Can Spiritual/Religious Practice Improve Your Health?
Is it possible that your spiritual and religious practice could have a positive impact on your health? Traditional Western medicine hasn’t put much emphasis on spiritual well-being, but there is a growing body of evidence that suggests it may be important. Recent studies have shown that spiritual and religious practice can have a significant impact on mental health and overall well-being.
Higher levels of spirituality and religiousness have been linked to lower levels of depression, suicide, and substance misuse. Incorporating spiritual practices such as going to church, praying, meditating, or helping others, can also help guard against post-traumatic stress disorder and improve psychological growth after a stressful situation.
“These practices can provide a sense of feeling loved and supported during difficult times,” says Lisa Miller, PhD, founder of the Spirituality Mind Body Institute at Teachers College, Columbia University.
It is not just mental health that is positively impacted. Regular attendance at religious services has been associated with lower hospitalization rates and shorter hospital stays. Even individuals with severe medical conditions, such as cancer, report a better quality of life when they have a spiritual practice.
It has been observed that spiritual experiences can result in changes in the brain. Certain regions of the brain linked to emotion, insight, and self-image are activated during religious or spiritual experiences. It has also been noted that engaging in spiritual practices can result in thickening of parts of the brain that shrink when experiencing chronic depression.
It is important to note that simply believing in spirituality is not enough. It is essential to maintain a spiritual practice to experience the full benefits. Maintaining spiritual practices such as self-reflection, prayer, meditation, or service, is associated with a lower likelihood of developing depression.
Your spirituality does not need to be connected to a specific religion. It can simply be a connection to “a higher power” or “the transcendent.” Spiritual awareness can manifest in different forms, ranging from a traditional conception of God to connection with the universe, artworks, nature, or even other people.
According to Miller, “This natural spiritual awareness has a universal neural pathway. So, it doesn’t matter if I’m spiritual but not religious or if I’m Christian,