I never would have imagined that medication and spirituality had anything in common. But a study out of Rush University Medical Center led by chaplain and assistant professor Patricia Murphy, PhD brings new findings that suggest spirituality can act synergistically with medication to produce better patient outcomes. For instance, spirituality may be a key factor in improving response to medication for patients diagnosed with clinical depression. Researchers surveyed 136 adults with major depression or bipolar depression before and after 8 weeks of antidepressant medication treatment. Patients who reported belief in a personal higher power or a higher power concerned with…

We got so many comments on Rachel’s story about how a newborn deeply affected a physician that we wanted to share it again with you. It’s a powerful reminder to keep your eyes open – you might be surprised by what you see. Take a look and let us know what you think. Click here to sign up. Each week, we’ll keep bringing you inspiring webinars with more of the world’s top teachers like Ram Dass and Caroline Myss. This week we’ll be hearing from Stephen and Ondrea Levine on “Why Preparing for Death Helps Us Better Participate in Life”….

We know that grief can affect our emotional health – but did you know that it may also have profound physical effects? A recent study led by Murray Mittleman, MD, at the Harvard School of Public Health found that the risk of heart attack may increase dramatically after the loss of a loved one. The day after the death of someone close to them, patients who had already survived one heart attack were 2100% more likely to have a second heart attack than those who had not experienced this loss. Of course, the chances aren’t as high for someone who…

Some therapists are hesitant to include spirituality in their practice. But if it can calm worries and lower stress, wouldn’t we want to integrate it into practice? Psychologist David Rosmarin, PhD headed up a research team at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital to study how spirituality and belief impact worry and doubt. They conducted two studies I think you might find interesting. The first gathered responses from 332 subjects from Jewish and Christian faiths. They were asked to rate their level of trust in a Judeo-Christian God who looks out for them, their level of worry, and how tolerant they were of…

Have you ever seen colors spelled out using the wrong color font? It’s called the Stroop task and it might look like this: Red Blue Green Yellow. Instead of reading the word, you have to determine the color of the word. Researchers from the University of Toronto, led by psychologist Michael Inzlicht, PhD, examined subjects’ brains during the Stroop task to find out if believers’ and non-believers’ brains functioned differently under stress. Subjects had a split second before having to push a button indicating what color they saw. At the same time, they were hooked up to a brain monitoring…

When we think of spirituality, scriptures, ceremonies, and specific religious practices often come quickly to mind. But even beyond these rich traditions, spirituality can run deep to engage the entire mind, body, and spirit of each individual person. Spirituality dictates that we look for and honor the essential humanity in each individual. As practitioners, many of us have the same calling, though we may not see it in spiritual terms. Some of the most important applications to come from spiritual practices are the ones that don’t require any special expertise. Watch the video below with Rachel Remen, MD as she…