University of Maryland Study Finds Five Minutes of Proximal Intercessory Prayer Reduces Patient Pain and Anxiety

A randomized controlled trial conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine indicates that five minutes of proximal intercessory prayer (PIP) reduces reported levels of pain and anxiety in primary care patients. The study, published in the May/June 2026 issue of a peer-reviewed journal, examined the effects of in-person prayer sessions administered by trained volunteers who utilized the laying-on-of-hands technique.

The research team measured patient outcomes following these brief, supervised interventions to determine the impact of the practice on clinical symptoms. The study design utilized a randomized controlled approach to compare the experiences of participants who received the prayer intervention against those who did not. By focusing on primary care settings, the investigators sought to evaluate how this specific form of complementary intervention functions within a standard medical environment.

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Date: June 2, 2026

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