Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Proximal Intercessory Prayer (STEPP)

BACKGROUND: Proximal intercessory prayer (PIP) is a common complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy, but clinical effects are poorly understood, partly because studies have focused on distant intercessory prayer (DIP).

METHODS: This prospective study used an audiometer (Earscan(R) 3) and vision charts (40 cm, 6 m "Illiterate E") to evaluate 24 consecutive Mozambican subjects (19 males/5 females) reporting impaired hearing (14) and/or vision (11) who subsequently received PIP interventions.

RESULTS: We measured significant improvements in auditory (P <0.003) and visual (P <0.02) function across both tested populations.

CONCLUSIONS: Rural Mozambican subjects exhibited improved audition and/or visual acuity subsequent to PIP. The magnitude of measured effects exceeds that reported in previous suggestion and hypnosis studies. Future study seems warranted to assess whether PIP may be a useful adjunct to standard medical care for certain patients with auditory and/or visual impairments, especially in contexts where access to conventional treatment is limited.

South Med J. 2010 Aug 3. Brown CG, Mory SC, Williams R, McClymond MJ. From the Department of Religious Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN; Nashville, TN; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Department of Theological Studies, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO.