Expression is Medicine!

That was my comment last night at this rad event in Chattanooga talking to a room full of entrepreneurs.

We all need someone in our life who we feel safe enough with to express ourselves and feel like they are a trustworthy audience to listen and give us encouragement and feedback. Without this, the benefits of expression fade.

I found the same goes with people who are religious and believe in God. If you don’t see that entity as on your side, rooting for you, helping you, safe to share with - you don’t get the same benefits as those who see in this entity a safe friend to share with.

So here’s my take on why prayer may be the original form of therapy that most have given up on - many for good reasons i.e. they were told the listening audience - God - was angry, mad, ready to burn you in hell if you did wrong - all traits of a friend we would run from or better yet call the police on for torturing people who disagree with them in their basement (hell).

Disclaimer - I’m a fan of nuance. Don’t take the below as me preaching at you to start praying and drop your therapist. Instead, I’m sharing a practice that I do, that I find value in because I find the ‘listening audience’ as someone trustworthy. I have many friends who have given up on this method and for great reasons. So thanks for hearing me out….

Is Prayer the OG Therapy?

We are living in the golden age of therapy. Counselors are booked out for months, mental health apps are everywhere, and prescriptions for anxiety and depression are at all-time highs.

Yet despite all this, anxiety, loneliness, and despair keep climbing.

It begs the question:
Are we treating symptoms with expensive supplements when the/a Source of healing has been available all along — for free?

The Healing Power of Being Heard

Modern neuroscience helps explain one of therapy’s core powers: talking works.

• Naming emotions lowers emotional intensity. When we verbalize fears or pain, we move them from the amygdala (our emotional alarm center) to the prefrontal cortex (our reasoning brain), calming our nervous system.¹
• Feeling heard reduces stress. When someone listens empathetically, cortisol drops, heart rate stabilizes, and oxytocin rises — creating a sense of safety and connection.²
• Storytelling integrates trauma. Painful memories stored in fragments become part of a coherent story when we talk them out, lessening their grip over time.³

This is why therapy feels transformative: being deeply heard in a safe, nonjudgmental space rewires our brains for calm and connection.

But here’s what’s fascinating — prayer can do the same, and more.

Prayer: Ancient and Scientifically Validated

Prayer isn’t just a religious ritual. It’s humanity’s oldest form of self-expression, reflection, and meaning-making — and science increasingly affirms its healing power:

• Prayer calms the brain. Brain scans show that personal prayer activates the prefrontal cortex (rational thought) and quiets the amygdala (fear and stress).⁴
• Prayer creates felt safety. People who pray to a personal, caring God experience the same physiological benefits as being heard by a trusted friend — but with the added power of believing the listener is all-knowing and all-loving.⁵
• Prayer reframes suffering. It transforms pain into purpose by placing it in a larger story — a well-documented predictor of resilience and post-traumatic growth.⁶
• Prayer fosters forgiveness and peace. Faith-based forgiveness practices are linked to lower anxiety, improved relationships, and even better physical health.⁷

In short, prayer provides emotional regulation, meaning-making, and peace — often more deeply than any human listener can.

Martin Luther, Vitamin D, and Going to the Source

Modern therapy has been called “the new confessional booth.” Like priests of old, therapists hear our confessions, help us unburden ourselves, and offer guidance.

But 500 years ago, Martin Luther challenged the idea that people needed a middleman to access forgiveness and peace. Why pay for indulgences or rely on men when you can go directly to God?

It’s like vitamin D:

• You can buy expensive supplements, or
• You can step into the sun — the free, original source.

Yet many have been told the “sun” is dangerous. So we stay inside and settle for synthetic substitutes.

Are we doing the same with God? Avoiding the Source — prayerful connection with Him — while chasing countless “safe” but lesser replacements?

A Simple Way to Pray: The PRAY Model

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 4:6–7

If prayer feels overwhelming, this simple acronym can help:

P – Praise/Gratitude

Start with worship and thankfulness.
“God, thank You for this new day, for the blessings I can see all around me.”

R – Repent & Release

Confess honestly and name your burdens.
“God I have some fears, some failures, some frustrations. I need help.”

A – Ask (Supplication)

Make humble, specific requests.
“God, I need wisdom for this decision. I'm lost in the sauce. Please give me some input and help on this.”

Y – Yield

Surrender outcomes.
“I trust you can see more than I can. I'm looking to you for help for things I can't fix.”

So, Could Prayer Be the “New” Premium Therapy?

Prayer doesn’t replace all therapy or medication. There is profound value in speaking with a trained professional — especially when trauma, clinical depression, or relational wounds require skilled care.

But whether with a therapist, a friend, or God, healing often begins with expression — with being seen, known, and safe. The act of honest communication, verbal or written, opens pathways in the brain for emotional regulation and growth.

Prayer simply extends this connection beyond human limits. It is:

• Accessible — anytime, anywhere.
• Affordable — free.
• Holistic — healing mind, body, and soul.

Most importantly, it connects us directly to the Source. No middleman. No synthetic substitute.

Maybe what our anxious, overmedicated, and burned-out generation needs isn’t just more coping mechanisms. Maybe we need to rediscover the ancient practice of prayer.

Sources

1. Lieberman, M. D. et al. (2007). “Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity.”Psychological Science.
2. Cozolino, L. (2016). The Neuroscience of Human Relationships.
3. van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score.
4. Schjødt, U. et al. (2008). “Highly religious participants recruit areas of social cognition in personal prayer.”Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
5. Newberg, A. B., & Waldman, M. R. (2009). How God Changes Your Brain.
6. Park, C. L. (2010). “Making sense of the meaning literature.”Psychological Bulletin.
7. Worthington, E. L. et al. (2007). Handbook of Forgiveness.

I’d love to hear about your health journey. 👋

I write this newsletter each week because I feel my best when my body, mind and soul are all healthy. I want the same for you. If you feel like you’ve seen something valuable here, please do me a favor and forward this newsletter to a friend or let me know what you think by replying or texting me - (310) 879-8441

I think happy couples make the world go round. I also believe men can do more to lead and love in their lives. In light of that, I have found the following four books to be the 4 books every man should read and every woman should want their man to read.

• Good Energy - What makes for a Healthy Body and Mind?

• The Masculine in Relationship - How to Win the Trust, Lust and Devotion of a Strong Woman

• The Man’s Guide to Women - The Science of Happy Relationships

• The Desire of Ages - Leadership in a World of Cowards

Here are a few other links to things that have changed my life:

Whoop - Track your HRV and REM Sleep

Function Health - Optimize Your Health via 100+ BioMarkers

Here are a few topics I think you’ll love if you haven’t checked them out before:

How to Breathe for Better Health

How to Supercharge Your Sleep

The Power of the Sauna

-Jared

P.S. - This newsletter does not provide medical advice. The content, such as graphics, images, text, and all other materials, is provided for reference and educational purposes only. The content is not meant to be complete or exhaustive or to be applicable to any specific individual's medical condition.