Medicine, Meaning and Prayer with Larry Dossey, M.D.

Program Description

These are exciting times in science and medicine, and Larry Dossey is a physician at the forefront of new developments on the interface of body and “soul.” Prayer, it seems, is holding its own in laboratory research despite the scientific assumptions it challenges. Dossey presents and evaluates the evidence, and explores its implications for both medical practice and individual healing. He goes even further, to an awareness of the deeper meaning of prayer and soul. Warning against “confusing God with vitamins” (seeing prayer as a tool for narrow practical ends), he reminds us of the larger context implied by the existence of soul, and the effectiveness not only of prayer but of non-attachment to results. A revealing and stimulating discussion for anyone with or without religious beliefs or skepticism.

Larry Dossey, M.D. is the executive editor of Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing and the author of ten books on the role of consciousness and spirituality in healing, including the New York Times bestseller, Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and The Practice of Medicine (HarperSanFrancisco 1997) and The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things: Fourteen Natural Steps to Health and Happiness (Harmony 2006). To learn more about the work of Larry Dossey go to www.dosseydossey.com

Topics Explored in this Dialogue:

• Scientific research on the healing effects of prayer
• The meaning of theory and proof in evaluating prayer as therapy
• The “shadow side of prayer”
• The Hawaiian curse that resembles Guillaume-Barre Syndrome
• The possible flaw in the “double-blind” research practice
• The larger context of meaning in soul and prayer research
• The political and medical future of alternative/complementary healing in America

Program Number: 2422                 Host: Michael Toms              Interview Date: 11/2/1993