The Power of Prayer

Does prayer really work, or is it a matter of personal preferences?I do not like to fly. Actually, that’s a gross understatement: I hate flying. From the moment my plane ticket is ordered until the date of departure arrives, I avoid thinking about the flight, as doing so causes me to suffer severe heart palpitations. When I step over the threshold from the walkway into the plane, my heart sinks all the way down to my feet.

I don’t look at the flight attendants’ faces as I board; I am expecting them to tell me "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." And as I enter, I do. During takeoffs and landings, I clutch my St. Christopher’s medallion (the patron saint of travelers) in one hand and the armrest in the other, hoping that I won’t cry out too loudly if there is turbulence.

I recently returned from a flight with my family, a flight which was uneventful and routine save for a few brief moments of what others tell me was quite mild turbulence (to me, it was like riding a tornado). Once we’d returned safely home, my husband asked me what I’d been whispering during all the bounces and jounces.

I was surprised that he didn’t already know, having been raised Catholic himself: I’d been alternating between grimly muttering the Lord’s Prayer and hailing Mary with all my heart. He just raised an eyebrow at me, perhaps surprised to learn of my sudden devotion. But he shouldn’t have been; people often pray at times of great distress (just ask the valiant teenaged boy who sat next to me on the flight: I was distressed.)

So what is it about prayer, anyway? Why do we pray? Does praying actually work? There has been an increasing amount of research into the power of prayer over the last few years. In 2002, Time.com covered two studies funded by The National Institutes of Health to study the therapeutic effects of prayer on AIDS and cancer patients. Shortly before that, the Archives of Internal Medicine published a study conducted in Missouri of the effects of intercessory prayer (strangers praying for you without your knowledge) on cardiac patients. In 2006, MSNBC reported on a large study of the effects of prayer for heart bypass surgery patients.

Some of these studies examined the effects of patients praying on their own behalf; other examined the effects of others praying on the behalf of patients, both with and without the knowledge of the prayer recipients. What were the results of all these studies? Mixed.

In the National Institutes of Health studies reported on by Time.com, the lead researcher stated that "the prayed-for patients had fewer and less severe new illnesses, fewer doctor visits, fewer hospitalizations, and were generally in better moods than those in the control group." But more quickly than you can say "It’s a miracle!" the results of a study conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic appeared to refute the NIH study results. According to the same article, "They [researchers in the Mayo Clinic study] reported last month that in their trials of distant prayer on 750 coronary patients, they found no significant effect." And Bill Maher rejoiced.

But wait - what about the study done at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri? Way back in 1999, researchers were already publishing studies showing that prayer does, in fact, have an effect on one’s condition.

That study concluded that "the group [in their study] receiving prayers fared 11 percent better than the group that didn’t…" on a list of conditions that routinely affect cardiac patients, including chest pains, pneumonia, infections and so forth. The St. Luke’s study was, in fact, undertaken to try to replicate similar results of an even earlier study conducted at San Francisco General Hospital in 1988 which also showed that prayer benefited patients. Take that, Maher.

Ah, ah, ah, not so fast - in 2006, researchers financed by The Templeton Foundation conducted a study, the largest of its kind to date at that time, on the effect of having Christian groups praying for particular patients undergoing surgery. According to MSNBC.com, the researchers in that study found that "having people pray for heart bypass patients had no effect on their recovery.

In fact, patients who knew they were being prayed for had a slightly higher rate of complications" and researchers "emphasized that their work can’t address whether God exists of answers prayers made on another’s behalf."

Rats. You’d think these scientists could figure out a way to prove or disprove the power of prayer once and for all. But therein lies the problem: when you are addressing the issue of prayer, you are not addressing something scientific, you are addressing something spiritual, which is very difficult to measure or quantify.

What does seem to be proven by these conflicting studies is that faith is a very personal thing, and that the mind is a very powerful player in the health outcomes of an individual human being. What works for one person may not ever work for another, and prayer is no different.

During those turbulent moments of our flight, my daughter calmly read a fascinating book and watched the glorious sunset outside the window; our seat mate pulled his jacket hood down over his head and closed his eyes, evidently falling asleep; my husband read his magazine and snuggled with our two boys. All the while, I fingered my medallion and whispered prayers. Which one was more effective? That depends on who you ask.

Just as during the flight we each sought comfort in our own unique ways, during the turbulent moments of our lives, we all turn to different methods of support, comfort, and healing. Some seek distractions; some seek physical comfort; some seek out family and friends; and some pray. The only question really worth answering is not "Does prayer work?", but rather, "Does prayer work for you?" It shouldn’t matter whether it works for anyone else.
By Julia Tagliere
Published: 4/10/2009