Fall 2018 – Winter 2019
Are you feeling it too? It is everywhere — people are angry, overwhelmed and worried. Media outlets try to push ratings higher with minute-by-minute perspectives and commentaries that are disturbing and unsettling. Messages bombard us from every angle that our country is divided, kindness has vanished and someone is waiting to call us names if we share our opinion.
So, a key question is: How do I find calm in today’s world? Recent research is pointing to prayer and meditation as an effective tool.
Stick with me. Prayer and meditation does not have to be tied to a belief in God or to a particular religion. If you are agnostic or atheist – don’t stop reading.
1. Meditation & Prayer: Shifts the Brain Into a Soothed State
Dr. David Spiegel, from Stanford University School of Medicine, is a leading brain scientist. He recently published research as to what the brain looks like on prayer.
“Praying involves the deeper parts of the brain— the mid-front and back portions,” says Dr. Spiegel. “These parts of the brain are involved in self-reflection and self-soothing.”
2. Meditation & Prayer: Produces “Feel Good” Chemicals
Feel-good chemicals, such as Oxytocin, are released during prayer/meditation which helps to soothe and lift our spirits.
During times of stress, our limbic system becomes hyper-activated, and we begin to operate from a state of freeze, fight or flee. We move out of a state of contentment and head towards poor decision-making and destructive behaviors. The chemicals produced while praying return us to a state of equilibrium.
3. Meditation & Prayer: Reduces Negative Feelings
Research done at the NYU Medical Center, utilized members of Alcoholics Anonymous who were placed in an MRI scanner. They were shown drinking-related images to intentionally stimulate cravings for alcohol. Participants used prayer to soothe themselves. The MRI data showed dramatic shifts in the prefrontal cortex which is responsible for the control of emotion. Participants self-reported a systemic shift from unsettled to an overall feeling of contentment.
4. Meditation & Prayer: Prepares Us to Take Action
While there is certainly sound argument for the psychological benefits of prayer and meditation, one question frequently asked by those who are agnostic or atheist: What can prayer actually do in the world?
The key is balance between prayer and action. One purpose of prayer and meditation is to recharge our batteries and gain a more centered perspective so that we can move out into the world and create positive change: connecting, re-centering, refocusing and taking steps that create change without destroying other human beings who get in our way.
You can think of prayer as your protective coating for the mind-body-spirit so the action that follows is more effective.
How? If I don’t believe in God.
There are plenty of books, articles and videos out there that can help you with that.
I’ll share one of my own life lessons. I worked with Harold and he used a phrase frequently when responding to someone who was struggling with pain, grief or loss: I’ll hold a good thought for you. That statement was always accompanied by his warm, genuine smile. You felt his care and concern.
One day I asked him what that phrase meant to him. He said, “It conveys my open heart for that person. I hold a deep wish that all the good forces in the cosmos come together for the best possible resolution for that person. My wish for them is that they feel loved and cared for during their difficulty.”
He went on the explain – “I don’t just say it and move on. I spend time envisioning them wrapped up in all the positive energy in the universe – and it making a positive difference in their life.”
In my 20-something naivety, I asked, “Why don’t you direct that prayer to God?”
He replied, “I come from a scientific family with agnostic beliefs – I was not brought up to believe in God. Yet, if I die and I discover that God exists … I will hope that he was pleased that I was still able to pray – even though I didn’t believe in him.”
About a month after our conversation – Harold was killed in a car accident.
30 years later – Harold still crosses my mind. I smile, think of him fondly and wrap my prayer in an interior whisper: Harold, I’m holding a good thought for you.
Make me a channel of your peace
Where there is hatred let me bring your love
Where there is injury, your pardon Lord
And where there’s doubt, true faith in you
Make me a channel of your peace
Where there’s despair in life let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness ever joy
— Hymn, Prayer of St. Francis