With support from the Templeton World Charity Foundation, our Harvard-based team is conducting the first-ever randomized controlled trial (RCT) of the effects of hesychastic prayer (aka “the Jesus Prayer”) on the spirituality and well-being of self- identified Christians. This panel will consist of three papers touching on different aspects of this project. The first, by Dr. Jenae Nelson (Baylor University), will offer an overview of the current state of scientific research on prayer, describe the motivation for and design of this RCT, and summarize some of our preliminary findings. The second, by Dr. Brendan Case (Harvard University) will analyze the account given within the theological tradition, especially the Philokalia, of the typical effects of hesychastic prayer on the life of an experienced practitioner, ranging from a state of interior “rest (hesuchia)” to the visible experience of the uncreated glory of the divine energies. Dr. Case will then consider the limits of attempting to study that range of predictions experimentally. Finally, the third paper, by Dr. Michael Ferguson (Harvard University) will explore the prospects for carrying forward this work into the experimental study of other theistic prayer practices, including with Islam and Judaism, and into the development of a genuinely personalized (because tradition-specific) approach to spiritual therapeutics.Chair: Matthew Crawford (Australian Catholic University) Speakers:Brendan Case (Harvard University)Jenae Nelson (Baylor University) Michael Ferguson (Harvard University)