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Spirituality Symposium 63 The Permanente Journal/ Summer 2005/ Volume 9 No. 3 health systems Meditation, Prayer and Spiritual Healing: The Evidence Marilyn Schlitz, PhD, is the Vice President of Research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of the Califor- nia Pacific Medical Center. She completed a bachelor of philosophy degree from Monteith College, Wayne State University, a master of arts in social and behavioral studies from the University of Texas, San Antonio, a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Texas in Austin, postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive sciences laboratory, Science Applications International Corpora- tion, and a postdoctoral fellowship in psychology at Stanford University. She has published more than 200 articles in the area of consciousness studies and is the co-editor of Consciousness and Healing, Integral Approaches to Mind- Body Medicine, by Elsevier. She conducted research at Stanford University, Science Applications Internal Corporation, the Institute of Parapsychology, and the Mind Science Foundation. She has taught at Trinity University, Stanford University, and Harvard Medical School, and has lectured widely, including at the United Nations and at the Smithsonian Institution. She served as a Congressionally appointed advisory member for the National Institutes of Health Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and is on the board of trustees for the Esalen Institute and on the board of directors for the Institute of Noetic Sciences. She also serves on the scientific program com- mittee for the Tucson Center for Consciousness Studies. on one hand and diverse religious, spiritual and cultural traditions on the other. Nowhere is this more clear than in the case of medicine. There are various ways of re- sponding to the unprecedented con- vergence we now experience. One is conflict; we need only turn on our radios to see how widespread this response is at a global level. Another response is co-option, where one tradition—typically the Western technological, scientifically based rationalist model—overpow- ers indigenous wisdom, often in very covert ways. A third response takes the form of creativity: As dif- ferences come together, we have the opportunity to birth new ideas and new ways of being together as a collective humanity. My focus this morning is on the research perspective that lies at the interface of science, spirituality, and medicine. How can science begin to offer insights into these wisdom and spiritual practices? And how are these wisdom practices influencing science and medicine in ways that may lead to a more integral ap- proach to health and healing? Primary Areas of Evidence There are five primary areas of data or evidence: the crosscultural data, survey studies, public health research, basic science related to mind-body medicine, and clinical studies of distant healing. Crosscultural Perspectives Indigenous cultures hold no sepa- ration between healing and a con- nection to the sacred. If you exam- ine various traditions, it is only within our own culture that we make this demarcation between what is the rationalist approach and what is our deep engagement with the mystery. From the survey studies, it is clear that people are hungry for a deeper sense of meaning and for a connec- tion to their spirituality. Seventy-three percent of adults believe praying for someone else can help cure their ill- ness; this is based on a CNN poll. Fifty percent of patients wanted phy- sicians to pray with them. This says something about what people are calling for; how people will feel hap- pier, more contented; how they feel satisfied in terms of the therapeutic encounter. A recent survey 1 published Dr Schlitz: This is a remarkable time in human history—never be- fore have so many world views, be- lief systems, and ways of engaging reality come into contact. On one hand are the remarkable successes of science and technology: an orbit- ing space station, cloned sheep and cats, and a computerized chess champion that has outsmarted even the best of the human chess cham- pions. On the other hand, through the Internet, awareness of the world’s wisdom and spiritual traditions has expanded: we now have access to practices that were once isolated in the Himalayas or deep in the Ama- zon and available only to a very small group of adepts. Today we are ex- periencing a convergence of these different ways of knowing, science Marilyn Schlitz, PhD

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Page 1: Spirituality Symposium Meditation, Prayer and Spiritual ... Symposium Meditation, Prayer and Spiritual

Spirituality Symposium

63The Permanente Journal/ Summer 2005/ Volume 9 No. 3

health systems

Meditation, Prayer and Spiritual Healing:The Evidence

Marilyn Schlitz, PhD, is the Vice President of Research at the Institute ofNoetic Sciences and Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of the Califor-nia Pacific Medical Center. She completed a bachelor of philosophy degreefrom Monteith College, Wayne State University, a master of arts in social andbehavioral studies from the University of Texas, San Antonio, a PhD in socialanthropology from the University of Texas in Austin, postdoctoral fellowshipin cognitive sciences laboratory, Science Applications International Corpora-tion, and a postdoctoral fellowship in psychology at Stanford University. Shehas published more than 200 articles in the area of consciousness studies andis the co-editor of Consciousness and Healing, Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Medicine, by Elsevier. She conducted research at Stanford University,Science Applications Internal Corporation, the Institute of Parapsychology,and the Mind Science Foundation. She has taught at Trinity University, StanfordUniversity, and Harvard Medical School, and has lectured widely, includingat the United Nations and at the Smithsonian Institution. She served as aCongressionally appointed advisory member for the National Institutes ofHealth Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and is on theboard of trustees for the Esalen Institute and on the board of directors for theInstitute of Noetic Sciences. She also serves on the scientific program com-mittee for the Tucson Center for Consciousness Studies.

on one hand and diverse religious,spiritual and cultural traditions on theother. Nowhere is this more clearthan in the case of medicine.

