One of the emerging new
treatments for depression, anxiety, and stress-related illnesses is a therapy
called mindfulness meditation. Although clinicians have developed it from
ancient Buddhist meditational practices, there seems to be a Christian counterpart
as well. The technique is found in prayer as practiced by Christian monks of
the 6th Century onward. Praying in this way has been shown to actually “rewire”
key circuits in the brains of practitioners. This rewiring results in
demonstrated changes in the way the pray-er responds to life. In particular,
people who habitually pray in this way have been found to be protected from the
effects of stress. They are less depressed, less anxious, report higher levels
of satisfaction with life, and better health. This is true even when other
factors, such as differences in social support and personality characteristics,
are accounted for.
Although there is some
evidence that any kind of prayer can contribute to such effects, the type of
prayer that is most powerful possesses certain characteristics.
First, it engages the
practitioner in the “present moment.” People who pray in this way learn to
become aware of thoughts, feelings, and memories that arise. Rather than
dwelling on these inner sensations, the pray-er simply learns to release each one
from consciousness as it occurs. Father Thomas Keating is the developer of a contemporary
prayer technique known as centering prayer. He likens the pray-er to a scuba
diver who is sitting on a rock at the bottom of a deep river. Each of the thoughts
and sensations that pass through the pray-er’s mind is like a boat crossing above
the diver on the surface of the river. The diver simply notes the crossing of the
boat. Then she returns to meditating on the fact that God is surrounding her with
grace in that present moment, just as the water engulfs a submerged scuba diver.
Another characteristic of
this form of prayer is that the pray-er learns to disengage his mind in order
to focus on the presence of God. Some people have referred to this type of
prayer as a training of one’s attention. The practitioner learns to let go of
the constant stream of thoughts that crowd our consciousness. Practitioners of mindfulness
meditation do this by learning to concentrate on the act of breathing.
Each time they find their
mind wandering, they simply, and gently, return to concentrating on the
act of breathing. Keating suggests that the difference between Christian prayer
and the clinical practice of mindfulness meditation is the difference between the
training of one’s attention and the training of one’s intention. The
Christian learns to concentrate on waiting on the presence of God. In essence,
it is not so much about asking God for things. Instead, it is about listening
to what God wants to say to us. It is simply learning to be silent in the
presence of God.
Scientific research
suggests that the ability of this type of prayer to rewire the brain of its
practitioners is directly related to the amount of time spent in this type of prayer.
Like exercise, the more one practices it, the more one enjoys the benefits of it.
Keating suggests setting aside a period of 20 uninterrupted minutes once or twice
per day. Therapists who employ mindfulness meditation say that 20-30
uninterrupted minutes once per day is enough. Either way, the message is clear.
The extent to which we place ourselves in God’s presence is the extent to which
we reap the concrete benefits. I have found that, by practicing this type of
prayer once daily, my level of contentment and joy increases markedly. So does
my experience of the presence of God in my everyday affairs. I find this to be
enough to keep me returning daily to this practice of meditational prayer.
The power of prayer to
change other people may yet be a matter of scientific debate. But the power of prayer to
change the one who prays seems to be increasingly well established. I encourage
you to join me in practicing the type of prayer that avails much.