Friday, June 1, 2012

What is TAPPING INTO PRAYER NOW?


WHAT IS 
TAPPING INTO PRAYER NOW?

This past year I attended a workshop for people who wanted to help veterans find peace. At the workshop I was exposed to a protocol called Emotional Freedom Technique (which was developed by Gary Craig). It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen. We were told to think of a problem and then tap on various parts of our body, to relieve the stress associated with the problem.

Sure.


A few months later, clergy who had attended the first workshop were invited back for a Level 1 EFT training experience. It was still as weird as ever, but somehow the holy was stirred in me to pay closer attention to what was going on. I noticed that there were real changes happening for the people who volunteered to be "test subjects" in the training. This was very strange stuff!
After passing the training, I decided I would introduce it to some of my parishioners who were dealing with difficult situations. In most cases their anxiety level was dramatically reduced, and they began to experience peace around issues that had plagued them for a long time. They were emboldened to try new strategies. They experienced a union with the holy that had not been a part of their journey in the past.


In the cases that did not go as well, I realized in reflecting on them that I had not properly administered the tapping. I am a rookie, and there were some situations I needed to grow in before I could facilitate the kind of spiritual calm I hoped for all my community.


I attended a 2 day training in Energy Psychology presented by the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology, and I learned new methods to go deeper with the tapping I had become intrigued with. During the ACEP training, I began to wonder, "What does this have to do with the ministry I am a part of?" "Is this so outside the mainstream that I would be considered a heretic for practicing these methods as part of my work?" "How do I translate 'meridians' and 'chakras' into a language that my parishioners and many mainline people of faith could understand and feel comfortable around?"


Below is my first attempt to translate this material. It is the basis of my answer to "What is Tapping Into Prayer Now"?


TAPPING INTO PRAYER NOW (AKA:MERIDIAN HEALING) is a spiritual practice wherein the ancient art of following the flow of the Holy Spirit through the body is used to bring balance and peace to individuals who are experiencing spiritual distress. Various protocols and techniques that have been tested and accepted by the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology are employed to: identify disturbances in the movement of the Spirit; adjust and correct various disturbances of the Spirit; allow the individual to experience a deeper peace and connection with the Holy.

A few assumptions I make about Tapping Into Prayer Now:




  • Tapping Into Prayer Now is not a manipulation of God's will. It is a focusing of God's healing intention on a particular problem or issue that we are facing. God will do what God will do.
  • It is my belief that God desires us to be whole and peaceful.
  • It is my belief that God works to create wholeness and peacefulness in us.
  • It is my belief that the Holy Spirit exists beyond us, within us, between us, physically, emotionally, cognitively and spiritually. When our relationships are healthy, the Spirit flows easily in all of these states. If there is a disruption of flow (caused by a number of catalysts: drugs, gossip, violence, overeating, disrespecting others, traumatic experiences...) our relationship with the Spirit can be severed or tangled up in unhealthy ways.
  • It is my belief that the Holy Spirit heals us. It connects us. It emboldens us. It forgives us. It transforms us.  It centers us in God’s loving presence. For Christians, it awakens us to Jesus’ grace and teaches us how we can share that grace more effectively.

  • It is my belief that the Holy Spirit moves within us through channels that the ancient people described as “meridians.” Meridians carry energy (qi) throughout the body and connect us to the energy of the universe. Likewise, in the Christian tradition, meridians serve to focus our attention on the energy of Jesus’ Holy Spirit that dwells among all people.

  • Healing in the Bible (and throughout faith history) often comes in the form of “laying on of hands.” In energy psychology, the same can be said about how healing is established. By utilizing the wisdom of ancient cultures who traced the vital energies as they flowed through our bodies (through what they described as “meridians”), we can track the vital energy of the Holy Spirit as it moves through our bodies and back into the world.
  • Tapping Into Prayer Now uses a "follow the leader" approach to tapping. You will learn where to tap by watching me and we will tap together. I will not generally lay hands on you, but will show you where you can access the meridian points that may address your particular issue. You may repeat the words I say as a common prayer for your healing.

  • At times, we may feel disconnected from the Holy's life giving flow. Our ability to experience the Spirit’s energy may be blocked by a trauma or dis-ease in our life...perhaps in the form of illness or a relationship that is out of balance. There are a number of life events internal and external to us that can leave us feeling drained instead of feeling “full of life!”

  • It is my belief that a wondrous mystery unfolds in the midst of tapping on various meridian endpoints while focusing on a particular issue. Healing happens and God's peace comes into focus.

  • It is my belief that Tapping Into Prayer Now is another way to pray, and, quickly connect with the Holy.
  • It is my belief that Tapping Into Prayer Now will change the way you think about and engage prayer.

I hope that you will try Tapping Into Prayer Now.

If you would like to see a video of some tapping, you can click the picture above. Please note that in the video I describe "tapping while you drive." My intention is that if you are in a car and feel the need to tap, you will pull over and safely tap while parked.

Aloha,

todd

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