Book contents
- Spirituality and Psychiatry
- Spirituality and Psychiatry
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Boxes
- Contributors
- Foreword to the Second Edition
- Foreword to the First Edition
- Preface to the Second Edition
- Preface to the First Edition
- Acknowledgements
- The Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists: A Personal Reflection
- Chapter 1 Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatry
- Chapter 2 Spiritual Assessment
- Chapter 3 Psychosis
- Chapter 4 Suicide
- Chapter 5 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Chapter 6 Psychotherapy
- Chapter 7 Intellectual Disability
- Chapter 8 Substance Misuse and Addiction
- Chapter 9 Common Mental Disorders
- Chapter 10 Forensic Psychiatry
- Chapter 11 Meditation, Prayer and Healing
- Chapter 12 Religion and Spirituality in the DSM and ICD
- Chapter 13 Spiritual Care in the NHS
- Chapter 14 Spiritual and Religious Interventions
- Chapter 15 The Patient Perspective
- Chapter 16 Religion and Religious Experience
- Chapter 17 Pathological Spirituality
- Chapter 18 Ageing
- Glossary
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
- References
Chapter 11 - Meditation, Prayer and Healing
A Neuroscience Perspective
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 October 2022
Book contents
- Spirituality and Psychiatry
- Spirituality and Psychiatry
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Boxes
- Contributors
- Foreword to the Second Edition
- Foreword to the First Edition
- Preface to the Second Edition
- Preface to the First Edition
- Acknowledgements
- The Spirituality and Psychiatry Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists: A Personal Reflection
- Chapter 1 Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatry
- Chapter 2 Spiritual Assessment
- Chapter 3 Psychosis
- Chapter 4 Suicide
- Chapter 5 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Chapter 6 Psychotherapy
- Chapter 7 Intellectual Disability
- Chapter 8 Substance Misuse and Addiction
- Chapter 9 Common Mental Disorders
- Chapter 10 Forensic Psychiatry
- Chapter 11 Meditation, Prayer and Healing
- Chapter 12 Religion and Spirituality in the DSM and ICD
- Chapter 13 Spiritual Care in the NHS
- Chapter 14 Spiritual and Religious Interventions
- Chapter 15 The Patient Perspective
- Chapter 16 Religion and Religious Experience
- Chapter 17 Pathological Spirituality
- Chapter 18 Ageing
- Glossary
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
- References
Summary
Traditional Western science has had little interest in the concept of mind, and has only recently begun to recognise the relationship between spirituality and health. A better understanding of mind has allowed us to establish the scientific concepts behind the spiritual dimension of healing, and the close correlation between religious and spiritual practice and positive changes in a number of stress-related physiological systems. Meditation and prayer have both been shown to improve brain function, and together with practices such as forgiveness and positive thinking, and a supportive social structure, have been shown to benefit both mental and physical health. Meditation has particular clinical applications in those conditions where high arousal and anxiety are a part of the pathology. Controlled studies of prayer have produced mixed outcomes, but prayer is a widespread religious practice and may have positive effects on the person praying – for example, in terms of pain relief.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Spirituality and Psychiatry , pp. 207 - 219Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
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