Scholars and scientists in recent times have been endorsing the potent and positive effect that spirituality and spiritual practice have to offer to our overall well-being. Researchers have explored the constructive impact of spirituality on mental health. Applied spirituality is getting increasingly recognised in psychiatric literature as both a preventive and a healing strategy.
Spirituality is defined as something consisting of or having the nature of spirit and it is something that is intangible or immaterial in nature. The word “spirit” originates from the Latin term “spiritus”, which means “to breathe” or “to blow”.
The spiritual realm mainly deals with questions around man’s ultimate nature and objective of life, as well as the motive of the universe. In addition, spirituality involves a connection to something greater than oneself, which includes an emotional or transcendental world and therefore can be a person’s experience of and relationship with a fundamental, self-sustaining and non-material aspect of the universe that is referred to as God.
The role of spirituality in overall health is significant. Its ability to foster a sense of purpose and direction in life and to facilitate and format various goals, aspirations, values and actions, which are some of the integral aspects of the psychotherapy process across diverse schools of thought and treatment, appears to be invaluable.
Why is prayer important?
Prayer (solo or congregational) is a part of spirituality that aims at developing communion with God. It enhances our experience in the realm of our spiritual quest and serves as a vital tool for anyone who has a desire to progress in spirituality. It is an act of communicating with a higher power, which drives us towards realising and materialising our intentions and thoughts towards understanding the meaning, purpose and role of our existence.
Prayer can be a set of words or a spontaneous, heartfelt appreciation or conversation. Whatever the form might be, it is assuredly a transformative act that helps us reflect on our strengths, shortcomings and how we relate to ourselves and others daily, forming the crux of a healthy overall functioning.
Apart from helping us align with higher values, it also propels us towards productive behaviours and actions that contribute to our psychological, societal and physical well-being, proving to be an effective tool for redemption.
Additionally, prayer is not to be considered as a passive act, but rather an active procedure that provides us with guidance through which we achieve everything that we could possibly achieve. Moreover, it serves as an anchor that stabilises our life, offers hope, rejuvenates our spirit and vitality and helps us navigate through difficulties, challenges and recovery.
Prayer, meditation and psychological well-being
Better psychological outcomes have been achieved when traditional psychotherapy integrates some spiritual, religious and/or community-based strategies into its treatment protocols. Prayer as a tool to uplift mental health has been shown to enhance emotional resilience, especially by helping individuals cope with stress, anxiety, loneliness, trauma, hopelessness, depression, reduce attentional bias and even suicidal ideation among people who participate in spiritual practice that includes offering regular prayers.
Furthermore, research has shown that spirituality and prayer build a sound moral compass and a trajectory towards emotional stability among youth. It enhances their decision-making capacity, lowers the stress around academic pressures and reduces cognitive dissonance (psychological tension between conflicting feelings and ideas) that occurs as a result of facing certain difficult situations in life.
Moreover, youth who believe that they are a part of a greater spiritual and community plan have a greater self-efficacy, may foster healthy social connections and are free from the negative influences of existential crises and aimlessness. Interestingly, religious beliefs and practices can help in protecting mental health by reducing the risk for substance use disorders and criminal behaviour among adolescents.
When we offer prayer as a means of support, there is a shift in our psychological states that eventually influences our behaviours and interactions. As a result, our actions, decisions, and responses are shaped.
Meditation and mental health
Meditation is another popular form of practice that is studied to be an effective tool to reduce or alleviate mental and emotional distress among people across all age groups. Prayer and breath control exercises, which are also known as mind-body exercises, have immense therapeutic value. Integrating these in psychotherapeutic frameworks has shown better treatment outcomes.
A very specific type of meditation called mindfulness meditation has shown promising results in enhancing positive emotions and mental clarity. It serves as a buffer in reducing distressing thoughts and feelings from taking over your life.
Mindfulness meditation cultivates a state of calmness and awareness by encouraging an individual to focus on the present moment. Mindfulness-based practices can break the cycle of rumination and negative thinking patterns – both of which are linked to the development of mental health complications such as depression and anxiety.
Prayer is a powerful form of mindfulness meditation when performed with dedication, presence, and focused intention. As a matter of fact, prayer and meditation are two sides of the same coin, serving a similar purpose.
Mindfulness in Islam is practised through zikr (remembrance), dua (supplication), istighfar (seeking forgiveness), contemplating his creation (tafakkur), and muraqaba (awareness of Allah and spiritual self). Incorporating these behaviours and attitudes on a daily basis serves as an efficient and effective countermeasure for anxiety, anger, sadness and stress.
Neuroscience of prayer and meditation
The brain is a complex human organ that also regulates important body functions such as breathing, motor functions, vision, hunger, satiety, temperature, etc. It is also the control centre of our thoughts, emotions and behaviours.
Through understanding the inner workings of the brain, we can analyse how the brain processes complex information (both sensory and emotional), regulates emotions and directs behaviour(s).
Are we hardwired for spirituality?
It is exciting to know that just like a computer is hardwired with electrical connections, the brain is hardwired with neuronal connections. Neuroscience, psychology, and theology are exploring the neuronal and/or biological basis of prayer and meditation. They are hopeful that the research findings related to the functions or workings of the nervous system could be applied to the modern-day treatment protocols.
