Addressing The New Anxiety through Contemplative Prayer: An Exploration and Guide For The 21st Century Christian Sailor

Abstract

Supported as an evidence-based practice (EBP) and peer-researched method, contemplative prayer (CP) is proven to lowering the rising levels of mental distress within the 21st Century Sailor, caused by what Dr. Kirk Bingaman describes as the New Anxiety. In the spectrum of America’s religious and spiritual landscape, CP can help Christian Sailors create spiritual pathways that can be relied upon during times of increased anxiety, leading to a decrease in high-risk behaviors and harmful coping mechanisms such as alcohol, drug use, or suicidality. CP within the scope of this project is grounded in the Christian mystic teachers from the 4th through the 17th Century, blending the writings and teachings of the Eastern and Western Church Mothers and Fathers. This project proposes that Navy Chaplains can address the New Anxiety through adding CP into Navy’s Expanded Operational Stress Control Program (E-OSC).