HEALING  FAITH

 

“God bless us, everyone.”  -- Tiny Tim

”In God we trust.”  -- The money in your wallet

I dare take on one of two subjects our mothers told us not to discuss in polite company, unless you want an argument. Religion. Can religious faith help a person heal physically, mentally, or socially? And if so, might we as health-care professionals be responsible for including this facet into our treatment?

As helpers we are charged with educating our clients on tools we may not even utilize ourselves, if we know they will help. (Ask any physician who smokes, and he or she will advise you against it.) We are also called to speak the uncomfortable, challenging harmful ideas and beliefs. I find it interesting that we will “preach” a right way of thinking through cognitive-behavioral interventions, we advocate a positive self-care through sleep, diet, exercise, and medication options, but we run from addressing possible benefits of faith with our clients as a taboo subject.

Post-Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution served to distance science from the Church that, as the keeper of dogma and orthodoxy, was invested in restraining new knowledge. This led to a splitting of the human being into soul, cared for by religion, and the body/mind cared for by science.

Recently scientists have started reclaiming access to the spiritual world, by studying the connection between faith and physical, mental and social health.  Some of their findings are summarized below.

A strong faith has been positively correlated with:

  • increased life expectancy

  • lower rates of cardiac disease, pulmonary tuberculosis, pulmonary emphysema, cirrhosis of the liver, and cancer (especially lung, bladder, and colon)

  • greater marital and overall life satisfaction

  • increased self-esteem and social support, and lower suicide rates

  • reduced drug use, including nicotine, in adults and adolescents

  • improved adjustment and coping skills

  • reduced overall psychological symptoms, such as anxiety (both state and trait), death anxiety, depression, isolation, and hostility

  • reduced blood pressure

  • less vaginal infections/diseases, and cervical cancer

There are several studies indicating that intercessory prayer actually affects physical health, such as surgery complications, life-threatening events, and recovery rates. A few experiments indicate prayer even stimulates plant growth.  There are also some interesting, but small-subject studies, suggesting that prayer affects life expectancy of leukemic children. Much more study is required in the area of prayer efficacy.

Most Americans are religious: a 35 year look at Gallop polls shows a consistent 95% of Americans believe in God, and 76% pray on a regular basis. Given the prevalence of the population professing a faith, therapists are in privileged positions to assist clients in utilizing this belief structure to stimulate healthy behaviors. And as we discover more and more of the positive psychological, physical, and social effects of religious faith, clinicians may find a well-rounded, holistic treatment plan needs to include this powerful tool.

 

 

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