Meditation, prayer and spiritual healing: the evidence.

Marilyn Schlitz, PhD, is the Vice President of Research at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of the California Pacific Medical Center. She completed a bachelor of philosophy degree from Monteith College, Wayne State University, a master of arts in social and behavioral studies from the University of Texas, San Antonio, a PhD in social anthropology from the University of Texas in Austin, postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive sciences laboratory, Science Applications International Corporation, and a postdoctoral fellowship in psychology at Stanford University. She has published more than 200 articles in the area of consciousness studies and is the co-editor of Consciousness and Healing, Integral Approaches to MindBody Medicine, by Elsevier. She conducted research at Stanford University, Science Applications Internal Corporation, the Institute of Parapsychology, and the Mind Science Foundation. She has taught at Trinity University, Stanford University, and Harvard Medical School, and has lectured widely, including at the United Nations and at the Smithsonian Institution. She served as a Congressionally appointed advisory member for the National Institutes of Health Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and is on the board of trustees for the Esalen Institute and on the board of directors for the Institute of Noetic Sciences. She also serves on the scientific program committee for the Tucson Center for Consciousness Studies.