In contrast, in randomized controlled studies on the efficacy of prayer as a treatment, rated improvements that are not true improvements may also occur explanations for such improvement include the Hawthorne effect and the Rosenthal effect. Improvements in all these contexts are true improvements. Nonspecific psychosocial support related to prayer may arise in group prayer settings. Spontaneous remission and regression to the mean may occur coincidental to prayer. Nonspecific support can reduce anxiety, depression, pain and similar constructs. Nonspecific emotional support provides psychological benefits through interpersonal contact, such as during diagnostic and rating exercises.
Regression to the mean describes improvement that occurs as a result of random fluctuation in the severity of illness in clinical trials, because patients are usually preselected for greater severity of illness, such fluctuations usually occur in only one direction (i.e., toward improvement). Spontaneous remission is well known to occur in conditions that range from medical disorders (e.g., coryza and pharyngitis) to psychiatric states (e.g., depression and mania). Prayer may be associated with improvements that result from spontaneous remission, regression to the mean, nonspecific psychosocial support, the Hawthorne effect and the Rosenthal effect
Interestingly, spiritual meditation has been found to be superior to secular meditation and relaxation in terms of decrease in anxiety and improvement in positive mood, spiritual health, spiritual experiences and tolerance to pain. Meditation has been found to produce a clinically significant reduction in resting as well as ambulatory blood pressure, to reduce heart rate, to result in cardiorespiratory synchronization, to alter levels of melatonin and serotonin, to suppress corticostriatal glutamatergic neurotransmission, to boost the immune response, to decrease the levels of reactive oxygen species as measured by ultraweak photon emission, to reduce stress and promote positive mood states, to reduce anxiety and pain and enhance self-esteem and to have a favorable influence on overall and spiritual quality of life in late-stage disease. Prayer is a special form of meditation and may therefore convey all the health benefits that have been associated with meditationĭifferent types of meditation have been shown to result in psychological and biological changes that are actually or potentially associated with improved health.
0 kommentar(er)
