Abstract
Research concerning the relation between physical health and prayer typically employs an outcome oriented paradigm and results are inconsistent. This is not surprising since prayer per se is not governed by physiological principles. More revealing and logically compelling, but more rare, is literature examining health and prayer from the perspective of the participants. The present study examines the health–prayer experience of 104 Christians in the United States. Data were collected through recorded video interviews and analyzed by means of content analysis. Results show that prayer is used as a context nuanced spiritual tool for: dealing with physical suffering (spiritual-religious coping); sustaining hope and spirituality via a sacred dimension; personal empowerment; self-transcendence. These findings demonstrate that practitioners primarily engage prayer at a spiritual rather than a physical level, underscoring the limitations of a biomedical or “Complementary and Alternative Medicine” perspective that conceptualizes prayer as a mechanism for intentionally improving physical health. In clinical practice, regarding the medical, psychotherapeutic, or pastoral, the challenge is to understand prayer through the framework of the practitioner, in order to affirm its potential in healthcare processes.
Highlights
Studies have demonstrated that in the Western world, many people turn to religion in difficult times, especially when facing illness [1,2]
If one denies that the benevolence of God toward some person or situation depends on the intercession of others, what would be the point of intercessory prayer anyway? Even to argue that intercession somehow influences the otherwise independent action of God presents significant theological challenges: Why would one prayer influence God but another prayer not? A full discussion of this theological conundrum is beyond the scope of this paper, and we have noted in another study [11], “from the standpoint of physical health, this type of investigation could lead the researcher into a difficult situation
The reflection on the relation between prayer and health and the implications for clinical practice leads one to realize just how much advancement is still needed in the studies on the topic
Summary
Studies have demonstrated that in the Western world, many people turn to religion in difficult times, especially when facing illness [1,2]. These connections can occur in a variety of ways They concluded that in relation to the self, prayers may evoke deeply troubling concerns (tears) or they be more linked to broad evaluations (examination). The discussion of this topic will be based on a study of the prayer experiences reported by 104 participants and will present several considerations regarding the relation between prayer, health, and clinical practice. The purpose of this discussion is not to delineate all the possibilities and/or risks of integrating prayer into the clinical context, or even to address the effects of prayer on specific health outcomes. Suggestions for further studies will be provided
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