The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)

Chapter 1: Eileen, Absence Wounds, and Ice Cream

(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 4/6/2013)
DRAFT

Ever since she was a young woman, Eileen had struggled with eating more than she needed, and
was then also burdened with a corresponding chronic unhappiness with her weight. She had been
able to lose weight on many occasions, but had never been able to maintain her eating and weight
at a good place. In fact, she had spent much of her adult life either dieting to lose weight or
gaining it back again. (Her chagrined estimate is that she lost and then regained the same 15 to 25
pounds at least fifteen times.) For as long as she could remember, Eileen had also had a vague
sense that something was missing – a sense that there was something she needed, but could never
quite get – a restless, empty, unsatisfied feeling that she could never quite focus or resolve. And
this vague, empty, restless, unsatisfied feeling was connected to her struggle with overeating
because she would feel better, at least temporarily, when she would eat.

This is where ice cream comes in, because she would especially feel better when she would eat
ice cream. She wasn’t actually consciously aware of how she was self-medicating a chronic,
aching emotional pain, but she was certainly aware of how much she liked ice cream: “I have
always loved ice cream, as long as I can remember. And not just one little dish, but huge
amounts....I could eat an enormous amount of ice cream....I couldn’t seem to get enough of it....It
would satisfy some kind of craving deep inside of me.” She would keep four half-gallon
containers of ice cream in her freezer at all times, after having a great big bowl in the kitchen, she
would sneak upstairs, hide somewhere, and eat more ice cream in secret because she was
embarrassed to be eating so much, she would eat ice cream whenever she was upset, and she had
more ice cream every night before going to bed. Unfortunately, when you have a compulsive,
addictive pattern of self medicating emotional pain with a frozen mixture of fat and sugar, you
tend to be unhappy with your weight.

In may of 2005, these pieces all came together when Eileen received Immanuel approach
emotional healing in one of our training group demonstration sessions. In the first part of the
session, Eileen went back to memories of being a small child, wanting and needing emotional
connection with her mother, but instead of receiving positive attention and emotional connection
she was chronically unseen, ignored, and unwanted. From the inside of one particular memory,
Eileen reports, “I’m three. I’m in the kitchen. My mother is by the counter. I need her, [but] she’s
ignoring me, and there isn’t anything I can do to get her attention....I’m crying, but she’s not
hearing me....It’s like she doesn’t know I’m here,” “I see her, but she’s absent,” “I’ve been
waiting a long time for her to notice me and want me,” and “I just keep hoping that she’s going
to pay attention to me....I keep hoping that I can do something to break through....There’s like a
wall. I can’t break through the wall that’s around her. I can see her [but I can’t get to her].”
Reflecting on these same memories from the perspective of her adult self, Eileen reports: “My
mother...was a very depressed person, and very withdrawn....She was somewhere else – she
wasn’t there.” Eileen does not have a single memory of her mother holding her, or of her mother
saying, “I love you.”

And for as long as she could remember, Eileen had had an empty, unsatisfied feeling – a sense
that something was missing – a sense that there was something she needed, but could never quite
get.

Thankfully, Jesus can heal “absence wounds” (wounds left by the absence of things we need but

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 1 (New Feb 23, 2013) Page 2 of 3

don’t get).1 With troubleshooting at several points to remove blockages, three-year-old Eileen
was able to experience Jesus’ living, healing presence with her in the kitchen, where she had
been stuck for so long, needing and longing for connection that she could never get. Jesus gave
the little girl in the memory the things that she had not gotten from her mother. Where her mother
had not noticed her or wanted to be with her, Jesus focused on her intently and was glad to be
with her. Where her mother had never said “I love you,” Jesus said “I have loved you...from the
beginning of time.” And where her mother had never held her, Jesus picked her up, set her on His
lap, and held her so closely that she could feel His heart beating. Jesus cared for and filled the
places where she had previously always felt empty and unsatisfied. Immediately after the session,
Eileen wrote in her journal, “I feel loved, wanted,...cared for, connected, wonderful, not hungry,
not tired, content,...peaceful, and joyful.”

The subject of ice cream, over-eating, and excess weight never actually came up during the
session, but a couple of months afterward she realized that she was no longer eating ice cream.
“I’d be driving home from work and I’d think, ‘I’m gonna go get some ice cream.’ And then
another part of me would say, ‘I don’t want any ice cream.’” At a followup interview seven
months after the initial Immanuel approach session, Eileen reported, “I really have not had ice
cream hardly at all – I have some in my freezer right now. It’s been in there since Thanksgiving. I
have not had any. I hardly even remember it’s there. I see it and it doesn’t mean a thing to me.”
And then she commented spontaneously, “...on some very deep level I’ve been comforted by
something other than ice cream, and I don’t need ice cream any more.” At a followup interview
in May of 2006, a full year after the initial session, Eileen reported that she had lost ten pounds
since the change in her attitude and behavior with respect to ice cream. Furthermore, these ten
pounds had melted away without any dieting, exercise program, or any other weight loss
intervention, and she seemed to be staying at this new, lower weight without any thought or
effort.2

Finally, Eileen sits in front of me today, nearly eight years after the session in our training group,
forty pounds lighter and feeling good about herself. She reports that ever since the healing
interactions between herself and Jesus in the three-year-old kitchen memory, she has continued to
feel satisfied in the place where she had always previously felt emptiness and craving. And her
compulsive, addictive pattern of ice cream consumption has never returned. The additional thirty
pounds did not melt away effortlessly, like the first ten (she has participated in the Curves
program, with deliberate discipline regarding both eating and exercise since 2006), but this is still
the first time in her life that she has been able to maintain her weight at such a stable, healthy
place.3

1
The concepts of “type A,” or “absence trauma” (trauma from the absence of good things that you
needed but didn’t get), and “type B” trauma (trauma from the presence of bad things that should not have
happened) come from The Life Model: Living From the Heart Jesus Gave You, by James Friesen, E.
James Wilder, and others (Shepherd’s House, Inc: Van Nuys, CA), 2000. See p.42 and following for their
definitions and commentary. For more of our thoughts about “type A” trauma, see “The Immanuel
Approach and ‘type A’ trauma” in the “Advanced Topics/Special Subjects” section of the “Resources”
page of the Immanuel approach website (www.immanuelapproach.com).
2
Just in case this is not already clear, her previous compulsive use of ice cream as self-medication
for absence wound pain had increased her baseline weight by ten pounds. And healing the underlying
wounds, with the corresponding elimination of this high calorie self-medication had resulted in an
effortless weight loss to a new, stable baseline at a weight that was ten pounds lower.
3
Eileen has maintained her weight within five pounds of her current baseline for the past three years.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 1 (New Feb 23, 2013) Page 3 of 3

Note: this session was recorded, and is available under the Live Ministry Session DVD title,
Eileen: “Immanuel Intervention” (Intermediate).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 2: The Immanuel Approach, a Brief Introduction
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, New 2/23/2013, Revised 4/18/15)

I. The pain processing pathway: When we encounter pain, our brain-mind-spirit system always
tries to process the painful experience. There is a very particular pathway that this processing
attempt will follow, and there are specific processing tasks that we must complete as we travel
along this pathway, such as maintaining organized attachment, staying connected to the event (not
disassociating), staying connected to people/God (staying relational), navigating the situation in a
satisfying way, and correctly interpreting the meaning of the experience.1 (Insert here figure 1.1
from page 5 of Outsmarting Yourself).

When we are able to successfully complete this processing journey, we get through the painful
experience without being traumatized – we emotionally and cognitively “metabolize” the
experience in a healthy way, and instead of having any toxic power in our lives, the adequately
processed painful experience contributes to our knowledge, skills, empathy, wisdom, and
maturity. That is, when we successfully process a painful experience we don’t just stuff it down
into our unconscious, or teach ourselves to think about other things. We actually get through it,
stronger and wiser.

For example, let’s say Sharon, a hypothetical five-year-old girl, is engaged in an energetic game of
chase with the kids in her neighborhood when she gets knocked over by an over-enthusiastic
eight-year-old boy. She tumbles to the ground, unfortunately landing on hard, bumpy asphalt
instead of soft grass, and therefore tearing her brand new jeans and scraping her knee. As she sits
up she notices that her knee stings, but at first she is mostly startled. However, when she sees that
her favorite new jeans are torn, and when she glimpses honest-to-goodness blood through the tear
in her jeans, she jumps up and runs home, alternating between crying and wailing. Fortunately, her
father is home and has good relational maturity skills, so when she comes running in, wailing
about her bloody knee and her “totally ruined favorite new jeans,” he puts her in his lap, wraps his
arms around her, rocks her gently, and reassures her with quiet words of comfort.

Sitting in his lap, encircled by his safe, strong arms, and hearing his reassuring voice, she feels
connected, protected, and comforted. After she calms down some he asks her about the accident,
and she tells him about the adventurous game of chase, about the dramatic collision with the huge
third-grade boy, about the hole in her favorite jeans that Mom had just gotten for her the day
before, and especially about her bloody knee. As he listens to her patiently, with clear interest and
concern on his face, she feels heard, understood, and cared for. He eventually cleans the scrape,
lets her choose which colorful bandage to use, and in response to her continued distress about the
hole in her jeans, he reminds her that she is supposed to change into her play clothes before going
outside to run with her friends. She says, “I’m sorry,” he says, “I forgive you,” and then he
reassures her that they can patch the torn jeans right away and also eventually get her another pair
of nice jeans for special occasions. Finally, he comments that she is certainly brave and strong to
have been playing chase with third graders, and then encourages her to go back outside and rejoin

1
Just in case you’re concerned that you don’t know what I mean by “maintaining organized
attachment,” “staying connected,” or “staying relational,” all you need to know for the purposes of this
book is that there is a pathway for processing painful experiences, and it includes a series of specific
processing tasks.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 2 of 17

the game. When she is hesitant, he gives her some additional coaching about how sometimes we
get hurt when we play rowdy games, but that we don’t want to miss all the fun just because we’re
afraid of getting an occasional bump or scrape, and he takes her hand and walks her back to the
other end of block where her friends are still playing.

Instead of turning into a trauma, the fully processed painful experience becomes an opportunity
for her to learn and grow. It’s obviously not a big event, but it contributes to a deepening intuitive
awareness that she can turn to others for help when she encounters painful situations that
overwhelm her. It contributes to her growing confidence that she can participate in adventurous
activities, and that even if she takes a few hits she can get back up and keep on going. And it
contributes to her experiential belief in grace and redemption – even when she makes a bad choice
(like going out to play in her brand new jeans), she will still be loved, she can be forgiven, and the
practical damages can usually be salvaged/repaired.

Another good example is child birth. The majority of women who go through childbirth say that it
is the most physically painful experience of their lives; however, most of these women are not
traumatized by this intense pain. When they have a supportive spouse and/or supportive friends
and family with them, they feel connected and cared for. When they have appropriate medical care
and reassurances, they know that they are not in danger, even though it really, really hurts. And
they are encouraged by knowing that the pain has a beautiful purpose (as opposed to being
demoralized by suffering that seems confusing and pointless). Women who feel safe, connected,
and supported through the process admit that it is one of their most painful experiences, but claim
that it is also one of the most profoundly deepening and growth-producing experiences of their
lives.

II. Traumatic memories:

Unfortunately, various problems and/or limitations can block successful processing. When we are
not able to complete the pain-processing journey, then the painful experience becomes a traumatic
experience, and the memory for this traumatic experience will then carry unresolved toxic content.

The way in which failure to complete the pain-processing journey creates traumatic memories and
the way in which traumatic memories carry unresolved toxic content have very practical
implications for our day-to-day lives. Every time something in the present activates, or “triggers,”
a traumatic memory, the unresolved toxic content comes out of where it’s stored and becomes
part of what the person thinks and feels in the present. And this coming forward of incompletely
processed memory content into the present causes a wide variety of problems, such as addictions,
mysterious physical symptoms, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, depression,
eating disorders, impaired parenting, difficulty receiving new truth, impaired discernment, an
endless variety of subtly dysfunctional behaviors, and blocked peak performance.2

Recognizing that psychological trauma comes from failure to successfully complete the journey
through the pain-processing pathway leads to a very important point regarding what kind of
experiences can end up being traumatic. This point is discussed in much greater detail in

2
See section 5 (“Implicit Memory vs Explicit Memory”) in “Brain Science, Psychological Trauma,
and the God Who Is with Us ~ Part III: Traumatic Memories vs Non-Traumatic Memories” for additional
discussion of how unresolved trauma contributes to each of these issues. (This essay is available as a free
download from www.kclehman.com.)
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 3 of 17

Outsmarting Yourself,3 but the short summary is: you don’t need the overwhelming negative
emotions and physical pain of military combat or tsunami disasters to create psychological trauma.
In fact, if you are a child without anyone in your community who can help make sure you get
through the processing pathway successfully, and a painful experience presents a challenge
where your personal processing skills are especially weak, even a fairly minor painful experience
can result in psychological trauma.

Most of us can easily believe that a soldier might be traumatized by seeing his best friend blown to
bits by a hand grenade, and we can understand how this soldier might have a panic attack when
Fourth-of-July fireworks trigger his combat trauma. But it is easy to miss how small painful
events, especially in childhood, can cause minor trauma that affects us in much more subtle ways.4

An alternate version of our hypothetical five-year-old Sharon story provides an example. In this
sad version of the story, Sharon comes running home with her mixture of wailing and crying, but
her irritated father meets her with, “What’s the matter now? I’m in the middle of a project and
you’re supposed to be playing with your friends – can’t you take care of yourself and stay out of
trouble for ten whole minutes?” And when she starts to whimper about the hole in her beautiful
new jeans, he responds with even more frustration, “Oh, great! And you’ve managed to ruin the
new clothes that I worked hard to pay for and that your mom just got for you yesterday. Go wash
off your knee, and to teach you a lesson you have to put those jeans back on and wear them every
day for the rest of the weak. Wearing your new jeans with a hole in the knee will remind you to be
more careful. And if you ruin any more of your new clothes, I’ll really give you something to cry
about!”

In this unfortunate scenario, with her angry father adding to her pain and confusion instead of
comforting her, encouraging her, and coaching her regarding how to handle the minor mishaps of
childhood adventures, Sharon will certainly not be able to successfully process the experience.
This painful experience will be stored as a small but significant childhood trauma, and whenever it
gets activated its subtly toxic thoughts and emotions will come forward with a variety of negative
effects. For example, she will be hesitant to engage in activities that are more adventurous, for
fear of having an accident that might make somebody angry, and when she encounters difficult
situations in the future she will be afraid to turn to others for help, for fear that she will receive
anger, blame, and punishment instead of assistance.

As you wrestle with whether or not to accept this very important point regarding how small
painful events can cause minor psychological trauma (and also the associated logical implication –
that psychological trauma is therefore much more common than most people realize), make sure
to note that our formulations of “trauma” and “traumatic” are fundamentally different from the
ways most people use these terms. “Traumatic” is often used synonymously with “disastrous,”

3
Karl Lehman, Outsmarting Yourself: Catching Your Past Invading the Present and What to Do
about It second edition (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2014).
4
This may seem like a side issue, but actually it’s not. As will be described in subsequent chapters, an
important part of the Immanuel approach is identifying and removing the blockages that hinder our ability
to connect with the Lord. Many of us have mostly minor trauma that is hindering our connection with God
in subtle ways, and we will not work to uncover and resolve these subtle blockages unless we are aware of
the way in which small painful childhood events can cause minor trauma. And again, this very important
point is addressed in much more detail in Outsmarting Yourself.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 4 of 17

“life threatening,” “catastrophic,” and other terms you expect to see on the front page of the
newspaper, and most definitions of trauma focus on the magnitude/intensity of the painful event.
However, our definitions are based soley on whether or not the person successfully processes the
experience. A trauma is a painful experience that has not been successfully processed. That’s it.

This means that no matter how bad an experience is, if it successfully completes the journey
through the pain processing pathway, then it will not be traumatic. And no matter how small a
painful experience is, if it does not successfully complete the journey through the pain processing
pathway then it will be traumatic, and this minor trauma will have negative, ongoing effects on the
person (even though the effects may be subtle).5

My own childhood experience provides another example of how small painful events that are
unsuccessfully processed can become minor traumatic memories, and how these traumatic
memories, even though minor, can have lasting negative effects.

On my grade-school playground there was a lot of cheating. The biggest, toughest kids were
particularly prone to cheat, since no one could stop them, and they found ways to cheat in most of
the games we played. They might add points to their scores if they were losing, they might make
up new rules that gave them a needed advantage, or they might simply insist that they had made it
safely to first base when we could all see that this was not the case. The scenario that bothered me
the most was kids cutting in line during batting practice. Each time they finished their turn at the
plate, the three or four toughest fifth graders would appear to go to the back of the line, but then
every ten seconds or so they would cut forward by three or four kids. Day after day I would stand
in line, watching these toughs cut in front of me, knowing that there was nothing I could do about
it unless I wanted to get beaten up. And the gym teacher never seemed to notice that these guys
got to bat four or five times as often as the rest of us. He was the person with the size and the
designated authority to maintain appropriate order, but he did nothing to protect the smaller,
more vulnerable kids (like me).

As a result of being unable to successfully process these experiences, bitterness, judgment,

feelings of powerlessness, and feelings of helplessness remained in the memories of these events.
Then, for many years (until this stuff got resolved), whenever I encountered situations in which
others were cheating, and especially situations in which others were “cutting in line” in one way
or another, the toxic content carried in these unresolved playground memories would come
forward and I would become both very miserable and very unpleasant to be with.

For example, when we would come to a construction zone where some drivers were using the
“merge” lane as a personal bypass lane, and zipping to the front of the line where they were
cutting in front of those of us who had been waiting in the good citizen lane for the last forty-five
minutes, I would have a sense of being helpless and powerless, I would feel intense anger toward
the cheaters, I would feel intense frustration toward “somebody” for not imposing order and
fairness in the situation, and I would go back and forth between fuming (with lots of words I

5
For a much more detailed discussion of how the toxic content from traumatic memories can get
triggered and come forward into the present, how and why we usually do not recognize where the painful
thoughts and emotions are really coming from, how this can cause tremendous difficulties (especially in
relationships), and what we can do to moderate this problem while waiting for permanent healing, see
Outsmarting Yourself.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 5 of 17

won’t use here) and indulging in a macabre little daydream. My little fantasy was that the
government would pass a law making it legal to blow these people up, and I would get one of
those rocket launchers you can hold on your shoulder (you know—the ones you always see the
special forces teams using in the action movies). Then, when one of these guys zips by in the
cheater lane, I would lean out my window and send one of those little rockets right through his
rear license plate and into his back seat. KABOOM! One less cheater! And then we would roll the
burning wreckage to the side of the road and put a sign on it: “This is what happened to the last
guy who used the merge lane for a cheater lane.”

Charlotte, on the other hand, was an example of how a person might react in this situation if she
were not being affected by old trauma. Charlotte could acknowledge that it was frustrating to see
people whizzing by and then cutting in at the front of the line, and that these people were being
inconsiderate, but she wasn’t all bent out of shape. Her attitude was more along the lines of “We
can’t do anything about it, so we might as well make the best of it—let’s just enjoy being together
while we’re waiting in line.” Furthermore, she would even offer charitable thoughts regarding the
cheaters, such as “They might not be maliciously inconsiderate—maybe they just haven’t learned
the maturity skill of being able to wait for their turn—maybe being able to go to the front of the
line will prevent them from hitting their children when they get home,” or “We don’t know what’s
happening in their lives—maybe they’re single parents who’ve had especially hard days, and just
can’t deal with waiting any longer in the ‘good citizen lane’.” And then she would make additional
gracious suggestions, such as: “Even if they do know what they’re doing, we could be part of the
solution by choosing to forgive them and pray for them.”6

Unresolved trauma coming forward and blending with our experience in the present especially
causes and/or exacerbates relational conflict, and this applies to every kind of relational conflict
you can imagine – marital discord, conflicts between family members, conflicts between friends,
conflicts in church, conflicts on the mission field, conflicts between neighbors, conflicts between
employers and employees, conflicts between professional colleagues, conflicts between students
and teachers, conflicts between warring tribal groups in Africa, conflicts between Arabs and
Israelis, and conflicts between drivers in the good citizen lane and drivers using the merge lane to
cut in line.7

II. Healing for traumatic memories: The good news about the pain processing pathway and
traumatic memories is that each time a traumatic memory gets activated we get another chance to

6
In the interest of truth, justice, and humility I will confess my own use of the “cheater lane”: for years
as a young driver I was oblivious to the complexity of construction zone traffic flow, and innocently zipped
along in the merge lane without even realizing that I was cheating. Even more narcissistically mortifying is
the humbling truth that for several years after coming to understand the whole cheater lane phenomena, I
found it so unbearable to feel like a helpless victim waiting in the “good citizen lane” that I actually used
the cheater lane fully aware of the fact that I was cheating.
7
For a much more detailed discussion of traumatic memories, how even minor painful events can cause
traumatic memories, how the toxic content from traumatic memories can get triggered and come forward
into the present, how and why we usually do not recognize where the painful thoughts and emotions are
really coming from, how this can cause tremendous difficulties (especially in relationships), and what we
can do to moderate this problem while waiting for permanent healing, see Karl D. Lehman, Outsmarting
Yourself: Catching Your Past Invading the Present and What to Do about It (Libertyville, IL: This Joy!
Books, 2011).
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 6 of 17

finish the processing. Isn’t this great? Instead of just failing the test we get to keep taking it until
we pass! Thank you, Lord, for making this gracious provision by allowing unresolved memories
to get triggered over and over and over again until we finally resolve them.

If we haven’t acquired any additional resources since the time of the original trauma, this actually
isn’t very good news – we just feel bad, get stuck in the same places once again, and eventually
put the unresolved content back into the same old traumatic memory file. However, if things have
changed in good ways (for example, our maturity skills have grown, we are surrounded by
supportive community, and we can connect with the Lord), we will be able to successfully
complete the processing tasks, the traumatic memory will be permanently resolved, and it will no
longer carry any toxic content that can cause trouble by coming forward and blending with our
thoughts and emotions in the present.

The specifics of working with traumatic memories are discussed in MUCH greater detail in Parts
II, III, and IV of the “Brain Science, Psychological Trauma, and the God Who Is with Us” essay
series,8 but the very short summary is:

First, the bad news: traumatic memories can be difficult to access, traumatic memories are
difficult to modify, and the processing tasks necessary to resolve the toxic content carried in
traumatic memories cannot be successfully completed unless very specific conditions are in
place and unless very specific resources are available.

However, the good news is that traumatic memories are consistently accessible under the right
conditions, traumatic memories are consistently open to modification under the right conditions,
and toxic traumatic memory content can be consistently resolved when the right conditions are
in place and the necessary resources are available.

This all leads to a very practical and very important bottom line: If we want to strategically design
a psychotherapy or emotional healing ministry intervention that consistently accomplishes
permanent resolution for traumatic memories, we need to:

• figure out, and then intentionally set up the conditions necessary for accessing traumatic
memories;

• figure out, and then intentionally set up the conditions necessary for traumatic memories to be
open to modification; and

• figure out, and then intentionally set up the conditions and provide the resources necessary for
the person to successfully complete unfinished processing tasks.9

III. The most basic Immanuel approach process components: More good news is that God

8
Available as free downloads from www.kclehman.com.
9
My assessment is that all psychotherapy techniques and emotional healing ministries that permanently
resolve traumatic memories include these components (at least in the sessions that are successful).
Examples of therapies/ministries that can permanently resolve psychological trauma include Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Theophostic Prayer Ministry (TPM), Sozo emotional healing
ministry, and emotional healing ministry as taught by Agnes Sanford, Francis MacNutt, and John Wimber.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 7 of 17

already knows about all of this – he knows about the pain processing pathway, he knows about
failed processing as the source of trauma, and he knows how to facilitate remedial processing.
And he wants to help us get healed. If we are able to perceive the Lord’s presence, establish a
connection with him, and receive adequate assistance from him, this potentially complicated
process can become very simple. He can help us access our traumatic memories, he can help us
set up the conditions so that they can be modified, and he can help us successfully complete the
remedial processing that will transform them into fully metabolized experiences that will then
contribute to knowledge, skills, wisdom, maturity, and compassion.

God can care for this process, without us needing to provide the resources or manage any of these
details.

One of the most exciting developments with the Immanuel approach is that we have discovered
several simple tools that enable most people to consistently perceive God’s presence in some
tangible way, and then to establish an adequate interactive connection with his living presence.
And this interactive connection with God then provides the context for engaging directly with
him, so that he can help us to access our traumatic memories and finish the remedial processing
tasks.

Adequate interactive connection: So what is an “adequate interactive connection?” I am

experiencing an interactive connection with the Lord when I perceive His presence in some way
and it feels true that we are having a living, real time, mutual, contingent interaction, and
contingent interaction means that our responses are directly related to (contingent upon) what the
other is experiencing and communicating.10 When I am experiencing an interactive connection, it
feels true that the Lord sees, hears, and understands the emotions and thoughts I am experiencing
and communicating, and it also feels true that he is offering contingent responses to my emotions
and thoughts. And an adequate interactive connection is an interactive connection that is
sufficient to enable the person to accomplish the task immediately in front of her. A perfectly
clear, maximally strong, fully functional connection is obviously ideal,11 but an adequate
connection is an interactive connection in which the person perceives the Lord clearly enough,
allows Him to come close enough, feels a strong enough emotional connection, achieves enough
synchronization, and is able to receive enough help to enable her to take the next step forward.

An experience I had several years ago provides a good example of a contingent, interactive
connection with the Lord. My friend Thomas died in his sleep after fighting through 35 years of
severe chronic mental illness. He never did anything important in the eyes of the world, but I think
he was a hero. In my assessment, few people have done so well carrying such a heavy load. In

10
For example, if I meet my godson in the park and he comes running to me with a big smile, a
contingent interaction would be to greet him with “Hey! It’s good to see you! It looks like you’re having a
good day.” And if I’m walking through the park and I see him standing by himself and crying, a contingent
interaction would be to kneel down beside him and quietly ask, “What’s the matter? Tell me what
happened.” In contrast, if I see him alone and crying, a non-contingent interaction would be to ignore his
distress and greet him with “Hey! It’s good to see you! Isn’t this a beautiful day?”
11
I think the interactive connection between Jesus and the Father, which enabled Jesus to know the
Father’s will (“I do what I see my Father doing”), heal the sick, cast out demons, know what people were
thinking, predict the future, multiply food, raise the dead, walk on water, and issue commands to the
weather would be a good example of an ideal interactive connection.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 8 of 17

spite of 35 years of suffering with severe mental illness that medication was only partially able to
control, he remained faithful to the Lord. Most people with chronic mental illness use alcohol
and/or street drugs to numb the pain, but Thomas never did this. In fact, not only did he not spend
his money on pain numbing substances, but he intentionally lived extremely simply, so that he
could have money left over from his welfare income to give to the church. This is just one of the
ways in which he was quietly heroic. Several months before he died, I asked him: “Thomas, how
do you cope with all the suffering in your life?” And his reply was, “I focus on Jesus – every day,
all day long. If it wasn’t for Jesus, I couldn’t do it.”

Several days after Thomas died, I was out on my exercise walk. I had learned that I could use the
simple tools from the beginning of the Immanuel approach (just mentioned above, and to be
described in more detail below) to connect with Jesus during my exercise time. So I applied them,
finishing with welcoming the Lord to be with me, and asking him to help me perceive and connect
with his living presence. The moment I finished the prayer a spontaneous mental image came into
my awareness, and in this image Jesus was walking beside me, enjoying the weather, with the kind
of smile you see on the face of someone who’s walking with a good friend on a beautiful day. The
image was very faint (as is usually the case when I perceive the Lord’s presence); but even though
the image was so subtle, somehow it also felt one hundred percent true and real. After walking
along for a while, just enjoying Jesus’ quiet, smiling, friendship presence, I commented (in my
thoughts): “Lord, I’m so glad that Thomas is with you now.”

This is hard to describe, but I was facing forward as I was walking, and my mental image of Jesus
was that he was in my peripheral vision, just as would be the case if a friend were walking beside
me in the “real” world. Immediately – the moment I had finished making this comment about
Thomas – I “saw” Jesus’ head turn towards me,12 this big grin broke out on his face, and I sensed
the clear response, “So am I!” And then, “He has fought the good fight, and has finished the race.
He is here with me now – his suffering has ended, and he is being rewarded for his heroic
faithfulness.”

All readers will probably recognize that the conversation between Jesus and me about Thomas
was an interactive connection, but some may miss that an interactive connection was present even
before the verbal communication. From the moment I became able to perceive his presence, an
interactive connection was established as non-verbal contingent communication began flowing
back and forth between us – just as is normally the case when two friends walk side by side
without talking, communicating in many subtle ways that they are aware of each other and glad to
be together. For example, every so often I would turn my head towards Him, just the slightest bit,
and a quick smile would flash onto my face spontaneously and involuntarily, indicating that I was
aware of His presence and that it was giving me great joy to have him walking beside me. And
before I was even finished with my quick, subtle gesture, His head would flick just the slightest bit
towards me and He would flash His own smile, indicating that He was also aware of my presence,
that he noticed my smile, and that He was also glad to be with me.

From the first moment that I perceived his presence until after our conversation regarding Thomas
had ended, this was an interactive connection where it felt true that Jesus and I were having a
living, real time, mutual, contingent interaction – where it felt true that we saw, heard, and

12
The quickness and energy of Jesus turning his face towards me, and the intensity of his smile, were
all so striking that they actually startled me slightly.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 9 of 17

understood each other’s emotions and thoughts, and where it felt true that each of us was offering
contingent responses to the emotions and thoughts that the other was experiencing and
communicating. (The point here is that the interactions in an interactive connection can be subtle,
and often occur without any explicit verbal exchange. I don’t want you to miss interactive
connections with the Lord just because they don’t include communication with words.)

Getting back to the Immanuel approach: as just mentioned, we have discovered several simple
tools that enable most people to consistently perceive God’s presence in some tangible way, and
then to establish an adequate interactive connection with his living presence. And this interactive
connection with God then provides the context for engaging directly with the Lord, so that he can
help the person to access her traumatic memories and finish the remedial processing tasks.

