“I Heard the Voice. I Felt the Presence”
Prayer, Health and Implications for Clinical Practice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 18094845 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mary Esperandio (0000-0001-8521-8794, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, corresponding author), Kevin L Ladd (0000-0003-2079-2167, Indiana University South Bend), Kevin Ladd |
| Year | 2015 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 670-685 |
| Publication date | 2015-06-11 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel6020670 |
| OpenAlex | W1565352559 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 14 |
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
Audiology · Clinical Practice · Prayer · Psychotherapist · Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Medicine · Nursing · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Religious studies
The psychology of religion and coping
Handbook of Religion and Health
Religious and spiritual struggles.
Prayer and Health
Stress
A Systematic Review of the Empirical Literature on Intercessory Prayer
Personal control and stress and coping processes
Integrating Religion and Spirituality into Mental Health Care, Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Medicine for the Spirit
Patterns of Positive and Negative Religious Coping with Major Life Stressors
Inward, Outward, Upward Prayer
| Citations per year | 0.4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2016 - 2020 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |