The Experience of Prayer With a Sacred Object Within the Context of Significant Life Stress.

CATHOLIC Church; EXPERIENCE; INTERVIEWING; LIFE; SYMBOLISM (Psychology); RESEARCH methodology; PRAYER; RESEARCH; SPIRITUALITY; PSYCHOLOGICAL stress; QUALITATIVE research; THEMATIC analysis

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a better understanding of the subjective experience of prayer with a sacred object within the context of a significant life stressor. Ten individuals, men and women, from the Catholic faith participated in semistructured interviews. Interview transcripts were read thoroughly and descriptive meaning units were extracted and analyzed for common themes. In their narratives participants revealed three overarching themes: (a) contextual information on the nature of the significant life event, (b) the spiritual architecture of prayer with a sacred object, and (c) a spiritual relationship with the sacred. The experience of prayer with a sacred object is a rich and integral aspect of these participants' spiritual lives that ultimately supports a sense of life meaning within the context of a significant life stressor. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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