So what are these tools for perceiving God's presence and establishing an adequate interactive
connection with him? Subsequent chapters will describe and discuss these simple tools in much
greater detail, but here is a very short summary: 1) Help the recipient to reenter the memory for a
previous positive connection with the Lord, and then to deliberately stir up appreciation for this
experience. This strategic positive memory recall and deliberate appreciation prepares her brain-
mind-spirit for connecting with God in the present. 2) Coach her to make a heart invitation
welcoming God to be with her, and to make an explicit request that the Lord help her perceive his
presence and establish an interactive connection. This simple prayer seems to help the Biblical
truth and promise that Jesus is always with us to manifest more tangibly. And 3) Coach her to
describe whatever comes into her awareness, regardless of whether or not it makes sense or feels
important. This pulls her mental content through the front of her brain in a way that helps her to
feel and recognize subtle manifestations of the Lord’s presence, and that helps her to feel and
recognize subtle manifestations of an interactive connection.13

With the most basic version of the Immanuel approach to emotional healing, all the facilitator
needs to do is:

• establish the foundation for the session by using the simple tools just described to help the
recipient to perceive God’s presence and establish an adequate interactive connection with
him;

• coach the recipient to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage with Him directly at every
point in the session, regarding every issue that comes up, and regarding every difficulty that
arises;

• help the recipient to connect with Jesus inside any traumatic memory that comes forward, and
then coach her to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage with him directly at every point,
regarding every issue, and regarding every difficulty as the trauma is processed;

• if the person is not able to connect with Jesus when she first goes inside the traumatic
memory, if she loses her connection with Jesus at any point later in the session, if the process
becomes stuck for any other reason later in the session, or if you feel like you are getting in

13
This same simple tool of coaching the person to describe whatever comes into her awareness,
regardless of whether or not it makes sense or feels important, also helps the person to feel and recognize
subtle guidance and help from the Lord throughout the rest of the Immanuel approach process.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 10 of 17

over your head, use the “safety net” troubleshooting tool (help the recipient return to the
initial positive memory, appreciation, and connection with Jesus, and then, in the context of
this safe and comfortable place, coach the person to engage directly with Jesus regarding the
point of difficulty).14

• if you are running out of time and the traumatic memory is still not fully resolved, use the end
of session “safety net” (help the recipient return to the initial positive memory, appreciation,
and connection with Jesus). Even though she was not able to fully resolve the trauma, she will
be fine if she ends the session in the positive memory, feeling appreciation, and connected to
Jesus.15

IV: Even more good news – it actually works: The really good news is that these principles and
tools are more than just hopeful theory. We have been using the Immanuel approach for several
years now, and the results have been very encouraging. Closest to home, we have found this
approach to be wonderfully effective for our own, personal healing work. It has been effective for
resolving major issues, such as the attachment trauma I received from an extended separation
from my parents when I was two years old; and it has been effective for resolving trauma from
much smaller painful events, such as my experiences of childhood injustice when the bullies on my
grade-school playground cut in line during batting practice.

We have found this approach to be wonderfully effective for our emotional healing work with
clients, and people in our mentoring groups have consistently been experiencing powerful healing
with the Immanuel approach. Some of these people have even been willing to release recordings
of their sessions to provide encouragement and teaching resources for others.16 Furthermore, we
have observed that a number of private practice clients and mentoring group participants who had
previously been stuck for many, many sessions have begun moving forward with the Immanuel
approach. Charlotte and I have used a variety of emotional healing tools over the years, and in our
experience the Immanuel approach has been the easiest to use, the safest, and the most effective.

Our friends and colleagues who are using the Immanuel approach are also seeing dramatically
positive results.

A. The Immanuel approach with persecuted believers: For example, Kim Campbell, recently
the medical director for a well known ministry that serves the persecuted church, used the
Immanuel approach to provide emotional healing for traumatized/persecuted Christians in
countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Iraq, Laos,
Thailand, Myanmar, and Colombia. The following is one of the many amazing stories of healing
that Kim has shared with us.

14
For additional discussion of the “safety net” troubleshooting tool, see chapter 14, “Immanuel
Approach Safety Nets.”
15
For additional discussion of the end of session “safety net,” see chapter 14, “Immanuel Approach
Safety Nets.”
16
At the time of this writing (fall 2013), we have twenty-two live emotional healing sessions available
in both full length and condensed versions. For detailed descriptions of these sessions, see the Store page of
www.immanuelapproach.com.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 11 of 17

David 17 was born into a deeply religious Muslim family in a Muslim village in a Muslim country
in southwest Asia, and his family members and neighbors became very upset when he and one of
his uncles became Christians. Not surprisingly, his family and neighbors became even more
upset when his uncle began openly telling others about his faith, when David began preaching,
and when people were delivered and miraculously healed in response to David’s prayers. David
was twenty six years old in July of 2006 when his uncle was abducted and executed by a group
of enraged extremists, and a month and a half later two men with AK-47s came into the family
sweet shop where David worked and emptied 50 rounds, leaving David lying in a pool of blood
with 11 gunshot wounds. His survival is miraculous, since the doctor at the local hospital
refused to treat him, and he therefore did not receive any medical care until he got to a hospital
in a distant city eight hours later. But his left arm was so badly damaged that it had to be
amputated.

The ministry mentioned earlier helped David with the cost of his medications and with a
prosthesis for his left arm, and when Kim visited in October of 2007 to provide medical follow-
up he also asked David about the psychological aspect of the trauma. David stated that he was
“all right,” but his face and voice looked and sounded depressed, and with further probing Kim
discovered that he had full blown Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), including flashbacks
of the machine gun fire during the attack. Kim then lead him through the Immanuel process, and
Jesus showed David that he had always been with him, that he was with him throughout every
moment of the attack, and that he would always be with him in the future. At the end of the
ministry time, when Kim asked him to go back to the memory of being shot, David sat quietly,
with a surprised but peaceful look on his face, as he reported that he could still recall being
startled by the shooting but that he was now aware of Jesus’ presence with him, in the memory,
even during the shooting, and that the memory was no longer distressing.

We have heard more amazing stories of healing from Sarah Yoder, a woman serving with this
same organization and one of the members of a mission team that has been working with
persecuted/traumatized women and children in Colombia. In certain areas of Colombia, Marxist
guerillas and various other paramilitary groups have been attacking the church, and part of this
attack has been to target pastors for assassination. There are now hundreds of women and
children in Colombia whose husbands/fathers have been murdered because of their involvement
in Christian ministry. An especially horrifying part of the story is that, in their efforts to
intimidate the church, the assassins deliberately try to make the murders as traumatic as possible
for the survivors. So they will routinely do things like going into the pastor’s home and killing
him in front of his wife and children. Not surprisingly, almost all of these women and children
develop PTSD, most of them also develop associated problems such as bitterness and
depression, and many of them withdraw from involvement in church and ministry.

However, God’s power to heal is even greater than the enemy’s power to destroy. As I write
this (March 2010), it has been just two weeks since Charlotte and I had the privilege of
spending an evening with Sarah, hearing first-hand accounts of the redemptive healing the Lord
has been providing for these women and children. In September of 2008, Kim, Sarah, and two
other women went as a mission team to work with 48 of these widows. The mission team was
able to lead the Colombian widows through the Immanuel process, and every single one of them

17
Names and other identifying information have been changed/disguised in order to care for the safety
of certain participants in several of the following stories.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 12 of 17

appeared to receive profound healing. The team was able to go back for a second visit in July of
2009 and worked with 60 more widows, once again leading them through the Immanuel
process, and once again observing that every single participant appeared to receive profound
healing. Initially, almost all of the women described persistent despair as one of their heaviest
burdens; but their healing encounters with the Lord have resulted in such dramatic
transformations from despair to joy that acquaintances have made spontaneous comments about
the participants being “changed women.” The women participating in these Immanuel missions
have also consistently reported resolution of the various signs and symptoms of PTSD.

When we met with Sarah two weeks ago, she said that all of the women they have been able to
follow have continued to do well, with continued freedom from PTSD, continued freedom from
depression, and continued restoration of joy. Furthermore, most of these women now report that
they have been able to use the Immanuel approach to facilitate emotional healing for their
children.

The following story is just one example of the kind of trauma the Lord has been working with
and the kind of redemption he has been providing. Pastor Enrico, his wife, Rebecca, and their
family lived on a small farm in an area where the Marxist guerillas and other paramilitary groups
frequently skirmish for control. One day in 1995 soldiers came to the farm. Soldiers often came
to the farm, usually demanding food or livestock, but on this day they decided to assassinate
pastor Enrico. No comments. No questions. They just shot him, leaving Rebecca without a
husband and their four small children without a father. Rebecca developed PTSD, became
depressed, and withdrew from ministry. At the time of the mission team’s visit in September of
2008 it had been 14 years since she had lost her husband, but her pain seemed as fresh as if he
had died the day before. And her children, in addition to developing PTSD and withdrawing
from church, expressed intense and persistent hatred towards the perpetrators. The team was
able to lead Rebecca through the Immanuel process, with the Lord providing profound healing
for the trauma of her husband’s murder; and not only has Rebecca remained free of PTSD and
depression since this healing work, but she has also been able to use the Immanuel approach
with her children, all of whom have also experienced profound healing and are now free of
PTSD and depression. In fact, the Lord’s healing work has been so complete that the children
have been able to forgive the men who killed their father, Rebecca has returned to ministry,
starting a house church that is now bursting at the seams, and the children, on their own
initiative, have started a youth group that is also now bursting at the seams.18

B. The Immanuel approach for lay people: And then there are our young friends, Andy and
Kristin Ross, who attend our church and live in our neighborhood here in Evanston, IL. Andy
has actually just finished his masters of pastoral counseling, but they had already been
facilitating Immanuel approach sessions for several years before he started working on this
degree. They did a lot of reading about Christian emotional healing, they watched a bunch of
our videos, we helped them get started by facilitating a handful of Immanuel sessions for each of
them, and Charlotte and I gave them an evening of coaching/mentoring on six or seven
occasions, but outside of this neither of them had any mental health training when they began
incorporating the Immanuel approach as a regular part of their lives. As lay people, they

18
Both the house church (40-50 members) and the youth group (30-40 members) have outgrown
Rebecca’s home, so that participants must now bring their own chairs so that they can meet in the street in
front of the house.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 13 of 17

facilitated Immanuel healing for each other as a routine part of their ongoing personal growth,
they used the Immanuel approach to deal with underlying trauma as a standard part of how they
resolved conflict in their marriage,19 and they also saw many people blessed by the resolution of
traumatic memories as they facilitated Immanuel approach sessions for others in our community.

C. The Immanuel approach with groups: One of the most exciting things about the
Immanuel approach is that several of the new components make it possible to design group
Immanuel exercises that are both safe and effective.20 I have worked closely with our colleague,
Dr. E. James Wilder, in developing Immanuel approach group exercises, and we have seen
dramatically positive results with these exercises. For example, during the winter of 2010 Dr.
Wilder visited a country in Asia that is recovering from many years of civil war and from
massive trauma associated with a recent natural disaster. Charlotte and I had the privilege of
spending an evening with him less than a month after he returned from this trip, and his report
was very encouraging.

Dr. Wilder spent a week with a team of 45 ministers, mental health professionals, and lay
people, training them in the use of the Immanuel approach, and especially focusing on the
Immanuel approach tools that can be used in group settings. The core of his teaching program
was to repeatedly take the trainees through the group exercises themselves. From the very first
day the participants began receiving healing in their own lives as they “practiced.” By the middle
of the week every single person was connecting with Jesus and receiving healing each time the
group went through the exercises. And by the end of the week every participant had received
healing for a number of different traumatic memories.

Here are a few examples:

• There was a group of participants from the war zone who had trouble trusting the rest of the
trainees. At the beginning of the week they tried to avoid anybody from the larger group and
they would not participate in activities with the larger group. However, after receiving healing
these people were able to participate joyfully with the rest of the group.

• One of the pastors attending the training had been “executed,” along with a number of other
believers who had been rounded up by anti-Christian militants. After spraying the group of
Christians with bullets, the militants thought they were all dead and buried the bodies in a
shallow mass grave. Amazingly, this pastor revived from the initial shock of being shot, dug
himself out of the shallow grave, made it back to his home, and eventually recovered from the
physical injuries; but, not surprisingly, he had also been psychologically traumatized and he
displayed dysfunctional reactions to reminders of the trauma. By the end of the week these
traumatic memories had been healed, and he appeared to be free of the PTSD symptoms
associated with these events.

19
When one or both marriage partner(s) is/are being triggered by something the other is doing, it is
extremely difficult to facilitate emotional healing for each other. Andy and Kristin therefore have other
prayer partners to help with Immanuel healing for these situations (Charlotte and I have this same
arrangement).
20
For a detailed discussion of these new components, and how they make it possible to use the
Immanuel approach in group settings, see chapter fourteen, “Immanuel Approach Safety Nets,” and
chapter twenty-four, “Immanuel Approach Exercises for Groups and Beginners.”
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 14 of 17

• Another pastor attending the training reported that he had been anxious for as long as he
could remember, but that after the healing exercises he was feeling peace for the first time in
his life.

Furthermore, by the end of Dr. Wilder’s visit the participants were confident that they would be
able to take the Immanuel approach home with them – they were planning to go home and start
using the Immanuel approach with their spouses, children, extended families, friends, neighbors,
colleagues, parishioners, and clients.21

D. The Immanuel approach with non-Christians: Another exciting thing we have observed
with the Immanuel approach is that it sometimes works with non-Christians, and when it does,
those who have thereby experienced Jesus’ living, loving presence, and received healing from
him, usually decide to follow him. For example, two of the people attending Dr. Wilder’s recent
training seminar in Asia started the week as non-Christians (they had been required to attend by
their employers, who figured that Dr. Wilder, as a western Ph.D. psychologist, might provide
valuable information regarding treatment for post traumatic stress disorder). However, even
though they were not Christians they were still willing to try the exercises, and by the end of the
week both of them had experienced the Lord’s living, personal, Immanuel presence, received
healing from him, and decided to follow him.

A similar scenario during our May 2009 seminar in Panama provides another example. A non-
Christian mental health professional found one of the flyers for the seminar, and probably
decided to attend because he thought that my lectures on psychological trauma and implicit
memory would be valuable, regardless of my explicitly Christian perspective. However, even
though he was not a Christian he was still willing to participate in the Immanuel approach group
exercise that we included at the end of the seminar. And he was astonished by the results – he
experienced God as a loving Father for the first time in his life, he went to several traumatic
memories and received profound healing in each of them, and then he ended the exercise by
deciding to follow the Lord.

Rhonda and Danny Calhoun, friends of ours and co-directors of Our Father’s Farm ministry
near Kansas City, have also observed this same phenomena. They routinely use the Immanuel
approach, and recently shared with us about their experiences with Sarah and Claire.22 Sarah
came to them at the age of 13, almost totally disabled by post traumatic stress disorder from the
horrible abuse she had endured. Even though she had been rescued from the abusive
environment of her early childhood at the age of six, and had received regular care from a team
of mental health professionals for seven years, she was still unable to eat normally due to a
variety of triggered reactions, she was unable to sleep normally due to regular nightmares and
triggered reactions to being in bed, she was unable to participate in mainstream public
schooling, and she could rarely get through a day without intrusive traumatic memories causing
panic attacks.

21
As of January 2011, almost a year later, the leader of the group Dr. Wilder worked with reports that
they are still using the Immanuel approach, that it continues to be very effective, and that it has been
especially helpful and effective in working with traumatized children.
22
Not their real names.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 15 of 17

Thankfully, she responds well to work with the Immanuel approach, and has received
transformative healing through a series of beautiful, gentle interactions with Jesus. By the time
she was 15 she was thriving instead of barely surviving, and this is where the Immanuel
approach and non-Christians come in. Her friend and next door neighbor, 12 year-old Claire,
was a deeply troubled non-Christian girl who regularly cut herself. One day Claire came to
Sarah, intensely upset, asking for help, and saying that she was going to cut herself. Sarah didn’t
know what to do, so she invited Jesus to be with her. She was quickly able to perceive His
living, interactive presence, and then she asked Him for help. In response, she felt like the Lord
said: “Bring Claire to Me, like Rhonda does with you.”

So 15 year-old Sarah invited 12 year old Claire to try Immanuel prayer, and even though Claire
wasn’t a Christian she was still willing to try it. She promptly experienced what she describes as
“close encounters of the Jesus kind” – she had a mental image of Jesus standing in front of her,
He told her that He had been cut so that she would not have to be cut, He showed her the
marks on His body, and then He went on to say, “You’ve always wanted a family…would you
like to be part of My family?” She said yes. Sarah and Claire didn’t take time to discuss
theology, but I think this qualifies for becoming a Christian, since Claire has been talking to
Jesus regularly and following Him openly since this initial encounter. Furthermore, Claire hasn’t
cut herself, or had the urge to do so, since that day in the summer of 2009.23

The experience of an Immanuel approach ministry team working in India provides yet another
example. This will be described in more detail in chapter twenty-seven, but the short summary is
that a team we trained was using the Immanuel approach to minister to girls who had been
rescued from human trafficking, and all of the girls had profoundly positive interactions with
Jesus even though several of them were Muslims and Hindus.

E. The Immanuel approach with children: Yet another exciting thing about the Immanuel
approach is that it provides an especially gentle, safe, and effective tool for doing emotional
healing work with children, and we are receiving a steady stream of stories from many different
people who are getting good results.

As described above, the widows in Colombia have been using the Immanuel approach to
facilitate healing for psychological trauma in their children, the people that Dr. Wilder trained in
Asia have been using the Immanuel approach to facilitate emotional healing for traumatized
children (see footnote #12), the Calhouns used the Immanuel approach to facilitate emotional
healing for 13 year old Sarah, and Sarah used the Immanuel approach to facilitate emotional
healing for 12 year old Claire.

As will be described in chapter five, the Immanuel approach enabled three-year-old Zevian to
resolve intense, persistent fears about monsters in his closet.24 As will be described in chapter
nine, a friend of ours was able to use the Immanuel approach to release emotional healing for his

23
See “Can the Immanuel Approach be Used with non-Christians?” in chapter thirty-nine, Frequently
Asked Questions, for additional discussion regarding the Immanuel approach with non-Christians.
24
And, by the way, the same intervention that resolved his fear of monsters also initiated a new ability
to perceive Jesus’ tangible living presence as a routine, daily experience. *Delete this footnote, to reduce
clutter/complexity?*
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 16 of 17

granddaughter, Emme. And as just mentioned, chapter twenty-seven will describe the
experience of a team that saw profoundly positive results when using the Immanuel approach in
ministering to children who had been rescued from human trafficking.

Furthermore, we are now also getting stories from parents who are incorporating the Immanuel
approach into day-to-day family life.

For example, Dr. Ian, a friend of ours and psychologist in Winnipeg, Canada, has been teaching
his children about the Immanuel approach for life. He has talked to them about the truth that
Jesus (Immanuel) is always with us, he has taught them how to perceive the Lord’s presence
and establish an interactive connection, he has taught them that they can turn to Jesus and
engage with Him as a living person when they encounter difficulties in life, and they have
discovered that the Lord can and does respond to them – in their hearts/to their spirits. With this
foundation in place, he can easily weave the Immanuel approach into day-to-day parenting
interactions.

A fun story about his four-year-old daughter and frying hamburger provides a beautiful
illustration. Ian was at the stove one evening, frying hamburger for dinner, when his four year
old daughter, Selah, came into the kitchen and informed him that she needed a drink of juice.
When he told her that he would be glad to get her a drink, but that she would have to wait a few
minutes until he was done with the hamburger, she responded with, “No, I need a drink of juice
right now!” And when he repeated that she would have to wait a few minutes, she began to
escalate into tantrum mode, with crying, tears, and increasingly intense demands of “I need a
drink now! I need juice right now! I need juice now, now, now, Now, NOW!”

At this point Ian knelt down in front of his daughter, face to face, eyes to eyes, and said, in a
gentle, soft voice, “Honey, would you be willing to ask Jesus what He wants to say to you?”
Immediately her crying stopped, and Selah held up her hand towards Ian and said, “okay dad, be
quiet.” Not in a harsh way, but more with an intended meaning along the lines of “It’s Jesus’
turn to talk now. Please be quiet so I can hear Him.” She paused, completely still and quiet for
maybe ten seconds, and then said, “Jesus said that I need to be patient and I need to wait.”
When Ian asked, “Okay, so what are you going to do?” She respond promptly with, “I’m gonna
do what Jesus asked me to do, dad – I’m gonna be patient and wait.”

Selah then just stood beside Ian, smiling, watching, and waiting quietly and patiently for him to
finish frying the hamburger. It seemed to Ian that Selah continued to perceive Jesus’ lingering
presence and feel connected to him as she was waiting, and she seemed quite pleased that she
now had what she needed to be able to wait. Quite impressive, really, when you consider that
she had to wait five to ten minutes before he was able to get her the juice, and this is a very long
time for a four year old who was escalating to a tantrum with demands for immediate action
only moments earlier.

When Ian shared this story with me, he finished with the comment: “I often ask myself, ‘Why is
it so hard to remember to include Jesus into everything, since He’s right there with us?’....As a
family, we are working on it. Immanuel – God with us!”

You can see why we are excited about the Immanuel approach, and why we are confident that
you can permanently resolve your traumatic memories if you earnestly pursue emotional healing.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 2 (New Feb 23, 2013, Revised 4/18/15) Page 17 of 17

Note: For live session examples of the basic Immanuel approach, in which all I do is help the
recipient establish an interactive connection with Jesus, help the recipient stay connected to Jesus,
and then coach the recipient to engage with Him directly regarding every issue, question, and
difficulty that we encounter, see Renae: Healing Helps Parenting, Maggie #2: “If I leave, she
could die,” Maggie #3: Labor & Delivery Trauma, Rita #3, Jesus Is Better Than Candy, Steve:
Correcting Imbalance between Work and Restoration, and Ian: “I’m not enough.”25

25
Karl D. Lehman, Maggie #2: “If I leave, she could die,” Live Ministry Series #12 (Evanston, IL:
Karl and Charlotte Lehman, 2008), DVD; Karl D. Lehman, Renae: Healing Helps Parenting, Live
Ministry Series #17 (Evanston, IL: Karl and Charlotte Lehman, 2009), DVD; Rita #3, Jesus Is Better
Than Candy, Live Ministry Series #18 (Evanston, IL: Karl and Charlotte Lehman, 2009), DVD; Maggie
#3: Labor & Delivery Trauma, Live Ministry Series #19 (Evanston, IL: Karl and Charlotte Lehman,
2009), DVD; Steve: Correcting Imbalance between Work and Restoration, Live Ministry Series #21
(Evanston, IL: Karl and Charlotte Lehman, 2011), DVD; and Ian: “I’m not enough,” Live Ministry Series
#24 (Evanston, IL: Karl and Charlotte Lehman, 2012), DVD. All of these live session DVDs are available
through the store page of www.immanuelapproach.com.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
 3
More Introduc tion
(A Psychiatrist ’s Journey)

Advanced topics warning: This chapter—the story of my journey in

developing the Immanuel Approach—includes a detailed discussion of
how the Immanuel Approach relates to other methods for emotional
healing, such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
and Theophostic-based emotional healing. This context information
with respect to other approaches to emotional healing is very impor-
tant for mental health professionals and people in full-time ministry,
but probably of less concern to the average lay-person. So if you are not a
mental health professional or in full-time ministry, and especially if you
are reading this book for the first time to get the overall big picture, feel
free to skim (but please don’t skip) the parts of the story describing my
experience with other approaches.1

Another way to introduce the Immanuel Approach is to tell the story of how
it was developed. Our brains process and store stories differently than logi-
cal explanations, and most people find that stories are easier to remember.
I find that the story of how and why something was developed often gives
me a deeper understanding of why each piece is important, a clearer picture
of how they fit together, and also more appreciation for the new pieces.
Hopefully, this story of my personal journey with respect to the Immanuel
Approach to emotional healing, and also the larger Immanuel Approach to
life, will provide all of these benefits.

1. Even though this information is less interesting to the average lay person, I think it is still
important for all of us to have at least some awareness of how earlier approaches to emotional
healing have contributed to the Immanuel Approach. Sometimes, when people make a new and
exciting discovery, they fail to appreciate the value of previous work that has contributed to their
new iteration, and this can lead to needless confusion, disrespect, and conflict. I am hoping that
the Immanuel Approach community can maintain a humble, accurate appreciation for how this
new approach has been built on a foundation that has been prepared by those who have gone
before us, and an appreciation for how the Immanuel Approach includes many principles and
tools from previous approaches to emotional healing.
32 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

Medication, Cognitive Therapy, Insight-oriented Therapy,

and “Traditional” Prayer for Emotional Healing
When I first began providing outpatient mental health care in 1990, my
approach to treatment for psychological trauma was a combination of medi-
cation, cognitive therapy, insight oriented therapy, and what I think of as
“traditional”2 prayer for emotional healing. I used a combination of medi-
cation and cognitive therapy for management of acute symptoms, and a
combination of insight-oriented therapy and prayer for emotional healing for
resolution of the underlying traumatic memories. In my practice, this “tradi-
tional” version of prayer for emotional healing looked something like this:

• We would start with focusing on the presenting problem, such as anxi-

ety or depression, and ask the Lord to lead the person to the underlying
memories.
• Once the person remembered and connected with an underlying
memory of a traumatic experience, we would ask the Lord to come into
the traumatic memory and heal it.
• If the person did not perceive the Lord’s presence in the memory and
did not receive healing, we would engage in some very basic trouble-
shooting, such as checking for bitterness, unconfessed sin, and demonic
interference. However, at this point in my journey my faith and under-
standing were minimal, so if this basic troubleshooting was not success-
ful I would just conclude that the Lord did not wish to heal this particu-
lar traumatic memory at this particular time.

Unfortunately, I seemed to be pretty good at helping people find the

underlying traumatic memories and connect with their painful emotions,
but most people were not able to perceive the Lord’s presence and did not
receive dramatic healing. If I were painfully honest, I would have to say
that about 5%—that’s one out of twenty—perceived the Lord’s presence and
received dramatic healing in their traumatic memories. My work with the
remaining 95% was difficult and frustrating. I was able to use medication,
cognitive therapy, and insight-oriented therapy to help these people manage
their symptoms, but they would limp along without permanent resolution

2. I think of “traditional” prayer for emotional healing as the approaches to prayer for
emotional healing taught by pioneers such as the Linn brothers, Francis MacNutt, and Agnes
Sanford. For samples of these teachings on emotional healing ministry, see Dennis Linn &
Matthew Linn, Healing of Memories (New York: Paulist Press, 1974); Francis MacNutt, “The
Inner Healing of Our Emotional Problems,” Chapter 13 in Healing (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria
Press, 1974), pages 178-191; and Sanford Agnes Sanford, “The Healing of the Memories,” Chapter
7 in The Healing Gifts of the Spirit (New York: Trumpet Books, 1966), pages 109-123.
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 33

of the underlying roots. I prayed for them, I cared about them, I listened to
them, and I was conscientious and competent with respect to the medication
and psychotherapy I could offer, but they were still limping and managing.

Eye Movement Desensitization and

Reprocessing (EMDR)
In 1995, shortly after beginning to work with patients in the setting of
my own private practice, I learned Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (EMDR), and then began to combine these tools and tech-
niques with my previous approach to prayer for emotional healing.3
The point regarding EMDR that is important with respect to my Immanuel
Approach journey is that it was significantly more effective than the tools I
had previously been using. The principles and tools taught by Shapiro (the
developer of EMDR) included some pieces that were new to me, and she
is also a very skillful and persistent troubleshooter. My experience with
EMDR and with Shapiro’s troubleshooting therefore increased my skill with
troubleshooting, my persistence with troubleshooting, and my expectation
that we would often see dramatic healing. However, even with this increased
troubleshooting skill, increased persistence, and increased faith, I was still
seeing dramatic resolution of the underlying traumatic memories in only
twenty to twenty-five percent of my clients. Twenty to twenty-five percent
dramatic resolution was a lot better than five percent, but the remaining
seventy-five to eighty percent still felt like a LOT of people left with unsatis-
fying managing and limping.4

Theophostic®-based Emotional Healing 5

In 1998 Charlotte and I learned about the Theophostic® approach to emotional
healing, and I began to include these principles, tools, and techniques in
my work with psychological trauma. To the extent that you are familiar
with cognitive therapy, EMDR, traditional emotional healing prayer, and
Theophostic®, you will notice that Theophostic® principles include many of

3. For my assessment regarding the place of these EMDR tools and techniques in psycho-
therapy and emotional healing ministry, and also a more detailed discussion of EMDR, see
Chapter 22 of this book and also “The Immanuel Approach, Theophostic®, and EMDR: FAQs and
Common Misunderstandings,” available as a free download from www.kclehman.com.
4. For additional information regarding EMDR, see Francine Shapiro, Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing (New York: Guilford Press, 1995); and Francine Shapiro and
Margot Silk Forrest, EMDR: The Breakthrough Therapy for Overcoming Anxiety, Stress, and
Trauma (New York: Basic Books, 1997).
5. Theophostic® is a trademark of Dr. Ed Smith and Alathia, Inc.
34 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

the foundational principles from these three other bodies of knowledge that
had composed the core of my previous approach to working with traumatic
memories, and also that the Theophostic process includes many of the key
process components from EMDR and traditional emotional healing prayer.6
In fact, my assessment was that Theophostic® included most of the valid
principles, tools, and techniques from these other approaches I had been
using, and that it also contributed a number of new principles, tools, and
techniques.
Theophostic ® therefore became my primary approach when work-
ing with traumatic memories.7 Initially, I accepted and used the whole
package exactly as taught by Dr. Smith, but over time Charlotte and I
developed our own version of what we called “Theophostic®-based”8
emotional healing.
An especially important piece of my experience with Theophostic®
was that I started to receive healing for myself. For a variety of reasons,

6. Some examples: 1) The most important foundational principle of cognitive therapy is

that emotions and behavior are powerfully driven by what we believe, and that resolving dysfunc-
tional, distorted beliefs will consequently resolve all problems driven by these beliefs. This is also
a foundational principle for Theophostic.® 2) One of the most important foundational principles
of both traditional emotional healing prayer and EMDR is that many problematic emotions
and other symptoms are caused by underlying traumatic memories. This is also a foundational
principle for Theophostic.® 3) Another foundational principle of EMDR is that you must work
inside the traumatic memory, where the person is connected to the painful emotions associ-
ated with the trauma. This is also a foundational principle for Theophostic.® 4) Two key process
components with traditional healing prayer are asking Jesus to lead to the underlying trauma
and asking Jesus to resolve the traumatic memories. These are also key process components with
Theophostic.® 5) One of the key process components of EMDR is to identify and resolve trauma-
associated negative cognitions, and another key process component of EMDR is systematic and
persistent troubleshooting to identify and resolve hindrances. These are both key process compo-
nents with Theophostic.®
7. For those of you who are not familiar with Theophostic,® a brief summary of the most
important Theophostic ® principles and a brief summary of the Theophostic® process are provided
in Appendix A. For detailed discussion of the similarities between Theophostic,® cognitive
therapy, EMDR, and traditional emotional healing ministry, and also for discussion of the new
pieces brought by Dr. Smith’s Theophostic® material, see the following essays at www.kclehman.
com: “Theophostic® Ministry: Assessment and Recommendations”; “The Immanuel Approach,
Theophostic,® and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy”; “The Immanuel Approach, Theophostic,®
and EMDR: FAQs and Common Misunderstandings”; “The Place of Theophostic ® -based Ther-
apy/Ministry In the Treatment of Clinical Disorders”; and “Theophostic:® What is Unique?”
8. We use the term “Theophostic ® -based” to refer to emotional healing work that is built
around a core of Theophostic ® principles and techniques, but that are not exactly identical to
Theophostic® Prayer Ministry as taught by Dr. Ed Smith. Our approach to emotional healing
prior to 2007 would be a good example—it was built around a core of Theophostic ® principles
and techniques, but it sometimes also included material that is not a part of what we understand
Dr. Smith to define as Theophostic® Prayer Ministry (such as Immanuel Interventions, our mate-
rial on dealing with suicide-related phenomena, and our material on journaling, spiritual disci-
plines, capacity, community, and medical psychiatry).
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 35

Theophostic®-based emotional healing was the first therapy or ministry

approach that worked consistently for my own healing. In addition to being
another powerful data point convincing me that Theophostic® had some-
thing new and valuable to offer, resolving my own psychological trauma
provided dramatic benefit with respect to my effectiveness by removing
woundedness that had been hindering my skill, impairing my discernment,
and crippling my faith.
I observed increasingly positive results as I continued to learn more
about different issues that could hinder the healing process, as I contin-
ued to practice specific troubleshooting skills, and as I continued to get my
own healing. As the percentage of my patients that were receiving dramatic
healing steadily increased, I became convinced that I had discovered the
complete answer for treatment of trauma, and that results would eventually
reach one-hundred percent as my skill, faith, and discernment continued
to grow. However, I eventually observed that the percentage of dramatic
resolution plateaued at maybe seventy-five percent. There seemed to be a
group of people who did not get resolution with Theophostic®-based therapy
or ministry, no matter how hard or how long I worked with them. I also
began to notice that even in the people who could use a Theophostic®-based
approach to get dramatic resolution for some issues and memories, there
were other issues and/or traumatic memories that did not resolve.

