Some thoughts on prayer & spirituality as the relate to health…
Inevitably, I catch some flack from people whenever I touch upon the topic of prayer and its effects on your health. It seems many don’t feel there is a place for prayer in medicine because there is no hard science to support it.
If you’ve been visiting my site for a while, you probably already know that I don’t agree with that sentiment. While I am a physician, and I need empirical evidence to support the use of a specific medicine or treatment modality- you know what a role I feel psyche has on your overall well being, and there is a proven link between psychological well being and physiological health.
I bring this up here because of a few moments where I had the chance to reconnect with elements of my spiritual life last week while I was in Israel…
I have been dealing with some pretty serious personal issues recently, and honestly, I have found them to be somewhat overwhelming (I will be hopefully putting some of these issues to rest Monday, when I publish this post)- and the emotional weight I’ve been carrying as a result has been pretty hard to deal with. Furthermore, my family has had to deal with me, and since you know how much I value ‘couplehood’ as part of my overall view of wellness, I really didn’t want to drag my family down the well with me. As a result I internalized a lot of this stress, and the feelings got worse.
During my trip, I visited the Western Wall, and went to the very spot where I had my Bar Mitzvah nearly thirty years ago. This was an emotional experience for me, as the last time I stood there I was surrounded by all of my Grandparents (the last time they were all together.) My wife and kids stood on the other side of the barrier which separates the men from the women on the exact spot where my Mother, Sister, and Grandmothers watched the ceremony. It really brought forth a flood of emotion, and for the first time in a long while I felt really connected to my religion and with God. This catharsis left me feeling better, less stressed, and better equipped to cope with the stressful things I face in the coming weeks.
This experience, and the relief associated with it was a reminder to me of how psychology & physiology go hand in hand. I don’t know if you believe in God, or practice religion- what I do know is that you need to have real knowledge of your emotions and the things you internalize in order to get them out of your body, and feel relief from pain. It doesn’t matter if this knowledge comes about through meditation, exercise, martial arts, or some other route or combination of routes- but it has to happen for you to get the most out of your physical body and reduce your pain. If prayer helps you to do that- then clearly there is a role for prayer in your overall health.
Thanks for visiting,
Andy
Photo taken on the spot of my Bar Mitzvah almost 30 years ago- Donna took this photo from the spot my Mother, Sister, and Grandmothers stood during the ceremony.
