Emphasis Preaching Journal

Nearly 30 years ago, Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School published a bestseller called The Relaxation Response (Avon, 1975). In that book, he demonstrated -- to the shock and horror of many in the medical community -- that daily meditation can bring about beneficial physiological effects, such as lowering patients' blood pressure and preventing disease. The book kicked off the movement now known as "Mind-Body Medicine." Through it, physicians have become more appreciative of how the life of the spirit influences physical health.