𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟔 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐏 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫

The 2006 Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP), led by Dr. Herbert Benson and published in the American Heart Journal, was one of the biggest and most talked-about studies on whether prayer can actually impact medical outcomes. The goal was to find out if intercessory prayer—prayers said for patients by others—could help people recover better after heart surgery.

How the Study Worked

STEP was a large-scale, randomized, double-blind clinical trial that included 1,802 patients from six hospitals across the U.S. They were split into three groups:

Group 1: Patients who were prayed for but didn’t know it.

Group 2: Patients who weren’t prayed for and didn’t know it.

Group 3: Patients who were prayed for and knew about it.

The prayers were offered by three Christian groups: St. Paul's Monastery in Minnesota, the Community of Teresian Carmelites, and Silent Unity in Missouri. They were given specific instructions on how to pray to keep things consistent across the study.

What the Results Showed

The findings were pretty surprising. There was no real difference in recovery rates between those who were prayed for and those who weren’t. Interestingly, patients who knew they were being prayed for (Group 3) actually had a slightly higher rate of complications—59% compared to 52% in Group 1 and 51% in Group 2 (Benson et al. 937). The researchers suggested that knowing they were being prayed for might have caused extra anxiety, leading to more complications.

What This Means

The results of the STEP study sparked a lot of discussion. For those who believe in the power of prayer, the findings were a bit disappointing because they didn’t show any clear medical benefits. Some experts, like Richard Sloan, argued that it’s really tough to study something as personal and subjective as prayer in a controlled scientific way (Sloan 172). Others pointed out that prayer isn’t just about physical healing but also about emotional and spiritual support, which is harder to measure.

Challenges with the Study

Like any big study, STEP had some challenges and limitations, including:

The Nature of Prayer: The prayers were standardized, but prayer is usually a deeply personal experience that varies from person to person.

Unknown Personal Prayers: Patients or their families might have been praying on their own, which wasn’t accounted for.

Psychological Impact: Just knowing they were part of a study might have affected patients' stress levels.

The Big Picture

The STEP study is still one of the most thorough attempts to scientifically test the effects of prayer. Even though it didn’t show any direct medical benefits, it opened up a lot of questions about how spirituality and health intersect. While science may struggle to quantify the power of prayer, many people continue to find comfort and strength in their faith.

Works Cited

Benson, Herbert, et al. "Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP) in Cardiac Bypass Patients: A Multicenter Randomized Trial of Uncertainty and Certainty of Receiving Intercessory Prayer." American Heart Journal, vol. 151, no. 4, 2006, pp. 934-942.

Sloan, Richard. Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine.St. Martin's Press, 2006