Regardless of the lack of evidence, spiritual views have been intertwined with beliefs about pain and suffering (Unruh, 2007). The use of prayer as a religious coping strategy is widespread and is often believed to have positive effects on physical ailments, including pain. A recent review of the literature on religion and spirituality in populations suffering from chronic pain revealed that in three different survey studies, prayer was the first or second most frequently used coping strategy to deal with physical pain (Koenig 2001; Rippentrop 2005). Interestingly, the potential pain-relieving effects of prayer have never been tested in a controlled experimental setting (Jegindo, Vase, Skewes, Terkelsen, Hansen, Geertz, Roepstorff & Jensen, 2012). Religious beliefs and practices are complex phenomena, and the use of prayer may be mediated by psychological factors known to be related to the experience of pain (Jegindo, Vase, Skewes, Terkelsen, Hansen, Geertz, Roepstorff & Jensen,