There are various ways of re-sponding to the unprecedented con-vergence we now experience. Oneis conflict; we need only turn onour radios to see how widespreadthis response is at a global level.Another response is co-option,where one tradition—typically theWestern technological, scientificallybased rationalist model—overpow-ers indigenous wisdom, often invery covert ways. A third responsetakes the form of creativity: As dif-ferences come together, we have theopportunity to birth new ideas andnew ways of being together as acollective humanity.

My focus this morning is on theresearch perspective that lies at theinterface of science, spirituality, andmedicine. How can science beginto offer insights into these wisdomand spiritual practices? And how arethese wisdom practices influencingscience and medicine in ways thatmay lead to a more integral ap-proach to health and healing?

Primary Areas ofEvidence

There are five primary areas ofdata or evidence: the crossculturaldata, survey studies, public healthresearch, basic science related tomind-body medicine, and clinicalstudies of distant healing.

Crosscultural PerspectivesIndigenous cultures hold no sepa-

ration between healing and a con-nection to the sacred. If you exam-ine various traditions, it is onlywithin our own culture that we makethis demarcation between what is therationalist approach and what is ourdeep engagement with the mystery.From the survey studies, it is clearthat people are hungry for a deepersense of meaning and for a connec-tion to their spirituality. Seventy-threepercent of adults believe praying forsomeone else can help cure their ill-ness; this is based on a CNN poll.Fifty percent of patients wanted phy-sicians to pray with them. This sayssomething about what people arecalling for; how people will feel hap-pier, more contented; how they feelsatisfied in terms of the therapeuticencounter. A recent survey1 published

Dr Schlitz: This is a remarkabletime in human history—never be-fore have so many world views, be-lief systems, and ways of engagingreality come into contact. On onehand are the remarkable successesof science and technology: an orbit-ing space station, cloned sheep andcats, and a computerized chesschampion that has outsmarted eventhe best of the human chess cham-pions. On the other hand, throughthe Internet, awareness of the world’swisdom and spiritual traditions hasexpanded: we now have access topractices that were once isolated inthe Himalayas or deep in the Ama-zon and available only to a very smallgroup of adepts. Today we are ex-periencing a convergence of thesedifferent ways of knowing, science

Marilyn Schlitz, PhD

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by the National Institutes of Healthlooked at the ten most commoncomplementary and alternative prac-tices or modalities that are used byAmericans today, and they found thatof the top ten, three involved prayer:prayer for self, 43%; prayer for others,24%; and prayer groups, a very com-mon modality for people to engage in.

Public Health StudiesIn terms of public health research,

through the use of epidemiologicalmethods and tools, we are begin-ning to understand the correlationsbetween spiritual and religious prac-tice and physical outcomes. JeffLevin, a social epidemiologist, notesthat more than 1600 studies havebeen conducted examining the cor-relation between religious and spiri-tual participation and health.2 Theevidence is overwhelming. Findingspersist regardless of religious affili-ation, diseases or health conditions,age, sex, race or ethnicity, or na-tionality of those studied. This find-ing is positively correlated with edu-cation. People who have a strongeducational background believe thatthese kinds of practices and prin-ciples are important for health andwell-being.

Basic Science on Mind-BodyMedicine

So let’s talk about the mind-bodyconnection. From cross-cultural per-spectives, it appears that peoplebelieve in and practice spiritualityin the context of healing and, in fact,don’t make a separation. Within theHawaiian Kahuna tradition, healersand religious spiritual practitionersare one and the same. It’s clear fromthe correlational studies within theepidemiology data that positive re-lationships exist between religiousand spiritual practice and health out-comes on a variety of different con-ditions. We hear so much about the

