A five-minute session of proximal intercessory prayer (PIP) significantly reduces pain and anxiety in primary care patients, according to a study published in the May/June issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Katherine Jacobson, M.D., from the University of Maryland at Baltimore, and colleagues investigated PIP practices (e.g., in-person prayer for another) to treat pain and anxiety among 180 participants attending a family medicine appointment. Participants, who were predominantly Black, female, low-income, and Christian, were randomly assigned to receive five minutes of either Christian PIP from a trained volunteer prayer practitioner or a music control.
The researchers found that those assigned to the PIP group reported significantly larger (1 to 2 point) reductions in pain immediately and two weeks later, as well as larger (roughly 2-point) reductions in Likert anxiety immediately and at two and six weeks. Outcomes were similar for most demographic, baseline symptom, religious affiliation, healing prayer belief, and religious intensity measures, although Black participants reported larger symptom reductions for both pain and anxiety. No adverse events were reported. Most participants reported wanting PIP opportunities during future medical visits.
“Proximal intercessory prayer was safe, effective, and well-received as a complementary treatment for pain and anxiety,” Jacobson said in a statement. “It may be a low-cost, nonpharmacologic, effective adjunct to standard care with particular relevance for underserved populations.”
In this study, the population was predominantly Black, female, and low-income. The researchers found that Black participants experienced larger reductions in both pain and anxiety after the prayer intervention. The authors suggested this finding may be particularly relevant given the longstanding inequities in pain management and the widespread use of prayer as a coping strategy in Black communities.
Faith and spirituality have historically played central roles in many Black communities, particularly when navigating caregiving, grief, and illness. For some patients, prayer can serve as a resource of resilience, meaning-making, and emotional support alongside conventional treatment.
Clinicians should avoid assumptions, but recognizing spirituality as a potential health resource may strengthen patient-centered care.
Here are some practical approaches for incorporating patients’ spiritual preferences without overstepping boundaries:
The goal is not to prescribe prayer, but to create space for conversations patients may already want to have.
Not every Black patient identifies as religious, as a Christian, or as interested in prayer during medical visits. Spiritual care should always be patient-led and voluntary. This study’s results should be viewed as evidence supporting individualized, whole-person care rather than endorsement of a single intervention for all patients.
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