What Does Spirituality Have to do with Health?
What does my spirituality have to do with my health? If I believe in a higher being, does it affect my physical body? My mental health? Emotional health? You might think you know the answer, but read on to see if you’re right sweet prayer muffin!
I have a Masters in Theology. It’s not the most fun thing to say at parties, and I LIKE a good party, so it’s not my lead in statement. Heck, I hesitated to bring spirituality into this realm of my business and teaching. Maybe I just want to be a cool kid and my graduate degree is, well, a little Debbie Downer if your tequila buzz is kickin’ in. BUT, the evidence is undeniable regarding the link between health and spirituality.
There are many definitions of spirituality, just as it means different things to different people. The definition from liveanddare.com: “Spirituality is a worldview and a way of life based on the belief that there is more to life than what meets the senses, more to the universe than just purposeless mechanics, more to consciousness than electrical impulses in the brain, and more to our existence than the body and its needs.” You’ve probably heard or even said, “I’m spiritual but not religious,” which is where we sometimes get confused. Spirituality believes in a higher power, but doesn’t name that power. Religion is more constructed around a set of particular beliefs. Spiritual people might pray to a higher power the way a Christian may pray to Jesus, or a Muslim to Muhammad.
Have you heard of Dr. Larry Dossey? Dossey did extensive research on the power of prayer, and wrote about his findings in “Healing Words: The Power and Practice of Medicine.” Dossey’s work proved prayer to be as valid and vital a healing tool as drugs or surgery. Dossey actual set out to that there was no connection between faith and healing, but found evidence that correlated with a connection to a higher power as healing to the human body. Dossey’s work in showing the link between prayer and healing has been so influential, nearly 80 medical schools have now instituted courses around prayer in medicine. To listen to the full interview with Dr. Dossey on Super Soul Sunday with Oprah Winfrey, click here.
Why do people turn to faith? Just a few of the ways people use spirituality to enhance their lives: a greater sense of community, hope and optimism, coping with stressful feelings or a hard situation, and finding deeper meaning in life. Megan Monahan of verywellmind.com reports that, “There may be tangible and lasting benefits to maintaining involvement with a spiritual community. This involvement, along with gratitude that can accompany spirituality, can be a buffer against stress and is linked to greater levels of physical health.”
My story of finding faith is one for another day but know this: it’s incredibly difficult to argue with one’s personal experience. And I had one of those “Saul to Paul” conversions, where I was totally disinterested in faith, and ended up studying it for my Masters. In my personal experience, I found an increase in my physical and mental health when I found faith. The link between spirituality, health, the brain, and prayer are phenomenal. If you’re not there yet, I suggest one small step. One prayer. One meditation. One piece of your heart open to the possibility of a higher power. You never know, the transformation could affect more than your cool factor, and guess what? Your health just might flourish.
