Eighty-two percent of Americans believe in the healing power of personal prayer, and 64 percent think doctors should pray with their patients if the patients request it.

But many doctors are uncomfortable with this role. However, it may be time for a reassessment if the experiences of Andrew, a surgeon, and Nancy, an anesthesiologist, are any indication.

Doctor Credits Decrees and Prayers With Helping Patients

Andrew regularly decrees up to two hours a day, including prayers for his patients. Before surgery he gives a simple prayer, sometimes silently and other times (with the patient's consent) out loud. He credits his prayers and decrees with everything from contributing to the success of operations to helping relieve severe pain.

Once Andrew saw a patient's severe kidney pain alleviated in response to his prayer. It was an acute situation and the woman was not yet on any pain medication.

Andrew made a quick prayer to Jesus, Mother Mary and the healing angels to take away her pain. Without any medication, the pain vanished.

“It was really dramatic,” he says. “As soon as I said the prayer, she said her pain was gone.”

Results like this have convinced him to keep his patients in his decrees and prayers.

Anesthesiologist' Experience With Prayer to Kuan Yin

Nancy, an anesthesiologist, also found that decrees and prayers to the angels and the Ascended Masters made a difference. She kept up a regular routine of decrees at home; during work, she would say quick prayers.

When she decreed for women who were having difficulty giving birth, they were usually spared medical intervention. After being called to go to the delivery room to give anesthesia in preparation for a C-section, Nancy would give fiats and prayers in the stairwell on the way down.

“It was amazing to me that often by the time I got there, the labor had suddenly progressed and I had arrived in time to see a baby being born,” she recalls. “The nurses would grin, look at me and say, ‘Guess we don't need you after all.'”

Nancy frequently prays to Kuan Yin, whom Buddhists call the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

She believes that Kuan Yin helped to save the life of a woman who almost died during what should have been a routine operation to remove an ovarian cyst.

When the surgeon cut into the apparent cyst, it began bleeding profusely. It turned out not to be a cyst at all but a swollen artery that had been accidentally tied off in a former surgery. The woman quickly began bleeding to death.

The doctors tried all of the standard emergency procedures, including infusing massive amounts of fluid and blood. But after four hours, her heart stopped beating and her blood pressure was gone.

At that point, Nancy made a silent prayer, “Kuan Yin, help!” The next second, the patient's heart started beating again and her blood pressure returned. She recovered fully, without brain damage.

Although the experiences of Andrew and Nancy do not prove that decrees work, they suggest that both doctors and patients might want to experiment further with the power of the spoken Word.