FAQ'S

Eliminating pain is an important goal, but few think of it as a necessary process that leads to the formation of a stable, secure life. There is a much broader view of wholeness than simply emotional healing. The power of this kind of healing prayer lies in developing the confidence and trust vital to being able to live from our true identity rather than from our wounds.

All of our relationships are built on memories. Until we feel safely bonded with Jesus, it is extremely difficult revisiting painful experiences without becoming re-traumatized. Therefore, significant time is spent establishing a secure, vibrant, living, interactive connection with the Lord that our brains can record and file away those safe, comforting encounters with Him. This facilitates a growing trust and deeper sense of His care so that we can connect with Him more readily and stay connected to Him in the midst of painful emotions.

We gain important skills that strengthen us to be able to live from our best self during times of stress. This helps to prevent further trauma in our lives and leads to greater stability in our relationships. Learning to turn to Jesus, focus on Him, and receive what He has for us in any given situation are skills that lead to our emotional maturity, healing, and growth. Maturity development comes from acquiring the skills that help us build sustainably bonded relationships:
The ability to be heard, seen, and understood; to receive empathy;
The ability to manage our own intensity so that joy can grow in our relationships.
The ability to attune to others and provide pure empathy.
The ability to live authentically from our true heart; learning which aspects of God's divine character were built into each one of us gives us the grace and dignity to live for Him without fear or shame;
The ability to find joy and contentment in the midst of our suffering.

The basic Biblical principles upon which this prayer ministry is built are simple. The Bible tells a powerful, over-arching story of how God is always with us, always wants to connect with us, and the average person is able to experience an interactive connection with the Lord. 

 For a more thorough explanation and cited Scripture passages, see Dr. Karl Lehman's webpage on the Biblical basis for the Immanuel Approach:

https://immanuelapproach.com/biblical-basis/ 

Immanuel Prayer is based on recent discoveries in research done in the field of Neurobiology. These discoveries reveal how maginificently brain science supports Scripture: 

"Relational Circuits". Our brains were designed with hardware that facilitates relational bonding. When these circuits are online, we can much more easily experience positive, mutually satisfying interactions with God and with others... including our self!  Relational circuits enable us to keep relationships more important than any momentary conflict and leads to satisfying resolution.

"Gratitude and Appreciation".  The Psalms declare in The Message version that praise and thanksgiving are passwords into God's presence.  (Ps. 100:4-5).  Science backs this up! Focusing our thoughts on a specific positive memory, sinking back into it and amplifying the experience will activate our relational circuits and get them back online so we can connect relationally again.  This is why we always begin in a positive memory.  lt facilitates a much smoother connection with God in the prayer session.

"Our Relationships are Memory-Mapped". This means that our brain keeps track of the types of experiences we have with individual people as well as with certain situations.  For example, I have hundreds of thousands of hours spent receiving tender care from my amazing husband, especially when I was ill or in some kind of distress.  His tenderness toward my weakness created a sense of belonging and joy.  We've also enjoyed incredibly random fun times together that have made us laugh! When I go back and revisit one of these special moments, it makes me miss him when he's not around.  I can't wait to be with him again!  The same is true with God... when we can deliberately identify and leisurely revisit special moments we've had with Him in the past, it really "primes the pump" and opens our hearts (and brains) to connect with Him more readily in a prayer session.

"Our Brains Work Best in Community". Just as all of creation was formed by God's spoken word, profound joy starts developing as soon as we speak out loud whatever is coming into our awareness during a prayer session.  Holy Spirit is so gentle! He often guides us into certain areas baby step by baby step. These "baby steps" often appear to us like insignificant details or distractions that don't seem relevant or make sense.  It is only after we share those details out loud that we are able to discern their signifcance and understand their meaning! 

As your Guide, I'll be coaching you to engage both sides of your brain in order to connect with Good Shepherd. The left side of the brain is logical, and uses reasoning and language to provide the narrative for our story.  The right side of our brain is emotional and relational, storing the experiences of life and providing the neurological hardware needed for processing life's events until fully resolved and their significance and meaning become clear. A main tool that God has given us to perceive Him directly and personally is our imagination, also referred to as "the eyes of our heart".