Brain-Mind-Spirit Capacity and Healing for

Psychological Trauma
At this point in the story of my journey toward the Immanuel Approach, I
need to take a few minutes to present a brief summary of brain-mind-spirit
capacity, and to talk about how this phenomenon interacts with healing for
psychological trauma.
When we refer to the capacity of a physical system, we’re referring to
“how much will it hold?” or “how much can it carry?” For example, the
capacity of a bucket refers to how much liquid it can hold before overflow-
ing, the capacity of a bridge refers to how much weight can travel across
it before it collapses, and the capacity of an electrical circuit refers to how
much current it can carry before blowing a fuse or burning out components.
(See Figure 3.1, below.) When we refer to capacity in the context of emotional
healing, we’re referring to the capacity of the person’s biological brain, non-
biological mind, and spirit—we’re referring to how much biological, psycho-
logical, and spiritual intensity a person can handle before some part of his
combined brain-mind-spirit system “blows a fuse” and causes the person to
disconnect in some way.
36 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

How much
can it carry?

Figure 3.1 “How much can it carry?” Example of physical capacity

Capacity limitations of the non-biological mind and spirit are hard

to study with usual scientific research methods, but there is an exten-
sive body of research demonstrating capacity limitations for the biologi-
cal brain. It is especially straightforward to demonstrate the capac-
ity limitations of an individual neuron (nerve cell). For example, there
are many studies showing that an individual neuron functions well if
given an appropriate load to carry, but that it will begin to malfunction
if it is stimulated too intensely, too frequently, or for too long a duration.
And if the overload continues, it will eventually become sick and die.9
For discussion of research demonstrating that the biological brain also
has capacity limitations at higher levels of organization, see Affect Regu-
lation and the Origin of the Self, Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the
Self, and Affect Regulation and the Repair of the Self by Dr. Allen Schore,10
and also Dr. E James Wilder’s Track 2 Lectures from the 2004 THRIVE
conference.11
Charlotte and I first learned about capacity from Dr. E. James Wilder.
Here’s my brief summary of his teaching on capacity as it relates to working

9. See, for example, D.W. Choi, “Excitotoxic Cell Death,” J Neurobiol Vol. 23 No. 9 (Novem-
ber 1992): pages 1261-76; and W.O. Whetsell, “Current Concepts of Excitotoxicity,” J Neuropathol
Exp Neurol (January 1996): pages 1-13.
10. Allen N. Schore, Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the Self (New York, NY: W.W.
Norton & Company, 2003); Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence
Earlbaum Associates, 1994); and Affect Regulation and the Repair of the Self (New York, NY:
W.W. Norton & Company, 2003).
11. E. James Wilder, Track II Lectures, (THRIVE conference, Big Rapids, MI, August
16-21, 2004).
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 37

with traumatic memories. The first key point is that in order for healing work
with traumatic memories to be effective, the person receiving ministry needs
to be able to connect with the pain in the memory, and needs to be able to
stay connected as he processes through the memory. If he can’t connect with
the pain, or if he can’t stay connected all the way through, he won’t be able to
resolve the traumatic memory.
A series of diagrams will be helpful in explaining my next points. In
each of these diagrams, the vertical arrow labeled “capacity” represents the
capacity of the person’s combined brain-mind-spirit system, and the series
of hills to your right represents the intensity of different parts of a specific
traumatic memory. For example, one of my friends was in a car accident. In
Figure 3.2, the first, small peak could represent the intensity as the car hit
a patch of gravel and the driver lost control; the second, larger peak could
represent the intensity as their car swerved off the road and into the guard
rail; and the third, highest peak could represent the intensity as the car went
through the guard rail, off the bridge, and into the river below.

Brain-Mind-Spirit Capacity

capacity

traumatic memory

Figure 3.2 Brain-mind-spirit capacity and psychological trauma

As the diagram in Figure 3.3 illustrates (see below), if there is some

part of the traumatic memory that exceeds the person’s joy strength—that
exceeds his capacity for doing hard things, that exceeds his capacity for stay-
ing connected to painful memories—then he will either be completely unable
to connect with the memory, as indicated by the lower horizontal dotted
line-arrow, or he will disconnect in some way when he gets to the place that
exceeds his capacity, as indicated by the upper horizontal dotted line-arrow.
38 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

Capacity and Trauma

disconnects

doesn’t
connect

capacity

traumatic memory

Figure 3.3 To resolve a traumatic memory, you need to have enough capacity to
connect, and to stay connected all the way through.

So, if some part of a traumatic memory exceeds the person’s capacity,

he won’t be able to connect/stay connected, and therefore won’t be able to
resolve the memory.12

Capacity and Immanuel

In the fall of 2004, as Charlotte and I were working on the material for her
presentation about Immanuel,13 I became increasingly aware of the painful
reality that a small cohort of patients in my practice were very stuck. I’d
been working with these people for many months—between fifty and one-
hundred hours of Theophostic®-based therapy sessions for most of them—
and each of these people had made many unsuccessful attempts to get
through certain specific memories. We had worked hard to address every
blockage we could find, and even every possible blockage we could think
of—vows, judgments, denial, dissociation, guardian lies, and more—but
they still weren’t getting resolution for these specific traumatic memories.

12. As far as I am aware, this information on capacity and emotional healing is not included
in any of Dr. Wilder’s published materials. We obtained this information via personal conversa-
tions with Dr. Wilder during the August 2004 THRIVE seminar, and through email communi-
cations with Dr. Wilder July 2005.
13. For Charlotte’s teaching about Immanuel—a presentation that was important in begin-
ning our journey regarding Immanuel Interventions, the Immanuel Approach to emotional
healing, and the Immanuel Approach to life—see either the essay or DVD titled: “Immanuel:
God With Us.” The essay is available as a free download from www.immanuelapproach.com, and
the DVD can be obtained from the “Store” page.
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 39

Eventually I got to a place of profound, humble powerlessness, and in the

middle of a day in which I was working with several of these people I spon-
taneously prayed something along the lines of, “Lord, I’m stumped. I know
you can heal these people, and I know you want to heal these people, but we
don’t know how to move forward. Please show us what to do.”
Within seconds of finishing this prayer, a completely new thought came
quietly but very clearly into my mind: I should turn away from focusing
on the traumatic memories—I should take a “time out” from my repeated
attempts to help these people push into the traumatic memories—and
instead, I should focus on helping them establish a connection with Jesus,
and then help them spend time just being with him.14
As I started to focus on helping the patients from this particularly diffi-
cult day “just be with Jesus,” I also realized that we were dealing with capac-
ity problems. Charlotte and I had learned about capacity several months
earlier, but at that time I hadn’t made the connection between these new
principles regarding capacity and these people in my practice that were so
persistently stuck. Making the connection, I realized that the reason these
people weren’t getting resolution for their traumatic memories was that they
didn’t have enough capacity to stay connected through the worst parts of
the memories.
Now here’s a really important point: identifying and resolving other
clutter and blockages won’t fix the problem if the person doesn’t have enough
capacity to stay connected all the way through the memories. An analogy
would be a physical task with the questions of strength versus willingness.
If I’m strong enough to push my neighbor’s car out of the snowbank, but I’m
choosing not to because I’m afraid of getting wet, because I’m angry about
an unresolved conflict with this particular neighbor, or because I made a
vow never to push cars out of snowbanks, then dealing with my fear, bitter-
ness, or vow will resolve the problem. If I become willing, and choose to help,
I’ll be able to. However, if I simply don’t have the physical strength, then
addressing these other issues will not get my neighbor’s car out of the snow-
bank. Becoming willing, and choosing to help, won’t overcome my lack of
physical strength.
Learning about capacity, and coming to understand how capacity could
be the limiting factor in therapy or emotional healing ministry, was like
discovering a missing organ system. It was as if I had previously only known

14. Part of the reason why this breakthrough came at this particular time is that I had
received a strategic piece of healing that allowed me to be stumped without being triggered. I
could acknowledge I was completely stumped, calmly ask for help, and then actually perceive the
Lord’s response as he offered guidance. Yet another example of how persisting with my own heal-
ing has enabled me to be more effective in ministry.
40 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

about the heart and the lungs. For any patients for whom heart dysfunction
or lung dysfunction was the primary problem, I was fine. The pieces all fit
together, the picture made sense, and my treatment plans worked. However,
if I encountered a patient with kidney disease I was stumped. I could study
and treat the person’s heart and lungs up one side and down the other, but
his kidney disease would continue in spite of all my efforts, and the overall
clinical picture would not make sense.
With each of these people who had been so persistently stuck, we had
been focusing on willingness and choice: “Why weren’t they willing to
connect with the memories? Why were they repeatedly choosing to discon-
nect partway through?” But the problem was capacity. These people didn’t
have enough capacity. They were perfectly willing, and kept choosing to
try to go into the memories; but they didn’t have enough capacity, so they
either couldn’t connect, or couldn’t stay connected all the way through. This
was why they were stuck—this was why they couldn’t resolve these certain,
specific traumatic memories, and why none of our other interventions had
solved the problem.
What also occurred to me, as soon as I made the capacity connection, was
that the Lord’s suggestion—to focus on helping these people be with him—was
a brilliant solution to the capacity problem. In other sessions, I had seen that
a person could stay connected through the worst imaginable memories if she
perceived the Lord’s presence with her. As the diagram in Figure 3.4 illustrates
(see opposite), Jesus has infinite capacity. He seems to be glad to be with us
in and through any possible situation we can get into, and he never becomes
anxious or upset. It seems that if a person can perceive the Lord’s presence,
and let him be with her, then capacity problems resolve and the healing
process can move forward.15
This Jesus-connection solution for inadequate capacity appears to be
very similar to the way in which being with a safe, non-anxious adult can
resolve capacity problems for a child. For example, if you have a small child
who doesn’t have the capacity to go into a dark basement by herself, she will
absolutely refuse to go down the steps. However, this same child will easily
and willingly go into this same dark basement if she’s holding her father’s
hand.
I had seen this happen spontaneously, in Theophostic®-based sessions
in which a person would suddenly perceive the Lord’s presence with her
in the middle of a painful memory; but until the Lord directed me to
spend time very deliberately helping these people “just be with him,” it had

15. In order to resolve capacity problems in this way, the person needs to perceive the Lord’s
presence with sufficient clarity and establish an interactive connection of sufficient strength.
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 41

Immanuel and Capacity

Healing process

Jesus,
infinite
capacity

capacity

traumatic memory

Figure 3.4 Jesus has infinite capacity, and if we can borrow from him we can go through
memories that are otherwise too intense.

never occurred to me that we could intentionally, systematically facilitate

these experiences of perceiving and connecting with the Lord’s Immanuel
presence.16
As these pieces began to fit together, a light bulb came on for me: “Hey!
This could work for all of my other patients who are dealing with traumatic
memories bigger than the available capacity! What if we tried a ‘just be with
Jesus’ intervention in any situation where the person seemed to be encoun-
tering capacity issues? Whenever the recipient seemed to be having diffi-
culty going into a memory due to capacity problems, or seemed to be eject-
ing from a memory due to capacity problems—what if we asked the Lord to
help her perceive his presence, and to help her just be with him?”
So I tried this approach with every one of the people who had been
so persistently stuck (all of whom seemed to be having capacity prob-
lems), and in almost all of these situations the person was eventually able
to perceive the Lord’s presence. With some of these people, we needed to
spend a number of sessions so that multiple complicated blockages could
be resolved, but everybody who was able to perceive the Lord’s presence was
eventually able to press through painful memories that they had previously

16. Sometimes a person participating in the Theophostic® process will spontaneously

perceive the Lord’s presence in some way, but the Theophostic® facilitator does not deliber-
ately, systematically help the person perceive the Lord’s presence and connect with him. With
Theophostic-based emotional healing, the recipient often receives truth and healing without any
tangible perception of the Lord’s presence.
42 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

been unable to handle. And they were able to perceive the Lord’s presence
through the whole process, which seemed to help tremendously. The whole
process seemed easier and less painful, and certainly went faster.
As this all unfolded, I began to formulate what we now call Immanuel
Interventions—specific, systematic interventions with the very focused goal
of helping the person receiving ministry to perceive the Lord’s living presence,
and to establish (or regain) an adequate interactive connection with him. I
will discuss Immanuel Interventions at more length in Chapter 13, but here
is a very brief description for the purposes of this introduction:

• The most basic, simple component of an Immanuel Intervention is a

specific, explicit invitation and request along the lines of, “Lord, I make
a heart invitation for you to be with me, here in this place. I also ask you
to help me perceive your presence, and to help me establish an adequate
interactive connection with you.”
• If the recipient is not able to perceive the Lord’s presence and establish
an adequate interactive connection, you work with her to troubleshoot.
Start with praying “Lord, what’s in the way?” and then follow up on
whatever the Lord brings forward. For example, the recipient may not
be able to perceive the Lord’s presence because she is afraid that she will
feel unbearable shame if she lets him come into the memory she’s work-
ing with. And when you help her to address this blocking fear, so that
she is willing to let him come into the memory, she will then perceive his
presence. Or the recipient may not be able to let him come close enough
for an adequate connection because she’s afraid he might hurt her if he
gets too close. And when you help her to address this blocking fear, so
that she is willing to let him come closer, she will then experience an
adequate interactive connection.

Although there have been a few situations in which we have not been
able to find and resolve whatever was in the way, these Immanuel Interven-
tions have usually been successful. And in every situation in which these
Immanuel Interventions have worked, so that the recipient has been able to
perceive the Lord’s presence, has been able to establish an adequate interac-
tive connection, has been able to receive from him, and has been able to
be with him, capacity problems at that particular point in the process have
seemed to resolve, and the person has been able to take the next step forward.

Immanuel Interventions for Everyone

 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 43

As just described, at first I used Immanuel Interventions only as a special

resource in sessions where the recipient had insufficient capacity for the
traumatic memories he or she was encountering. I was amazed by the high
percentage of success, and thrilled with the positive results, but I was using
these interventions only in this very limited setting. This is a bit embarrass-
ing, but I was so excited about the way people were perceiving and connect-
ing with Jesus in these capacity problem sessions that many months went by
before I thought to ask, “Why reserve this new intervention only for situ-
ations in which the person is stuck due to lack of capacity? I wonder what
would happen if we tried this in every session, as soon as the person gets to a
traumatic memory? Why couldn’t we do this with everybody?!”
As soon as I had this thought I began to try Immanuel Interventions
in every session—regular client sessions, consultation sessions, mentoring
group demonstration sessions, and sessions with friends and family. As
soon as we got to a traumatic memory, the first thing I would do was help
the person perceive the Lord’s presence and connect with him; and once
she could perceive his presence and had established an adequate interactive
connection, we would turn to Jesus for leadership and resources through-
out the rest of the session. This would be especially helpful when we would
encounter difficulties, whether or not they had to do with capacity. During
the rest of the session, at any point when the person got stuck, I would simply
coach her to look at Jesus, to focus on Jesus, to ask Jesus for help, to receive
more from Jesus, and to spend time being with Jesus.
For people who were able to perceive the Lord’s presence and connect
with him in this way, the simplest additional nudges were often all that was
needed. Sometimes, all I had to do was ask “What’s Jesus doing?” Or I might
make a very simple suggestion, such as “Keep focusing on Jesus and ask him
for help,” “Ask Jesus what he wants you to know about this situation,” “Ask
Jesus if there’s more he has for you,” or “Ask Jesus what he wants you to do
next.”
The results were essentially the same as when I tried Immanuel Interven-
tions in capacity problem sessions—most recipients were able to perceive the
Lord’s presence and establish an interactive connection with the living pres-
ence of Jesus, and then every aspect of the healing work would go forward
more quickly and easily. Once again I was amazed by the high percentage of
success and thrilled with the positive results.

From Immanuel Interventions to the Immanuel

Approach to Emotional Healing
44 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

START AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE SESSION

For reasons I still do not fully understand, Immanuel Interventions seemed
to be most effective in the context of working inside traumatic memories. At
least this was the place I had most often observed them to be successful, and
I could feel that I had a lot more faith in their effectiveness when working in
this context. Therefore, when it occurred to me that we could try Immanuel
Interventions at the very beginning of each session—even before getting to a
traumatic memory—I resisted the thought. But it kept coming back. “Why
not start each session with an Immanuel Intervention, so that the first thing
the person does would be to perceive and connect with Jesus? We could then
interact with Jesus in this more tangible way throughout the whole session!
We could even ask him for guidance regarding what to work on!” The more
I observed the benefits of recipients engaging directly with Jesus for their
healing work inside traumatic memories, the more I thought about at least
experimenting with trying Immanuel Interventions at the very beginning of
the session.
During the time I was pondering all this, one of my clients sat down
at the beginning of her appointment and reported that she had just had an
interesting and wonderful experience. As she had been driving down the
highway several days earlier, it had suddenly occurred to her: “Why do I
have to wait until I’m in Dr. Lehman’s office? Why can’t I try that Immanuel
thing at other times? I wonder what would happen if I tried it right now?”
So she asked the Lord to help her perceive his presence, and there he was—
sitting right beside her in the front passenger’s seat! She finished with,
“Somehow, it’s now clear to me that he’d been there the whole time, but I
just hadn’t been able to see him until I asked. I was able to perceive his pres-
ence—sitting right beside me—for the rest of the trip.”
And shortly after this, another client came in and reported that she had
just had the most amazing experience. She had been at her dentist’s office
several days earlier, for a procedure she knew was going to be very painful
and that she had been dreading, and as she sat in the dentist’s chair waiting
for the procedure to start, it suddenly occurred to her: “Why not try that
Immanuel thing Dr. Lehman does?” So she invited Jesus to be with her and
asked him to help her perceive his presence, and there he was! “I could sense
his presence very powerfully. He was standing right beside the dentist’s chair
and holding my hand. I focused on him through the whole procedure, and I
hardly felt any pain or fear!”
These two experiences provided additional encouragement for taking
the next step: “If the Immanuel Intervention prayer works for people who
are driving down the highway and sitting in a dentist chair, maybe I should
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 45

go ahead and start trying it at the beginning of sessions—even before the

person gets to a traumatic memory.”
Furthermore, I had been describing my experience with Immanuel
Interventions to Dr. Wilder during our weekly phone conversations, and as a
result of these conversations he had developed several variations that he had
begun using with a recovery group at his church. He was routinely trying his
Immanuel Intervention variations outside of traumatic memories, and he
had also come up with the simple tools of recalling a past positive experience
with God and then deliberately stirring up appreciation in this context. (As
briefly mentioned in Chapter 2, these simple exercises prepare the recipient’s
brain, mind, and spirit, so that it is easier for her to perceive and connect
with Jesus.) Most significantly, Dr. Wilder was observing consistently good
results even when not working in the context of traumatic memories.
So I took the next step and began experimenting with Immanuel Inter-
ventions, in combination with the positive God memory and deliberate
appreciation preparation exercises, at the beginning of each session. Once
again, I was encouraged by the results. The more sessions I did this way, the
more convinced I became that it is a good idea to spend time connecting
with Jesus before going into painful memory work.
And as already mentioned in Chapter 2, the interactive connection with
Jesus that has been established at the beginning of the session also provides
one of the Immanuel Approach safety nets. Whenever a traumatic memory
comes forward, the first thing I do is to use Immanuel Interventions to help
the recipient establish a connection with Jesus inside the memory. And when
this is successful, she then interacts with Jesus to do healing work inside the
memory. However, if the person gets tangled in complex blockages so that
she is not able to connect with Jesus, and seems to be stuck in the negative
thoughts and emotions from inside the traumatic memory, it is fairly simple
to help her go back to the place of interactive connection with Jesus from
the beginning of the session. So even if the recipient encounters trauma and
blockages that we are not yet able to resolve, this safety net enables her to still
end the session in a good place.
The “safe place” imagery used by many psychotherapists provides a good
analogy. Safe place imagery is a well known tool for helping people manage
painful memories and negative emotions that are especially intense.17 First,
the therapist coaches the person to develop an imaginary “safe place.” For

17. See, for example: Francine Shapiro, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing:
Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures, (New York, NY: Guilford Press, 1995), especially pages
122-124 (the index also cites twenty additional page references for “safe place”); and Edmund J.
Bourne, The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook second edition, (Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publica-
tions, 1995), pages 241-251.
46 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

example, she might imagine herself lying on a soft blanket in a quiet meadow,
with the afternoon sun warming her face, the familiar, comforting smell of
freshly cut hay coming to her on a gentle breeze, and the sound of meadow-
larks singing in the distance. The person then deliberately practices going to
this safe place in her mental imagery, so that she will eventually develop the
skill of being able to use this safe place imagery as a way to calm down, even
in the face of painful memories and intense negative emotions. Similarly, a
person can practice, and learn the skill of going back to places of interactive
connection with Jesus. And these are truly ideal, optimal safe places—not
just positive imagination images, but rather memories of true positive expe-
riences, and then also perception of and connection with the living presence
of Jesus in this positive memory context!
My observation is that some people have a bit more difficulty with
perceiving the Lord’s presence in the context of positive memories, as
compared to using Immanuel Interventions to perceive his presence in the
context of traumatic memories, but I am still very encouraged by the results.
Most people who have been able to perceive and connect with the Lord in
other contexts quickly learn to start each Immanuel session with refreshing
their perception of his presence and re-establishing an interactive connec-
tion in the context of positive memories and deliberate appreciation. And
some people who have never previously experienced an interactive connec-
tion with God are pleasantly surprised to be able to perceived God’s pres-
ence and establish an interactive connection for the first time at the begin-
ning of their first Immanuel session.18
Furthermore, even those who are not initially able to start sessions with
an interactive connection almost always eventually become able to begin
each Immanuel session with establishing an interactive connection in the
context of positive memories and deliberate appreciation.
INCORPORATION OF NEW UNDERSTANDING REGARDING
TRAUMATIC MEMORIES
Another contributing influence in the development of the Immanuel
Approach has been working with Dr. E. James Wilder to formulate our
understanding of the pain-processing pathway, traumatic memories, and
how to resolve traumatic memories.19 Several of the most important concepts

18. For a discussion of how to work with people who have not yet experienced an interactive
connection with God, and therefore do not yet have positive memories of past interactive connec-
tions to work with, see Chapter 24, “Immanuel Approach Exercises for Groups and Beginners.”
19. A thorough discussion of this material is presented in Parts II through IV of the “Brain
Science, Psychological Trauma, and the God Who Is with Us” essay series (all available as free
downloads from www.kclehman.com).
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 47

from this material have already been mentioned in the brief discussion of
the pain processing pathway and traumatic memories presented in Chapter
2:

• A number of specific processing tasks need to be successfully completed

for a painful experience to be adequately “metabolized,” so that it does
not become a traumatic experience.
• Failure to complete one or more of these tasks results in a traumatic
experience.
• Memories for traumatic experiences are resolved when we identify and
finish the processing tasks that were not completed at the time of the
original experience, and this can happen only when specific necessary
conditions and resources are provided.

As also mentioned in Chapter 2, as I coached people to engage directly

with Jesus for guidance and help, I realized that for recipients who were able
to maintain an adequate interactive connection, Jesus would do a beautiful
job of caring for each of the unfinished processing tasks. He seemed to know
all about each of the processing tasks, and he would identify the unfinished
tasks, set up the necessary conditions, and provide the necessary resources
as long as we kept turning to him for guidance and help. In fact, watch-
ing Jesus repeatedly and skillfully help recipients navigate through remedial
processing tasks was one of the observations that convinced me that this
whole approach to emotional healing is valid. That is, my understanding the
pain processing pathway well enough to be able to recognize what Jesus was
doing convinced me that we could count on him to lead the process—he
would provide the guidance and assistance necessary to resolve any trauma,
as long as the recipient had a good enough connection.
At this point in my journey, my assessment is that interacting with Jesus,
in the context of the Immanuel Approach, can provide beautiful solutions
at every point of potential difficulty. If the person is able to maintain an
adequately clear and strong connection with Jesus, then:

• There are some aspects of working with traumatic memories that

Theophostic®, EMDR, and other approaches to therapy and ministry
address beautifully, and that the Immanuel Approach also addresses
beautifully.
• There are some aspects of working with traumatic memories that other
approaches address adequately, but that the Immanuel Approach cares
for even more effectively.
48 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

• And there are some aspects of working with traumatic memories that
the other approaches do not adequately care for, but that the Immanuel
Approach addresses beautifully.20

PRIORITY CORRECTION WITH RESPECT TO SYMPTOM RELIEF

During most of my years of experience with psychotherapy and emotional
healing ministry, I believed that the primary purpose was to relieve suffer-
ing. For example, someone would come to me because she had panic attacks
that were causing her much suffering and severely disrupting her life. She
came to me, a psychiatrist who uses a variety of emotional healing tools,
for the purpose of getting relief from her panic attacks. Or someone would
come to me because he had depression that was causing him much suffering
and severely disrupting his life. He came to me, a psychiatrist who uses a
variety of emotional healing tools, for the purpose of getting relief from his
depression. I had observed that people often also received spiritual benefits
when they addressed unresolved emotional issues, but I saw symptom relief
as the primary objective.
When I was first developing the Immanuel Approach, I was still think-
ing about the whole endeavor from this perspective. My first response, when
I started to see breakthroughs with the new Immanuel Approach pieces,
was something along the lines of, “Great! New tools that we can use to help
people resolve their symptoms. Now we can facilitate emotional healing
and relieve suffering even more effectively.” And then one day I was facili-
tating a session in which the recipient began to complain about how long
the Lord was taking to relieve her pain. She was in a memory where she
could perceive the Lord’s presence, so I encouraged her to engage directly
with Jesus regarding her concern. She expressed her unhappiness directly
to Jesus, paused for a couple minutes, and then reported that the Lord had
responded with the following comment:

“I love my children, and I am glad to free them from suffering; but

the primary, most important purpose of all this emotional healing
stuff is to remove the blockages that are between your heart and me.

20. Note that the facilitator needs to have more knowledge and skill to be able to do inter-
mediate and advanced Immanuel Approach work, in which the recipient sometimes encoun-
ters complex blockages that cause extended disruption of her connection with Jesus. In these
situations the facilitator needs to take on much more leadership, and therefore needs to have a
combination of a good connection with Jesus (so that Jesus can guide and help the facilitator)
and/or much more knowledge and skill regarding emotional healing work. See the section below
in this chapter, and also Chapters 4, 12, 13, and 22 for additional discussion of intermediate and
advanced work.
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 49

The primary, most important purpose of emotional healing is to

remove the blockages that hinder your heart from coming to me.”

He also talked with her about her discouragement regarding her ongoing
suffering, but the above comment about the primary purpose of emotional
healing struck both the recipient and myself as being especially profound.
In the twenty-five years that I have provided psychiatric care, I have
never had a person come to me with the request that I help him remove
blockages so that he could have a closer relationship with Jesus. It almost
makes you grateful that God designed us so that the unresolved emotional
issues that hinder us from connecting with Jesus also cause pain. Even if we
won’t pursue emotional healing for the primary purpose of deepening our
relationship with Jesus, at least we will pursue healing in order to make the
pain stop. And isn’t it convenient that emotional healing also removes block-
ages that are between our hearts and Jesus? What a nice side effect!
Since the session described above, I have thought about the Lord’s words
many, many times. I am grateful for pain relief, but I want to agree with
Jesus on this issue. I have been asking the Lord to change my heart, so that I
will relentlessly pursue emotional healing because I long for a more intimate
relationship with him, and therefore want to remove every blockage that
might get in the way. I want to pursue intimacy with Jesus as the primary
purpose, and receive symptom relief as a pleasant side effect, instead of the
other way around.
A simple but central part of the Immanuel Approach to emotional heal-
ing is this shifting of the primary priority from “resolve trauma and relieve
symptoms” to “remove barriers that hinder the person’s relationship with
Jesus.”
REVERSAL WITH RESPECT TO THEOPHOSTIC ®
Along with reversing the relationship between symptom relief and connect-
ing with Jesus, we have also reversed the relationship between our use of
Theophostic® and connecting with Jesus. When I first developed Imman-
uel Interventions, I was using these interventions as a special resource in
the context of Theophostic®-based emotional healing—helping the person
connect with Jesus was a special resource that I used to increase the effec-
tiveness of Theophostic®. Now, instead of using Immanuel Interventions as
a special resource in the context of Theophostic®, I use Theophostic® princi-
ples, tools, and techniques as troubleshooting resources in the context of the
Immanuel Approach, for which the primary objective is to help the person
connect with Jesus.
ADDING THE IMMANUEL STORY
50 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

Dr. Wilder, myself, and a number of others were noticing that some people
would have one (or several) profound healing experiences with the Imman-
uel Approach, and be grateful for symptom relief, but then continue on with
their lives without making any other changes. In contrast, we noticed that
there were other people who would have an initial positive experience with
the Immanuel Approach, and then quickly embrace Immanuel Approach
healing as their usual response whenever they noticed that old pain was
getting stirred up. Furthermore, these same people would often take things
a step further and embrace the Immanuel Approach to life (described below)
as a new lifestyle—as a new way to walk through the average day.
Dr. Wilder noticed that the people who were incorporating the Imman-
uel Approach into their lives were also usually constructing narratives of
their experiences with the Immanuel Approach, and then sharing these
stories with others. This observation reminded him of certain brain science
principles, and he realized that the association he had been observing wasn’t
just an accident. Constructing narratives of our experiences and then shar-
ing these stories with others actually activates a part of our brains that helps
us to learn from experience, and then to incorporate new discoveries into
behavioral changes that will enable us to navigate life more successfully
in the future. So we decided to take advantage of this particular piece of
brain science by coaching recipients to formulate narratives about the Jesus-
encounters they experienced in their Immanuel Approach sessions, and
then to deliberately share these Immanuel stories with at least several other
people.

