The importance of repetition: ritual as a support to mind

This chapter suggests that repetitive prayer is intriguing in light of neuropsychological, brain imaging, and even clinical evidence of three distinct neural phenomena: variation in brain functions, cognitive decline in the aging, and diverse strategies for emotional self-management. Complex processes of emotional self-management demonstrate the way that the brain involves systems that can come into conflict, such as motivation and restraint, or emotional excitation and inhibitory capacities. Practices of self-management may involve conscious, well-honed techniques for tipping the internal dynamics of these competitive processes. The use of prayer for emotional self-management offers a way to understand Justin Barrett’s observation that Protestant American students disproportionately petitioned for psychological, emotional, and relational effects. Research on prayer reveals that private religious practice often provides emotional succor in distressing situations and that religiosity may protect physical and mental health.