Scientific prayer?

[Puck]

I often wonder why so many atheists scoff at the concept of prayer. I believe that prayer is a very scientific thing and is a functional component of the human brain. Neuro-linguistic programming could be construed as a form prayer. Fundamentally, praying is simply stating an intention to your subconscious thereby stimulating the reticular activation formation at the base of our brains into action. I pray all the time, but it is done systematically and with the knowledge of how it really works. What makes prayer laughable, more often than not, is when it is directed at some all-powerful being outside of one's self as if they are going to 'take it from there', so to speak.