Overview of the Immanuel Approach

to Emotional Healing
Putting all these pieces together, we developed what we now call the Imman-
uel Approach to emotional healing. This summary of the key components
provides an overview of the Immanuel Approach, and as mentioned in both
the Introduction and the comments at the beginning of Part I, this overview
of the Immanuel Approach provides a road map for Part II.
The first seven components are absolutely necessary, and they are also
parts of the actual Immanuel Approach process.

1. Deliberate appreciation, in the context of remembering previous positive

experiences with the Lord, to prepare for an interactive connection with
Jesus (Chapter 6). Recalling past positive experiences and deliberately
appreciating them prepares one’s brain-mind-spirit system for positive
relational connection. At the beginning of each Immanuel Approach
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 51

session, we therefore include reconnecting with memories for previ-

ous positive experiences with the Lord, and deliberate appreciation,
to prepare the recipient’s brain-mind-spirit system for refreshing/
re-establishing a living, interactive connection with Jesus.
2. Refreshed perception of the Lord’s living presence, and establishment
of an interactive connection with him as the foundation for the rest of
the session (Chapter 8). After the recipient has identified one or more
memories of past positive connection with the Lord, has reconnected
with the memory/memories, and feels appreciation in these past expe-
riences, I coach the person to spend several more minutes reconnecting
with/re-entering one of the memories. As she does this, I ask the Lord
to help her perceive his presence and establish an interactive connec-
tion, so that these are real and living in the present, and then I coach
the person to describe whatever comes into her awareness.
The recipient is usually able to transition smoothly and easily
from positive memory recall and appreciation to a living, interactive
connection with the Lord. (And if this doesn’t happen, we trouble-
shoot regarding what’s in the way.) This interactive connection with
the living presence of Jesus is then the foundation for everything else
in the session.
3. Engaging directly with Jesus regarding every issue, question, need, and
challenge (Chapter 10). Once the recipient has established an adequate
interactive connection with Jesus, the therapist/ministry facilitator
coaches her to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage with Jesus
directly regarding every issue, question, need, and challenge that
comes up.
As described above, the primary objective of the Immanuel
Approach is to increase intimacy with Jesus. As also described above,
one intervention for helping the recipient increase intimacy with Jesus
is to find and resolving specific blockages that hinder her heart from
coming to Jesus. Well, another intervention for helping the recipient
increase intimacy with Jesus is coaching her to turn to Jesus, focus on
Jesus, and engage with Jesus directly regarding every issue, question,
need, and challenge that comes up. That is, as the recipient repeatedly
engages with Jesus to address a wide variety of issues, questions, needs,
and challenges, she will be practicing and strengthening a real, tangible,
personal, experiential relationship with him.
Furthermore, the simple intervention of repeatedly coaching the
recipient to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage with him directly,
regarding every issue, question, need, or challenge that comes up, is
52 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

sometimes all that is needed to keep the session moving forward. The
person might engage with Jesus for guidance in choosing the issue to
work on, for help with finding underlying traumatic memories, for
assistance with resolving unfinished processing tasks, for capacity
augmentation when dealing with inadequate capacity, or for help with
any other issues, questions, needs, or challenges that come up. If the
recipient immediately turns to Jesus and engages with him directly,
as soon as these issues, questions, needs, or challenges come up, the
session often just keeps moving forward without the perception of
being stuck or the need for troubleshooting.
4. Immanuel Approach troubleshooting (Chapters 12, 13, and 26).21 Many
recipients are quickly able to establish an adequate interactive connec-
tion at the beginning of the session, they easily maintain this connec-
tion, and they receive a variety of beautiful, life-giving results, all with
only the minimal Immanuel Approach interventions just described.
However, others initially experience confusing, disappointing, or
frustrating results, but then eventually receive enhanced friendship
with the Lord, transformative emotional healing, and other beautiful,
life-giving results as the facilitator helps them to identify and resolve
blockages. I have become totally convinced that the Lord is always
present, that the Lord always wants to bless us with life-giving gifts,
that the Lord is always able to accomplish this, and that the Immanuel
Approach will almost always (eventually) release these gifts and bless-
ings if adequate troubleshooting is included.22
As mentioned above and discussed in more detail below, when
engaged in intermediate or advanced Immanuel Approach work, the
facilitator will use a wide variety of troubleshooting tools. However, the
simplest troubleshooting tool, the most common troubleshooting tool,

21. Even though all approaches to emotional healing include some troubleshooting, I use
the term “Immanuel Approach troubleshooting” and include this as a new, distinctive compo-
nent with the Immanuel Approach because a number of the specific troubleshooting tools we use
are, indeed, new, distinctive, and unique to the Immanuel Approach. (The Immanuel Interven-
tions described in the next section are some of the best examples of troubleshooting tools that are
new, distinctive, and unique to the Immanuel Approach.)
22. On very rare occasions, a person will persistently choose to indulge in bitterness and/or
self-pity and/or rebellion. This will block the Immanuel Approach process, and since it is an issue
of persistent free-will choice, it cannot be resolved with any of the usual troubleshooting tools.
For additional discussion of bitterness and self-pity as blockages to emotional healing, and for
description of interventions that can sometimes resolve them, see “Judgments and Bitterness as
Clutter That Hinders Emotional Healing,” and “Deadly Perils of the Victim Swamp: Bitterness,
Self-Pity, Entitlement, and Embellishment.” (Both of these essays are available as free downloads
from www.kclehman.com).
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 53

and the troubleshooting tool that the facilitator should always start
with is coaching the recipient to engage directly with Jesus for guid-
ance and assistance regarding every difficulty that arises.23 For exam-
ple, if the person does not immediately turn to Jesus when she encoun-
ters the issues, questions, needs, or challenges mentioned above, but
instead tries to figure them out/resolve them herself (and then eventu-
ally perceives herself to be stuck), the first, most basic troubleshooting
intervention is to coach her to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage
with him directly for guidance and assistance regarding the problem.
This simple intervention is often all that is needed to get the process
moving again.
5. Immanuel Interventions (Chapters 13 and 26). Since the founda-
tion for an Immanuel Approach session is the recipient having an
adequate interactive connection with Jesus, one of the most important
responsibilities of the facilitator is to make sure that this foundational
connection is in place. And as the reader may remember, Immanuel
Interventions are specific, systematic interventions with the very focused
goal of helping the person receiving ministry to perceive the Lord’s
presence and establish (or regain) an adequate interactive connection
with him. So the first two steps at the beginning of every Immanuel
approach session are actually the most basic Immanuel Intervention—
the positive memory recall, the deliberate appreciation, and the simple
invitation and request are specific, systematic interventions with the
very focused goal of helping the recipient to perceive Jesus’ presence
and establish an initial connection. And if the recipient is not able to
establish an adequate connection with the usual initial steps, the facili-
tator then employs the rich toolbox of Immanuel Interventions from
Chapters 13 and 26.
Once an adequate interactive connection has been established at
the beginning of the session, one of the most important responsibilities
of the facilitator during the rest of the session is to monitor the recipi-
ent’s connection, and then to employ Immanuel Interventions at any
point that she loses adequate connection with the Lord. If the recipi-
ent does lose her connection at some point in the session, the facil-
itator should start with the second half of the most basic Immanuel
Intervention from the beginning of the session, which is to coach the

23. Starting with this troubleshooting tool of course assumes that the recipient already has
an adequate interactive connection. If this connection foundation is not in place, then the facili-
tator must start with Immanuel Interventions to identify and resolve whatever blockages are in
the way of an adequate connection (as described below).
54 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

recipient to repeat the simple invitation and request from step two. For
example, recipients usually lose their connection with the Lord when
they first go into a traumatic memory. So the first thing the facilitator
should do when the recipient goes into a traumatic memory is to check
if she still has a good connection with Jesus. And if she has lost her
connection, start Immanuel Intervention troubleshooting by coaching
her to offer the simple invitation and request along the lines of, “Lord, I
make a heart invitation for you to be with me, here in this place. I also
ask you to help me perceive your presence, and to help me establish an
adequate interactive connection with you.”
If this simple invitation and request does not enable the recipient
to re-establish her perception of the Lord’s presence and re-establish
an adequate interactive connection, the facilitator can then move on to
the rich toolbox of more advanced Immanuel Interventions described
in Chapters 13 and 26.24
6. The safety net of returning to the initial positive memory and interactive
connection (Chapter 14). As mentioned above, if the recipient gets stuck
and other troubleshooting efforts do not resolve the problem, the facili-
tator can coach her to return to the initial positive memory and inter-
active connection with the Lord. In the context of the positive memory
and the refreshed initial interactive connection, the person can engage
directly with Jesus regarding the stuck point. Also, if they are coming
to the end of the session and the person is still in the middle of an unre-
solved traumatic memory, the facilitator can coach her to return to the
initial positive memory and interactive connection as a way to end the
session in a safe place. As mentioned above, this very simple Immanuel
Intervention serves as a safety net, and this is especially important for
groups, lay ministers, and beginners.
7. The recipient describing everything that comes into her awareness,
regardless of whether it makes sense or feels important (Chapters 16 and
17). As will be discussed in detail in Chapters 17 and 18, it is impor-
tant for the recipient to describe everything that comes into her aware-
ness, regardless of whether it makes sense or feels important. This simple
discipline of describing her mental content to another person pulls the

24. As the reader may realize, Immanuel Interventions are actually a special kind of trou-
bleshooting, with the very focused goal of helping the recipient to perceive the Lord’s presence
and to establish (or regain) an adequate interactive connection. However, even though they are
technically a subset of Immanuel Approach troubleshooting, I have named Immanuel Interven-
tions as a separate foundational component because they are so central to the process and such a
hallmark feature of the Immanuel Approach.
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 55

content through the parts of her brain that help her to feel the impor-
tance of the content, and that help her to recognize how it fits into the
emotional healing work she is doing. Another way to think about this
phenomenon of being more able to feel the importance and recognize
the meaning of our mental content as we describe it to another person
is that God has designed our brains to work better in community.
The practical bottom line is that the recipient will miss many subtle
but important clues if she does not describe everything that comes into
her awareness, and she will gain the benefit of these clues if she does
exercise this discipline. Therefore, it is important for the facilitator to
repeatedly and persistently coach the recipient to describe everything
that comes into her awareness, regardless of whether it makes sense or
feels important.
This component has actually been a part of the Theophostic
process ever since Dr. Smith developed Theophostic, so it has also been
quietly present in our process as our Theophostic-based approach to
emotional healing developed into the Immanuel Approach. However, I
am naming it as one of the foundational components of the Immanuel
Approach because it is not just tremendously important, but also under
appreciated and sometimes missed.

The eighth component is part of the Immanuel Approach process, but it

is an optional ideal as opposed to an absolute requirement.

8. Formulating and sharing the Immanuel story (Chapter 18). The ideal
Immanuel Approach process is to end each session with the facilita-
tor helping the recipient to formulate her experience into a narrative
story. This Immanuel story describes what it was like before the recipi-
ent perceived the Lord’s presence in the place of pain, it describes what
happened when she perceived the Lord’s presence in the place of pain,
and it describes how things are/have been different since perceiving the
Lord’s presence in the place of pain.
Note that the recipient can still connect to Jesus, get healing, and
enjoy lasting fruit even if she does not formulate and share the story
of her Immanuel session. However, formulating a narrative with these
three key components, and then sharing it with at least three other
people, helps the recipient begin to integrate the Immanuel Approach
into her daily life. Formulating and sharing the Immanuel story will
especially help the recipient to remember and apply the Immanuel
Approach at points in the future when she notices that she is triggered.
56 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

The ninth component is in a category all its own. It is not a part of the
process you go through during a session, but I think it is actually the most
important new, distinctive component of the Immanuel Approach.

9. Switching the first priority from symptom relief to removing blockages

that hinder our intimacy with Jesus (Chapter 3). As discussed at length
earlier in this chapter, a subtle but important part of the Immanuel
Approach is to switch the primary purpose from symptom relief to
removing blockages that hinder our hearts from coming to Jesus. We
recognize that resolving trauma is an important part of removing
blockages that hinder our connection to the Lord. And we gratefully
accept the resolution of psychological trauma and the associated symp-
tom relief as side benefits. But the primary purpose and most important
priority with the Immanuel approach is to remove blockages that stand
between our hearts and Jesus.
Note that this new priority focus is not actually part of the Immanuel
Approach process, and it is not necessary for the Immanuel Approach
to work. That is, you can connect with Jesus, you can get healing, and
you can enjoy good, lasting fruit even though you do not name, under-
stand, believe, or internalize this priority. Furthermore, intimacy with
Jesus as the first priority is hard to hold onto because most recipients
come in asking for symptom relief. However, I was facilitating the
session in which Jesus said that the primary, most important purpose of
emotional healing is to remove the blockages that are between our hearts
and him, and this continues to feel profoundly true to me. So I feel
strongly that this new priority focus should be included not just as one
of the foundational components, but as the most important component
of the Immanuel Approach.

The last three components are not required, nor are they parts of the
actual Immanuel Approach process; but they are valuable resources, prin-
ciples, and tools that definitely augment the effectiveness of the Immanuel
Approach. It is certainly ideal to include them, and they become increas-
ingly valuable as one moves from basic to intermediate to advanced Imman-
uel Approach work.

10. The facilitator establishing an interactive connection for herself, and

then engaging with the Lord to obtain ongoing guidance (Chapter 20).
As just mentioned, this is not necessary or required. The recipient will
often be able to connect with the Lord and have a fruitful session even
if the facilitator has little or no interactive connection. However, it
is certainly ideal for the facilitator to have an interactive connection
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 57

as well, so that she can benefit from ongoing guidance by engaging

directly with the Lord throughout the session. And this becomes
increasingly important with intermediate and advanced work. With
intermediate and advanced work, the recipient can sometimes encoun-
ter intense and complex blockages that cause him to lose his connec-
tion for extended periods of time, and the facilitator must therefore
troubleshoot to resolve the complex blockages without the benefit of
the recipient being able to engage with Jesus. In this situation it is obvi-
ously valuable and important for the facilitator to have her own inter-
active connection, so that Jesus can still provide guidance and help
with the advanced troubleshooting work.
11. Faith (Chapter 21). Faith in the Lord’s presence, in the Lord’s good-
ness, in the Lord’s guidance, in the effectiveness of the Immanuel
Approach, and in the effectiveness of Immanuel Interventions will
help the process move forward more easily and more powerfully. This
faith can be brought by either the facilitator or the recipient, and ideally
by both. And the more faith the better. However, as just noted faith is
not a necessary component. Amazingly, the Immanuel Approach will
sometimes still work even when neither the facilitator nor the recipient
bring much faith to the endeavor. But the presence of faith is certainly
ideal, and it becomes increasingly valuable as one moves from basic to
intermediate to advanced Immanuel Approach work.

12. Key insights, principles, and tools for intermediate and advanced trou-
bleshooting (Chapters 4, 12, 13, 22, and 26). As just mentioned above, an
important aspect of intermediate and advanced Immanuel Approach
work is that intense and complex blockages can cause the recipient to
lose her connection with the Lord for extended periods of time. With
the loss of the recipient’s interactive connection, the facilitator can
obviously no longer rely on the number one troubleshooting tool of
coaching her to engage directly with Jesus, and the facilitator must
therefore rely on other troubleshooting resources. As will be explained
in Chapters 4 and 22, I essentially bless facilitators in this situation
to use any emotional healing ministry and/or psychotherapy trouble-
shooting resources they can find, as long as they are effective and safe.
However, in my own intermediate and advanced Immanuel
Approach work, I have found understanding and specific interventions
regarding capacity, relational connection circuits, and attunement to
be especially helpful, I have found understanding and specific interven-
tions regarding the processing tasks from the pain processing pathway
58 Part One: Introduction to the Immanuel Approach

to be especially valuable, and I have also continued to find our modi-

fied version of Theophostic® to be especially important.25
Note again that with basic Immanuel Approach work, where the
recipient has an adequate connection with Jesus, he takes care of all
of these issues and needs, and neither the facilitator nor the recipient
need to understand or have skill with these more advanced insights,
principles, and tools.

From the Immanuel Approach for Emotional Healing

to the Immanuel Approach for Life
EXPANDING THE AGENDA BEYOND JUST EMOTIONAL HEALING
As described earlier, the Immanuel Approach to emotional healing orga-
nizes the whole session around turning to Jesus, focusing on Jesus, and
engaging directly with Jesus at every point in the session, and this includes
asking the Lord for guidance regarding what to do with each session. As I
began to routinely coach recipients to ask Jesus for guidance regarding what
to do with each session (expecting that he would give us direction regarding
what to do within the realm of emotional healing), I discovered that Jesus
wanted to use our Immanuel sessions for more than just emotional healing
work. He expanded the agenda, and the Immanuel Approach to emotional
healing became just one part of the larger Immanuel Approach to life.
As mentioned above, resolving trauma removes blockages that hinder
connection with Jesus, and Jesus also wants to relieve our suffering, so some-
times Jesus’ agenda for the day is to resolve trauma. But sometimes Jesus’
agenda is to build capacity; sometimes Jesus’ agenda is to build maturity
skills by teaching, modeling, and helping the person practice; sometimes
Jesus’ agenda is to address other issues important to optimal living, such
as the balance between work and restoration; sometimes Jesus’ agenda is to
spend time with us, as a friend and companion, just because he likes being in
relationship with us; and sometimes Jesus’ agenda is other stuff that we have
never even thought about addressing in an Immanuel session.
The live ministry DVD, Steve: “Just” Be with Jesus,26 provides an excel-
lent example of Jesus expanding the agenda beyond just healing trauma. I

25. Chapters 4 and 22 provide references for additional material regarding these more
advanced insights, principles, and tools. Note also that these intermediate/advanced principles
and interventions regarding capacity, relational connection circuits, attunement, and pain-
processing-pathway tasks are new and distinctive with the Immanuel Approach, as compared to
any other Christian approaches to emotional healing that I am aware of.
26. Karl D. Lehman, Steve: “Just” Be with Jesus, Live Ministry Series #21, (Evanston, IL:
Karl and Charlotte Lehman, 2011), available from the “Store” page of www.immanuelapproach.
 More Introduction (A Psychiatrist’s Journey) 59

started the session with coaching Steve through the positive memory recall
and deliberate appreciation steps that help prepare our brains and minds to
establish an interactive connection with Jesus. To do this, he thought about
a memory of a powerful emotional healing session in which the Lord had
healed a traumatic childhood experience of near drowning, and then spent
some time talking about some of the specifics he especially appreciated.
One of these specifics that Steve especially appreciated was how the healing
interaction ended with Steve sitting in Jesus’ lap, wrapped in a huge towel
and feeling totally safe and loved. And as Steve focused on these details and
talked about his appreciation, the memory of the past experience of connect-
ing with Jesus transitioned into a real time, living, interactive connection
with Jesus in the present.
This was all as I expected, and I figured we would move on to working
with traumatic memories, now that this initial connection had been estab-
lished as the ideal foundation for such work. But the Lord had other plans.
Each time I directed Steve to ask Jesus for guidance regarding what to do
next, he reported something along the lines of “He wants me to just stay
right here, sitting in his lap. He says I don’t do this enough, and that I need
to spend more time like this, letting him restore me.” And then, throughout
the rest of the session, Jesus persisted in helping Steve improve the work/
restoration balance in his life by inviting Steve to just stay in this safe,
comfortable place. I became anxious that we ought to be doing something
“more important,” and repeatedly tried to redirect the session to working on
traumatic memories, but Jesus remained calm and kept patiently repeating
that he wanted Steve to just stay in his lap and enjoy being with him.
MOVING THE IMMANUEL APPROACH OUTSIDE OF SPECIAL SESSIONS
The Lord has also expanded the Immanuel Approach by moving it outside of
special psychotherapy or emotional healing ministry sessions. It seems that
he wants us to use these tools for perceiving his presence and connecting
with him during everyday life. Like the person who tried the interventions
for establishing an interactive connection while driving down the highway,
and then spent the rest of the trip just being with Jesus, as a friend and
companion. Or like the person who used the tools for establishing an inter-
active connection while sitting in the dentist’s chair, and then focused on
being with Jesus as she went through the dental procedure. Our ultimate
goal with the Immanuel Approach for life is getting to the place where we
perceive the Lord’s presence, and abide in an interactive connection with
Jesus, as our usual, normal, baseline condition as we walk through life each
day.
com.
THE FIRST, NUMBER ONE, HIGHEST PRIORITY IS INTIMACY WITH GOD
It’s a blessing to receive extra strength and capacity from the Lord’s tangible
presence when you are struggling through a stressful night on call. It’s a
huge gift to receive regular encouragement from the Lord’s abiding pres-
ence when you are persevering in a difficult relationship. It’s a needed lift to
receive extra endurance from the Lord’s living presence when you are trudg-
ing through a long day with unhappy co-workers. It’s a tremendous relief
to receive comfort from the Lord’s attuning presence when you are going
through a root canal. It’s a mercy to receive extra grace from the Lord’s
loving presence when you are dragging through a day of taking care of small
children even though you have the flu. It’s very helpful to receive coaching
and guidance from the Lord’s interactive presence when you encounter situ-
ations that you don’t know how to handle. It’s just plain nice to perceive the
Lord’s personal presence walking beside you as you go through the average
day. And it’s spectacular to perceive the Lord’s tangible, personal, interac-
tive, loving, attuning presence sharing your joy when you have really beauti-
ful experiences.
However, even though all of these benefits of the Immanuel Approach
to life are wonderful, just as with individual Immanuel Approach sessions,
the first, number one, highest priority item on the agenda is improving
our personal, interactive connection with the Lord. With the Immanuel
Approach to life, the first, number one, highest priority item on the agenda
is to build these principles and tools into our lifestyles as everyday habits that
will steadily increase our intimacy with God.
For a summary of the transitional steps in my journey from “tradi-
tional” Theophostic® to the Immanuel Approach for life, see Appendix B.
 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 4: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 4/27/2013)
DRAFT

When studying the Immanuel approach to emotional healing, it is important to recognize that
there are several different levels at which we can understand and apply Immanuel approach
principles and tools. One important reason to be aware of the different levels is to avoid
unnecessary conflict and confusion. For example, basic Immanuel approach principles and tools
in the context of group exercises or in the hands of beginners can look very different from
advanced Immanuel approach principles and tools in the hands of mental health professionals. It
would be sad to have ministry teams unnecessarily arguing with each other about whether or not
they are accurately representing the Immanuel approach if the real issue is that one team is
teaching and using basic principles and tools in the context of beginner group exercises while the
other team is teaching and using advanced principles and tools in the context of professional
therapy sessions.

Another important reason to be aware of different levels is so that we can avoid overwhelming
lay facilitators with material that is both more than they need and more than they can handle as
they are just beginning to learn about the Immanuel approach. For example, we know the
developer and director of a large training program designed to equip lay people to do emotional
healing ministry. Her training program was carefully planned, very organized, well taught, and
full of good material. Unfortunately, the final results were very disappointing. After several years
of hard work, and hundreds of people going through the program, our friend estimated (with
quite a bit of sadness) that less than five out of each one hundred trainees actually went on to use
the emotional healing tools in their lives outside of training practice sessions. And my
assessment is that a big part of these poor results was that potential facilitators got lost in the
amount and complexity of the material to the point that they felt painfully insecure about actually
using it.1

In contrast, the “basic” package of Immanuel approach principles and tools is particularly safe
and easy to learn and use. For example, after a week of healing and training with the mission
team, many of the widows in Colombia have gone on to facilitate Immanuel approach healing
with their children and other women;2 after receiving Immanuel approach healing on and off for a
couple of years, fifteen year old Sarah was able to spontaneously use basic Immanuel approach
principles and tools with her twelve year old friend, Claire; and after a week of training and
practice, many of the participants in Dr. Wilder’s Sri Lanka seminar have continued to facilitate

1
I think another part of the reluctance demonstrated by her trainees was anxiety about the possibility
that recipients might get stuck in negative memories, since the approach to emotional healing taught in
her program did not include the “safety nets” that are built into the Immanuel approach.
2
As of spring 2013, Sarah reports that almost all of the widows they have been able to contact for
followup have used basic Immanuel approach principles and tools to facilitate healing for their children.
(**Note to self: get updated report from Sarah**). Furthermore, as of February 2013, one of the
Colombian leaders who helped coordinate the mission trips reports that many of these widows have also
been using the Immanuel approach to minister to other women, and that more than 800 women have now
received profound healing through this process.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach...Chapter 4, Basic, Intermediate, . . . (New 4/27/2013) Page 2 of 8

Immanuel approach healing for people in their communities.3

A friend and colleague, Mark Hattendorf, shares a story that provides another example. He
attended the 2011 Morton IL THRIVE conference, at which Dr. Wilder and I taught the basic
Immanuel approach principles and tools, and then coached everybody through group exercises
much like those presented in Chapter (**fill in chapter number when this is in
place**currently presented in the essay “Immanuel Approach Exercises for Groups and
Beginners,” available as a free download from the “Getting Started” page of
www.immanuelapproach.com). Mark had an intensely positive experience at the conference, and
then went straight from the conference to a wedding. Actually, he missed the wedding and
walked into the reception as they were just beginning to serve the meal. So when his pastor, who
happened to be sitting beside him, started dinner conversation with, “So, Mark, how did the
conference go?” he jumped into talking about the Immanuel approach with enthusiasm. The
married couple sitting immediately across the table from Mark also became interested and started
asking questions, so he continued with his enthusiastic explanations, taking fifteen to twenty
minutes to summarize very briefly the basic components of positive memory, appreciation,
connecting with Jesus, and then engaging with Jesus to receive healing. However, Mark is a bold
soul, and just explaining wasn’t enough. So after the brief summary he popped out with, “Hey, if
you’re willing to try it, I can just show you – we can just do it right here.”

The lady and her husband (neither of whom Mark had ever met before) were a bit taken aback by
this, but after a few moments hesitation, she says, “Sure, try it on my husband.” After a few more
moments hesitation, her husband says, “Okay. I’ll do it,” (earning points for being both
courageous and a very good sport). However, after several minutes of Mark coaching the
husband to focus on positive memories and deliberately stir up gratitude, the wife decides that
this Immanuel approach thing isn’t quite as scary as she had thought it might be, and comes back
with, “Wait, wait. I want you to try it on me after all.” So (with the husbands consent), Mark
shifts gears and turns back to Janice, starting the process again with, “Just like with your
husband, the first thing I want you to do is think of a memory for a really positive experience –
something good that you were really grateful for.” Janice quickly goes to a simple yet profoundly
beautiful memory of holding one of her children as a baby, and she easily stirs up appreciation as
she connects with and talks about this memory. Then Mark asks if she would be willing to invite
Jesus into the memory, and ask Him to help her be aware of His presence. She goes ahead with
this next piece, and within seconds she’s smiling, crying, and reporting, “This is so beautiful! I’m
holding my baby, and Jesus is standing right here beside me – this is so beautiful!”4

3
As mentioned earlier in chapter two, about a year after Dr. Wilder’s trip the leader of the team he
worked with reported that they were still using the Immanuel approach, that it continued to be very
effective, and that they were finding it to be especially helpful and effective in working with traumatized
children.
4
The reader may notice that Mark coached Janice to go to a positive memory that did not initially
include an awareness of God’s presence, and then she upgraded the non-God positive memory by inviting
Jesus, perceiving His presence, and establishing an interactive connection with Him. This is discussed in
more detail in Chapter **fill in when this material is ready**, but the very short summary is that Mark
did this deliberately in order to be extra careful in a public situation in which he didn’t know anything
about the person he was working with. Sometimes positive memories that already include an awareness
of God are memories of traumatic events, with the God piece being that the person experienced God’s
presence as providing protection and/or healing in the context of the trauma. However, these memories of
God’s presence in trauma often still include trauma “splinters” that are not yet fully resolved, and when
the person talks about the experience the unresolved splinters can sometimes get stirred up – not

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach...Chapter 4, Basic, Intermediate, . . . (New 4/27/2013) Page 3 of 8

Twenty minutes later Janice has experienced Jesus’ living, interactive presence in several
positive memories. She has experienced healing for several recent minor traumas, as she went
back and forth between the traumatic memories and the positive Jesus memories, with Jesus in
the positive memories helping her to look at, understand, and finish processing the traumatic
memories. And she has also experienced healing in a couple larger childhood traumas, as Jesus
brought these memories forward, helped her to perceive and connect with His living presence
within the traumatic memories, and then helped her work through remedial processing tasks.

At this point Janice says, “Okay Mark, I’m at a good place – I’m connected to Jesus in all of
these memories, and I’m gonna just keep working with Him – now try it on my husband.” So
Mark turns to Don, who by this time is almost eager (as opposed to just willing). Twenty minutes
later Don has experienced Jesus’ living, interactive presence in a couple of positive memories.
And he has also experienced healing for a couple of larger childhood traumas, as Jesus brought
these memories forward, helped Don to perceive and connect with His living presence within the
traumatic memories, and then helped Don work through remedial processing tasks. (Mark tried to
start with minor traumas from Don’s recent adult life, but Jesus seemed to take Don straight to
more strategic childhood traumas.)

