How Do You Define Spirituality

by admin on Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 | Comments Off

Prayer and its Scientific Power by Deborah Lindholm

The mind body connection has amazing and powerful implications. Dr. Herbert Benson who founded the BHI, Bensen-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, which is a part of Massachusetts General Hospital, is a professor at Harvard Medical School. He believes that physical health is influenced by thoughts, feelings and behaviors. These same thoughts feelings and behaviors are also influenced by physical symptoms. It is yet another of life’s amazing cycles.

What remains unknown is how thoughts, beliefs, and feelings assume their role in the development of disease, as well as recovery from disease. We are already aware how some people can change their thoughts through prayer, resulting in seemingly miraculous events. An example would be a total reversal of some terminal condition. We still need to figure out just how thoughts and beliefs manage to affect our body in this way. We are aware that mind and body are in constant communication. What is thought, perceived and experienced is sent from mind to body consistently.

For centuries people have been influencing there health, as well as the health of others through prayer. This mind body approach towards medicine works at teaching patients to change their thought patterns, reduce stress and changing their behaviors to remove any negativity, all while embracing their beliefs to better control and prevail over any illness.

All religions, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, or Christian, believe in prayer for healing. Healing rooms, prayer groups and even online prayer groups can be found all across America and the world. According to an article published in the Washington Post, “Surveys have found that perhaps half of Americans regularly pray for their own health, and at least a quarter have others pray for them.”

However the religious are not the only proponents of prayer for altering health. Quantum physics cites a phenomenon whereby distant particles affect other’s behavior in mysterious ways – thus having other people pray for you conceivably sends energy to you that can and does affect your health.

In addition to citations made in the domain of quantum physics, there have been an abundance of various studies conducted over the years which find have found a strong parallel between prayer and health. Theories are being tested continuously as the reasons for this are still unclear.

Researchers found in the results of one study, conducted with 990 cardiac patients at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo, how prayer improved health based on a combined score of various measures which were created by researchers for the particular study in question.

In a Heritage.org interview with Dr. Harold G. Koenig, a tenured Duke University associate professor of psychiatry and an associate professor of medicine, the director and founder of the Center for the Study of Religion/Spirituality And Health at Duke University, he cites several smaller studies. “In three of the studies you find a connection between religious involvement and immune and endocrine function; in five of seven studies, the religious experience lower mortality from cancer; in 14 of 23, they have significantly lower blood pressure; in 11 of 14, they have lower mortality; and in 12 of 13, clergy mortality is lower.”

It is without doubt we can see the significance prayer has on our health as well as our mortality. As scientists work to better define the parameters and work with control groups, we’ll continually gain insight on the connection between mind and body. Until this occurs, grasp the power to know for a fact how our thoughts and beliefs directly affect not only our own health and mortality, but those of others too.

Ready to become empowered? Deborah Lindholm is a Serenity Empowerment Coach that shows you how to awaken your Inner Power Source to live an empowered life every single day. Download free pre-recorded telecasts, grab your “5 Simple Steps to Get What You Really, Really Want” report and more here: Free Stuff at Serenity Matters

Article Source: http://www.eArticlesOnline.com/Article/Prayer-and-its-Scientific-Power/533695

Spiritual Wellness Definition – Francine Haydon Interview

Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling (AACC Library)

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