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POWER OF PRAYER IN PAIN MANAGEMENTHealing Power of PrayerThe healing power of prayer has been touted for centuries. From religious speakers at mega congregations like Joel Osteen who hype the power of prayer in changing lives to the young woman in the Bronx with seven children, prayer varies in stature according to religion. People who struggle with illness, pain, and suffering and who come from religious backgrounds are often the main beneficiaries of prayer. Communicating with G-d on a personal level has brought on an entirely new way of investigating the healing process. Being Closer to G-dThe power of prayer in relieving pain is a result of being closer to G-d. Communication brings relationships together and establishes a bond between two individuals to invoke or release feelings of fear, stress, and worry. With prayer, we can configure our mindsets from pessimistic to optimistic and gives us insight into handling situations better. When it comes to pain, prayer does heal the body the natural way. By countering the effects of stress and inducing positive emotions, prayer helps to activate the mindset. Although prayer might not strengthen our immune systems to better counter disease and injury, it provides a sense of hope. Studies About Prayer in Relieving PainMost studies have found inconclusive evidence that prayer does heal, although a few have. According to a study by BBC News, people admitted to hospitals with heart troubles have fared better when somebody was praying for them. With more than 900 people studied, scientists found that those participating in prayer (11%) helped patients to recover faster than those who didn't. Although chance might have played a vital role, it is no coincidence than an ABCNews.com poll came to the conclusion that 90% of 33,000 responders believed prayer could heal. The healing power of prayer has been thoroughly questioned since the beginning of time. Mixing the supernatural with science is a target of many skeptics who say that experiments conducted by humans cannot try to decipher what G-d is all about. Many people might also interpret healing as going in the afterlife instead of being physically cured here on Earth. Plus, G-d may treat healing differently than humans would by healing the soul instead of the body. A soul might be ‘healed’ but the body might not, which goes in direct contrast to the millions of people praying in hospital waiting rooms today who want physical restoration. Measuring Healing Power of PrayerIn essence, the healing power of prayer cannot be measured. Surely, many studies sponsored by the US government have come to the conclusion that prayer does not heal. Many studies have tried to separate the effect of prayer from placebos in the condition of not telling sick ones in hospitals whether they are being prayed for or not. If patients are aware of prayers, it might have some effect from a soul standpoint. All in all, there is a lack of tools in deciding whether prayer has healing power. We don’t know how long we have to pray or how many people are needed to pray. At most, prayer revives hope in individuals. Individuals who know people are praying for them may find renewed strength that comes from within. Sometimes, that is all the healing that matters. |
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