At this point Don is at a good place, experiencing interactive connections with Jesus and a sense
of resolution in all of the memories he has worked with, Janice is at a good place, experiencing
interactive connections with Jesus and a sense of resolution in all of the memories she has
worked with, and Janice turns to Mark with, “Oh, oh! Mark, I want you to try this with Emily,”5
pointing to one of her friends who is sitting nearby and who has been observing this whole
adventure with growing amazement. Emily is willing, but just before Mark starts, he says, “No,
wait. You facilitate for Emily. You heard me explain the basics, you experienced it yourself, and
you just watched me facilitate for Don. I’ll be right here if you need help – you facilitate for
Emily.” So Janice did what she had been watching Mark do, and twenty minutes later Emily had
experienced Jesus’ living, interactive presence in a couple of positive memories, and then had
also experienced healing for a couple of traumatic memories.

At this point Emily is experiencing interactive connections with Jesus and a sense of resolution
in all of the memories she has worked with, Janice and Don are continuing to enjoy an awareness
of Jesus’ living presence and an interactive connection with Him, and Janice turns to Mark with,
“Okay, now I want you to do it with Nancy,”6 pointing to another friend who has been sitting
nearby and watching the whole adventure. But Mark responds with, “No, no. Now you’re going
to coach Emily, and Emily is gonna facilitate for Nancy.” Janice, Emily, and Nancy are all
willing, and promptly sally forth with yet another level of learning with Immanuel approach
healing. Twenty minutes later Nancy had experienced Jesus’ living, interactive presence in
several positive memories, and then had also experienced healing for a couple traumatic
memories.

By the end of the evening there were a number of clusters of wedding guests talking excitedly
about the Immanuel approach, with people in several of the clusters appearing to be facilitating

something you want to happen when you are facilitating for a complete stranger in the context of a
wedding reception.
5
Not her real name.
6
Not her real name.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach...Chapter 4, Basic, Intermediate, . . . (New 4/27/2013) Page 4 of 8

for each other. Several days ago, as Mark and Don were discussing this memorable reception
dinner, they estimated that as many as twenty people may have experienced interactive
connections with Jesus and received healing by the end of the evening. Furthermore, it didn’t just
stop with the wedding reception adventure. We don’t have follow up for the others involved, but
we know that Don and Janice have continued with the Immanuel approach. Janice was so excited
about it after her experience at the wedding reception that she got her pastor to invite Mark and a
colleague to provide several evening mini-seminars for her church, and with the training from the
wedding reception and these three mini-seminars, she and Don went on to continue receiving
Immanuel approach healing and also to facilitate Immanuel approach sessions for others.7

**If the trip goes well, I can include the 2013 Uganda mission team as another example**

I. Basic Immanuel Approach Emotional Healing.

Basic Immanuel approach principles and tools are simple enough that the average lay person can
learn them fairly easily and safe enough that the average lay person can practice with them safely.
These are the principles and tools included in the exercises for groups and beginners presented in
Chapter (**fill in chapter number when this is in place**currently presented in the essay
“Immanuel Approach Exercises for Groups and Beginners,” available as a free download from
the “Getting Started” page of www.immanuelapproach.com). These are the principles and tools
that Dr. Wilder applied in his work with the group in Sri Lanka, and that Sarah Yoder’s mission
team used with the widows and children in Colombia. These are the principles and tools that
fifteen year old Sarah used with twelve year old Claire. These are principles and tools that lay
ministers can use for short term mission trips. These are principles and tools that lay participants
can use in the context of church small groups. These are principles and tools that friends can use
with each other, that spouses can use with each other, and that parents can use with their
children.

As briefly summarized in chapter two, for people who are able to perceive the Lord’s presence
clearly, establish a strong connection with him, and receive adequate assistance from him, the
potentially complicated emotional healing work of helping a person process her traumatic
memories can become very simple. The Lord can help her access the memories and get through
the processing pathway, without us needing to explicitly manage any of the details. Again, with
the most basic version of the Immanuel approach to emotional healing, all the facilitator needs to
do is:

• establish the foundation for the session by helping the recipient to perceive God’s presence
and establish an adequate interactive connection with him;

• coach the recipient to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage with him directly at every
point in the session, regarding every issue that comes up, and regarding every difficulty that
arises;

7
As of last week (April 2013, now more than two years after the wedding reception
adventure), both Don and Janice continue to receive Immanuel approach healing, they report that
the healing they have received through the Immanuel approach has changed their lives, and they
are both also facilitating Immanuel approach sessions in a variety of settings.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach...Chapter 4, Basic, Intermediate, . . . (New 4/27/2013) Page 5 of 8

• if the agenda is to work with trauma, help the recipient to connect with Jesus inside any
traumatic memory that comes forward, and then continue to coach her to turn to Jesus, focus
on Jesus, and engage with him directly at every point, regarding every issue, and regarding
every difficulty;

• if the person is not able to connect with Jesus when she first goes inside the traumatic
memory, if she loses her connection with Jesus at any point later in the session, if the process
becomes stuck for any other reason later in the session, or if you feel like you are getting in
over your head, use the “safety net” troubleshooting tool (help the recipient return to the
initial positive memory, appreciation, and connection with Jesus, and then, in the context of
this safe and comfortable place, coach the person to engage directly with Jesus regarding the
point of difficulty).8

• if you are running out of time and the traumatic memory is still not fully resolved, use the end
of session “safety net” (help the recipient return to the initial positive memory, appreciation,
and connection with Jesus). Again, even though she was not able to fully resolve the trauma,
she will be fine if she ends the session in the positive memory, feeling appreciation, and
connected to Jesus.

With a very moderate amount of additional study and practice, the basic lay facilitator can also
learn to use a few additional simple troubleshooting tools for helping the recipient who is having
difficulty establishing an adequate connection with Jesus,9 and can learn to use a few simple
interventions for helping the recipient to engage with Jesus more effectively once she has
established a connection.10

If you are a lay person, and especially if you are reading this book for the first time, just to get the
big picture overview, feel free to focus primarily on the basic Immanuel approach principles and
tools, and to skim over content that is more advanced. Also, if you are a lay person, and
especially if you are learning about the Immanuel approach as part of your personal spiritual
journey and as a resource for praying with your family and friends regarding minor issues, then
please start with just the basic principles and tools. Try to avoid being overwhelmed by
complexity that you don’t need (or are not yet ready for), and use the safety net of going back to
the initial positive memory and connection with Jesus if you encounter anything that is beyond
your level of understanding and/or skill.

8
If time allows, the recipient can try again to work from inside the traumatic memory (when she feels
ready).
9
At the beginning of the session, these tools can be used to help the recipient who is having
difficulty establishing an initial connection. The basic lay facilitator can also learn to monitor the
recipient’s interactive connection with the Lord during the session, and when she notices that the
recipient has lost this all important foundation, employ the same simple troubleshooting tools to help the
recipient reestablish an adequate interactive connection.
10
For examples of simple sessions, where all I do is help the person to perceive Jesus’ presence,
establish and interactive connection, engage with Him directly at every point in the session, and then also
use a few simple tools for increasing effectiveness and helping to reestablish an interactive connection at
any point this foundation is temporarily lost, see Maggie #3: Labor & Delivery Trauma, Rita #3: Jesus Is
Better Than Candy, Steve: “Just” Be with Jesus, Bruce: Loss of Parents, Sibling Conflict, Daughter’s
Illness, and Ian: “I’m not enough.” All of these live session DVDs are available through the Store page
of www.kclehman.com.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach...Chapter 4, Basic, Intermediate, . . . (New 4/27/2013) Page 6 of 8

II. Intermediate Immanuel Approach Emotional Healing.

With significant additional study and practice, the lay person who is more serious about
emotional healing can become effective in dealing with more complicated problems. For
example, the more serious lay facilitator can learn to use more troubleshooting tools and gain
skill with the overall troubleshooting process;11 the more serious lay facilitator can grow in her
skill with respect to coaching the recipient to describe whatever is coming into her awareness;12
the more serious lay facilitator can develop her skill with respect to coaching the recipient to
engage directly with Jesus at every point in the session;13 the more serious lay facilitator can get
her own healing so that she can work with increasingly intense/difficult aspects of sessions
without getting triggered, and she can learn to recognize when she is triggered and then use
specific interventions to get her relational circuits back on line (both of these interventions
increasing her ability to stay emotionally present and retain good discernment even when
working with more intense trauma);14 the more serious lay facilitator can deliberately build her
capacity, further increasing her ability to stay emotionally present when working with more
intense trauma; the more serious lay facilitator can strengthen her faith, so that she is more able
to persist even when the process becomes slow and difficult;15 and the more serious lay facilitator
can develop skill in deliberately offering attunement, so that the recipient can stay connected and
keep moving forward even when things are difficult and she temporarily loses her connection
with Jesus.

Intermediate Immanuel approach principles require more study to understand and intermediate
tools require more maturity and skill to apply, but these intermediate principles and tools are
resources that should be routine for anyone seriously involved in emotional healing work.

III. Advanced Immanuel Approach Emotional Healing.

In a way, advanced Immanuel approach emotional healing is just intermediate, but more so.
With another round of additional study and practice, mental health professionals or people in full
time emotional healing ministry can become effective in dealing with even more complicated
problems. For example, mental health professionals/people in full time ministry can learn to use
even more troubleshooting tools and gain additional skill with the overall troubleshooting
process; they can continue to grow in their skill with respect to coaching the recipient to describe
whatever is coming into her awareness; they can further develop their skill with respect to
coaching the recipient to engage directly with Jesus at every point in the session; they can get
more of their own healing so that they can work with increasingly intense/difficult aspects of
sessions without getting triggered, and they can learn to recognize when they are triggered and
then use specific interventions to get their relational circuits back on line (both of these
interventions increasing their ability to stay emotionally present and retain good discernment

11
See the discussion of intermediate and advanced troubleshooting in chapters **fill in**.
12
See chapter **fill in**.
13
See chapter **fill in**.
14
See chapter **fill in**.
15
See chapter **fill in**.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach...Chapter 4, Basic, Intermediate, . . . (New 4/27/2013) Page 7 of 8

even when working with more intense trauma); they can deliberately build their capacity, further
increasing their ability to stay emotionally present when working with more intense trauma; they
can develop more skill with deliberately offering attunement; and they can further strengthen
their faith, so that they are more able to persist even when the process becomes slow and
difficult.

But it’s also more than this. Many of the people I work with in my private practice have survived
severe trauma, have experienced Christianity/church related trauma, and have built very complex
defenses, often including defenses specifically targeted towards a God whom they perceive to be
unsafe. Even with careful coaching and persistent Immanuel intervention troubleshooting, these
people regularly experience portions of sessions, entire sessions, or even multiple sessions in a
row in which they have very weak connections with God, or in which they are not able to
establish any interactive connection with God at all. Therefore, I cannot simply depend on Jesus
providing help and guidance at every point in the session. At the points where the person has no
connection or only a weak connection, I need to be the primary source of therapeutic
interventions, supplementary emotional resources, and general leadership for the session.

Basically, I need to provide competent, adequate psychotherapy during the sometimes prolonged
gaps in which the recipient is not able to connect with God. For example, I might use mindsight
interventions from Dr. Siegel and others to help a person with dismissive attachment become
more self aware and emotionally connected. I might use EMDR and/or Theophostic to find and
resolve traumatic memories. I might use deliberate attunement to help a person get their
relational circuits back on line, and to augment their capacity and maturity skills as they work
through traumatic memories. And I apply the principles and tools regarding the pain processing
pathway and traumatic memories described in parts II, III, and IV of the “Brain Science,
Psychological Trauma, and the God Who Is with Us” essay series.

However, every aspect of this “fill in the gaps” psychotherapy is informed by and permeated with
the Immanuel approach. For example, even as I am providing “just normal psychotherapy,” in the
back of my mind I am constantly aware of Immanuel approach values, such as the ultimate goal
and priority of helping the person have a better relationship with God. I am constantly watching
for traumatic memories that are anchors for the blockages that prevent the person from being
aware of Jesus’ presence and establishing an interactive connection with Him, I am constantly
watching for implicit memory getting transferred onto the Lord, and I am constantly watching for
any other issues that might hinder the recipient’s ability to connect with God. With every client I
work with, I am constantly trying to help them move towards including the Immanuel approach
in every aspect of their work, I am constantly trying to help them move towards having an
interactive connection with God at all times, and I am constantly trying to help them experience
stronger connections with the Lord.

As described in chapter three, helping people connect with Jesus and spend time with Him is the
most effective intervention I am aware of for the especially difficult therapy situations in which
recipients do not have adequate capacity. Regardless of how complicated the situation is, when
people can feel the Lord’s interactive presence with them and receive His guidance, every aspect
of emotional healing work is easier, faster, and less painful. Another encouraging note is that
over time, these people initially requiring advanced Immanuel approach become more and more
able to connect with God and more and more able to let God provide guidance and resources
during the sessions. And as this happens, I provide less and less guidance and resources. In fact,
several of my most complicated clients, who initially required every advanced principle in my
knowledge base, every tool in my toolbox, and every bit of skill I have been able to develop, now
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach...Chapter 4, Basic, Intermediate, . . . (New 4/27/2013) Page 8 of 8

require mostly basic principles, mostly basic tools, and I don’t even need to use much skill in
applying them.

IV. Additional thoughts:

Obviously, there is actually a gradual continuum, as opposed to sudden dramatic steps between
basic, intermediate, and advanced. The more you learn, the more skill you develop, the more
healing you get, the more capacity you grow, and the more faith you build, the more you will be
able to deal with intermediate and advanced challenges as they arise.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 5: Zevian, Monsters in the Closet, and “BIG JESUS”
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 4/6/2013)
DRAFT

Three year old Zevian first began to be afraid of monsters when he thought he saw one in his
closet as he was getting ready for bed. His parents reassured him and showed him that there was
nothing there, but he was still anxious as he got into bed and was glad to be sleeping next to his
big brother. After this first episode of monsters in the closet, each night seemed to get a little
worse. His mom and dad continued to reassure him, and talked to him about how Jesus was with
him and would take care of him, but his fear just kept getting worse and each night he would talk
about how Rawrs (his word for monsters) were going to get him. He started getting back out of
bed after the usual bed-time rituals, and would come to his parents and ask to sleep with them.
One night they heard his terrified shrieks and then the shouts of his siblings, and when they
rushed into his bedroom they found him shaking with fear. When Jenelle, his mother, picked him
up he clung to her desperately, and his little body was rigid with fear. After this particularly
upsetting episode Janelle began rocking and singing him to sleep each night, but she knew this
wasn’t solving the real problem because he continued to express intense fear that monsters were
going to get him.

Then one night, as Janelle noticed Zevian’s rising fear and tried to reassure him with, “Zevian,
you’re safe. Nothing’s going to get you,” she was shocked and dismayed when he responded,
emphatically, with, “Mom, Jesus is Rawr. Jesus get me.” Janelle recalls vividly, “Those words
hit hard. What does a mother say to such a sinister lie placed in the heart of her sweet, little boy?
I said, ‘No Zevian, Jesus loves you. He would never get you.’ Yet, I could see that my little boy
believed this lie and my words had little effect. I was helpless to convince my son of God's
goodness.”

Thankfully, this wasn’t the end of the story. As Janelle remembers,

“Helplessness has its benefits though, because in that moment I knew only Jesus could sort out
this mess. I took my boy in my arms--my heart aching to feel his body stiff with fear. I asked
him to close his eyes and I prayed protection upon this moment and upon our hearts. Then I
asked Jesus to show Zevian what He is really like, and I waited. Almost immediately I felt his
body start to relax. At first he kept his eyes closed while a big smile crept across his face. And
then after about 45 seconds his eyes popped open, dancing with joy instead of fearful, and he
laughed out, “BIG JESUS!” His whole countenance had changed as he started to pull himself
out of my arms in order to get back in bed, looking at a specific place in the room as he did so
(I can only guess this is where he saw Jesus). Then as he started to put himself under his
covers, light and happy, he added one more gem about his time with Jesus. He said, ‘Jesus like
me.’”

Since seeing “BIG JESUS” in his bedroom that night, Zevian has been a different kid. He now
regularly, spontaneously talks about Jesus, he always wants to pray, and after Jenelle prays for
him at bedtime he often reports things like, “Jesus says He’s going to play at the park with me in
my dreams.” Oh, and the problem with monsters has completely resolved. There was one night a
few days later when Zevian began to get fearful at bedtime, but Jenelle once again prayed that he
could see Jesus, and after a brief pause he laughed aloud and said, “Jesus eating crackers. He

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 5 (New 4/6/13) Page 2 of 3

sharing with me.”1 Now when Zevian talks about monsters, he’s the one getting them.

This is a cool, beautiful, encouraging story, but you probably noticed that Jenelle didn’t coach
Zevian to recall positive memories, stir up appreciation, establish an interactive connection with
Jesus, and then focus on Jesus and ask Him for help regarding the monster problem. She just held
him in her arms, offered a quick prayer for protection from demonic interference, and then asked
Jesus to show Zevian the truth about Himself. You might reasonably ask, “So what makes this an
Immanuel approach story, as opposed to just an encouraging prayer story?” The answer has to do
with the context in which this simple, powerful interaction occurred. Even though this was the
first time Zevian perceived and recognized Jesus’ tangible presence,2 he has been surrounded by
the Immanuel approach for most of his life. For example, he has observed the older children at
his church participating in simple Immanuel approach exercises, such as deliberate appreciation
and perceiving Jesus’ presence, he has observed Immanuel approach principles and tools being
applied in his home with his older siblings, and he has often heard his parents talking about how
they experience Jesus’ presence in the context of Immanuel approach emotional healing.

Jenelle perceives that her own Immanuel work has also contributed to her ability to facilitate this
simple yet profound Immanuel connection for her son. As she reports,

“I believe that my encounters with Jesus through Immanuel Prayer had a huge impact on
Zevian being able to see Jesus. In the past, I don’t think I would have really believed that Jesus
would come and help Zevian in his fear. I may have said I believed it, but when it really came
down to it I don’t think I would have turned to Jesus. I would have believed it was up to me.
Because I trusted Jesus, then Zevian didn’t feel fear and hesitation from me. If I had attempted
Immanuel prayer with him earlier, he may have felt my worries, questions, and fear, but since I
have been having my own experiences of Jesus’ Immanuel presence, Zevian was able to attune
with my faith and see Jesus as well.”

Our observation is that when Immanuel approach principles and tools are integrated into a
person’s church community and family (as is the case with Jenelle and Zevian), we routinely see
powerful Immanuel experiences with even the most basic Immanuel approach interventions (as
was the case with Zevian’s experience in response to Jenelle’s incredibly brief, simple prayer).

In the course of our correspondence about the monsters in the closet, Jenelle also shared another
beautiful story of Zevian’s new awareness of Jesus’ presence. One day Jenelle was in a lot of
pain regarding a piece of her own healing journey, and as she sat on her bed crying, Zevian came
in and noticed her distress. He climbed up on the bed with her, gave her a big hug, and said,
“You need Jesus with you.” Janelle responded that she knew he was right, but that she couldn’t
feel Jesus right at that moment, and then she asked Zevian if he could feel Jesus. He responded
promptly with, “Yes, He’s right there” (pointing to the spot immediately behind her on the bed).
And as soon as Zevian pointed her to Jesus, the anxiety that had previously been visible on his
face resolved completely (apparently he thought she was in good hands). He then jumped off the
bed and trotted out of her room to go play with his siblings. Jenelle summarizes Zevian’s

1
By the way, Zevian particularly loves crackers (actually, he sometimes has a problem with sneaking
them out of the cupboard).
2
In light of the fact that Zevian was initially afraid of Jesus, believing that Jesus was a monster and
that Jesus would “get him,” I think we can safely assume that Zevian had not had prior positive
experiences in which he perceived Jesus’ tangible presence (and recognized it for what it was).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 5 (New 4/6/13) Page 3 of 3

ongoing Immanuel experience with, “Knowing Jesus is with him seems to be his normal state
right now.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)

Part II: The Immanuel Approach, Contributing Components

At this point I would like to return to the components that contribute to the Immanuel Approach.
Refreshing our memories from chapter three, the contributing components include:

• Deliberate appreciation, in the context of remembering previous positive experiences

with the Lord, to prepare for an interactive connection with Jesus
• Refreshed perception of the Lord’s living presence, and establishment of an interactive
connection with the Lord, in the present, as the starting foundation
• Engage directly with Jesus at every point in the session
• Immanuel approach troubleshooting (1. Ongoing coaching to engage directly with Jesus
for connection, guidance, and assistance at every point in the session; 2. Immanuel
Interventions at any point the person loses adequate interactive connection with the Lord)
• Formulate and tell the Immanuel story
• Describe whatever comes into your awareness (your brain works better in community)
• Facilitator establish interactive connection, and constantly ask for the Lord’s guidance
• Faith (in the Lord’s presence, in the Lord’s goodness, in the Lord’s guidance, and in the
effectiveness of the Immanuel approach/Immanuel interventions)
• Understanding regarding capacity, understanding regarding attunement and relational
connection circuits, and understanding regarding processing tasks at each of the brain
levels
• Our modified version of Theophostic® theory, tools, and techniques

And our definition of the Immanuel approach is to take these components, organize them around
the presence of Jesus as the central focus, and clearly identify connecting more intimately with
Jesus as the primary objective (with resolution of trauma as a secondary objective).

I think it would also be good to refresh our memories regarding interactive connection. I am
experiencing an interactive connection with the Lord when I perceive His presence in some way
and it feels true that we are having a living, real time, mutual, contingent interaction. When I am
experiencing an interactive connection, it feels true that the Lord sees, hears, and understands the
emotions and thoughts I am experiencing and communicating, and it also feels true that he is
offering contingent responses to my emotions and thoughts. And an adequate interactive
connection is an interactive connection that is clear enough, strong enough, and functional
enough to enable the person to accomplish the task immediately in front of her. An adequate
interactive connection is an interactive connection in which the person perceives the Lord clearly
enough, allows Him to come close enough, feels a strong enough emotional connection, achieves
enough synchronization, and is able to receive enough to enable to her to take the next step
forward.

With these pieces refreshed and clear in our memories, I would now like to embark on a detailed
discussion of each of the contributing components.
 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 6: Positive Memories and Deliberate Appreciation
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 4/6/2013)
DRAFT

The first step in the Immanuel approach is to recall a previous experience of positive connection
with the Lord, and then to deliberately stir up appreciation in this context. This simple
intervention of remembering past positive connections with the Lord, and feeling appreciation in
this context, prepares our brains, minds, and spirits to establish an interactive connection with
the living presence of Jesus in the present.

A. Evidence supporting appreciation as connection preparation: Many will be happy to

simply take my word for it on this point, and skip ahead to the practical “how to” section (see
“practical considerations,” page **, below). However, others will be grateful for the evidence
collected here in support of our claims about the value of appreciation in preparing us to connect
with God.1 Also, for those who like to start with “hands on” experience, and therefore initially
skip ahead to the “how to” section, I encourage you to eventually come back and look at the
explanation sections. As described below (**reference to appropriate location**), systematic
research of optimal teaching methods shows that most people experience dramatically increased
learning when they combine experience and cognitive explanation.

Our observations regarding relational connection circuits, fascinating research by Dr. John
Gottman, discoveries regarding oxytocin, observations from cognitive therapy, work with our
clients, and our own personal experience have all contributed to the discovery that deliberately
stirring up appreciation will consistently prepare your brain-mind-spirit for connecting with
God.

1) Relational connection Circuits: We have been created to be relational beings—we have

been created to be in relationship with God and with each other. Our minds and spirits have
been created to desire relationship and to function best in relationship, and the Lord has
actually designed specific circuits in our biological brains to serve this longing and need for
connection. When these brain circuits are functioning as designed, our spontaneous, normal
experience will be to feel relationally connected and to feel the desire for connection. We will
experience others as relational beings, we will be aware of others’ true hearts, we will feel
compassionate concern regarding what others are thinking and feeling, we will perceive the
presence of others as a source of joy, and we will be glad to be with them. These relational
connection brain circuits are the biological hardware that cares for our relationships with God
just as they are the biological hardware that cares for our relationships with other people. When
these relational connection circuits are functioning as designed we are operating in relational
mode, and our biological brains are prepared to connect with God.

Unfortunately, there are certain problems and conditions that can cause us to temporarily lose
access to these brain circuits. When this happens we operate in non-relational mode. Our
spontaneous experience in non-relational mode will include the absence of feeling relationally

1
For example, Christian mental health professionals often find that secular colleagues doubt the
credibility of any interventions that explicitly incorporate spirituality. When talking about something like
the Immanuel approach, it is helpful to have supporting evidence from mainstream neurological and
psychological research.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 3 of 15

connected, and we won’t even want to be connected. We will not perceive others as relational
beings, we will not be aware of others’ true hearts, we will not feel compassionate concern
regarding what others are thinking and feeling, and we will not be glad to be with them or
experience their presence as a source of joy. When we temporarily lose access to these
relational connection circuits we are operating in non-relational mode, and it is very difficult to
connect with God.

This is all relevant to our discussion of appreciation because recalling positive memories and
deliberately stirring up appreciation causes our relational circuits to come back on line if they
have been off, and to become more intensely active if they are already on but only weakly so. I
am not aware of any research directly proving this conclusion, but thousands of hours of
observing therapy clients, hundreds of hours of observing people participating in Immanuel
approach exercises, and thousands of hours of observing myself and Charlotte as we have
deliberately experimented with these phenomena have convinced me that appreciation does
indeed activate and/or strengthen the activity of our relational circuits. As described in detail in
chapters twelve and sixteen in Outsmarting Yourself,2 there is a long list of specific indicators
that tell us whether our relational circuits are off line, weakly active, or strongly active. The
simple, clear data point that I have observed over and over and over again is that people will
start with all indicators clearly showing that their relational circuits are entirely off line (or only
weakly active), but then when they recall positive memories and deliberately stir up
appreciation, all indicators show that their circuits come back on line (and/or become more
intensely active).

To summarize, recalling positive memories and deliberately stirring up appreciation brings our
relational circuits on line (and/or strengthens their activity), and this prepares our biological
brains to connect with God.

2) John Gottman, observable behavior, and “bottom line” sociological outcome: Some of
the most original, intriguing research regarding marriage relationships has been carried out by
John M. Gottman, Ph.D.. He set up an apartment wired with video cameras and microphones,
recorded randomly selected couples spending weekends together,3 and then followed these
couples for years into the future, monitoring bottom-line sociological outcome, such as whether
a given couple reported being happily married ten years later or whether they were divorced.
Dr. Gottman then subjected this large pile of carefully gathered information to rigorous
statistical analysis, and thereby identified which observable behaviors corresponded to which
bottom line sociological outcomes. For example, did the couples who spent time watching
Walt Disney movies together have a better chance of staying happily married? Or were the
couples who never washed the dishes more likely to end up in divorce court?

Since 1986 Dr. Gottman has filmed thousands of couples, he has recorded tens of thousands of
hours of observable behavior, he has followed some of these couples for as many as fourteen
years, and he has taken the resulting mountain of data and run it through a vast array of high
powered statistical analyses. One of the clearest conclusions from all of this research is that

2
Karl Lehman, Outsmarting Yourself: Catching Your Past Invading the Present and What to Do
about It (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2011), pages 101-107 and 121-149.
3
Of course the couples were aware of being filmed and were willing to be a part of the study. Also,
to preserve a certain necessary level of privacy, the couples were monitored only from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00
p.m., and never in the bathroom.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 4 of 15

appreciation is good for relationships – the observable behavior of deliberately focusing on

things you appreciate about your spouse leads to the bottom line good sociological outcome of
staying married, and being happy with your marriage. Couples that were already doing this did
very well, and deliberately learning to do this proved to be a powerful positive force in
salvaging even deeply troubled marriages.4

3) Neurobiology: One study has directly demonstrated that, at least in some people,
appreciation releases oxytocin;5 and a variety of other studies provide a growing pile of indirect
evidence indicating that positive social interactions (such as appreciation) stimulate the release
of oxytocin.6 Furthermore, an extensive body of research demonstrates that oxytocin prepares
your brain for emotional bonding and positive relational connection.7

4) Cognitive therapy: Both empirical research with cognitive therapy and cognitive therapy
case studies demonstrate that our thoughts powerfully and predictably influence our emotions.8
For example, deliberately focusing our attention on things we appreciate will consistently
generate the corresponding positive emotion of gratitude. Furthermore, cognitive therapy
research and case studies demonstrate that learning to think more positively with respect to
another person, and the corresponding increased positive emotions towards the person, produce
observable benefits for the relationship.9

4
For additional discussion of Dr. Gottman’s research, see Gottman, John M. & Silver, Nan, The
Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. (New York, NY: Three Rivers Press) 1999; and Gottman,
John M., & Notarius, Clifford I., “Decade review: Observing marital interaction.” Journal of Marriage
& the Family. November 2000, Vol. 62, No. 3, pages 927-947. The Gottman Institute website,
www.Gottman.com, also provides a vast array of additional information regarding Dr. Gottman and his
research work with marriages and relationships.
5
Turner, Rebecca A.; Altemus, Mararet; Enos, Teresa; Cooper, Bruce; McGuinness, Teresa,
“Preliminary research on plasma oxytocin levels in healthy, normal cycling women: Investigating
emotional states and interpersonal distress.” Psychiatry, summer 1999, Vol. 62, No. 2, pages 97-113.
6
For a summary discussion of this point, see Uvnas-Moberg, Kerstin, “Oxytocin may mediate the
benefits of positive social interaction and emotions.” Psychoneuroendocrinology, 1998, Vol. 23, No. 8,
pages 819-835.
7
See, for example: Insel, Thomas R., Winslow, James T., Wang, Zouxin, Young, Larry J., “Oxytoci-
n, vasopressin, and the neuroendocrine basis of pair bond formation,” Advances in Experimental
Medicine and Biology, 1998, Vol. 449, pages 215-24; Keverne, E.B., Kendrick, K.M., “Oxytocin
facilitation of maternal behavior in sheep.” Annals of the New York Academy of Science. 1997, Vol. 652,
pages 83-101; and Carter, C. Sue, “Biological Perspectives on Social Attachment and Bonding,” Chap. 5
(pages 85-100) in C.S. Carter, L. Ahnert, K.E. Grossmann, S.B. Hrdy, M.E. Lamb, S.W. Porges, and N.
Sachsher (Eds) Attachment and Bonding, (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), 2005.
8
For recent, careful summaries of the extensive research evidence supporting these foundational
principles of cognitive therapy, see David A. Clark and Aaron T. Beck, Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety
Disorders: Science and Practice (New York: The Guilford Press, 2010), especially chapters 3 & 4; and
Aaron T. Beck, and Brad A. Alford, Depression: Causes and Treatment, Second Edition. (Philadelphia,
PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009), especially chapter 16.
9
For a recent, thorough discussion of the use of cognitive therapy for relationship difficulties,
including discussion of research and case study evidence supporting the validity of these basic principles
of cognitive therapy in the context of relationships, see Frank M. Dattilio, Cognitive-behavioral Therapy
with Couples and Families: A Comprehensive Guide for Clinicians (New York: The Guilford Press,

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 5 of 15

5) Our own clinical observations and personal experience: As of May 2013, Charlotte and I
have included deliberate appreciation in this way in hundreds of emotional healing sessions, we
have applied deliberate appreciation in a number of other clinical and pastoral settings, and we
have also spent hundreds of hours employing deliberate appreciation in our own lives. Our
observations are that deliberate appreciation, even though it is so simple, consistently increases
a person’s ability to engage in positive relational connection.10

Each of these independent bodies of information are consistent with the conclusion that
appreciation prepares your brain–mind–spirit system for positive relational connection. Dr.
Gottman very deliberately uses this to help marriage partners increase their positive emotional
bonding, and Dr. Wilder had the inspiration that this same information could be deliberately
applied to our relationships with the Lord. The beginning of each Immanuel approach session
therefore includes deliberate appreciation in order to prepare the person’s brain-mind-spirit
system for establishing a living, interactive connection with Jesus.

