A randomized controlled trial led by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine has found that just five minutes of in-person prayer can significantly relieve pain and anxiety in adult patients.
The study, published in The Annals of Family Medicine, compared the effects of proximal intercessory prayer (PIP)-defined as face-to-face Christian prayer-to listening to music. Patients who received prayer reported substantially greater drops in pain intensity immediately after the session, a benefit that persisted at the two-week follow-up. For anxiety, the effects were even longer-lasting, remaining statistically significant at six weeks.
Researchers recruited 180 adults from a family medicine waiting room who reported moderate to severe pain, anxiety, or both. After standard appointments, patients were randomly assigned to five minutes of in-person prayer with a trained volunteer, or five minutes of listening to music.
Interestingly, the benefits were seen regardless of a patient's religious affiliation or expectation of improvement. As Dr. Katherine Jacobson, assistant professor at the University of Maryland, noted, religious intensity and expectancy did not predict outcomes.
While the study cannot prove prayer itself caused the improvements, researchers suggest PIP could serve as a low-cost, non-pharmacologic complement to standard medical care. They plan future studies with a control group receiving interpersonal contact but no prayer, to isolate the specific effects.