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PRAYER CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE by  Kirkus Star

PRAYER CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

By

Publisher: Prentice-Hall

This is not just another book of inspiration or even good advice. It does inspire, and the counsel it offers is excellent, but that is almost incidental to an honest reporting of an experiment in prayer carried on for nine months at Redland University to find out, on as scientific basis as possible, whether prayer really does work. Forty-five people with various problems and disturbances, were divided into three groups, fifteen to be treated by psychiatric counseling alone, a second group to seek help by random but regular praying, each using the common methods of prayer already known to the person, the third group were to practise prayer therapy, i.e. their prayer was to be directed toward specific goals as indicated by interpretation of a battery of psychological tests. All members of all groups were pre-tested, and again at the expiration of the nine months' period. In Group I (psychotherapy) there was 65% improvement. In Group II (random prayers) no improvement. In Group III (prayer therapy) 72% improvement. From these results it is concluded that prayer therapy was not only a most effective healing agent but that prayer, properly understood, might be the single most important tool in the reconstruction of man's personality. The authors tell us much of the case histories of those who shared in this experiment as is relevant, and deal extensively with the understanding and treatment of ""The Four Demons"" which in some degree affect us all, fear, guilt, inferiority feelings, and misguided love (hate). This book cannot be commanded too highly to all who are interested in the power of prayer, especially those who may new begin to feel that it has no power at all. It may well restore lost hope for a better life with its reclamation for our day of the lost art of prayer therapy.