B. Deliberate appreciation is very biblical:11 Deliberate appreciation is not just good brain
science and good clinical practice, it is also very biblical. The Old Testament contains many
passages encouraging us to deliberately remember, and be grateful for, what the Lord has done
for us. For example, “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the
good land he has given you.” (Deut 8:10) The Psalms are especially full of exhortations to
deliberately remember and appreciate the Lord’s goodness. For example, “Give thanks to the
Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing
praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts....Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles,
and the judgments he pronounced.” (Ps 105:1-5) And many of the Psalms model deliberately
remembering and appreciating the Lord’s goodness. For example, I will praise you, O Lord, with
all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to
your name, O Most High....(ten more verses of specific appreciations). (Ps 9:1–18) The apostle
Paul repeatedly encourages us to be grateful and to thank the Lord for his goodness. For example,
“...be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing
and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph 5:18–20) And Jesus models appreciation and
gratitude, as he thanks the Father for many things. For example, “Then Jesus looked up and said,
‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me....’” (Jn 11:41)

For MANY more specific versus illustrating each of these points, see chapter 19 in
Outsmarting Yourself.12

2010).

Many of our colleagues, such as Jim and Kitty Wilder, Chris and Jen Coursey, and Ed and Maritza
10

Khouri, are also noticing these same things in their personal lives and in their work with others.
11
As a side note, I perceive that this information regarding appreciation has two implications with
respect to worship: 1) intentional, deliberate appreciation exercises can prepare our brain–mind–spirit
systems for positive relational connection with the Lord in the context of worship; and 2) to the extent
that worship includes appreciation, it prepares our brain–mind–spirit systems for positive relational
connection with the Lord.
12
Karl Lehman, Outsmarting Yourself: Catching Your Past Invading the Present and What to Do
about It (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2011), pages 194-7.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 6 of 15

C. Specific memories are the ideal context for deliberate appreciation: Both our observation
of others, and our own, personal experiences with the Immanuel approach reveal that memories
for specific past positive events are the ideal context for deliberate appreciation, and this also
makes sense neurologically.

1) Greater emotional impact: When we use deliberate appreciation to prepare our brains,
minds, and spirits for an interactive connection with God, the size/intensity of the positive
effect will usually be much larger if we think about things we appreciate in the context of
specific memories and relationships, as opposed to thinking about things we appreciate only as
abstract, theoretical concepts. For example, when I present this material as a seminar, I
demonstrate this difference by doing two different versions of deliberate appreciation for
emergency room security officers. When I appreciate emergency room security personnel in the
context of abstract, theoretical information, I take thirty to forty seconds to make the following
statements:

• I appreciate that security officers take on the awkward (and sometimes very tense) task of
searching patients as they come into the emergency room.

• I appreciate that they work all hours of the day and night;

• I appreciate that emergency room security officers intervene when patients become
dangerous, risking their personal safety to protect others.

• I appreciate that their job can be very messy and unpleasant, sometimes requiring exposure to
blood, saliva, vomit, urine, and feces.

I truly believe each of these statements, but when I simply summarize them as abstract,
theoretical concepts I feel only a very slight sense of subjective gratitude.13

In contrast, when I appreciate security officers in the context of specific memories, I start by
telling stories about my experiences with security officers during my psychiatric training.
When I was working as a psychiatric resident I served in two different emergency rooms. At
the VA (Veteran’s Administration) hospital, the special security room for evaluating potentially
dangerous patients had been converted into a part time office, so that we had to work with
aggressive, agitated, belligerent, mentally ill, and often intoxicated combat veterans in a room
fully equipped with potential weapons, such as light weight steel chairs and heavy metal lamps.
But even more important than the inadequate physical facilities were the inadequate security
personnel.

The security personnel were mostly older men, who were overweight, out of shape, and
inadequately trained. The security officers were also all veterans themselves, and therefore had
understandable loyalty and sympathy towards the veteran patients. Unfortunately, their loyalty
and sympathy towards other veterans was sometimes stronger than their concern for the safety
of the psychiatric residents. For example, the official policy was that all psychiatric patients
must be searched before being evaluated, but the security officers felt that it would be offensive

13
This first part of the demonstration has occasionally generated more intense gratitude, but when I
observed myself carefully I noticed that this only happened when the “abstract, theoretical” statements
start prompting brief flashes of specific memory examples.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 7 of 15

to insist, and they therefore skipped the search if the patient was unhappy with the idea. The
officers also wanted to avoid confronting their veteran colleagues in any way that might
escalate to the point of needing to use physical restraints, so they would sometimes back down
instead of stepping forward when patients would cross physical safety boundaries.

Furthermore, there were usually only two security officers on duty for the whole, huge, seven
story hospital, so there were often no officers in the emergency room. At these times we would
have to send out a page for security staff if we felt a patient might be dangerous, and sometimes
there would be long delays before anyone would arrive. The intense work flow pressure would
usually push towards just going ahead without them. And there were also times when they
would make an independent assessment that their presence was no longer needed, and then
walk away in the middle of an evaluation without asking for my input.

Together, all of these factors lead to some pretty scary situations. For example, there was the
summer afternoon during my first year when I was sent in to see an extremely intoxicated
Vietnam veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The security staff were not
present, but I was busy and tired, and decided to go ahead and get started instead of taking the
time to page them and wait for them to get to the ER. I have often thought about and prayed
for this veteran, and I understand why he had PTSD. He had been deployed in an area where
the Vietcong would get children to wear hand grenades under their clothing, and then walk up
to groups of soldiers as suicide bombers. After a number of these disastrous encounters, my
patient’s commanding officer had ordered him to go into a village they were approaching and
shoot all the children. Needless to say, these memories haunted him terribly.

Nevertheless, it was still frightening to work with an agitated, aggressive, belligerent,

thoroughly intoxicated soldier who was transferring all of his anger about these experiences
onto me. After I had entered the room and shut the door, he came to within six inches of my
face and proceeded to yell at me, with LOTS of swearing and spit spraying onto my glasses,
for five minutes (that felt like two hours). Nobody even knocked on the door to check whether I
was okay. At the time he was actually yelling at me I was mostly in shock, but afterwards I
realized that I would have been in serious trouble if he had decided to physically attack me. If
the patient had really wanted to hurt me, he could easily have busted my lip (or beaten me to
death with one of the heavy metal lamps) before effective intervention had come to my aid.
Even if the security officers had been in the room their intervention would probably have been
very conservative, such as asking him to sit down – if he had actually wanted to hurt me, their
reluctance to precipitate confrontation would have resulted in intervention that was too
tentative and too slow.14

On another occasion, an extremely angry and agitated veteran came into the emergency room
asking for psychiatric care. He was six feet four inches tall and extremely muscular, probably
weighing 270 pounds, and as he told the lady at the front desk that he needed to see a
psychiatrist he also mentioned that he would kill any police officers that he ran into. He was
wearing combat fatigues, with large cargo pockets bulging with unknown contents, and he was
carrying a large back pack, also bulging with unknown contents. Two security staff were in the
emergency room, but they decided that it would be a bad idea to ask him to submit to being

14
This is not just an ungenerous speculation, since one of my colleagues had his nose broken by a
patient before security stopped the assault, and on another occasion a patient attacked one of my
colleagues and broke several of his ribs before the security officers intervened.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 8 of 15

searched. They also decided that it might upset him if he mistook them for police officers, so
they went into another office where they would not be visible. I was sent into the non-security
room, alone, to do the psychiatric evaluation.

As I entered the room I knew that he had not been searched, and realized that he could be
carrying any number of weapons in his bulging pockets and back pack. But then I also realized
that he could easily attack me with the steel chair he was sitting on or the lamp on my desk, and
if this weren’t enough, I realized that a 270 pound extremely muscular combat veteran trained
to kill enemy soldiers in hand to hand combat probably wouldn’t need any weapons in order to
inflict serious bodily damage.

It did not take long for things to get worse. After responding to my first several questions with
angry outbursts, he jumped up from his chair and rushed across the room toward me.
Fortunately, instead of attacking me he decided to barge out of the office, barge out of the
emergency room, and commandeer the public transportation bus that had just stopped in front
of the hospital. I think he was so upset that he didn’t even know what he wanted, but his
threats to kill anyone who didn’t cooperate resulted in frantic calls to the police. Minutes later,
a fully equipped SWAT team arrived.

It took the SWAT team several hours to get him off the bus, and when they did finally get him
off the bus it took six men to restrain him. Physically out of control psychiatric patients can
usually be safely restrained by securing their wrists and ankles, but this patient was thrashing
and lunging so violently that he required additional straps across his chest and forehead. Once
he was in restraints it was my job to finish the admission evaluation, and as I did this he
continued thrashing violently and yelling at the top of his lungs (swearing and threatening to
kill me), with his eyes wild, his face purple-red, and the bulging veins across his forehead and
along his neck looking as if they were about to burst.

I felt physically unsafe so consistently in the VA emergency room that I just tried not to think
about it, so that fear would not get in the way of my efficiency.

My experience working in the university emergency room, on the other hand, was completely
different. First of all, the special security room reserved for psychiatric evaluation had not been
converted into a part-time office, and contained nothing that could possibly be used as a
weapon.15 But more important than the security room was the security staff, and especially one
particular security officer. His name was Andre, and he was an African American man who
had briefly played professional football for the Seattle Seahawks. When wearing his thick-
soled uniform shoes he was almost seven feet tall, and he probably weighed 280 pounds before
putting on the body armor that he wore whenever he was on duty. I called him Andre the
Giant, and I felt safe whenever he was on duty.

If there was a psychiatric patient to be evaluated, I never had to worry about finding the
security guard. The nurses would page me to come and see the patient, and Andre would
always already be there, waiting for me, when I arrived. And there was never tension regarding
whether he would decide that his presence was no longer necessary, and therefore walk away in
the middle of the evaluation. In fact, even when I told him that I didn’t think I needed security
protection for a particular patient, he would stay in the area and keep an eye on me.

15
The only thing in the security room was a large cushioned chair that was bolted to the floor.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 9 of 15

In contrast to the security officers at the VA, Andre never neglected to search patients, and he
would not allow anything that could possibly be used as a weapon. Not pocket knives, not box
openers, not nail files. He would even ask people to put their pencils and car keys in the
security box.

Andre would escort the person to the security room, and then stand in the doorway as I began
the evaluation. If he sensed the slightest hint of danger, he would come into the room and
stand beside me. And if he sensed more than the slightest hint of danger, he would step
forward and motion me toward the door, so that he could easily block any attempt the patient
might make to attack me. In contrast to the security officers at the VA, Andre had zero
tolerance for threatening, or even marginally intimidating behavior. If an angry patient even
got out of the chair, Andre would quickly step into the room and give quiet but firm directions:
“Sir, you need to go back to the chair and sit down. Now.” If someone made a threatening
gesture, or even an angry statement directed toward me, Andre would lean into the room and
ask, “Dr. Lehman, is there a problem?” And even these quiet, simple interventions were
amazingly effective when coming from a six-feet-ten-inch 280-pound security officer wearing
body armor.

Andre would never avoid necessary, appropriate physical contact. If someone was extremely
intoxicated and/or psychotic, and needed physical redirection, Andre was right there. And if
someone was totally out of control and/or assaultive, so that physical restraint was necessary to
keep everyone safe, Andre was right there. This was dangerous, and could also be very messy
and unpleasant (extremely intoxicate accident victims could come in covered in vomit, saliva,
urine, feces, and blood ), but Andre never showed even the least sign of hesitation when
physical contact was needed in order to keep everybody safe.

In addition to all of this, Andre knew more about physical safety in the emergency room than I
did, and took measures to ensure my safety that I hadn’t even thought of. For example, he
would gently but firmly remind patients to remain seated, and to lean slightly back in the chair
– a position that made it extremely difficult for the person to come at me suddenly. He would
remind me regarding the safest way to position myself in the room, so that I could exit and
close the door quickly and easily. And with especially agitated patients, he would remind me
that we could offer appropriate medications, and then wait for them to produce calming benefit
before continuing the evaluation.

After sharing these stories, I name specific things I especially appreciate about Andrea:

• I appreciate that Andre was willing to deal with the unpleasant reactions that might be caused
by his insisting on a careful, thorough search before allowing the person into the assessment
area;

• I appreciate that Andre never avoided necessary physical contact, even though it was
dangerous, and sometimes also very messy and unpleasant;

• I appreciate that he was always present;

• I appreciate that he was well trained regarding the many details that would contribute to my
safety, and that he consistently took the initiative in making sure that these were in place;

• I appreciate that he went out of his way, at the cost of personal risk, in order to make it easy
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 10 of 15

for me to be safe;

• I appreciate that he was HUGE, and that he was willing to wear heavy, uncomfortable body
armor in order to be able to provide a physical presence that could actually handle dangerous,
out of control patients;

• and I appreciate that I actually felt safe whenever Andre was on duty.

When I think about the abstract, theoretical reasons to appreciate security officers, I feel a mild,
vague sense of appreciation; but when I think about Andrea the Giant, and how much it meant
to me to be able to work without having to risk serious physical injury, I feel appreciation at an
entirely different level.16

Doing deliberate appreciation regarding the Lord provides another example. When I
appreciate the Lord in the context of abstract, theoretical information, such as the attributes of
God found in scripture, I take thirty to forty seconds to make the following statements:

Lord, I appreciate that You are perfect.

I appreciate that You are omnipresent.

I appreciate that You are powerful.

I appreciate that You are just.

I appreciate that You are merciful.

I appreciate that You are righteous.

I appreciate that You heal.

I appreciate that You forgive.

I believe each of these statements, and I appreciate these truths about the Lord, but when I
simply summarize them as abstract, theoretical concepts I feel only a very slight sense of
subjective gratitude.

In contrast, when I appreciate the Lord in the context of specific memories, I start with taking
several minutes to think about, reconnect with, and reenter specific memories of previous
positive connections with the Lord. For example, I think about my experience of interacting
with the Lord regarding Thomas and his heroic faithfulness. I picture myself carrying my
exercise weights and walking towards the lake on Kedzie boulevard. I recreate the mental
image of the Lord walking beside me as a friend, smiling and appearing to enjoy the weather. I
repeat the comment, “Lord, I’m so glad that Thomas is with You now,” and I recreate the

16
Note that the contrast between these two ways of doing the appreciation exercise is much more
dramatic when I present this example live. Observable emotions come forward spontaneously when I do
the exercise in the context of specific memories about Andrea the Giant, but the reader cannot perceive
this, since the written text does not include my facial expressions, voice tones, and other non-verbal
communication.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 11 of 15

mental image of the Lord suddenly turning to me, with His big smile. I remember the sense that
He heard me and understood me, and I remember the poignant specifics of His response: “So
am I! He has fought the good fight, and has finished the race. He is here with Me now – his
suffering has ended, and he is being rewarded for his heroic faithfulness.”

And then, after I have reconnected with the thoughts and emotions and re-entered the memory,
I talk directly to the Lord about specifics that I especially appreciate:

“Lord, somehow many subtle things about the way You were walking beside me – Your
smile, the way You were strolling, Your overall attitude – tell me that You were enjoying
Yourself – that You like being with me – that You think of me as a friend. This means so
much to me.”

“Lord, I feel like I can’t even get words to fully express the vibrancy and vitality of Your
presence and smile. I appreciate how I knew that I was perceiving Your living presence by
the way Your responses surprised me and felt so alive – so different from the internal
perceptions that I initiate in my own mind.”

“Lord, You know that I sometimes struggle with the fear that there will never be true justice –
that people like Thomas will never be adequately compensated. I feel such deep reassurance
from Your striking, immediate, vivid, energized, detailed, emphatic response to my thought
regarding Thomas. I appreciate that You recognize how hard his life was, that You’re aware
of how faithfully he followed You through the difficulties he lived with every day, and that
You honor his quiet heroism. I appreciate that the magnitude of his struggle, of his
obedience, and of his courage have not been lost on You; and that, even as we speak, he is in
Your presence, receiving His reward.”

When I think about the abstract, theoretical reasons to appreciate the Lord, I feel a mild, vague
sense of appreciation. In contrast, when I think about my experience of interacting with Jesus
regarding Thomas, reconnect with the thoughts and emotions, reenter the memory, and then
talk to the Lord about specific aspects of the experience I especially appreciated, I feel gratitude
at a whole different level.17

(alternate text for seminar presentation) As you can see, doing the appreciation exercise in
the context of this specific memory has a much larger effect on my emotions and oxytocin than
appreciating the abstract, theoretical attributes of God. **look at parallel text from book**

2) Reconnecting with a Positive Memory Reactivates Original Appreciation. Part of the

reason specific memories are especially effective as the context for deliberate appreciation is
that reconnecting with the memory for a previous positive experience will reactivate the
original appreciation. As far as the internal states of our brains, minds, and spirits are
concerned, reconnecting with/reentering the memory of an autobiographical event will re-
create, to some extent, the conditions present in the original experience. For example, when I
reconnect with the memory for a painful experience in which I felt sadness, such as when my
pet squirrel died from thirst because the water dispenser broke while we were away on

17
Again, the contrast between these two ways of doing the deliberate appreciation exercise is much
more noticeable when I present this material live, where my facial expressions, voice tones, and other
forms of non-verbal communication help to convey the dramatic difference in emotional intensity.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 12 of 15

vacation, I reactivate the neurological circuits associated with the sadness from the original
events, and to some degree I re-experience this sadness. Similarly, when I reenter the memory
for a positive experience in which I felt appreciation, such as when the Lord spoke to me about
Thomas, I reactivate the neurological circuits associated with the appreciation from the original
events, and to some degree I re-experience this appreciation.

3) More John Gottman, observable behavior, and “bottom line” sociological outcome: In
Gottman’s research, thinking and talking about past positive experiences of being together with
your spouse was another strong predictor of positive sociological outcome, and also a
deliberate intervention that could be used to improve marriages in distress. Just as with
appreciation and marriage, these principles that apply to your relationship with your spouse
also apply to your relationship with the Lord: thinking and talking about past positive
experiences of being together with the Lord will benefit your relationship with the Lord.
“Stories of us” **does Jim have a separate source for the value of “telling stories of
us”?**
______________________________________________________________________________
Advanced topics warning: Feel free to skip (or skim) the next paragraph if you are not
particularly interested in neuropsychology.
______________________________________________________________________________

4) Working with the Right Hemisphere Increases Emotional Intensity. Another factor that
contributes to the increased effect when we do deliberate appreciation in the context of specific
memories has to do with the difference between the right and left hemispheres. The right
hemisphere is the primary location for emotional processing, so that processing through the
right hemisphere will generally produce a more intense emotional response. The right
hemisphere is also the primary location for experiential knowing anchored in specific
autobiographical memories, so that doing deliberate appreciation in the context of specific
autobiographical memories will cause the right hemisphere to be much more involved.
Therefore, doing the appreciation exercise in the context of specific autobiographical memories
will cause the material to be processed through the right hemisphere, and will thereby produce
the increased emotional intensity associated with right-hemisphere involvement.

D. Putting it All Together: So, combining these pieces regarding appreciation and specific
memories, the practical application with respect to the Immanuel approach is that the person
starts each session with returning to a memory of a previous positive experience with God; and
then, in the context of this memory, she engages in deliberate appreciation. Stirring up
appreciation in the context of a specific positive memory prepares her brain, mind, and spirit for
the next step of establishing a living, interactive connection with Jesus in the present.

______________________________________________________________________________
Advanced topics warning: The remainder of this chapter discusses practical considerations and
presents practical tips relevant to those who are wanting to start actually experimenting with the
Immanuel approach process. If you are still trying to get the big picture overview, feel free to
skip/skim this practical material for now, and then come back for it when you are wanting to start
practicing with the actual process.
______________________________________________________________________________

E. Practical Considerations: I have spent a lot of time over the last five-plus years

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 13 of 15

experimenting/practicing with the positive memory-deliberate appreciation step in the Immanuel

approach process, and I have also spent a lot of time coaching others through this same step. I
would like to offer a number of observations from my experience. Hopefully these practical
pointers from my many hours of beta testing will be helpful for others.

1) Finding/choosing the memory: With respect to “recalling a memory of a previous

interactive connection,” an obvious question is “How do I find/choose the memory?” One
approach is to ask the Lord to bring forward the memory he wants you to work with, and then
wait for a minute or two, paying careful attention to whatever comes into your awareness.
Another approach is to make a list of the times you have had interactive connections with the
Lord that have been especially clear and meaningful, and then experiment with using each of
these memories for the purpose of the “deliberate appreciation in the context of remembering
previous positive experiences with the Lord” step of the Immanuel approach process. After a
bit of experimentation and practice you should be able to find one to several memories that are
consistently effective, and once this has been established you can quickly go to one of these
memories whenever you need to stir up appreciation at the beginning of an Immanuel approach
session.

2) Deliberate appreciation should also include reentering the memory: You may already be
assuming this after reading the “reconnecting with a positive memory reactivates original
appreciation” section, above; but just in case it’s not already clear, deliberate appreciation in
the context of a specific positive experience should include reentering the memory for the
experience. Recalling the experience, thinking about it, deliberately naming and focusing on
specific things you appreciate, and especially focusing on gratitude for the Lord’s presence and
care are all good, but sometimes we can do all of this from an external, left hemisphere,
analytical perspective. This left-hemisphere perspective is beneficial, and it does contribute to
appreciation, but it often lacks emotional power. It is therefore important to deliberately
reconnect with/reenter the memory.18 In fact, reentering the memory should be the primary
mode, with the option to also include the left-hemisphere perspective as a complimentary
component that can augment the emotional power of reconnecting/reentering. As mentioned
above, reentering the memory of a previous positive experience will automatically reproduce
(to some degree) the gratitude you felt at the time of the original events.

Many people spontaneously include reentering the memory when they recall a previous positive
experience, and these folks probably think this point is silly and unnecessary. However, this
point is not so obvious to everybody. When I first began experimenting with deliberate
appreciation as part of the Immanuel approach, I came at it almost exclusively from the
external, left hemisphere, analytical perspective. I had to learn to deliberately include
reconnecting with/reentering the memories when I recalled experiences of previous positive
connection with the Lord.19

3) You can streamline things for people who are familiar with the process: With people
who are new to the Immanuel approach, I lead them through this process carefully and slowly –

18
The goal is to reenter the memory – to re-create, as much as possible, the brain-mind-spirit state of
being in the original events.
19
Another point that may seem obvious to some, but be helpful to others: when I reenter memories as
part of deliberate appreciation, I go in with the clear objective of stirring up gratitude. I find that this
helps me avoid wandering and/or getting distracted as I reconnect with the memory.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 14 of 15

we identify a memory of a previous positive experience with the Lord, I ask the person to
describe this experience (in detail), I coach the person to describe specific things she especially
appreciates about the Lord in the memory experience, and then I coach her to reenter/reconnect
with the memory so that she can feel the appreciation associated with the original experience
from inside the memory. In contrast, people who are familiar with the process usually go
through an abbreviated version (identifying a past positive experience, thinking
about/reentering the memory for the positive experience, and deliberately appreciating the Lord
in the context of the positive memory), without the need for coaching from me. In fact, this
often happens smoothly and quietly during the opening prayer.20

4) Deliberate appreciation becomes easier and more effective with practice: Deliberate
appreciation is a skill that we can learn. As Charlotte and I persist in practicing with deliberate
appreciation we are definitely getting better at it–the whole process is flowing more and more
easily, subjective feelings of gratitude are coming more and more quickly, and the end result is
getting more and more robust.

5) Palpable gratitude is a good indicator of success: The subjective feeling of gratitude

provides a simple indicator with respect to whether or not the positive memory-deliberate
appreciation step is working. When deliberate appreciation is successful we feel palpable
subjective gratitude, and the more effectively we succeed in deliberate appreciation the more
robust our subjective feeling of gratitude will be.

6) “What if the recipient doesn’t have any memories of positive connections with God?”:
Memories of past positive connections with God are ideal, but if the recipient has not yet had
special interactive connections with the Lord, then she can use a memory of some other special
event. For example, a memory of a particularly beautiful experience with one of her children, a
favorite family Christmas memory, a memory of an especially positive vacation with friends, or
a memory of thoroughly enjoying her favorite meal. She can practice deliberately reentering the
positive memory, reconnecting with the positive emotions associated with the positive
memory, and deliberately focusing on things she appreciates even if an interactive connection
with God was not part of the original positive experience. Also, when it comes to establishing
an interactive connection (chapter **fill in**, below), the recipient can experiment with
asking the Lord to help her perceive his presence and establish an interactive connection in the
context of this “non God” positive memory. Many people have had their first experience with
perceiving the Lord’s presence in some tangible way, and then experiencing and interactive
connection, when trying this experiment with “non-God” positive memories.

7) More than one positive memory: One positive memory is usually adequate, but it is ideal
to have several, since appreciation momentum builds as one works with several positive
memories in succession. Having several memories available will be helpful if the recipient gets
stuck in particularly intense negative emotions when working with traumatic memories later in
the emotional healing process, and therefore needs an especially strong positive memory and
appreciation “safety net.” So if you are working with people who are more likely to need an
especially strong safety net (for example, they have survived severe trauma, their support
system is poor, and their coping skills are weak), we recommend repeating the positive
memory–appreciation step several times, so that the recipient has a safety net that includes

Several of the sessions portrayed in our live ministry DVDs illustrate this point well. See, for
20

example, Maggie #3: Labor & Delivery Trauma, and Rita #3: Jesus is Better than Candy.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 6: Positive Memories and.... (New 4/12/13) Page 15 of 15

several positive memories.

8) Appreciation memories without splinters: Many people have positive connection with
God memories that still include trauma splinters. For example, the person’s appreciation
memory may be for an Immanuel approach session in which she experienced Jesus’ loving,
healing presence powerfully with her in a traumatic memory of her intoxicated father
emotionally, physically, and sexually abusing she and her siblings. However, in this kind of
complicated trauma, it is common to have a number of distinct traumatic pieces, so that
unresolved pieces (or “splinters”) may remain, even while the parts of the memory that have
been resolved are indeed now positive places where the person experiences the Lord’s healing
presence. And if the traumatic memory the person works on later in the emotional healing
process resonates with the unresolved splinters, the initial appreciation parts of the memory can
get blended together with the negative thoughts and emotions from the (now) activated
splinters, so that the memory is no longer usable as a safety net. Therefore, if the people you are
working with are describing appreciation memories that may have splinters (the positive
memories being describe are about the Lord’s presence in the midst of trauma), and especially
if you are working with a group in which many of the people have similar traumas, so that each
person’s splinters could trigger other participants, it is important to coach the participants to
deliberately find positive memories that are completely free of splinters – memories without
any aspect of pain or trauma. For example, feeling God’s presence while appreciating a
beautiful sunset, seeing Jesus standing beside her as she holds her new baby, or experiencing a
connection with Jesus in the context of a particularly beautiful worship service.

If a participant discovers that all her memories of positive God connections are memories of
God’s presence in the midst of trauma, she can try a simple exercise that is often successful in
generating completely splinter-free memories of interactive connections with God. Start with a
non-God positive appreciation memory, such as holding her baby, playing with a favorite pet,
spending time with a best friend, or some beautiful nature experience, like looking out over the
Grand Canyon at sunrise. Then, just as for those who don’t yet have positive memories for
interactions with God (above), she can go through the deliberate appreciation step with these
non-God positive memories, and then use the same memories to go through the interactive
connection step (chapter **fill in**), below. With this simple exercise, many become able to
perceive God’s interactive presence in memories that had previously been non-God positive
memories, and these new interactive connection positive memories are totally splinter-free (not
associated with trauma in any way).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 7: Healing, Freedom, and Joy for a Crack Addict
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 4/6/2013)
DRAFT

Initial testimony from 2011:

“My appreciation story is this. I have been addicted to the drug crack for 20 plus years. It has
destroyed every relationship that I ever had....When I use any type of drug I cannot stop, and
this includes alcohol. I've spent times on Skid row in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and have
been through many, many programs, including the union rescue mission..., the los Angeles
mission, Salvation Army, Teen Challenge, First Step, AA, NA, CA, and any other A program
you can think of. My dad left when I was one and my mom tried to commit suicide shortly after
this. She owned a bar and worked 18 hour days, so to say the first couple of years of my life
were not a healthy developmental period would be an understatement. I started Restarting,1 and
at first it was just to save my marriage. I actually found you [note that the writer is referring to
Ed Khouri] quite entertaining, and was just going through the motions.

The Immanuel process was when it started to change. God took me back to when I was one
year old and my mom tried to commit suicide. He showed me that He was there, that He kept
her alive, and that He allowed me to spend time with her. An especially cool, beautiful piece
has to do with the end of my Mom’s life. God not only showed me that I wasn’t to blame for
my Mom trying to commit suicide and that He was with me the whole time, He also fast
forwarded to 40 years later (while I was still in disobedience to Him), and showed me that He
was the one that led my Mom to ask me to be the person on her living will – the person who
would make the final decisions about her health care. That showed me that I was loved and that
I was not just an addict. So God showed me that not only was I not at fault for her trying to
commit suicide, but that He had brought bring things full circle.

