Prayer, Spirituality, & Health
Written by Debra Kirchhof-Glazier
Prayer is an important part of Christmas and Hanukkah for Christians and Jews throughout the world. Adherents of other faiths and many people with no organized religion also pray at this time and throughout the year. People have been praying for millennia, likely from the very beginning of humanity. This ancient act takes various forms in different cultures, but all prayer involves a heartfelt connection to a higher power, whether that power is perceived to be outside of us or within.
Spirituality is a state of consciousness in which we find meaning, hope, comfort, and inner peace. It helps hold together the body-mind-spirit continuum that makes up the whole person. Some express their spirituality through religion and some through music or art, a connection with nature, or a philosophy that focuses on values and principles. Dr. Joseph Breton, a naturopathic physician whom I respect, defined spirituality as “the balance between suffering sorrow and experiencing joy”. He likened the body to an instrument, the mind to the musician, and the spirit to the laws of harmony and music. Prayer is one way we express and deepen our spirituality and can be used to maximize our wellness, enhance our healing, and sustain us through illness.
Dr. Larry Dossey, a respected internist who is deeply rooted in the discipline of science, has become an internationally known advocate for the role of spirituality in health care. He is the author of nine books, including Healing Words and Prayer is Good Medicine, and his influence is partly responsible for the fact that over 70 medical schools currently have courses that explore the role of spirituality in healing.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health is pursuing research into the science of mind-body medicine. NCCAM defines prayer as an active process of appealing to a higher spiritual power, specifically for health reasons. Spirituality is defined as an individual’s sense of purpose and meaning in life that goes beyond material values and which can be practiced in many ways, including through religion. NCCAM has funded several studies on prayer and spiritual practices that bear on improving the immune system and quality of life. For example, Dr. Joel Tsevat from the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Cincinnati conducted a study of 350 patients with HIV/AIDS. He found that a sense of spirituality helped patients better cope with their health status. NCCAM is currently funding a study on terminally ill cancer patients at the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center that measures spirituality and levels of interleukin-6, an immune marker highly correlated with mood states. Overall, NCCAM is interested in learning more about the health effects when people experience serenity, positive meaning, and personal growth when confronted with challenge, qualities that are enhanced by prayer and spirituality.
People pray in many ways. Dr. Kenneth Pargament, a psychologist and researcher at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, defines three styles of prayer used by Western religious people: the deferring style, the self-directing style, and the collaborative style. The deferring style leaves the problem completely in God’s hands, the self-directing style asserts that God has given us the resources to help ourselves, and the collaborative style views God as a co-pilot who helps us help ourselves. Pargament feels that the collaborative style helps us grow the most spiritually. Religious people from Eastern backgrounds employ forms of prayer focusing on meditation, alone or in combination with yoga, or on specified rituals that are intended to focus their attention on the divine. Those with no formal religious backgrounds often benefit from communing with nature. Gandhi defined prayer as the “very core of man’s life”, which brings peace, order, and repose in our daily acts. He emphasized that a heartfelt prayer is not a recital of the lips but rather a yearning from within that expresses itself in words, thoughts, and actions, a definition that could be applied to all forms of prayer.
Several factors make prayer and spirituality helpful in health and healing. First, those who focus on their spiritual lives are more likely to engage in a healthy lifestyle, which helps prevent illness and disease. Second, practicing one’s faith or spirituality has been shown to be associated with physiological changes that calm the body, strengthen the immune system, and support healing. Third, believing that you will get well gives one “the will to live”, which often turns the tide during an illness. Overall, prayer and spirituality help cultivate a consciousness that helps us direct our energies to getting well.
In his book Spontaneous Healing Dr. Andrew Weil includes a generic approach to spirituality in his 8 week program for optimal health. Some of his suggestions include being conscious of your mental imagery, taking a “news fast”, practicing deep breathing, spending time with positive people, listening to inspirational music, and buying flowers to grace your home.
For those who pray in the conventional sense, the following guidelines can serve as useful suggestions. It is best to pray on a daily basis, as the effects of this positive discipline are cumulative. It is also important to pray for others as well as yourself. And it is important to listen and be open to the feelings and thoughts that you experience during prayer.
Health and wellness require a holistic lifestyle, and there is no magic button. However, cultivating a spiritual practice in a way that is meaningful to you is as important as eating right, exercising, getting good medical care, and doing all the other things that we associate with wellness. May the blessings of the season inspire you to nurture your connection to yourself, to others, and to something greater.
The Huntingdon Health and Wellness Association makes no medical claims or recommendations. Check with your doctor about your specific health care needs.