Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Thursday Thump: Tapping prayer on sleeplessness


When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, 2 when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. 3 After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank.4 And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

5 He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. 7 The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.
8 In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. Genesis 41: 1-8


Even the most powerful people sometimes have bad dreams, or restless nights of sleep. Pharaoh was managing a lot. He was Egypt with a capital E. There were meetings to attend. Subjects to oppress. Overlords to usurp. It was a lot to juggle. Things were good at the moment. He had it all under control...but what if all that changed? The thought kept him up at night, and furthermore, troubled his days. If Pharaoh was troubled, EVERYONE was troubled.

It works like that at my house, too. One person’s tossing and turning, pacing and prowling, turns into a nightmare for everyone! Our mood turns sour and  our ability to make good decisions get’s cloudy. Sleep is important. Not getting a good night’s sleep can lead to all kinds of health problems. According to WebMD ( Excessive Sleepiness on WebMD) sleeplessness can :


  • Cause accidents
  • Dumb you down
  • Put you at risk for:
      • Heart disease
      • Heart failure
      • Irregular heartbeat
      • High blood pressure
      • Stroke
      • Diabetes
  • Decrease sex drive
  • Contribute to Depression
  • Age your Skin
  • Make you Gain Weight
  • Lower your Longevity
  • Impair your judgement, especially about sleep!



God knows you need some rest.


Today’s Tapping Prayer will seek to bring God’s calming spirit to the issue. If you are not familiar with tapping prayer, read this first. It will teach you the basic recipe for tapping prayer.

When you are ready, think about how it feels to think about having another night of sleeplessness. Give that experience a SUD from 0-10.  Please take responsibility for your participation in tapping prayer, and let’s pray.


Karate Chop: Oi, I’m tired, God! I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in a while. I don’t know exactly why I can’t relax and keep on sleeping through the night (although I do have some suspicions...). I am tired and frustrated, and getting a bit irrational about the prospect of settling in each evening. I need some help. I know that you want me to experience peace, but no matter how hard I try, I just get more fatigued. I’m willing to try this tapping prayer today, because quite frankly, nothing else has worked. Even though I have these sleepless nights, I am deeply loved and completely accepted by God. Even though I toss and turn and can’t get to sleep, I am completely loved and fully accepted by God. Even though I am restless when I should be sleeping, I am held in God’s extravagant love and acceptance.

Top of head: This sleeplessness.

Eyebrow: I can’t relax.

Outer eye: I can relax but then something wakes me up.
Under eye: I can’t fall asleep.
Under nose: I feel anxious about trying to fall asleep.
Under lip: I’m only going to wake up anyways.
Collarbone: What’s the use of trying?
Underarm: I have this sleeplessness.
Wrists: Maybe the mattress is lumpy. Perhaps my pillow is too hard or soft or the blanket keeps mysteriously shifting around my body.
Top of head: Even though I can’t stay asleep all night, I am deeply loved and completely accepted by God.
Eyebrow: I hear the floors creak, or a dog bark, or a mouse scurry in the wall beside me, and I am wide awake.
Outer eye: I remember things that I should have done.
Under eye: I remember things that I need to do.
Under nose: Maybe someone is snoring...loudly...again.
Under lip: I just can’t fall back to sleep.
Collarbone: I’m so frustrated, I could cry.
Underarm: I’ll never sleep again.
Wrists: People will call me THE MONARCH WHO NEVER SLEEPS.
Top of head: Even though I will NEVER sleep soundly again (because I am THE MONARCH WHO NEVER SLEEPS and sleeping would rob me of my title), I am deeply loved and completely accepted by God.
Eyebrow: I wonder if I could pass some of my anxiety on to God? I wonder if God could hold on to my frustration until the morning? If I had a better night’s sleep I could handle things in the morning.
Outer eye: Maybe I was yelled at as a kid when I didn’t go to sleep at night.
Under eye: Even If I got yelled at as a kid for not being asleep, I am deeply loved and completely accepted by God.
Under nose: Even though when I was a kid the sounds I heard in the middle of the night might have scared me, I am deeply loved and completely accepted by God. God is watching out for me. God is caring for me.
Under lip: Even if I don’t feel safe in the night, I am deeply loved and completely accepted by God.
Collarbone: Maybe I can rest my eyes even if I can’t go back to sleep. Even if I am just resting my eyes I am deeply loved and completely accepted by God.
Underarm: Even if I never sleep again, I am deeply loved and completely accepted by God.
Wrists: Even if I sleep a deep and restful sleep, I am deeply loved and completely accepted by God.
Top of Head: Even though I have this restlessness when I could be sleeping, and even though that restlessness causes me to feel anxious...or frustrated...I am deeply loved and completely accepted by God.

God I thank you for sending me your spirit of peace to address this issue of sleeplessness. I might be willing to give up my title in order to let you do your healing work in me. Perhaps if I sleep, they will call me a King or a Queen of Peace instead. Honestly, I don’t need titles. I just need you. Amen.

Take a deep breath....and let it out. Check your SUD around sleeplessness. Did any of the scenarios in the prayer cause your SUD to skyrocket? If so, take those issues to God and pray them down to a 0-2. Use specific language associated with your concern, and keep the focus on the problem instead of the solution. God desires you to have peace. Try and trust that to be true. The Spirit will bring you to that peace, one way or another.
Sweet dreams sweet Prince and Princesses.
-Todd

ps. Stay tuned for the next tapping prayer on Tapping Tuesday: prayer tapping on fear.


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