Through the Immanuel process, the appreciation stories, the quieting myself, and the
relationships I've built, Joy has come into my life and my brain has been healed. I was suicidal
and on antidepressant medications, but now...I want to live and am not on any medications. I
have been joyfully sober for over 3 years now, which is by far the longest I have been #1
Joyful, and #2 sober.”

Additional follow up from May 2013:

“I just celebrated 5 years on January 11th, and I don't go to 12 step meetings anymore (I haven't
for a couple of years)....My brain has been healed. I've learned over the past couple years that
my identity has totally changed. I am no longer an addict, alcoholic, liar, thief or any of the
other things I thought I was before. I am God's masterpiece. I am a child of the Most High, and
that I am alive and serving God is just as powerful of a miracle as any I read about in the Bible.
I've been facilitating Restarting for the last few years as well as a class on codependency, and
starting this Monday me and my wife will be leading a Search for Significance2 study
group....I'm grateful to you, Ed, Jim, Brent and Peggie Harbaugh, and our Pastor, Dwain

1
For more information regarding the Restarting module of the Thriving: Recover Your Life program,
see www.thrivingrecovery.org.
2
Robert S. McGee, Search for Significance (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 7 (New 5/18/13) Page 2 of 2

Kitchens, and especially to my wife, Andrea, who through the Lord stuck by me and saw things
in me I didn't see in myself. Most of all I'm grateful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
Immanuel, who showed me that He has always been with me, even when I didn't realize it.”

For those of you who know anything about addictions, this Immanuel story is very encouraging.
Being five and a half years joyful and sober after twenty years of crack addiction is HUGE.3

3
This testimony is excerpted from private communications from the author to Ed Khouri and myself.
Used with permission.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 8: Refreshed Perception
and Establishment of an Interactive Connection
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 5/22/2013)
DRAFT

The second step in the Immanuel approach process is to refresh perception of the Lord’s
presence, and to establish a living, interactive connection with the Lord in the present as the
foundation for the rest of the session. This can happen in either the context of the positive
memory, in the context of your surroundings in the present, or both.

A. Perception and connection in the context of the positive memory: For perceiving the
Lord’s presence and establishing a connection in the context of the positive memory, after
stirring up appreciation in the context of recalling a previous positive experience you continue to
deliberately reconnect with/reenter the memory. And then, after several more minutes of
reconnecting/reentering, you transition from just a memory of the Lord’s presence to a living,
real time, interactive connection in the present.

1. Re-enter memory: Spend several minutes thinking about the memory and recalling the
original experience as vividly as possible. The goal is to re-enter the memory – to recreate, as
much as possible, the brain-mind-spirit state of being inside the original interactive
connection with the Lord. For example, I often use the memory described earlier, in which I
perceived the Lord walking beside me and talking to me about my friend, Thomas. When I
re-enter this memory I try to recreate the whole situation in my mind – I picture myself (first
person, from the inside of the experience) carrying my exercise weights and walking towards
the lake on Kedzie Boulevard; I recreate the same mental image of the Lord walking beside
me as a friend, smiling and appearing to enjoy the weather; I repeat the comment, “Lord, I’m
so glad that Thomas is with you now;” I recreate the mental image of the Lord suddenly
turning to me, with his big smile; I remember the sense that he heard me, that he understood
me, and that he responded contingently to what I was thinking and feeling; and I remember
his specific response, “So am I! He has fought the good fight, and has finished the race. He is
here with me now – his suffering has ended, and he is being rewarded for his heroic
faithfulness.”

The reason we re-enter the memory of a previous interactive connection is that this seems to
provide an especially good context for establishing an interactive connection in the present.
And this makes sense neurologically, psychologically, and spiritually. The brain, mind, spirit
conditions in the original experience were obviously “just right” for establishing an
interactive connection (since it happened), and re-entering the memory recreates, to a large
extent, these “just right” brain, mind, spirit conditions.

2. Transition to living, real time, interactive connection in the present: From what Dr.
Wilder and I have observed, it seems to be a very small step from being inside the memory of
a previous interactive connection to establishing an interactive connection in the present. In
fact, our observation is that when people re-enter memories of previous interactive
connections, with the desire and intention of establishing an interactive connection in the
present, they are always able to make the transition from their memories to living, real time,

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 8: Interactive Connection.... (New 4/12/13) Page 2 of 7

interactive connections in the present unless there is a specific problem blocking the process.1
Furthermore, this transition seems to take place spontaneously, without us having to do
anything other than ask the Lord for help and shift the focus of our attention to our
relationship with the Lord in the present.

For example, when I want to establish an interactive connection with the Lord, I can think
about, appreciate, and re-enter the Thomas memory, as described earlier. When I get to the
place where I’m inside the memory and have reconnected with the original experience, I ask
the Lord to refresh my perception of His presence and establish an interactive connection;
and then I stay with the mental images from the memory but change the focus of my attention
to my relationship with the Lord in the present, specifically checking to see what feels true
with respect to the Lord in the present. That is, I stay inside the mental imagery of walking
towards the lake with the Lord walking beside me, but I ask “Does his presence in this
imagery feel like it’s only a memory, or does it feel like he’s with me in the present, as a
living presence?” And when I do this I almost always2 discover that it feels true that the Lord
is with me in the present, and that he has re-established an interactive connection – I perceive
that the Lord’s presence in the memory imagery comes alive, and that (still in the context of
the memory imagery), His presence begins to engage with me interactively.

Some have asked for more explanation regarding how this works. The first comment I want
to make along these lines is that this memory-based technique for establishing a living, real-
time, in-the-present interactive connection with the Lord is not simply a combination of
autobiographical memory and guided imagination. Thinking about interactions with one of
your friends can be helpful in making this point. I think we can all see that actually talking to
your friend is not the same as remembering a previous conversation, nor is it the same as
thinking up an imaginary conversation. When you remember a past conversation you are
simply replaying memory for known events that have already happened – the characters in
your memory don’t start coming up with new and unexpected responses. And when you think
up an imaginary conversation, you are generating both sides of the interaction and you aren’t
surprised by anything your imaginary friend says or does. In contrast, when you are actually
having a living, interactive connection with your friend in the present, she will come up with
spontaneous, original, contingent responses that you don’t anticipate and that are not under
your control. Furthermore, no combination of re-entering memories for past conversations
and thinking up imaginary new conversations will cause your friend to suddenly appear in
front of you and establish an interactive connection in the present.

I have also come up with a second friendship analogy to help present what I think is
happening with this memory-based technique for establishing interactive connection with the
Lord. Let’s say a close friend is waiting in your living room, wanting to connect with you.

1
For example, I have worked with people who have dissociated internal parts that understand how
this works, and realize that establishing an interactive connection often leads to working with painful
memories. These parts therefore often allow the initial steps of recalling and re-entering the memory of
previous interactive connection, but then shut things down when it comes to the step of transitioning to a
living, interactive connection in the present. Another example is people who have such intense triggered
fear about not being able to connect with the Lord that this derails the process at the point they would
otherwise be transitioning to an interactive connection in the present.
2
Occasionally there is some sort of blockage, such as triggered anxiety about not being able to
perceive the Lord’s presence, that hinders the transition.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 8: Interactive Connection.... (New 4/12/13) Page 3 of 7

Let’s also say that you are in an emotional space where you would be happy to connect with
your friend, but you enter the room blindfolded so that you are not initially aware of her
presence. Finally, let’s say that you spend several minutes thinking about and re-entering a
memory for a previous positive interactive connection with this person, and then you take off
your blindfold to discover that your friend is sitting in front of you. I think we can all see that
unless some specific problem gets in the way, you will flow naturally into an interactive
connection with your friend in the present.

Now let’s apply this analogy to the Lord. In our Immanuel emotional healing sessions people
regularly meet the Lord as a living presence, and establish contingent, interactive connections
with Him, in the context of being “inside” of memories for past experiences. I also believe
that the Lord can wait for you in your memories just as the friend in my hypothetical analogy
can wait for you in your living room. Furthermore, we can assume that the Lord wants to
connect with you as he waits for you in your memories, since he always wants to connect
with you. So, the Lord wants to connect with you and is waiting for you in your memories for
past experiences of interactive connection, and you go into one of these memories wanting to
connect with him. After spending a minute or two thinking about and re-entering the
memory, you stay with the content from the memory but change the focus of your attention
from the historical connection in the memory to the question of whether the Lord is with you
in the present. Changing the focus of your attention to the question of whether the Lord is
with you as a living presence in the present is like taking off the blindfold. Unless there is
some specific problem in the way, you will perceive the Lord’s living presence and flow
naturally into a living, contingent, interactive connection in the present.

Our observation is that the combination of recalling a previous good experience with the
Lord, stirring up appreciation, and deliberately reentering the memory provides an especially
effective doorway/bridge for re-establishing an interactive connection with the Lord.

B. Perception and connection in the context of your surroundings in the present: When Dr.
Wilder and I were first developing this part of the Immanuel approach, where we help the
recipient to establish an interactive connection right at the beginning of the session, pretty much
everybody reported that they perceived the Lord’s living presence and experienced an interactive
connection in the context of the initial positive memory. However, one of my clients
misunderstood my directions. When I said, “Now change the focus of your attention from just
remembering the connection with Jesus to the question, ‘Can I perceive Jesus now, as a living,
interactive presence in the present?’” she thought I meant for her to do this in the context of her
surroundings in the present (sitting in the Lazy-Boy chair, immediately across from me in my
office). And when she changed the focus of her attention to the possibility that she might
perceive Jesus in the room with us, she was immediately aware of His presence kneeling beside
her chair, with His face right at the same level as her face. He was smiling, with a very kind,
gentle expression, He was looking right at her, and she had the clear, strong sense that He was
hearing and understanding everything she said. We both thought, “Great! We have a good initial
interactive connection,” and we went on with the session without pausing to clarify details. I
assumed that she was talking about Jesus kneeling beside her in the context of her initial positive
memory, and she assumed that I realized she was talking about Jesus kneeling beside her right in
the room with us in the present.

This is humbling with respect to my lack of perception, but this actually went on for many
sessions before I even realized what was happening. In each session, she would quickly and
easily go through the positive memory recall and deliberate appreciation pieces, and then when I
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 8: Interactive Connection.... (New 4/12/13) Page 4 of 7

encouraged her to welcome the living presence of Jesus and focus her attention on perceiving and
connecting with Him in the present, she would immediately perceive and connect with Him as
He knelt beside her chair in my office. In each session, I assumed she was describing Jesus
kneeling beside her in the context of her positive memory, and in each session she assumed that I
realized she was engaging with Jesus as He knelt beside her chair in my office. I can’t remember
the specifics, but eventually something she said and did as she was interacting with Jesus
kneeling beside her in my office tipped me off, and I suddenly realized, “Oh my goodness! For
all these months Jesus has been kneeling beside her chair, right here in front of me!” Fortunately,
I had the wisdom to keep my new awareness to myself. It was obvious that this alternative way of
doing things was working just fine, so I figured I’d just let her continue to perceive and connect
with Jesus in this new, alternative way, and see what I could learn by keeping my mouth shut and
my eyes and ears open.

I learned a lot. Not only did this person continue to quickly and easily establish an initial
connection with Jesus in this new, alternative way (and then go on to receive powerful healing in
practically every single session), but she also began to teach others to use this new, alternative
way for connecting with Jesus at the beginning of the session. I still hadn’t told her that she was
doing this piece differently, so when she began training others to use the Immanuel approach, she
coached them to do it the same way she had been doing it. And pretty much all the people she
has trained have been having experiences much like hers, establishing their initial interactive
connections with the Lord in the context of their immediate surroundings in the present.3
Furthermore, other recipients started to report spontaneous variability. When recipients were
deliberately focusing their attention on the positive memory, in most cases they would perceive
and connect with God in this context; and when recipients were deliberately focusing their
attention on their surroundings in the present, in most cases they would perceive and connect
with God in this context. However, I started to have an occasional session where the person
would spontaneously report, “I know I’m supposed to be connecting with Jesus in the memory,
but I’ve kinda lost the memory, and I’m sensing that He’s standing right behind me, here in your
office.” Or the person would spontaneously comment, “I’m not sure if this is okay, but I just
kinda went back to my positive memory. I can’t find Jesus here in the room with us, but I’m
seeing Him standing right beside me in the memory.”4

As you can see, the Lord is clearly flexible, and willing to cooperate with different ways of
helping the recipient to perceive His presence and establish an interactive connection. As far as I
can tell, the two primary options are equally effective, and I have not yet been able to focus
criteria for determining which variation to use in a given situation. If you have thoughts about
reasons for preferring one or the other approach, I would be happy to hear them (please contact
me: [email protected])

3
Our initial expression was “in the room with them,” but then people started using these Immanuel
approach tools to connect with Jesus while sitting in their back yards, walking in parks, driving down
highways, hiking in the mountains, and swimming in the ocean. So we have had to broaden our language
to make space for this fun, wonderful, outside of the box reality.
4
There is actually even more spontaneous variability than this. Occasionally the recipient will
perceive and connect with the Lord in the context of a memory other than the initial positive memory – a
memory that comes forward spontaneously when we welcome the Lord and ask Him to help establish an
interactive connection. I have had several sessions in which the recipient perceived the Lord’s presence
and established an interactive connection in the context of imagery that did not seem to be coming from
any specific memories. And once in a while the recipient will perceive and connect with the Lord in two
or more settings simultaneously.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 8: Interactive Connection.... (New 4/12/13) Page 5 of 7

C. Putting It All Together: So, putting these pieces together, the practical application with
respect to the Immanuel approach is that after the person has identified one or more memories of
past positive connection with the Lord, and has successfully engaged in deliberate appreciation
so that she feels appreciation for His presence and care in these past experiences, we have three
options for the next piece of helping her to establish an interactive connection with the Lord’s
living presence in the present.

1. Perception and connection in the context of the positive memory: After the recipient has
successfully engaged in positive memory recall and deliberate appreciation to the point that she
feels appreciation, I coach her to spend several additional minutes reentering/reconnecting with
the memory, and then I coach her to focus especially on the Lord’s presence in the memory, to
explicitly welcome the Lord’s living presence in the context of the memory, and to ask the
question, “Is this still just memory, or has the Lord’s presence become living and interactive?”
As she does this, I ask the Lord to help her perceive His presence and establish an interactive
connection, so that these are real and living in the present, and then I coach the person to
describe whatever comes into her awareness. If the recipient doesn’t spontaneously report an
interactive connection with the Lord, I ask whether she can perceive His living, interactive
presence. (This question prompts the person to again focus her attention on the Lord, and on
the question of whether her perception of his presence is only memory, or whether she is
experiencing a living, interactive connection in the present.) The person is usually able to
transition smoothly and easily from positive memory recall and appreciation to a living,
interactive connection with the Lord in the present (and if this doesn’t happen, we trouble-
shoot regarding what’s in the way).

2. Perception and connection in the context of your surroundings in the present: After the
recipient has successfully engaged in positive memory recall and deliberate appreciation to the
point that she feels appreciation, I coach her to explicitly welcome the Lord’s living presence in
the context of her surroundings in the present, and to change the focus of her attention from the
memory to the question, “Can I perceive Jesus now, as a living, interactive presence in the
present?” And I clarify that she is asking this question as she focuses her attention on her
surroundings in the present. As she does this, I ask the Lord to help her perceive His presence
and establish an interactive connection, so that these are real and living in the present, and then
I coach the person to describe whatever comes into her awareness. The person is usually able to
transition smoothly and easily from positive memory recall and appreciation to a living,
interactive connection with the Lord in the present (and if this doesn’t happen, we trouble-
shoot regarding what’s in the way).

3. Both: Just recently I have been experimenting with both. When I am in a situation where
plenty of time is available, I figure, “Why not have two channels working at the same time?” In
these situations, I start with helping the recipient to establish an interactive connection in the
context of the initial positive memory, and then when this is in place I coach her to shift the
focus of her attention to her surroundings in the present, to ask the question, “Can I perceive
Jesus now, as a living, interactive presence in the present?,” and then to describe whatever
comes into her awareness. So far, the people I have tried this with have been able to establish a
connection in both contexts, and then through the rest of the session the Lord seems to prompt
them to go back and forth between the two. For example, in one recent session, when the
recipient would lose her connection with Jesus in the context of the traumatic memory we were
working with, I just coached, “Go back to your initial connection and ask for help in that
context,” without specifying which connection she should go back to. In one of these moments
she responded with, “He’s right here, sitting beside me on the couch,” and then promptly

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 8: Interactive Connection.... (New 4/12/13) Page 6 of 7

turned to Him for guidance and help. In another of these moments, the Lord seemed to prompt
her to go back to her connection with Him in the initial positive memory, and then it turned out
that there were important connections between the positive memory and the traumatic memory
we were working on.5

______________________________________________________________________________
Advanced topics warning: The remainder of this chapter discusses practical considerations and
presents practical tips relevant to those who are wanting to start actually experimenting with the
Immanuel approach process. If you are still trying to get the big picture overview, feel free to
skip/skim this practical material for now, and then come back for it when you are wanting to start
practicing with the actual process.
______________________________________________________________________________

D. Practical Considerations:

1) Detailed written account: If you are having trouble re-entering your memories for previous
interactive connections, detailed written accounts can sometimes help you connect more
powerfully. For example, I am very familiar with my story of talking to the Lord about
Thomas, I have reviewed the written account many times, and I am able to re-enter this
memory even without looking at the written account. But I experience a stronger connection
when I take the time to read through the detailed account. Even though I am so familiar with
the story, I still consistently leave out (or skim over) emotionally important details when I think
about it without the benefit of my written notes. Putting together a detailed written account, and
then reading it when you’re triggered, do take a bit of time and effort, but I would encourage
you to try this if you’re having trouble re-entering your positive memories and re-establishing
an interactive connection.

2) Connection in the present is often much more subtle than the original connection in the
experience you are remembering: An important practical point with respect to the transition
from memory to a living interactive connection in the present is that the connection in the
present is often much more subtle than the original connection in the experience you are
remembering. For example, when I’m upset and use the Thomas memory as the starting point
for reestablishing a connection with Jesus, my perception of the Jesus’ presence when I
transition to the present is usually just a faint, single frame from the memory images of the
Lord’s face, accompanied by a subtle knowing that He’s aware of my experience, that He’s
listening, that He understands, that He cares, that He’s empathizing with me in my pain, and
that He’s not upset with me for being messy.6 I usually do not perceive the kind of dramatically
spontaneous and contingent responses that were part of the interactions about Thomas, like
when Jesus surprised me by suddenly turning towards me, flashing a big smile, and making

5
Our live session teaching DVD, Bob: Safety Net Demonstration (Live Ministry Series #29),
provides a good example of a session in which the recipient establishes an interactive connection in both
the context of the initial positive memory and the context of his immediate surroundings in the present.
6
I think it is valid to think about the Lord seeing us, hearing us, understanding us, caring for us, and
empathizing with us in our pain as subtle forms of contingent response. Therefore, I am experiencing a
subtle form of interactive connection with the Lord if I am talking to him about my pain (as described
below), and it feels true that he sees, hears, and understands me, that he cares about me, and that he is
empathizing with me in my pain.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 8: Interactive Connection.... (New 4/12/13) Page 7 of 7

comments that I had not been expecting (at least not initially). However, even though the
interactive connection in the present is usually much more subtle, it still works as a foundation
for the Immanuel approach.

3) Skills and faith that help you cooperate: As already mentioned, we don’t have to do
anything to produce the transition from memory to refreshed interactive connection in the
present, but in my experience there are several things that have been helpful with respect to
cooperating with the process. I have been learning to recognize what the refreshed connection
in the present looks like for me, I have been learning to recognize that it is real even though it
is often very subtle, and I have been growing in faith with respect to the whole process.
Growing/learning with respect to these points has enabled me to spend less time and energy
worrying about whether my interactive connection with the Lord is real, so that I can more
easily move on to the next steps of the process.

4) You can streamline things for people who are familiar with the process: With people
who are new to the Immanuel approach, I carefully coach them through this process; whereas
people who are familiar with the process often recall a positive memory, reenter/reconnect with
the memory, feel appreciation for the Lord, and then perceive the Lord’s living presence and
establish an interactive connection with Him without the need for coaching from me. As with
the positive memory and appreciation steps, the whole initial process to the point of
establishing an interactive connection often happens smoothly and quietly during the opening
prayer.7

5) The most subtle form of interactive connection: I have noticed that recipients are often
able to receive communication from God, in the most subtle form of interactive connection,
even when they are not yet able to perceive His presence in any tangible way. If a person does
not (yet) perceive God’s presence in any tangible way, even with carefully going through the
initial steps in the Immanuel approach and with persistent troubleshooting, I coach her to ask
God for guidance, and then I coach her to simply describe whatever comes into her awareness.
Even when the person does not perceive any tangible sense of God’s presence, if she asks for
God to speak, thoughts come. She can’t tell/feel that the thoughts are from God – the thoughts
feel like they may be coming from her own mind – but careful discernment (especially with the
help of others) often reveals the Lord is quietly speaking. I consider this to be the most subtle
form of an interactive connection with God, and with gentle, persistent coaching, even people
with very complicated blockages can at least start at this point.

Several of the sessions portrayed in our live ministry DVDs illustrate this point well. See, for
7

example, Maggie #3: Labor & Delivery Trauma, and Rita #3: Jesus is Better than Candy.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 9: Ian, Immanuel, and Routine Parenting
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 4/6/2013)
DRAFT

Dr. Ian M., a friend of ours and psychologist in Winnipeg, Canada, has been teaching his children
about the Immanuel approach for life. He has talked to them about the truth that Jesus
(Immanuel) is always with us, he has taught them how to perceive the Lord’s presence and
establish an interactive connection, he has taught them that they can turn to Jesus and engage
with Him as a living person when they encounter difficulties in life, and they have discovered
that the Lord can and does respond to them – in their hearts/to their spirits. With this foundation
in place, he can easily use the Immanuel approach as part of day to day parenting interactions.

For example, he was at the stove one evening, frying hamburger for dinner, when his four year
old daughter, Selah, came into the kitchen and informed him that she needed a drink of juice.
When he told her that he would be glad to get her a drink, but that she would have to wait a few
minutes until he was done with the hamburger, she responded with, “No, I need a drink of juice
right now!” And when he repeated that she would have to wait a few minutes, she began to
escalate into tantrum mode, with crying, tears, and increasingly intense demands of “I need a
drink now! I need juice right now! I need juice now, now, Now, NOW!”

At this point Ian knelt down in front of his daughter, face to face, eyes to eyes, and said, in a
gentle, soft voice, “Honey, would you be willing to ask Jesus what He wants to say to you?”
Immediately her crying stopped, and Selah held up her hand towards Ian and said, “okay dad, be
quiet.” Not in a harsh way, but more with an intended meaning along the lines of “It’s Jesus’ turn
to talk now. Please be quiet so I can hear Him.” She paused, completely still and quiet for maybe
ten seconds, and then said, “Jesus said that I need to be patient and I need to wait.” When Ian
asked, “Okay, so what are you going to do?” She respond promptly with, “I’m gonna do what
Jesus asked me to do, dad – I’m gonna be patient and wait.”

Selah then just stood beside Ian, smiling, watching, and waiting quietly and patiently for him to
finish frying the hamburger. It seemed to Ian that Selah continued to perceive Jesus’ lingering
presence and feel connected to him as she was waiting, and she seemed quite pleased that she
now had what she needed to be able to wait. Quite impressive, really, when you consider that she
had to wait five to ten minutes before he was able to get her the juice, and this is a very long time
for a four year old who was escalating to a tantrum with demands for immediate action only
moments earlier.

When Ian shared this story with me, he finished with the comment: “I often ask myself, ‘Why is
it so hard to remember to include Jesus into everything, since He’s right there with us?’....As a
family, we are working on it. Immanuel – God with us!”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 10: Engage with Jesus at Every Point in the Session,
Regarding Everything that Comes Up
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 5/23/2013)
DRAFT

The third step in the Immanuel approach process is for the recipient to engage directly with Jesus
at every point in the session, regarding everything that comes up. Once the person has established
a living, interactive connection with Jesus in the present, coach her to turn to Jesus, focus on
Jesus, and engage with Him directly at every point in the session, regarding every issue that
comes up, and regarding every difficulty that she encounters.1

A. Enhances our personal, relational, heart connection with the Lord: As described in
chapter three, the most important priority with the Immanuel approach is intimacy with God –
symptom relief is a nice fringe benefits, but the primary objective of the Immanuel approach is to
enhance our personal, relational, heart connection with the Lord. Along these lines, coaching the
person to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage with Him directly at every point in the session
is one of the most important Immanuel approach interventions for helping the person build her
personal, friendship connection with the Lord.

B. Keeps the session moving: Repeatedly coaching the person to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus,
and engage with Him directly is also very practical with respect to the Immanuel approach
process. Often, this simple intervention is all that is needed to keep the session moving forward
with respect to emotional healing, maturity mentoring, or anything else the Lord wants to
accomplish. The person might engage with Jesus for guidance in choosing an initial target, for
help with finding underlying traumatic memories, for assistance with resolving unfinished
processing tasks, for capacity augmentation when dealing with inadequate capacity, or for help
with any other questions, needs, or challenges that come up. If the person immediately turns to
Jesus and engages with Him directly, as soon as these questions, needs, or challenges come up,
the session often just keeps moving forward without the perception of being stuck or the need for
troubleshooting.

C. Prevents potentially problematic issues from even coming up: Furthermore, this simple
intervention can prevent potentially problematic issues from even coming up. For example, if
you constantly coach the person to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage directly with Jesus,
so that she perceives that He is with her and receives the benefits of a living interactive
connection, the recipient will experience dramatically increased capacity throughout the session.
With the benefit of this quiet, background capacity augmentation, the recipient might go through
the whole session without the issue of limited capacity ever coming up. In contrast, without this
quiet, background capacity augmentation, there might have been five places where you would
have needed to explicitly address the need for additional capacity.

D. Coach the person to ask for the guidance/help/gifts the Lord has for her, coach her to
ask for more of the guidance/help/gifts the Lord has for her: For some of you this point
might have been obvious from the beginning, but I had to discover that the Lord sometimes likes

1
In the language of Wilder and Coursey’s Share Immanuel booklet, this simple, foundational
intervention is “helping the person stay in the interactive seat.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 10: Engage with Jesus.... (New 5/23/13) Page 2 of 4

us to explicitly ask for His guidance, assistance, and gifts. When I first began using the Immanuel
approach, I somehow had this image, this idea, that perceiving and receiving were a one step
deal, inherently merged together. I assumed that if a person could perceive the Lord’s presence,
and had established an interactive connection, then the Lord would automatically and
immediately release everything He had for the person.

I was surprised to discover that receiving what the Lord has for you can be a separate process
from perceiving his presence. There’s certainly some overlap, of course. For example,
perceiving the Lord’s presence and establishing an interactive connection inherently resolves
certain lies, such as “I’m all alone in this” (you can’t believe you’re all alone if you can perceive
the Lord’s presence with you); establishing an interactive connection inherently helps with
respect to capacity, as with the child holding her Father’s hand; and establishing an interactive
connection with the Lord usually also immediately releases a variety of other blessings as well.
However, I discovered that the Lord often (maybe always?) has additional blessings and
resources that He wants us to ask for.

I learned this in a session where the person had been able to perceive the Lord’s presence and
establish a strong interactive connection early in the session, with dramatic benefit, but then
became stuck again twenty minutes later:

As she became stuck at this later point in the session, I asked: “So, what happened to Jesus?
Can you still perceive His presence?” expecting her to report that she’d somehow lost sight of
Him in the midst of the horrible memories we were working on.

I was actually surprised when she responded with: “Oh, sure. He’s right here beside me.”

The first thought that came to me in response to this was: “How can she be getting stuck if she
can still perceive Jesus “‘right there beside her?’”

And then I think the Holy Spirit prompted a new thought, and I asked: “Since it seems like
you’re getting stuck again due to lack of capacity, I wonder if the Lord might have more
resources for you. Why don’t you focus on Jesus, and ask Him if He has more resources for
you?”

She paused for a moment, and responded with: “Oh, yeah. He says He does have more
resources for me.”

Full of good ideas at this moment, I cleverly suggested: “Um..., why don’t you ask Him what
you need to do to receive these additional resources?”

Another pause, and then she comments: “He says I need to focus on Him, lean on Him, and ask
Him for more strength.”

Needless to say, this plan worked perfectly, and the healing process began to move forward
again.

The humbling truth is that my initial attitude, when I first started experimenting with the
Immanuel approach and Immanuel interventions, had been something along the lines of wanting
Jesus to show up and deliver His goods as quickly as possible, and then get out of the way so that
we could keep moving: “I mean, thank You very much for Your help and all that, but we have
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 10: Engage with Jesus.... (New 5/23/13) Page 3 of 4

important work to do here. We need to get these traumatic memories resolved, and these
symptoms relieved, and we only have 30 minutes left before the end of the session. So – nothing
personal – but I’m afraid we really don’t have time to stay and talk.” Jesus, on the other hand,
seemed to want us to turn to Him and ask Him for help on an ongoing basis. His apparent policy
of “I have more resources, but you have to ask Me for them at the point you need them”
encouraged us to remember that He was there, and to be deliberate about periodically turning to
Him and focusing on Him. He seemed to want to be relational, as opposed to just getting used
as a resource, with as little interaction as possible.

E. More examples of preventing potential problems: A common scenario in sessions I

facilitate provides additional examples of how the simple intervention of coaching the person to
keep engaging directly with Jesus can prevent potentially problematic issues from even coming
up. If the person is able to establish a good interactive connection at the beginning of the session,
I coach her to keep focusing on Jesus, to ask Him for guidance, to ask for any gifts/blessings He
has prepared for her, to spend time “just” being with Him, and to periodically describe what’s
happening (at appropriate pause points in her interactions with Jesus). The session might then go
something like the following:

Person receiving: “We’re sitting together on a bench along one of my favorite trails at the
campground where we vacation each summer. (Pause) It’s nice. I feel very safe, and I know
that He’s glad to be with me....”

Dr. Lehman: Good. Just keep focusing on Jesus, spending time with Him, and cooperating with
whatever He’s doing. And let me know what’s happening, when it’s possible to do so without
interrupting your interactions with Jesus.”

Person receiving: (Pause) “Now He’s pointing out to me little things that are especially
beautiful – a yellow lady’s slipper [an especially beautiful flower], an indigo bunting [an
especially beautiful bird], and a little rock with sparkly crystals in it. We’re just enjoying His
creation together....”

Dr. Lehman: Good. Just keep focusing on Jesus, ask Him for guidance, cooperate with
whatever He does, and let me know what happens.

