Student Name: Ho Yuen Wai Vennus

1. Term Paper/ Introduction to Behavioural Health (MSBH7001, 2004/2005)Prayer as therapy for well-being Student Name: Ho Yuen Wai Vennus

2. Spirituality • which is recognized as a component of religion, has demonstrated the ability to promote health in different research.

3. Prayer • It serves as religious rituals or practices which encourage and facilitate the connectedness of the self, others, God, and even the world. • It promotes positive belief and attitude • It helps people to combat in life and foster well-being.

4. Prayer therapy model ~ A close relationship between prayer, life issues, positive attitude and timeframe.

5. Prayer therapy model • A sense of well-being in different areas can be promoted if seniors identify prayer as their source of strength under the following conditions: • 1. Include prayers as a habitual exercise • 2. Relates prayer to life issues and aging process such as physical illness and family problems • 3. Links positive attitude such as gratitude and forgiveness towards life issues and aging.

6. Meaning of Prayer • In Christianity, prayer itself viewed as a communication tool with God. • To maintain a relationship with God and seek for God’s assistance in materialistic, physical, psychological and social aspects.

7. Meaning of Prayer (Cont’d) • In dialogic approach, prayer can be viewed as a mean for revealing and exploring the self. “Dialogism uses talk in interaction as a model and metaphor for human communication and cognition” (Linell, 2003) . • The dialogical self generates two ideas which is dialogue and self and it relates to the meaning of internal dialogue and external dialogue (Ho, Chan, Peng & Ng,2001). Conversation between the self and God or in group is also described as the meaningful way and process of revealing, communicating, generating, transforming and organizing what they think, feel and concern in their lives.

8. Meaning of Prayer (Cont’d) • “Constructionist theories conceive of dialogic self-construction in terms of specific texts which is comprised of story or enacted areas from lived experience that a person makes salient in regard of the self” (Michel & Wortham, 2002). Prayer is given the opportunity to focus on the self, for a change, and the freedom to express the self, their own needs, and feeling in itself.

9. Forms of Prayer • Self prayer ~ People can talk with his/her own self and God for their needs. ~ It is private, personal and confidential and something that is within the person. • Intercessory prayer ~ Prayer kept within the group together. ~ People can share their life experience and needs with others.

10. Self-healing through prayer Prayer plays an important role to empower the self in physical, psychological and social aspects. • The relationship between prayer and health • The relationship between prayer and positive attitude • The relationship of prayer and social support network

11. Self-healing through prayer The relationship between prayer and health • Leads toneuroimmunological, cardiovascular, brain electrical changes, and muscle relaxation (Fosarelli, 2002) . • Has its own beneficial effect on many living creatures from bacteria to plants (Larry Dossey, Healing Words). • People have fewer chronic conditions, lower functional disability, lower blood pressure, fewer stokes, less depression, anxiety, suicide and alcoholism, higher life satisfaction and greater well-being (Koenig, 1995). • Fight against hardships and losses, diminishes a sense of loneliness, creates hopefulness, facilitates a social support network, and encourages people to do the voluntary work (Koenig& Weaver, 1997).

12. Self-healing through prayer The relationship between prayer and positive attitude • Openness to confession • Gratitude to the grace of lives • Forgiveness to Life’s hurts • Acceptance to seeking help

13. Self-healing through prayer The relationship of prayer and social support network • Intercessory prayer can offer religious participation and facilitate to develop a social support network which may promote healthy behavior, a sense of unity and belonging.

14. Positive Experience through prayer • Working with seniors ~ who suffered from chronic illness ~ who are in interpersonal conflicts • Their perception of vulnerability to illness is influenced and help-seeking patterns with positive attitude such as forgiveness and gratitude towards others and the self are also promoted.

15. Implication of prayer as therapy for well-being in working with seniors • To organize seniors’ prayer group regularly. They can share their thoughts and feelings with others through intercessory prayer. • To integrate it into counseling service. • To liaise with religious group in providing regular prayer meeting. • To train up senior’s prayer volunteers to help others who suffered from depressive mood.

16. prayer as therapy for well-being • a sense of hope, • life-purpose, • a perception of meaning in people’s lives.

17. Thank You !