The healing power of silent prayer

For about three decades now, doctors have acknowledged that emotional stress plays a definite part in most illnesses—from the common cold to cancer. Science has established that meditation and silent prayer is an excellent antidote to combat stress and anxiety, and promote healing. Meditation is also known boosts your immune system and slow down aging. Scientists now believe that if human beings practise the right combination of silence and prayer, they could live well past 100. This is indeed a potent combination—a sure-shot prescription for wellbeing and longevity. No wonder there are Himalayan yogis who live in their secluded mountain caves for over 150 years.

How silent prayer works

When we pray or meditate in silence, we will find that we establish a link with positive, healing forces, and feel a wonderful sense of relaxation. You establish a link with the intrinsic intelligence that flows through all life, which we call God and you even secrete hormones that make you live longer.

During silent prayer, the mind is filled with positive, beautiful thoughts which trigger beneficial hormones in the body. In silence, you find the treasures of hope, faith and optimism. Without these, no illness can be cured. If you could visualise your own wellbeing during your moments of silence, you will be well on your way towards becoming healthy and energetic. Experts call this “creative imaging” and it is one of the most underrated techniques in modern healthcare.

Silent prayer in practice

Author and retired surgeon Dr. Bernie Siegel encourages his patients to mull over the question: why do I need this disease? Once the patient recognises the dynamics of his own life situation, he can enter readily into the healing process, making it quicker and more effective.

Dr. Gerald Epstein, who passed away last year, was another physician who used “mental imaging” in the healing process rather effectively. Dr Epstein would prescribe exercises in imagery for his patients. For example, a patient with immunity disorder was asked to focus on white knights—which could symbolise our white blood cells—guarding a fortress and pushing out intruders and hostile warriors.

Are you throwing away the pebbles?

The practice of silence can enrich your life with a sense of the divine presence. I often narrate the story of the man who stood alone on the sea-shore, gazing absentmindedly at the pebbles strewn all around. In a listless and dull frame of mind, he began to pick up the pebbles one by one and threw them into the water. When all the pebbles had been tossed away and the last one was in his hand, he took a good look at it and realised with horror that it was a priceless pearl!

He had thrown away scores of pearls without even realising their value.

Each hour, each minute of the day is a pearl of priceless value. The time that you spend in silence is especially valuable for it can lead you to physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Enter the haven of silence

The constant stress and agitation of modern life creates an emotionally polluted environment. People often tell me that they are so stressed and tense that they long to run away from it all, fly to a quiet and beautiful place far away. Just as people who live in the cities turn to parks, woods, and green zones to refresh themselves, you too must make it a habit to enter the haven of silence regularly.

Communing with God—cultivating the presence of the divine intelligence in the still depths of silence—will not only refresh and rejuvenate you but also unleash the intrinsic healing powers of your body. The practice of silence can be like your personal jet which will enable you to reach those sublime spaces of your own soul!