The Power of Prayer Strengthen Your Brain

Why is prayer so important? Communion With the Almighty Praising and Honoring the Lord Petitioning/Requesting God’s Help It is a Great Privilege We are in Fierce Battle Deter Sins From Our Lives We can Make a Difference

The Brain 1. The Frontal Lobe is activated by prayer and focused attention. Activities that engage this area protect it against age- related deterioration that is associated with dementia. 2. The Anterior Cingulate is activated when we feel compassion, have an awareness of other people’s feelings, and empathize with them. 3. The Parietal Lobes are deactivated by religious experiences, such as singing hymns at a religious service, making us feel a connection with God and other people. 4–8. The Limbic System, the primitive or “reptilian” region of the brain, is deactivated by prayer that gives us comfort and reduces stress. This region includes the amygdala, hippocampus, hypothalamus, septal area, and cingulate cortex. The limbic system is associated with anger, guilt, anxiety, depression, fear, resentment, and pessimism. Andrew Newberg, M.D., has studied the impact of religious practice and meditation on the human brain for more than 17 years.

Frontal Lobe Motor Functions Higher Order Functions Planning Reasoning Judgment Impulse Control Memory

Parietal Lobe Cognition Information Processing Pain and Touch Sensation Spatial Orientation Speech Visual Perception

Anterior Cingulate Error detection Anticipation of tasks Attention Motivation Modulation of emotional responses

Results From the Study Prayer that focuses on: – Gratitude, celebration, or a positive vision of the future, rejects anger and resentment, and will increase compassion – Which reduces depression and anxiety, relieve stress, lowers blood pressure and heart rate and eventually extends life Reflecting on a Biblical passage, envisioning God in a positive way, or saying a prayer that has special meaning for you can enhance your memory. Do it in a quiet, comfortable place for at least 12 minutes a day.

Results From the Study Being an active member of a congregation: – Enriches social relationships, slows the aging of the brain, and reinforce your beliefs, especially if these involve singing – In turn, strengthens your faith and your brain Experiencing doubts or conflicts about your faith: – Increases stress and can damage health of the brain and body – Resolving these and pursuing religious activities that have meaning for you will have beneficial effects. Do it in a quiet, comfortable place for at least 12 minutes a day.

Exercise Your Brain The brain is like a muscle, the more you use it, the better it works. During prayer, singing or reading the brain becomes highly engaged. Brain scans show that contemplative prayer increases activity in the frontal lobe. Activated by quiet prayer or prayer at a religious service, where attention is focused on hearing, singing, or reading the Scripture. Shrinking of the frontal lobes is associated with aging, loss of memory, and dementia. Participants who practiced meditation for twelve minutes daily for eight weeks experienced significant improvements in their memory. Strengthening the frontal lobe also improves “executive function” of the brain. Overall, the enhancement of the frontal lobe helps to maintain what we think of as healthy brain. It keeps the brain in better shape throughout the later years of life.

And this is Your Brain on Prayers Andrew Newberg, M.D., and his late colleague Eugene D’Aquili, M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, studied the brains of monks during meditation and nuns during intense prayer sessions. What they found was quite remarkable.Andrew Newberg, M.Dstudied the brains of monks during meditation

When Science Aligns With the Bible The frontal lobe is activated when we think deeply about spiritual things we should think deeply about it word for word – Phil 4:8-9 Positive effects on the frontal lobe occur when we spend at least twelve minutes per day praying – Ps 119:10-12

When Science Aligns With the Bible The anterior cingulate is the neurological heart of man, and it is here that compassion for others is experienced –1 John 3:17-18 The parietal lobes are activated during self-centered contemplation and these become inactive when we are being self-sacrificing and compassionate to others. Matt 10:38-39 The limbic system, which controls anger, hostility, and negative thinking, becomes deactivated during times of prayer. Matt 5:44

Application How will you put these insights into practice in your own life? Believe the gospel of Christ John 8:24; 20:30-31; Rom 1:16; 10:10 Repent or turn from your sins Luke 24:46-47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30-31 Confess your faith in Christ Matt 10:32-33; Rom 10:9-10 Be immersed in water Matt 28:19; Mk 16:16; Acts 2:38; Rom 6:3-4; 1 Pet 3:21 Live in obedient faith 1 Peter 1:14; Rev 2:10