believe that when two or more are praying it just really sets the intent and comes from the heart and God hears and God answers.  I too have asked others to pray for me this week.  Prayer is my first line of defense for everything.  I have a strong connection with God and that in part because I do pray all the time.  I organize my day with prayer.  I lay out my bills and pray over them.  I pray over my food.  I don’t leave the house without praying for the protection of my home and the safety of my trip.  I pray for my loved ones, family and friends and church members.   The more they are in pain and suffering, whether it be physical, emotional or mentally anguished, the more I pray.

 Prayer is an act of worship. Through prayer we worship God.  Prayer is also an act of love, the love of God but also the love of others (our neighbors). The act of prayer is an acknowledgment that we depend on power and grace that is beyond ourselves. Prayer can take many forms.  Prayer has to do with setting our intent and purpose, actively talking with God seeking His input, and meditating and being quiet enough to hear Him.  Nothing demonstrates our dependence on a power that is beyond ourselves more than life crisis like losing a loved one, losing a job, or going through life threatening injuries or terminal illnesses.  When our lives are at stake or threatened, prayer usually comes spontaneously.  Prayer is the natural thing for us to do, not only for ourselves but for others as well.  Praying for others is called intercessory prayer and is a noble and good thing to do in and of itself.  There have been mixed studies done and there is some scientific evidence that intercessory prayer makes a difference.  There are a number of hospitals in our area mostly children’s hospitals and cancer treatment facilities that sponsor prayer groups.  Ultimately, it really makes no difference to spiritual people whether medical science demonstrates that prayer has beneficial treatment effects or not. They know in their own hearts that prayer works and they are going to pray. They live by faith, not by sight.

There are helpful and healthful benefits to praying.  It’s good when science agrees and proves it.  Here’s an interesting article I want to share with you on the science behind Prayer and Health.

 

Energy, Intent and Religious Belief: The Science Behind Prayer and Health

By Rushelle O'Shea

 

The role of spirituality and religion has long been a topic for debate, especially when pertaining to medicine and health care. While many argue that medicine is a science and has little to do with prayer and spirituality, more and more studies are being conducted as to the importance of prayer in the healing process. Can prayer really make a difference? Is spirituality an important part of medicine? You might just be surprised.

 

The History of Prayer and Health

While we live in a society where many are quick to want to separate the Church from many aspects of life, we often forget the important part that religion has played in the history of medicine. Of course, most realize that early man relied upon spirituality and prayer - before we had professional doctors and nurses, we had shamanistic healers and medicine men - people believed to have great healing abilities, and we had witches and wise women, renowned for their healing potions. Even distancing ourselves from nomadic tribes and early man, many of the first hospitals and places of healing were created by religious organizations.

Of course, being fair, there is always the argument that many of today's hospitals are not funded by religious organizations (and there are a lot more these days). Beyond who erected what building first, let's probe deeper into the science behind prayer and health.

 

Prayer and the Mind

Researchers at the National Center for Health Statistics and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), surveyed more than 31,000 adults in 2004 - discovering that 45% of those asked used prayer for health reasons, 43% prayed for their own health, almost 25% had others that had prayed for them, and close to 10% of those surveyed had participated in a prayer group for their own health benefits. In addition to using prayer, those surveyed had also used meditation, yoga, tai chi and energy healing techniques, such as Reiki. While it's difficult to measure the direct benefits that prayer may have on the healing process, one can also see that many people still do turn to prayer and religious redemption during times of great stress or need.

According to Catherine Stoney, PhD, and NCCAM Program Officer in the Division of Extramural Research and Training, "There is already some preliminary evidence for a connection between prayer and related practices and health outcomes. For example, we've seen some evidence that religious affiliation and religious practices are associated with health and mortality — in other words, with better health and longer life." According to Dr. Stoney, "Such connections may involve immune function, cardiovascular function, and/or other physiological changes."

Whatever one wishes to call it - faith, prayer, spirituality - it all offers people peace of mind. When things are overwhelming and one feels like life is careening crazily about, prayer grants us a sense of peace and a degree of control by placing our trust, our belief, into the hands of a greater power. By granting another the ability to perform healing magick upon us or allowing someone to say a prayer in our benefit, we are letting someone help us shoulder some of the burden.

 

Spirituality and prayer is also helpful for our healers. Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, Founder and Director of The Institute for the Study of Health and Illness (ISHI) believes that it's important for physicians to remember that "Medicine is a practice and a spiritual path." Dr. Remen believes that spirituality is important to physicians because it keeps them from burning out - that they need to recall those values that first led them into the healing arts and to embrace them once again. These sentiments are echoed through the Inner Life Renewal program, offered at the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality and Healing, which helps health care professionals refresh their spirit and rediscover their purpose as healers.

Some might argue that medical professionals who are religious, themselves, are more likely to see others being healed or showing improvement, due to prayer, this is true. However, whichever side of the argument you stand on, we can always use a little breather or someone to talk to. For those who believe, having something to hold onto - something to have faith in - is invaluable.

 

Prayer and the Body

Regardless of what religion we are, our beliefs affect us in two ways - the most obvious way, of course, is a physical manifestation:

For example - A clinical trial was held recently, where several psoriasis patients were given ultraviolet light sessions to help treat their skin condition. Some of these patients were allowed to listen to meditation tapes during the ultraviolet light treatments, while others were not. The end result showed that those who listened to the meditation tapes healed four times faster than those who did not engage in meditative sessions.

 

Additionally, it's been proven that guided imagery (sometimes referred to as creative visualization), has been shown to reduce both anxiety and pain in people with various medical conditions, such as those suffering from headaches or asthma. It's believed that, by teaching a person to tune out the world about them - and to focus on their bodies and the messages they send - we are able to focus our own natural healing properties. In 2001, a study of 150 people who were receiving coronary stenting was published in the November issue of the American Heart Journal. There, M.W. Krucoff stated that there was a 25-30% reduction in negative outcomes (death, heart failure, heart attack, etc.) amongst the people who engaged in regular prayer and other spiritual therapies.

 

The second way in which our beliefs affect us, is in changes to our lifestyle. Many religions focus on self-improvement and good health, in addition to basic worship.

Dean Ornish, MD, has found tremendous success with a program that combines meditation, yoga, stress management and group support, with a good diet and exercise, to reverse coronary artery disease. This new approach is now being tried on patients who are suffering from prostrate cancer, in an effort to learn what kind of lifestyle changes may have beneficial/negative effects on the patients. By weaving a mixture of spirituality and physical changes together, the body is better able to heal.

Perhaps another way to look upon this is that, by improving our physical and mental health and well being, we actually heal and improve our spirit as well.

 

The Future for Prayer and Health

More and more organizations are opening their minds and are focusing more on the science behind prayer and health. In 1992, only 3 of the nation's medical schools included courses on spirituality and faith. Today, 2/3 of all medical schools now include these courses. Considering the direction that this is taking us, combining spirituality and healing may very well be the new medicine of the future.

 

Sources:

http://www.shareguide.com/Dossey.html

http://www.bravewell.org/integrative_medicine/philosophical_foundation/spirituality_and_healthcare/  - The Importance of Spirituality in Healthcare

http://www.mainstreambaptists.org/mob/prayer_&_healing.htm  - Discussion from a doctor and pastor