Prayer is a form of communication with a higher power or deity and is a common practice in most religions. It can take many forms and have many different goals, depending on the culture, belief system, and individual beliefs. In some spiritual practices, prayer can take the form of meditation, specific rituals, or even acts of offering.
The documented history of humanity shows that religion, medicine and healthcare have been interconnected in one way or another, often complementing each other. In a holistic view of man, the sphere of spirituality is one of the pillars of full health. In this approach, prayer can be seen as a therapeutic tool. This is confirmed by numerous scientific studies and the interest of scientists who try to understand how prayer works. And although in the case of faith it is difficult to talk about "hard evidence", there are some premises suggesting that the effects of prayer can be measurable and significantly affect the level of well-being of people who are ill.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the importance of spirituality and religious practices, such as prayer, in the context of mental health and emotional support. In its guide, Psychological First Aid, the WHO recommends considering the individual needs of people who draw support from spiritual or religious practices, especially in crisis and traumatic situations. The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), considers prayer to be one of many complementary and alternative practices for improving health.
A 2015 review of research examined the literature on how and why people pray when they are ill. The topics patients pray for often correlate with their reasons for praying, and the most common reasons can be divided into 5 main types:
▪︎ Illness-focused prayer – is about improving physical health or state of mind, managing and making decisions about illness, and finding meaning in the experience of illness.
▪︎ Prayer of Assurance – provides patients with comfort and faith that their God is watching over them and will care for them, even in the face of illness.
▪︎ Prayer focused on God – concerns the relationship with God, his guidance, is a reflection on the presence of God and gratitude for this experience.
▪︎ Intercessory prayer for others – addressed to family, friends, but also doctors and medical personnel.
▪︎ Lament prayer – expresses fear, complaints and doubts related to the experienced situation, care and existence of God.
Studies have shown that people who lead an active spiritual and religious life enjoy better mental health and adapt more quickly to emerging health problems. These potential benefits to mental health and well-being impact physical health – they reduce the risk of disease and, in the event of illness, can aid the healing and recovery process.
Prayer itself can be seen as a strategy for coping with difficult situations and connecting with a higher source that provides meaning and hope. For cancer patients, the practice of prayer can reduce the impact of physical and psychological reactions to a difficult diagnosis. Studies also show that prayer can be an effective way to minimize the side effects of cancer treatment, such as reducing anxiety in patients receiving chemotherapy.
In many cases, religious and spiritual beliefs, among other things, influence decisions about complementary therapies used during treatment, as well as the choice of care at the end of life. Measures of spirituality and spiritual well-being correlate with the quality of life of cancer patients, cancer survivors, and their caregivers.
Of particular interest are studies on cancer patients which have shown that intercessory prayer (both from family and friends and prayer groups) improves their spiritual well-being, which significantly translates into their overall health and quality of life.
Prayer can therefore be not only a form of therapy, quieting and finding inner peace, but also a way to discover the potential for healing within oneself. It is also a method of coping with a difficult diagnosis, support in making important decisions or in adapting to changes in life during and after the illness. Ultimately, regardless of its medical effectiveness, for many people prayer is a source of inner transformation and hope.
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Sources:
Personal Prayer in Patients Dealing with Chronic Illness: A Review of the Research Literature
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4357134
Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3671693
The effect of prayer on depression and anxiety: maintenance of positive influence one year after prayer intervention
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22641932
A randomized, blinded study of the impact of intercessory prayer on spiritual well-being in patients with cancer
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22894887
Spirituality and religion in oncology
https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.3322/caac.21187
Prayer for people with cancer
Effectiveness of prayer in reducing anxiety in cancer patients
https://www.scielo.br/j/reeusp/a/yS4S3ZDZRvGQvkgMtbZTxZg/?lang=en
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Author: Joanna Niewolik
