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Physiological Response to Spirituality

woman meditating

MICROGEN IMAGES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY from sciencephoto/CanvaPro

A 2023 study in Integrative Medicine Reports involving 68 undergraduate college students evaluated the physiological effects of an eight-week wellness intervention called Awakened Awareness for Adolescents and Emerging Adults (AA-A) designed to help participants develop a personal relationship with their higher self and a higher power, while broadening their awareness toward outward accomplishments.

 

At the beginning of the study, the researchers collected self-reported information about clinical, psychological and spiritual well-being from the participants and measured their heart rate variability (HRV)—the slight variation in time between heartbeats. HRV is an indirect measure of stress because it indicates the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the nervous system. A person in a fight-or-flight mode will have lower HRV, whereas a relaxed person may have higher HRV.

 

Participants attended weekly, 90-minute groups sessions. After the last session, the same HRV and well-being data were collected. Significant improvements were noted in the participants’ HRV, suggesting improvements in the ability to recover from stress and spiritual decline. Further research is required to fully understand the role of spirituality in resilience and recovery from stress.


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