Nature and Human Spirit

Elizabeth Thorne

Nature and Human Spirit

Literature Review

21 March 2005

Spirituality and Health: Can the Mind Heal the Body?

The Cartesian idea that the emotional aspects of the mind and the physiological aspects of the body were two separate entities has stood as dogma of scientific studies for centuries. However, in recent years, the mind/body connection has become an area of intense interest and research. The effect of spirituality is becoming more and more apparent in the treatment of many diseases. The physical improvement and enhanced quality of life of those who include spiritual or religious practices in to their treatment has opened the door for research seeking to understand the link between the power of belief and the ability to heal.

Before exploring the effect spirituality has on health, we must first attempt to define spirituality. Many view spirituality and religiosity as one in the same, however there are distinct differences. Religiosity is concerned with how one’s experience of a transcendent being is shaped by, and expressed in, a community or social organization (Piedmont 2004). Spirituality, on the other hand, is more complex, and encompasses many dimensions of the human experience. Dr. Gowri Anandarajah states that spirituality has cognitive, experiential and behavior aspects. “The cognitive or philosophical aspects include the search for meaning, purpose and truth in life and the beliefs and values by which an individual lives. The experiential and emotional aspects involve feelings of hope, love, connection, inner peace, comfort and support. The behavior aspects involve the way a person externally manifests individual spiritual beliefs and inner spiritual state.” (Anandarajah 2001). While some people choose to express their spirituality through religious practice, many others may find it through a connection to nature, through music and the arts, through a set of values and principle or through a quest for scientific truth (Anandarajah 2001).

Recent studies suggest that a sense of spirituality shows a positive correlation with many aspects of one’s physical health including heart disease, hypertension, immune system dysfunctions (i.e. HIV/AIDS), cancer, depression and substance abuse. A study done by Koenig et al found that religious or spiritual people, especially those who are regularly involved with a community of faith, experience depression less often than others, are less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, cope with life issues and illness more effectively, and are less likely to commit suicide (Koenig et al. 1999). He also found that morality rates measured over a 28 year period for men who regularly attended religious services were 23 percent lower than those who attended less frequently. For women, the mortality rates were 34 percent lower (Koenig et al. 1999). Studies have also shown that people who show a strong religious involvement in their communities are 40 percent less likely to suffer hypertension. Conversely, those who never or rarely visit a house of worship tend to have the highest levels of Interleukin-6, a substance that indicates a weakened or overactive immune system (Dyer 2002).

Spirituality has long been a staple of many substance abuse treatment programs. Alcoholic’s Anonymous “Big Book” describes its program as one of “spiritual awakening” and that spirituality is perceived to be the number one curative factor (Piedmont 2004). One study found that Universitality, or the “belief that there is a higher level of existence through which all life is interconnected” was the most dominant predictor of substance abuse treatment outcome (Piedmont 2004).

One behavioral aspect of spirituality that has received much attention is the act of prayer. One study researching the correlation between spirituality and quality of life of those with lung cancer showed that those who prayed on a regular basis were less likely to experience negative symptoms, and reported a higher quality of life (Meraviglia 2004). Somlai et al. (1996) found that persons living with HIV/AIDS were more likely to participate in prayer practices than their non-infected counterparts, and that spiritual activities such as meditation, imaging, and prayer were intricately linked to perceptions of well-being among long-term survivors of AIDS. Somlai also found that AIDS patients with higher rates of engaging in alternative practices (i.e. prayer, meditation, imaging etc) was associated with increased use of adaptive coping strategies and decreased levels of any HIV-related symptoms (Somlai et al 2000).

Intercessory, or remote prayer, has also received mixed reviews from the medical community. Experiments typically involve comparing the progress of one group of prayer recipients to that of a control group with no such designated population. Neither group is aware of which group they are a part of. Byrd (1988) conducted such a study in a coronary care unit, and found that those patients who received remote prayer reported less negative symptoms and an increased sense of well being. Harvard is currently conducting a similar study with open heart surgery patients. The reliability and validity of these studies have been strongly criticized. For example, how do researchers know that no one is praying for those in the control group? Additionally, there is no way to quantify something like prayer, thus it cannot be empirically measured.

In closing, one important aspect of these studies that must be noted is that it is not necessarily the religious/spiritual act itself that reaps the physical benefits, but the sense of comfort, meaning, connection and support felt by the individual. Again, while many studies focus on the more religious expressions of spirituality (i.e. prayer), it could be assumed that any behavior (i.e. meditation, yoga, art, music) would reap the same physical benefits as long as it brought the individual a sense of heightened spiritual existence. Spirituality is a dynamic, multi-faceted and highly individual phenomena, making it virtually undefinable. Science as we know it today may never be able to define or quantify the essence of spirituality, however it is clear that it is an area worthy of further study. The scientific dogma regarding the mind/body relationship is shifting, as the inclusion of spirituality in everyday medical practice is becoming less taboo. In my personal opinion, a person’s sense of spirit is inherently tied to his/her overall well-being, and has a considerable impact on all aspects of health, and therefore must be considered in every aspect of health care.

References

1. Anandarajah, G. and Hight E. (2001). Spirituality and medical practice. American Family Physician, 63, 81-88.

2. Byrd, RC. (1988). Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a coronary care unit population. South Medical Journal, 81, 826-829.

3. Dyer, C. (2002). The power of prayer. MasterFILE Premier. 41.

4. Kliewer, S. (2004). Allowing spirituality into the healing process. Journal of Family Practice, 53, 616-624.

5. Meraviglia, M.G. (2004). The effect of spirituality on well-being of people with lung cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 31, 89-94.

6. Piedmont, Ralph L. (2004). Spiritual transcendence as a predictor of psychosocial outcome from an outpatient substance abuse program. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 18, 213-222.

7. Somlai, Anton M., and Heckman, Timothy G. (2000). Correlates of spirituality and well-being in a community sample of people living with HIV disease. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 3.