A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Psychological Benefits of a Daily Examen-Based Practice

This is a randomized controlled trial of an Examen-based practice, an intervention reflecting a five-step daily reflection and prayer practice developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Catholic Jesuit order. Like other practices (e.g., mindfulness, yoga), this practice can be used as a spi...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Plante, Thomas G. (Author) ; Feldman, David B. (Author) ; Ge, Jacqueline (Author) ; Cortese, Anthony (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Journal of religion and health
Year: 2025, Volume: 64, Issue: 2, Pages: 1239-1256
Further subjects:B Gratitude
B Catholic
B Jesuit
B Meditation
B spiritual practices
B Prayer
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:This is a randomized controlled trial of an Examen-based practice, an intervention reflecting a five-step daily reflection and prayer practice developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Catholic Jesuit order. Like other practices (e.g., mindfulness, yoga), this practice can be used as a spiritual or secular intervention to help people with a variety of challenges and stressors. In this exploratory study, 57 university students were randomly assigned to a two-week daily Examen-based condition, while 58 students were assigned to a wait-list control condition. Questionnaires measuring hope, life meaning, satisfaction with life, mindfulness, compassion, stress, anxiety, and depression were administered pre- and post-intervention and subsequently at two-week follow-up. Significant differences were found for conditions on the measures of life meaning, satisfaction with life, and hope, suggesting that the Examen-based practice produces improvements in individuals’ global evaluations of their lives as well as their perceptions of the future. Suggestions for further research are offered.
ISSN:1573-6571
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10943-025-02259-w