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How prayer heals: a theoretical model

J S Levin1

  • 1Department of Family and Community Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk 23501, USA.

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine
|January 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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This theoretical model explores prayer's healing effects, categorizing mechanisms as naturalistic or supernatural, and local or nonlocal. It suggests prayer may operate via naturalistic, nonlocal means, akin to new physics, or through supernatural, transcendent forces beyond scientific reach.

Area of Science:

  • Theoretical medicine
  • Philosophy of science
  • Metaphysics

Background:

  • The mechanisms behind prayer's healing effects remain largely unexplained.
  • Existing hypotheses often invoke concepts like subtle energy, psi, and consciousness.
  • There's a need for a comprehensive framework to understand these phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a theoretical model for understanding the healing effects of prayer.
  • To categorize potential healing mechanisms based on their origin (naturalistic/supernatural) and scope (local/nonlocal).
  • To analyze existing hypotheses within this framework and explore new possibilities.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a four-category theoretical model for healing mechanisms.
  • Analysis of current hypotheses (subtle energy, psi, consciousness, etc.) within the proposed framework.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Comparison of naturalistic (including new physics) and supernatural explanations for prayer's efficacy.

    • Main Results:

    • Most proposed hypotheses for phenomena like absent healing are naturalistic, comparable to conventional medicine.
    • Prayer may operate through nonlocal, naturalistic mechanisms aligned with new physics.
    • Supernatural explanations, involving transcendent forces beyond nature, offer an alternative, albeit scientifically inaccessible, perspective.

    Conclusions:

    • The theoretical model provides a structured way to evaluate diverse explanations for prayer's healing effects.
    • Nonlocal, naturalistic mechanisms, though unfamiliar, are consistent with evolving scientific understanding.
    • Supernatural or divine intervention, while outside scientific inquiry, remains a valid consideration for some.