The Neuroscience of the Lord's Prayer

#1 New York Times bestselling psychiatrist and brain imaging pioneer Dr. Daniel Amen reveals how Jesus’s most famous prayer can rewire the brain to improve your mental, emotional and spiritual health.

For two thousand years, countless millions of Christians around the world have prayed the words Jesus taught his disciples: “Our Father, who art in heaven…” But what if the most famous and recited prayer in history is not only spiritually powerful, but also a form of spiritual technology remarkably attuned to the way our brains are designed to heal? In The Neuoscience of the Lord’s Prayer, #1 New York Times bestselling psychiatrist and brain imaging pioneer Dr. Daniel Amen draws on more than four decades of clinical practice and nearly 300,000 brain scans to reveal the surprising science behind Jesus’s iconic prayer. Moving phrase-by-phrase through the Lord’s Prayer, Amen shows how its ancient wisdom aligns with what modern neuroscience has discovered about connection, awe, hope, surrender, forgiveness, self-control, and resilience—and how regularly, intentionally praying these words can help calm fear, release resentment, strengthen relationships, and train the brain toward greater peace. Blending biblical wisdom, compelling neuroscience, personal stories, and practical exercises, Amen transforms a prayer many Christians know by heart into a powerful daily practice for mental, emotional, and spiritual healing. Complete with a forty-day journey for putting these insights into practice, The Neuoscience of the Lord’s Prayer invites readers to rediscover ancient words they may have prayed their entire lives—and experience them with new understanding, intention, and transformative power.