PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS OF THE INFLUENCE OF PRAYER ON REDUCING ANXIETY LEVELS IN WAR CONDITIONS

Abstract

Striving to transcendently overcome the limits of one’s own limitations in crisis circumstances, a person, through spiritual and prayer practices, seeks to know the truth, find a connection with God, return a point of support and fill the value-meaningful sphere of existence. The study focuses on the analysis of key mechanisms of the influence of the phenomenon of prayer on the level of individual anxiety in the difficult conditions of a full-scale war. The article examines different types of prayers and substantiates that different contexts of prayer can have a variable impact on a person’s psychological well-being - some forms give a feeling of peace, others contribute to a deeper connection with God. In general, prayer, as a religious coping strategy, helps overcome permanent anxiety and the persistent effects of stress. It was found that from the perspective of psychology, it is advisable to consider the phenomenon of prayer in four main dimensions - motivational, socio-psychological, cognitive and neuropsychological. At the same time, the motivational dimension covers a number of reasons why a person is taken to prayer; neuropsychological actualizes the impact of prayer on brain responses and neuropsychological changes when using the spiritual practice of prayer; cognitive dimension focuses on the individual’s beliefs about prayer and the nature of God, which allows coping with stressful situations, grief and loss; socio-psychological - focuses on the relationship between people and God, the feeling of God’s presence during or after prayer. The study has proven that for a deeper understanding of this issue, it is important to develop close interaction between mental health professionals and religious communities. In addition, by investing resources and efforts in education and cooperation, it is possible to actively promote the mental well-being of society in times of crisis.