depend on others for personal care and experience other radical lifestyle changes.
Body concept changes may threaten self-esteem. In these situations, most people are
forced to reevaluate life’s meaning and purpose. Religious people draw heavily on
their resources of faith to see them through difficult situations like serious illness.
According to a number of studies, religiously involved individuals suffer less death
anxiety than do non-religious people. Highly religious people have the least fear of
death and the strongest belief in an afterlife. Even people with terminal illness may
experience a profound sense of psychological and spiritual well-being and wholeness
as they grapple with imminent death.
The Twelve Remedies.
Numerous studies demonstrate that religious involvement promotes health. It
appears at this time that a number of religious “ingredients” promote health and
well-being (see the list in Table 22.1, “Twelve Religious Remedies”). Although some
may be found in nonreligious settings, they are more commonly found operating
together in religious organizations.
Twelve Religious Remedies
Relaxation response
Healthful living
Aesthetics of worship
Whole-being worship
Confession and absolution
Support network
Shared beliefs
Ritual
Purpose in life
Turning over to a Higher Power
Positive expectations
Love for self and others
The first remedy is the relaxation response, which can be evoked with meditation
and prayer. The relaxation response buffers stress by clearing the mind and freeing
the body from everyday tension. Practiced regularly, the relaxation response
decreases heart rate, lowers metabolic rate, decreases respirations, and slows brain
waves. In addition, it enhances measures of immunity. Most worship services pro-
vide time for silent prayer or meditation as well as help people take time out from
CHAPTER 22 FAITH AND PRAYER 273
