Symposium speaker Larry Dossey, M.D.

Larry Dossey, M.D., is an international leader in the area of the mind-body connection and the role of spirituality of medicine. He frequently examines medical miracles, supporting them with scientific data to show that such events are not isolated incidents but regular occurrences.

According to Dossey in his presentation, "Recovering the Soul," religion of any form is a proven aid in the healing process, and that intercessory prayer, in particular, has been the subject of numerous scientific studies. He advocates praying not for a specific outcome for a particular person but that "God's will be done" for that person. More often than not, such prayer has shown to be effective.

"Prayer," he said, "is the communication with the absolute and divine. It's not about personal gain, or getting well. It's just about the communication."  He conceded that prayer does not guarantee health or the assurance that a wish will come true. "There is much we don't know about prayer," Dossey stated. "But what we do know is that it has passed enough scientific tests to know that there is merit in a dialogue with a divine being."

He concurred that the mind-body connection is largely indefinable. "One of my colleagues says it best—'Something unknown is doing something, but we don't know what'." According to Dossey, that's enough to make it work.

See also the articles on the presentation by Barbara Dossey and the Edward R. Heil Symposium.