The Power of Prayer on the Psyche Madeline K. Murphy Abstract In a world plagued with psychological distress, most are looking for an escape. Thousands of new coping mechanisms emerge for people to try, and recently, a question was posed: does prayer cultivate mental wellbeing? Hundreds of studies evaluate this claim, and most support the idea that prayer has healing capabilities. Closely examining the implications of these results allows a feasible course of action to become clear; prayer’s healing capabilities should be recognized in scientific circles, and more patients should be made aware of their options to attend prayer therapy or implement regular prayer into their lives. Keywords: Prayer, therapy, anxiety, mental health The Mental Health Crisis The mental health of people across the globe is catastrophically decaying. As of 2017, fifteen percent of people worldwide suffered from a mental disorder or substance abuse.1 This number has been rising for decades, and it continues to rise; just in the last decade, there was a thirteen-percent increase in mental health conditions.2 Trends like this are frightening for the well-being of society. Luckily, scientists continue to invent, study, and prescribe countless coping mechanisms. The National Alliance on Mental Illness advises those who struggle with mental issues to try techniques such as “deep breathing” and “mental reframing,” which are both commonly prescribed by other organizations as well.3 In more extreme cases, therapy and medication are utilized. However, as the mental health crisis grows, so must the variety and efficacy of coping mechanisms. Saloni Dattani, Hannah Ritchie, and Max Roser, “Mental Health,” Our World in Data, August 20, 2021, https://ourworldindata.org/mental-health. 2 “Mental Health,” World Health Organization, accessed November 1, 2021, https:// www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_2. 3 “Self-Help Techniques for Coping with Mental Illness,” NAMI, February 1, 2019, https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/january-2019/self-help-techniques-for-copingwith-mental-illness. 1
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