placebo effect as a mind-body piecefor example. In our new book,Consciousness and Healing,2 weconsider an integral approach tomedicine in that healing and con-sciousness is not only a part of thismind-body connection but also is apart of our connection to our rela-tionships—our interpersonal rela-tionships, our relationship to the en-vironment, and our relationship tothe transpersonal or the spiritual.Harris Dienstfrey, contributor toConsciousness and Healing, writes,“The mind as a source of medicineis waiting to be explored.”2:p 60 It isvery interesting to me as a re-searcher that the placebo effect issomething that we tend to put aside.It’s the control condition. And yet ifwe really wanted to understand theinnate capacities of the body to heal,wouldn’t we want to focus in thereand look at the ways in which ourbody can take an inert substanceand produce a physiologicalchange? More so, this inert sub-stance knows the whole cascade ofresponses that are necessary to leadto a particular kind of outcome.How does that happen? It is a pro-found mystery and one that needsto be explored more fully.

Wound-Healing StudyWe received an NIH grant to look

at the effects of prayer and spiritu-ality on wound healing; research weare conducting at California PacificMedical Center. This is a three-armclinical trial with women, primarilybreast cancer patients, who are un-dergoing reconstructive surgery aftermastectomy. We have recruited heal-ers from across the country to par-ticipate in this study—people who be-lieve they can use their minds, theirprayers, and their intentions to influ-ence other people at a distance.

These healers include: Chi Gongmasters, Johrei practitioners, Reiki

practitioners, Carmelite nuns, Bud-dhist monks, and Christian groups.All the healers in our research studykeep a daily log that describes theirpractice and their experience.People report making use of tech-niques such as directing healing en-ergy toward the distant person, us-ing some kind of focusing tool,such as a photograph, to focus theirattention on the distant person, ormaking use of petitionary prayerto call on divine help from super-natural forces.

The women who come into thesurgery unit are randomized intotwo blinded arms: Either they re-ceive distant healing or they don’t.In the third arm of a distant healingor prayer and intention healinggroup, patients are called every dayand are told that they are gettinghealing. The outcome in this studyis the rate of wound healing by mea-suring collagen deposition in a littleGORE-TEX® patch inserted in thegroin area, a standardized location.We’re also looking at a variety ofpsychosocial measures. This is anexample of bringing spiritual andreligious practices, what we callcompassionate intention, into alaboratory setting and looking at therole of expectancy and placebo asit relates to the particular outcomemeasure. We are framing the possi-bility that our intention can actuallyinfluence the physical well-being ofanother person, even if that personis unaware of that intention.

Distant Healing ResearchIn the recent National Center of

Complementary and AlternativeMedicine (NCCAM) survey study Imentioned, a significantly high per-centage of the population makes useof prayer for other people. Manypeople believe that if I pray for you,you will become better, or if you prayfor me I’ll become better, and yet

Meditation, Prayer and Spiritual Healing: The Evidence

It’s clear from thecorrelational

studies withinthe epidemiology

data thatpositive

relationshipsexist betweenreligious and

spiritual practiceand health

outcomes on avariety ofdifferent

conditions.

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we know very little of the mecha-nism to explain how this might hap-pen. So this is a frontier area for re-search. To date, more than 180studies have been done in this area,with more than half of them pro-ducing significant results. In these ex-periments, one person through theirintention tries to influence the physi-ology or the physical condition of atarget system, such as cell cultures,animal models, and there are humanstudies. As of March 2004, there havebeen nine controlled clinical trialslooking at intercessory prayer (com-passionate intention at a distance).Six of these have produced statisti-cally significant positive results. Fora complete list of these studies, onecan visit the distant healing researchsite at the Institute of Noetic SciencesWeb site (www.noetic.org).

As an example, Dr Elizabeth Targat California Pacific Medical Centerdid a series of trials looking at AIDSpatients.3 She selected AIDS as a con-dition because, at the time of thestudy, it was very resistant to con-ventional allopathic medical interven-tion. Patients were randomized intostandard care alone or they got stan-dard care plus a booster, which wasthis intercessory prayer at a distance.This was a blinded study. In both apilot study and a confirmation study,the prayer groups had statistically sig-nificant improvements in outcome,suggesting that the intervention hasclinical relevance.

CompassionateIntention and CancerPatients: The Love Study

Anyone who works with canceras a condition knows that partnersof cancer patients can feel verydisempowered: There is very littleto do to help your partner. The LoveStudy is another project that is rel-evant to the translation of basic sci-ence into clinically relevant out-

comes. Specifically, one of our goalswas to promote psychological ro-bustness in the partner of the can-cer patient.