The latest interdisciplinary field within neuroscience, called “neurotheology” has begun its research around investigating the relationship between the human brain and spiritual/religious practices. It began its research on how brain activity/functioning relates to spiritual experiences such as prayer or deep meditation. Scientists are making their first attempts to understand spiritual experience and what happens in the minds and bodies of people who believe they connect with the Divine. Interestingly, neurotheology has been drawing its inspiration and understanding from the fastest-growing religion in the world, which is “Islam” due to its highly structured and consistent forms of spiritual worship.
How do prayer and meditation improve brain health and mental well-being?
“Those who believe, and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Aye! it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts can find comfort.” (Surah ar-Ra’d, Ch.13: V.29)
Prayer activates the parasympathetic nervous system
The parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the “rest and digest” state, counters the stress response in the body and induces calm and peace. Consistent, deliberate and focused repetition of words and rhythmic postures along with controlled breathing reduces cortisol levels in the body and stimulates the vagus nerve, thereby controlling blood pressure, anxiety and heart rate, improving digestion, better sleep quality and reducing inflammation.
Activation of brain regions that are involved in emotional regulation, attention and empathy
Research using SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) scans shows that prayer – especially during prostration – increases activity in the prefrontal cortex (responsible for executive function, attention and impulse control) and reduces activity in the amygdala (responsible in processing emotions such as anxiety, aggression and fear), leading to better emotional regulation and better decision making capacity. Furthermore, deep meditation and prayer have been linked to decreased activity and blood flow through the parietal lobe (this part of the brain enables spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination), which is associated with a reduction in the sense of self and a greater sense of connection to a higher power.
A counter to mind-wandering, daydreaming and rumination
“O ye who believe! remember Allah with much remembrance.” (Surah al-Ahzab, Ch.33: V.42)
The default mode network is a set of interconnected regions of the brain. It is known to be activated when a person is engaged in ruminating on past experiences, or thinking about themselves and/or imagining future events and it typically gets deactivated when we engage in more focused goal-directed activities. DMN also plays a role in creating a coherent self-talk (internal narrative), which is vital to the establishment of a sense of self. Intentionally focusing on the repetition of Quranic verse and structured contemplation on its meaning, along with physical movements within a prayer or meditation, results in decreased DNM activity.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA)
HPA is the primary neuroendocrine system that is activated by stress, causing stress hormones to be released in the bloodstream. Chronic activation of this system can lead to various physical and mental health issues such as metabolic disorders, infertility, anxiety, and depression.
Furthermore, prayer and mindfulness meditation have great potential to modulate the HPA axis, lower cortisol levels and promote serotonin production in the brain.
Boosts serotonin and dopamine production
“He it is Who sends blessings on you, as [do] His angels, that He may bring you forth from all [kinds of] darkness into light. And He is Merciful to the believers.” (Surah al-Ahzab, Ch.33: V.44)
Prayer acts as a mental practice that boosts the release of “feel-good hormones”named serotonin and dopamine. While serotonin is a neurotransmitter that influences mood, cognition and emotional regulation, dopamine activates the pleasure and reward system, which reinforces spiritual practices and provides a sense of satisfaction, motivation and achievement. Low levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain are known to initiate and maintain depressive symptoms in an individual.
Regular prayer and meditation have a replenishing effect on the feel-good hormones and increase their availability, thereby making an individual emotionally resilient to pressures and disappointments and less reactive to stress over time.
Self- directed neuroplasticity: The brain’s ability to restructure and reorganise itself by forming new neuronal connections
Does prayer literally change the structure and function of our brain?
The answer is: Yes, it can!
Regular prayers induce neuroplasticity by strengthening neural pathways and by causing structural changes within the brain regions associated with focus, emotional regulation, decision-making, compassion, memory and language. It is a well-known scientific fact that each and every intended behaviour, action or thought that is repeated tends to strengthen a neural pathway, causing the behaviour or thinking pattern to become habitual.
It was found in a neuroimaging study that individuals who practised mindfulness meditation for eight weeks showed an increase in gray matter (which plays a key role in memory, intelligence, emotional processing and perception) concentration within the hippocampus (responsible for memory, motivation and learning), and decreased matter in the amygdala (responsible for stress and fear).
Islamic prayer with its structured recitations, deep contemplations, moments of observations and slow rhythmic physical movements, fulfils the same conditions used in the neuroscientific studies on mindfulness. Hence, empowering us to develop focused attention, gratitude, empathy, a sense of calm/peace, improve memory, emotional balance, and foster prosocial behaviours and brotherhood.
Furthermore, lifelong prayer can lower the risk for cognitive decline and improve the quality of life of people with dementia and their caregivers by enhancing resilience to stress-related issues, improving social interaction and mental stimulation.
Integrating prayer and meditation can be a great addition to a traditional mental health treatment regimen. Apart from its wonderful brain health benefits, formal prayers serve as a faith-based exercise/workout that rejuvenates cardio-vascular health, immunity, pain tolerance, and greater muscle flexibility and muscular fitness. It helps individuals improve social ties, social well-being, and reduce the susceptibility to loneliness and suicide, thereby providing additional support in further developing various traditional and innovative neuropharmacological and neuroplasticity-based therapies and approaches.
After all, “the function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” – Soren Aabye Kierkegaard