Welcome back to part 2 of our 'Science of Prayer' series! Back in April we discussed prayer with Aiden the VVitch, with a focus on the use of prayer in a variety of spiritual and occult settings. In this episode, the hosts tackle the science behind prayer, investigating the mechanisms behind how prayer affects our brains as well as the controversial fields of faith healing and whether prayer can benefit our health.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Lancet Review of religion, spirituality, and medicine which touches (heh) on faith healing: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(98)07376-0/fulltext
• Intercessory prayer for...COVID?! https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(23)09619-6
• Some small benefits to health observed from a prayer practice: https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.58.1.36
• What happens to our brain during prayer? A review: DOI: 10.1097/HRP.0000000000000232
• Neural mechanisms of pain modulation during prayer - the 'Mr Hansen' study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5487465/ fMRI during
• Quran recitations: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-023-15588-3
• How valid is neuroimaging during prayer, anyway? https://doi.org/10.1037/a0039124
• The wild 'sutra is stored in the frontal lobe' story https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13554790903559689