We trained the cancer patient part-ner in compassionate intention.When the training program wasover, we conducted a distant heal-ing experiment in our lab at theInstitute of Noetic Sciences. Wemonitored the patient’s physiology,looking at autonomic measures: skinconductance, respiration, heart rate,and EEGs. One person was situatedin a 2000-pound electromagneticallyshielded room to rule out any con-ventional explanations that mightaccount for the results. We askedthe couple to exchange meaningfulitems—a psychological activity thathelps them stay connected. For ex-ample, a man gave his wife his bootsand she gave him her doll, whichthey held while doing the experi-ment. The job of the partner of thecancer patient, at random timesthroughout a session, is to try tocalm his partner’s physiology. Thisis a “proof of principle” type studyto show that physiological changesoccur as a result of this kind of ex-change. The man watched a closed-circuit television as his wife’s im-age intermittently appeared on thescreen. Neither he nor she knewwhen those viewing periods weregoing to occur. The experiment isbased on a randomized double-blind-type protocol.

This study can be seen in lightof other studies using this sametesting paradigm. A study pub-lished in the British Journal ofPsychology4 examined 35 studiesthat looked at whether the inten-tion of one person can interactwith and influence the physiologyof another person. They found astatistically significant positive dif-ference across the studies.

We feel we have established the

proof of principle that there is somekind of nonlocal or transpersonalexchange of information betweentwo people. So, now the questionfor all practitioners is: How does thatrelate to our practice? How do webring these ideas of spirituality andcompassionate intention into ourpractice, and how do we begin tosee whether or not it helps clinically?

Practical ApplicationIn the introduction to Conscious-

ness and Healing, Ken Wilber notesthat the most important aspect ofthis integral approach to medicineis the transformation that happensin the healer.2 Rather than thinkingabout this as something outside ofourselves, how do we really bringthese principles into our own lives.Key to an integral approach is notthe content of the medical bag, butthe holder of the bag: one who hasopened herself or himself to themultidimensional nature of healing,including body, mind, soul, spirit,culture, and nature.

Spiritual EducationToday, 101 medical schools incor-

porate patient spirituality in theircurriculum, up from 17 in 1995. Thisfact suggests that these principlesare being incorporated into medi-cal education, albeit at an electivelevel. Some hospitals such as UCLAMedical Center encourage physi-cians to include spiritual historiesin patients’ charts. This acknowl-edges that in fact these kinds of prin-ciples are being incorporated intomainstream medicine. Harold GKoenig, MD, who works at DukeUniversity, recommends that phy-sicians ask every patient if they con-sider themselves spiritual or reli-gious. Doctors should encourageprayer and religious participation ifthat is a source of comfort.5 Reli-gion has the power to heal, and we

Meditation, Prayer and Spiritual Healing: The Evidence

Many peoplebelieve that ifI pray for you,

you willbecome better,or if you pray

for me I’llbecome better,

and yet weknow verylittle of the

mechanism toexplain howthis mighthappen.

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have an obligation to value thatpower alongside medicine.

ConclusionBy way of conclusion, each of us

in some way represents both thehospice worker who is helping in avery loving, kind, gentle way to letthe old paradigm die, to watch andrelease it from its own suffering, andat the same time, each of us actingas midwives for the birth of some-thing new. As these different culturesand different world views converge,

we can begin to see the birthing of acreative solution to many of the prob-lems we face today. ❖

References1. Barnes PM, Powell-Griner E,

McFann K, Nahin RL. Complemen-tary and alternative medicine useamong adults: United States, 2002.Adv Data 2004 May 27;(343):1-19.

2. Schlitz M, Amorok T, Micozzi MS,eds. Consciousness and healing. StLouis: Elsevier: Churchill-Livingston;2005.

3. Sicher F, Trag E, Moore D 2nd, Smith

HS. A randomized double-blindstudy of the effect of distant healingin a population with advanced AIDS.Report of a small scale study. West JMed 1998 Dec;169(6):356-63.

4. Schmidt S, Schneider R, Utts J,Walach H. Distant intentionality andthe feeling of being stared at: twometa-analyses. Br J Psychol 2004May;95(Pt 2):235-47.

5. Koenig HG. Spirituality in patientcare: why, how, when, and what.Philadelphia: Templeton FoundationPress; 2002. See also Web site:www.beliefnet.com/story/131/story_13132_1.html.

Meditation, Prayer and Spiritual Healing: The Evidence

Fly!You and I are made for goodness, for laughter, for joy.

We’re made for transcendence. Fly!

— Archbishop Desmond Tutu, b 1931, South African cleric and activist