A new study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine suggests that five minutes of in-person prayer may help reduce pain and anxiety in primary care patients when used alongside standard medical care.

Researchers examined what they describe as proximal intercessory prayer, where a trained volunteer prays directly with a patient in the same room for around five minutes, sometimes including the laying on of hands. They compared this with a control group who received five minutes of soft music instead.

The randomised controlled trial involved 180 patients from a university family medicine clinic. All participants had clinically significant levels of pain or anxiety, and were assessed immediately after the intervention, and again at two and six weeks.

The study found that those who received prayer reported greater reductions in pain immediately afterwards and at the two-week follow-up, although the difference was not statistically significant by six weeks. Anxiety scores, however, showed an immediate improvement after prayer, which was sustained at both two and six weeks.

Researchers also report no adverse effects from the intervention, and say it was widely accepted by patients, with 97% indicating they would be open to prayer being offered as part of future medical visits.

The findings also suggested stronger benefits among Black participants, something the authors link to existing research on the high use of prayer as a form of complementary support in some communities.