Person receiving: (Pause) “Now He’s standing up, and holding out His hand to me, like He
wants to go somewhere. (Pause) He says He wants to do some more healing work – He wants
to work on my fear of my boss’ anger. (Pause) We’re walking – I’m just following Him.
(Pause) He’s leading me to the playground from when I was in first grade, and now I’m
remembering....”

As the person keeps her focus on Jesus, asks for His gifts and guidance, cooperates with
whatever He’s doing, and follows His lead, the “what should I do with this session?” question
and the need for help with finding underlying traumatic memories never even come up.

F.) If the recipient goes to a traumatic memory: If the agenda for the session is to work with
trauma, as soon as each traumatic memory comes forward, the first thing you do is to help the

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 10: Engage with Jesus.... (New 5/23/13) Page 4 of 4

recipient connect with Jesus in the context of the traumatic memory.2 And then continue to coach
her to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage with him directly at every point, regarding every
issue, and regarding every difficulty.

2
In most cases, the recipient will recall a traumatic memory from the perspective of being “inside”
the memory. In these situations, help the person to become aware of Jesus’ presence and connect with
Him inside the memory. However, in some cases the person will initially recall a traumatic memory from
a distance – from the perspective of being an outside observer. In these situations, help the person to
become aware of Jesus’ presence and connect with Him even as she is in the distant/outside observer
perspective. Sometimes she will perceive Jesus in the memory as she looks at it from a distance, but she
will still be able to connect with Him and engage with Him from her distant/outside observer perspective.
Sometimes she will perceive Jesus to be with her in her place of distant/outside observation, and she will
connect with Him and engage with Him as He shares her place of distant/outside observation. And
sometimes she will experience both of these simultaneously.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 11: Bruce, Intense Pain, Tough Questions, and Immanuel
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 5/29/2013)
DRAFT

Bruce’s five year old daughter was utterly exhausted, and whimpered weakly between bouts of
retching. She had been vomiting for two days, and now it was 2:30 a.m. and she had started
again. He held her, rocked her, tried to offer reassurances, and brushed the limp strands of hair
off of her sweaty forehead, but she was still miserable and there wasn’t much else he could do for
her. It was painful to feel so helpless and powerless as he watched his child suffer. Eventually,
Bruce cried out to the Lord with angry thoughts along the lines of, “Enough! Enough already!
Why don’t You just heal her, God?”

I was facilitating a demonstration session for one of our mentoring groups, and this is the
memory that Jesus took Bruce back to after he had established an interactive connection with the
Lord and then asked for guidance and direction. As he remembered watching his daughter suffer,
and reconnected with the intense, painful feelings of helplessness and powerlessness, he also
reconnected with his anger, and his specific frustration towards God, “Enough already! Why
don’t You just heal her?” At this point I invited Bruce to try the Immanuel intervention
invitation, with the specific proposal that he would let Jesus be with him in this place, and then
engage with Jesus directly regarding his pain, anger, and questions. Bruce made a simple
invitation, “Lord, help me to perceive Your presence there,” and then asked, “Just help me Lord,
I don’t understand why she has to go through that.”

After a long pause, Bruce started sobbing, and was eventually able to choke out the following
(through tears and sobs),

“I see Jesus...He’s holding her...He’s holding my daughter...He’s holding her – He’s kind of
just rocking her – and He’s telling me that He loves her. He loves her as much as I love her. He
loves her more than I love her. He’s gonna take care of her. He’s just holding her. She’s just
laying there. But she’s safe in His arms.”

After another long pause, Bruce reported, “He’s just asking me to trust Him. Just to trust Him.
Trust that He loves her. That I just need to rest in that.” And after a few more moments, he
finished with, “He’s gonna take care of her.”

At this point I coached Bruce to scan through the memory, especially looking for any part of it
that still felt bad in any way. But after taking a few minutes to carefully go through the memory,
he responded with, “No, I just kinda picture myself going back to bed, and sleeping – just
knowing that He’s in there watching her....Just seeing her with Him makes me feel like I can go
back to sleep – that it’s gonna be okay.” I also coached Bruce to check and see whether Jesus’
words felt true, and he reassured me that they did. Finally, I coached him to go back through the
memory (deliberately emphasizing the places where he had felt the most painfully powerless and
the most frustrated with the Lord for not intervening more directly), and I asked him whether the
Lord’s response to his pain, anger, and questions felt truly and fully satisfying. After another
pause, Bruce responded quietly with, “Yeah, it does. It does. Yeah.”

During the two years following the session, Bruce experienced continued peace regarding the
memory of his daughter’s suffering, and when he came in for a follow up interview at the end of

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 11 (New 4/6/13) Page 2 of 2

these two years, I asked him to deliberately go back to the memory of his daughters illness to
check again regarding any lingering pain, anger, or unresolved questions. After taking a couple of
minutes to reconnect with the memory, Bruce reported that he still perceived Jesus with him in
the memory, that the words from Jesus still felt true, that Jesus’ response still felt satisfying, and
that he could not find any fear, anger, powerlessness, helpless, or negative thoughts in any part of
the memory.

This session provides an example of a powerful, beautiful phenomena I have observed repeatedly
with the Immanuel approach. My observation is that as suffering becomes increasingly intense
and prolonged, we struggle to hold onto the truth that God both loves us and is with us. “How
can this be true? How can God be with me and love me, and still allow this suffering to continue
even as I ask and ask and ask for healing/deliverance/relief?” As we all know, this is one of the
toughest questions in this history of Christianity. My experience with this question is that the
books and sermons, with explanations regarding free will, building our faith, sharing in the
suffering of Christ, etc, are satisfying when we are talking about someone else’s suffering, or
when we are talking about our own suffering that is long past and fully resolved. But when we
are in the middle of our own suffering, or thinking about past suffering that is not yet resolved,
we have a hard time holding onto the truth about God’s presence and goodness. And the
difficulty of the struggle is directly proportional to the intensity and duration of the suffering.

However, I have experienced and observed one exception. When we let Jesus be with us in the
place of suffering, and engage with Him directly regarding our suffering (and any tough
questions associated with it), we consistently end up actually feeling satisfied with His answer.
Sometimes the person has needed to yell at the Lord for 30 minutes, expressing intense rage and
confusion before being able to receive His answer. And many times the Lord’s answer has been
something along the lines of, “Your brain is not able to understand why the Father and I allow
this, but I am with you, and because of who I am, that is enough.” But when the Immanuel
approach recipients have been able to let Jesus be with them, and have truly been able to engage
with Him directly regarding their struggle, they have always been satisfied with His response.

This has been the only intervention that has ever felt truly satisfying to me when I have been
suffering intensely and struggling to hold onto the truth about God’s presence and love, and this
has been the only intervention that I have ever observed to be truly satisfying to others in
response to this tough question. Furthermore, this intervention seems to be very consistently
effective. Every person who has been able to perceive the Lord’s presence and who has been
willing to cooperate with this intervention has been satisfied with the Lord’s response and come
to a place of peace. As described above, Bruce’s session provides a good example.

Note: the session and follow-up interview described here were recorded, and are available under
the Live Ministry Session DVD title, Bruce: Loss of Parents, Sibling Conflict, Daughter’s
Illness.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 12: Immanuel Approach Troubleshooting Part I: Engage with Jesus
at Every Point in the Session, Regarding Everything that Comes Up
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 5/30/2013)
DRAFT

Many people are quickly able to establish an adequate interactive connection, they easily
maintain this connection, and they receive enhanced friendship with the Lord, transformative
emotional healing, and a variety of other beautiful, live-giving results, all with only the minimal
Immanuel approach interventions already described. However, others initially experience
confusing, disappointing, or frustrating results. Through tens of thousands of hours of working
with EMDR, Theophostic-based emotional healing, and now the Immanuel approach, I have
become totally convinced that the Lord is always present, that the Lord always wants to bless us
with life-giving gifts, that the Lord is always able to accomplish this, and that the Immanuel
approach will almost1 always (eventually) release these gifts and blessings if the facilitator can
help the person identify and resolve blockages that are sometimes present. This is very
encouraging, and it has brought me to the place of being very persistent with respect to
troubleshooting in situations where the person does not initially get good results. It has also
convinced me of the importance of adequate troubleshooting.

A. Engage with Jesus at Every Point in the Session, Regarding Everything that Comes Up:
As mentioned above, repeatedly coaching the person to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and ask
Jesus for guidance and help – coaching her to engage with Jesus directly at every point in the
session, regarding every issue that comes up, and regarding every difficulty that arises –
sometimes prevents potentially problematic issues from even coming up. As also mentioned
above, when the person does encounter questions, needs, and challenges, if the person
immediately turns to Jesus in these situations – as soon as the questions, needs, and challenges
come up – the session often just keeps moving forward without the perception of being stuck or
the need for troubleshooting. However, sometimes the person tries to figure it out/resolve it on
her own, and then eventually becomes stuck and needs help with troubleshooting. In these
situations, the first thing I do with respect to troubleshooting is check to see whether the recipient
can still perceive the Lord’s presence and whether she still has an interactive connection; and if
these two pieces are still in place,2 I simply coach her to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage
with Him directly regarding the difficulty in front of her.

When I first started working with the Immanuel approach, this first, most basic troubleshooting
tool actually surprised and puzzled me. I had initially thought that a session would always move
forward smoothly as long as the person was still able to perceive the Lord’s presence and still
had an interactive connection. But then I had a very interesting experience in a session I was
facilitating for Pastor Patti. It seemed like something wasn’t working quite right – it seemed like
the process wasn’t moving forward as I sensed it should be – and I was just trying to figure out

1
On very rare occasions, a person will persistently choose to indulge in bitterness and/or self-pity
and/or rebellion. This will block the Immanuel approach process, and cannot be resolved with any of the
usual troubleshooting tools.
2
If she is not able to perceive the Lord’s presence, and has lost her interactive connection with Him,
I use Immanuel interventions, as described below, to restore her ability to perceive the Lord’s presence
and reestablish an adequate interactive connection.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Part I.... (New 5/23/13) Page 2 of 6

what was going on. As part of this, I innocently asked “can you still perceive the Lord’s
presence?” thinking that maybe Patti had lost her interactive connection, and that this was the
reason things were bogging down. I was actually quite surprised when she responded with
something along the lines of, “Oh, yeah, Jesus. I had forgotten all about Him. Actually, He’s still
standing right here beside me. I guess I got so focused on ____ (fill in the blank with some
intense aspect of the issue being addressed), and so overwhelmed by _____ (fill in the blank with
some combination of negative thoughts and emotions) that I totally forgot about Jesus.”3

After encountering this same phenomena in a number of sessions, I realized that people often
forget about the Lord and/or lose track of the Lord, even when He is still standing right beside
them. As each of these people explained to me, they would get so focused on some aspect of the
issue they were working on, and/or so overwhelmed by the negative thoughts and emotions they
were experiencing, that they would totally forget about Jesus. The primary intervention in these
scenarios is to recognize the problem, verify that the person can still perceive Jesus’ presence,
and then coach her to deliberately direct her attention back to Him. And sometimes I might also
need to provide a little additional coaching to help her engage directly with Jesus regarding the
problematic issue she’s wrestling with. For example, I might need to help her focus the problem,
I might need to help her talk to Jesus about it, and I might need to remind her to explicitly ask
Him for help.

Occasionally the person still perceives the Lord and has an interactive connection – she hasn’t
even lost Him or forgotten about Him – but it just didn’t occur to her to turn to him, focus on
Him, and ask Him for help. In these situations, all I need to do is provide the gentlest reminders
to focus on Jesus and ask Him for help.4 Again, at every point in the session, regarding every
issue that comes up, and regarding every difficulty that the recipient encounters, coach her to turn
to Jesus, focus on Jesus, and engage with Him directly for guidance and help (there is no way to
overemphasize this point).

Before leaving our discussion of coaching the person to engage directly with Jesus for
connection, guidance, and assistance at every point in the session, I want to mention three
variations that are common, subtle, and important.5

1) Notice that something important has come forward and then ask again: Sometimes the
person does not perceive any response from Jesus when she focuses on Him and asks for help,
but when I ask her to describe whatever is coming into her awareness she reports important
new information and/or emotions coming forward. The person often does not perceive their

3
Used with permission.
4
This may seem silly, but you will be surprised by how often it happens. People are especially prone
to this kind of problem with missing simple, obviously solutions when they are triggered to unresolved
childhood trauma, so that their thinking and discernment are impaired (and this can sometimes be quite
subtle).
5
At any point in the process where we ask the Lord for guidance/help, the first two of these
variations can provide additional assistance with respect to recognizing and understanding whatever the
Lord is sending forward. To put this another way: when we ask for guidance/help, and we don’t receive
the kind of response we’re expecting, these two simple, basic variations can help the session keep moving
forward.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Part I.... (New 5/23/13) Page 3 of 6

meaning or importance until she describes them to me,6 and even after recognizing their
significance, in most of these situations the person still does not feel that the new, important
content is coming from the Lord. Even so, I encourage her to notice the meaning and
importance of the new content, to consider the possibility that it is from the Lord (even though
she can’t feel the connection), and to continue focusing on the Lord, asking Him for help, and
describing whatever comes into her awareness as long as important new information and/or
emotions continue coming forward. In most of these situations, the different pieces coming
forward eventually all fit together, and then we can see clearly that the Lord had indeed been
leading the process.7

Therefore, one of the simple troubleshooting tools is to notice that this pattern is occurring, and
then instead of engaging in other, more complicated troubleshooting interventions, simply
continue to ask for guidance/help, and continue to coach the person to describe whatever comes
into her awareness (as long as significant new information and/or emotions keep coming
forward).

2) Help the person recognize what’s in her heart, get words to describe it, and then share
whatever she has formulated/articulated with Jesus: Occasionally I will be working with a
person who perceives the Lord’s presence, who appears to have an adequate interactive
connection, and who seems to be focusing on Jesus and engaging directly with Jesus; but I
don’t see any movement regarding the question/need/challenge in front of us. In these
situations, before trying anything more complicated I simply try a slower, more careful, more
deliberate form of coaching the person to engage directly with Jesus. I coach her to carefully
look through her internal awareness, and help her to notice, identify, and get words for
whatever she finds there. Then I help her to present this content to Jesus as clearly, honestly,
humbly, and vulnerably as possible. Usually we discover that there is some combination of
fears, questions, concerns, and confusion that she had not even been fully aware of, and when I
help her recognize this, get words for it, and then talk directly with Jesus about it the session
begins to move forward again. Even if the person doesn’t sense a clear, explicit answer from
Jesus, we almost always observe that something shifts and the session moves forward in some
way after the person gets words for what’s in her heart and expresses them directly to Jesus.

For example, with careful, patient coaching the person might eventually recognize that she
doesn’t want the session to go forward because she’s afraid of the shame she might feel – if she
allows Jesus to move the session forward, she might find memories with unbearable shame.
And when she is able to articulate these thoughts, and talk to the Lord about them, she
discovers that this blocking fear subsides: “Jesus didn’t say anything or do anything, but I just

6
See Chapter **Fill in when this chapter is complete,** “Describe everything that comes into your
awareness,” for a careful discussion of this common, interesting, and important phenomena. **This
content is currently included in the “Describe everything that comes into your awareness” section of
“The Immanuel Approach Revisited” essay.
7
The Charlie: “See this works!” session provides a good example of this phenomena. At a number
of points in the session we asked Jesus for specific guidance/help, and Charlie didn’t perceive an answer,
but when I coached him to describe “whatever” was coming into his awareness he reported new
memories coming forward. Eventually the pieces all fit together, and we could then see that bringing the
memories forward had been part of the Lord’s guidance and help. More information regarding the
Charlie: “See this works!” Live Ministry Series #27 training DVD can be obtained from the “Store”
page of www.immanuelapproach.com.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Part I.... (New 5/23/13) Page 4 of 6

don’t feel so afraid about the shame any more. I think I’m okay with moving forward.” Or
careful, patient coaching might help the person recognize that she’s ambivalent about
cooperating because of what she might have to give up: “If I cooperate with Jesus, and let Him
heal me, then I’ll have to give up my [addictive] eating – I don’t think I’m ready to do that.”
And when she’s able to focus this ambivalence, get words for it, and talk to the Lord about it,
she discovers that this blocking ambivalence loses it’s power: “I didn’t hear any specific
answer from Jesus, but the thought occurred to me that God won’t take away my free will just
because I get healed – I could still make my own choices with respect to eating. I don’t
know...(pause). It just seems true, and I feel more willing to cooperate.”

One of these interventions might look something like this8:

Anna: “I’m focusing on Jesus and asking Him for help, but nothing’s happening.”

Dr. Lehman: “I want you to carefully scan through your internal awareness, and report
whatever you notice – even if it doesn’t seem to make sense or feel important. Notice any
thoughts, emotions, images, or even physical sensations, and just describe them. They might
be vague, they might not feel important, or they may seem like fragments that don’t even fit
together. Just describe whatever you notice.”9

Anna: “Well,... (pause), maybe I feel a little anxious.”

Dr. Lehman: “Try focusing on Jesus and asking for more clarity about the anxiety.”

Anna: (long pause), “Actually...(pause), I think maybe I feel the anxiety when I focus on
Jesus and ask for help.”

Dr. Lehman: “If you’re willing, lean into it. Focus on Jesus, ask Him for help, and let
yourself feel the anxiety while you’re doing it.”

Anna: (long pause), “Well,...(pause), the thought comes to me that maybe there’s part of me
that doesn’t want to do this – maybe I’m not sure I really want to do this?”

Dr. Lehman: “This might be difficult, and you can say ‘no’ if you want to, but if you’re
willing, keep focusing on Jesus, let yourself feel your ambivalence, and ask Him for more
clarity.”

Anna: (pause), “You know, as I’m talking about it, I’m realizing that I’m afraid Jesus is
gonna ask me to do something I’m not able to do or that I don’t want to do, and then He’s
gonna be disappointed with me.”

This particular vignette has been constructed from many similar sessions, as a representative
8

example.
9
Sometimes it takes several rounds of this kind of coaching before the person is finally able to
observe and describe internal mental contents that don’t yet make sense or feel important. See Chapter
**Fill in when this chapter is complete,** “Describe everything that comes into your awareness,” for
additional discussion of this important phenomena. **This content is currently included in the “Describe
everything that comes into your awareness” section of “The Immanuel Approach Revisited” essay.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Part I.... (New 5/23/13) Page 5 of 6

Dr. Lehman: “Anna, what you just said – that’s really important! Would you be willing to
focus on Jesus, talk directly to Him about what you just said to me, and then pay attention
to how He responds?”

Anna: “Yeah. Okay. (Pause) Well, Lord. Like I just said. I’m afraid you’re gonna ask me to
do impossible stuff – stuff I can’t do, and then You’re gonna be angry and disappointed
with me.”

(pause, turning to Dr. Lehman), “You know, this reminds me of my parents, who were in
ministry, and our church where everyone was always talking about missionaries...(goes on
to describe many details).”

Dr. Lehman: “This is really important, and I’m glad you’re telling me about it, but would you
be willing to focus on Jesus, tell Him about this stuff, and watch how He responds?”

Anna: “Yeah, okay... (pause). So, Jesus, there’s part of me that doesn’t want to follow You.
I’m thinking about my parents, and the people in my church – they were always talking
about missionaries who gave up everything, and martyrs who died for Jesus....(more
details). I’m afraid You’re gonna tell me to do impossible stuff, and then be disappointed
and angry when I can’t do it – if I talk to You, cooperate with You, or try to follow You,
You’re just gonna make impossible demands, and then judge me and make me feel bad.”

Dr. Lehman: “So what’s Jesus doing? How’s He taking all this?”

Anna: “He’s just standing there, listening.”

Dr. Lehman: “Can you tell if He’s angry, or judgmental?”

Anna: “No, He’s not angry or judgmental – He’s just listening. Maybe He’s a little sad. It
feels like He gets it. Like He understands.”

Dr. Lehman: “What about disappointment? Any sense that He’s disappointed with you?”

Anna: “No. No disappointment. Maybe now a little smile.”

Dr. Lehman: “So, where’s the fear and ambivalence? Where’re you at regarding ‘I don’t want
to cooperate, I don’t want to hear what Jesus has to say?’”

Anna: “Well, He didn’t really give me an answer – He didn’t say anything – but somehow the
fears don’t feel as big. I can still feel a little anxiety, but the fears about Him telling me to
do hard, overwhelming stuff, and then being disappointed and angry – all that feels a lot
less true. (Pause) I think I’m okay with trying some more of the Immanuel stuff – I think I
feel more willing to cooperate.”

My current understanding regarding these situations is that the person is simply having trouble
with recognizing/understanding her internal experience, getting words to describe it, and
sharing it with Jesus. For people who are having trouble with recognizing and/or interpreting
their internal experience (especially with respect to emotions), who are having trouble with
finding words for their internal experience, and who feel very vulnerable with respect to letting
anybody else know about their internal experience, this intervention is part of helping them
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 12: Troubleshooting Part I.... (New 5/23/13) Page 6 of 6

engage directly with Jesus.

3) Help the person share her heart with Jesus, even when things are flowing smoothly:
As just discussed, helping the person recognize what’s in her heart, get words to describe it,
and then talk directly to Jesus about it is a valuable basic troubleshooting tool. However, I have
also found this simple intervention to be valuable even when nothing appears to be stuck.
When things are going well, the person is able to perceive the Lord’s presence, she has a good
interactive connection, and the session is moving forward, it’s surprisingly easy to forget the
“additional intimacy” step of deliberately sharing her heart with Him. So even when a session
is going well I often find myself helping the person look into her heart, helping her to identify,
name, and own what she finds there, and then helping her present it to Jesus as clearly,
honestly, humbly, and vulnerably as possible. It’s amazing how often we are with Jesus and
forget to deliberately open our hearts to Him in this way, and taking this simple step will
usually strengthen every aspect of the person’s connection with the Lord.

There have been a number of times when I was facilitating a session and the person reported
Jesus saying something along the lines of “Talk to me about everything,” “I love it when you
open your heart to me,” “It blesses me when you tell me what’s in your heart.”

Before moving on to Immanuel interventions, I want to say this again: Coaching the person to
turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, engage with Jesus directly, and ask Jesus for guidance/help at every
point in the session, regarding every issue that comes up, and regarding every difficulty that
arises, is always the first step in troubleshooting with the Immanuel approach.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 13: Immanuel Approach Troubleshooting Part II:
Basic Immanuel Interventions
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 6/19/2013)
DRAFT

To refresh the larger context for Immanuel approach troubleshooting: Many people are quickly
able to establish an adequate interactive connection, they easily maintain this connection, and
they receive enhanced friendship with the Lord, transformative emotional healing, and a variety
of other beautiful, live-giving results, all with only the minimal Immanuel approach interventions
described in chapters 2 through 9. However, others initially experience confusing, disappointing,
or frustrating results. Tens of thousands of hours of experience with EMDR, Theophostic-based
emotional healing, and now the Immanuel approach have totally convinced me that the Lord is
always present, that the Lord always wants to bless us with life-giving gifts, that the Lord is
always able to accomplish this, and that the Immanuel approach will almost always (eventually)
release these gifts and blessings if the facilitator can help the person identify and resolve any
blockages that are hindering the process. This means that we need to be very persistent with
respect to troubleshooting in situations where the person does not initially get good results, and it
means that we need to be diligent in developing the best possible troubleshooting tools and skills.

Immanuel Interventions at any point the person does not have an adequate interactive
connection: As just presented in chapter 10, the first part of Immanuel approach troubleshooting
is to coach the person to turn to Jesus, focus on Jesus, engage with Jesus directly, and ask Jesus
for guidance/help at every point in the session, regarding every issue that comes up, and
regarding every difficulty that arises. The second part of Immanuel approach troubleshooting is
to use Immanuel interventions if the recipient is having difficulty establishing an adequate
interactive connection at the beginning of the session, and/or if she loses an adequate connection
with the Lord at any point later in the session. Let us start our discussion of Immanuel
interventions with recalling the definition from chapter 3:

“Immanuel interventions”are specific, focused, systematic interventions with the goal of

helping the person receiving ministry to perceive the Lord’s living presence, and to establish
an adequate interactive connection with Him.

Actually, the process described earlier for establishing an interactive connection at the beginning
of the session is the simplest, most basic form of Immanuel intervention. But for the purposes of
this discussion, I think of Immanuel interventions as 1) the systematic trouble-shooting process
for helping the person establish an adequate connection with Jesus when the initial steps of
positive memory recall, appreciation, reentering the positive memory, and explicit request do not
flow quickly and easily into an adequate interactive connection; and 2) interventions for helping
the person re-establish an adequate interactive connection with Jesus at any point in the session
that they might lose this all important foundation.1

You could also say that Immanuel interventions are “troubleshooting” with respect to
establishing and/or reestablishing an adequate interactive connection with the Lord. As

1
As most readers will probably realize, helping the person establish an adequate interactive
connection when she is “inside” unresolved traumatic memories is an especially important instance of
using Immanuel interventions to help the person reestablish an adequate interactive connection.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Part II.... (New 6/19/13) Page 2 of 11

mentioned above, tens of thousands of hours of emotional healing work have convinced me that
the Lord is always present, that the Lord always wants to bless us with life-giving gifts, that the
Lord is always able to accomplish this, and that the Immanuel approach will almost2 always
(eventually) release these gifts and blessings if the facilitator can help the person identify and
resolve blockages that are sometimes present. One of the most important insights that came to
me as I was first learning about Immanuel interventions was that we could “trouble-shoot” with
respect to perceiving the Lord’s presence and adequate interactive connection in much the same
way that we could “trouble-shoot” with respect to the overall emotional healing process; and the
details of the conceptual framework for Immanuel intervention trouble-shooting fell into place
very easily when I realized that there were several very specific parallels between trouble
shooting for the overall process and trouble shooting for Immanuel interventions:

With troubleshooting for the overall process, I assume that the Lord always wants to heal
emotional and spiritual wounds, and that the Lord is always able to heal emotional and spiritual
wounds. Therefore, if the person is not experiencing healing, I assume that there must be
something in the way. My experience has taught me that the blockages can be identified and
resolved, and that when this is done, the healing process will move forward. I therefore work
very persistently to expose and resolve any blockages, and in almost every situation persistent
trouble-shooting eventually enables the person to receive healing.

Similarly, with Immanuel Intervention trouble shooting, I know with absolute certainty that the
Lord is present – He has been present with the person in every past experience, and He is
present now. And my experience has taught me that the Lord always wants the person to be
able to perceive His presence, connect with Him, synchronize with Him, receive from Him, and
be with Him (the Lord always wants to establish an adequate interactive connection).
Therefore, if the recipient is not initially able to establish an adequate interactive connection I
assume that there must be something in the way. My experience has also taught me that the
blockages can be identified and resolved, and that when this is done, the person will be able to
perceive the Lord’s presence, connect with Him, synchronize with Him, receive from Him, and
be with Him. I therefore work very persistently to expose and resolve any blockages, and in
almost every situation persistent trouble-shooting eventually enables the person to perceive the
Lord’s presence and establish an interactive connection.

A. Basic, simple, easy, safe Immanuel Interventions: There are a number of Immanuel
interventions that are so basic, simple, and easy that the average layperson can learn to use
them quickly, and so safe that they can be used in the context of group exercises. The
Immanuel interventions described in 1) through 5) fall into this category.

1. Coach the person to direct her attention back to Jesus: As mentioned earlier, people
can forget about the Lord and/or lose track of the Lord, even when He is still standing right
beside them. The recipient can get so focused on some aspect of the issue she is working on,
and/or so overwhelmed by the negative thoughts and emotions she is experiencing, that she
totally forgets about Jesus. Therefore, before trying any other Immanuel intervention trouble-
shooting, check to see if the person has simply forgotten about and/or lost track of the Lord.
As described above, when this is the case, the person is still able to perceive the Lord’s

2
On very rare occasions, a person will persistently choose to indulge in bitterness and/or self-pity
and/or rebellion. This will block the Immanuel approach process, and cannot be resolved with any of the
usual troubleshooting tools.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Part II.... (New 6/19/13) Page 3 of 11

tangible presence and can easily maintain an adequate interactive connection, as long as they
choose to focus their attention on Him. In these situations, all you need to do to restore an
adequate interactive connection is to identify the problem and then coach the person to direct
her attention back to Jesus.

2. Heart invitation and explicit request: As I have carefully observed the details of the
many Immanuel approach sessions I facilitate, I’ve noticed that an explicit invitation and
request are often not needed at the beginning of the session. Often, after recalling a positive
memory of previous connection with the Lord, stirring up appreciation, and reentering the
memory, the person will report that the memory flows spontaneously into a living, interactive
connection in the present, even without any explicit invitation or request.3 Many of my
colleagues (for example, Dr. Wilder) have also noticed this, and have therefore decided to
omit explicit invitation and request as regular components at the beginning of Immanuel
approach sessions. I would encourage you to experiment with both options, and notice what
seems to work best for you and the people you work with. Even so, for the reasons outlined
below I still usually coach the person to make an explicit invitation and request, as part of
establishing an interactive connection at the beginning of the session (recognizing that they
often don’t seem to need it).

In contrast, when a person loses her interactive connection with the Lord at some point later
in the session, I strongly encourage you to start your Immanuel intervention trouble-shooting
with coaching the person to make a simple, explicit invitation and request. It is very common
for a person to temporarily lose her interactive connection with the Lord at some point later in
the session. For example, it’s very common for people to temporarily lose their interactive
connection when they first enter a memory that still carries unresolved trauma. And this is
true even for people who are able to clearly perceive the Lord’s presence and establish a
strong interactive connection at the beginning of the session. At any point in the session that
the person loses her interactive connection, the first, simplest, easiest, most basic Immanuel
intervention is to coach her to make a very simple heart invitation and explicit request. I
usually use something along the lines of,

“Lord, I thank You for the truth that You are here. I make a heart invitation – I invite You
to be with me, here in this place. I also ask You to help me perceive Your presence, and to
help me reestablish an interactive connection.”

Additional comments regarding heart invitation: One might ask, “If He’s always with us, and
we’re making a point of thanking him for this truth (in faith), then why are we inviting Him
to be with us?” My perception is that this invitation applies to our hearts. The scripture that
helped me clarify this point is from Rev 3:20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If
anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
My understanding is that this scripture is referring to our hearts. The Lord is always present
and everywhere present, but even as we claim and thank him for the truth that He is with us,
we also need to invite Him into our hearts.

Another data point that helped me recognize the importance of this invitation has been

3
A number of our live session DVDs provide examples of this phenomena. See, for example, Rita
#3: Jesus Is Better than Candy, Maggie #3, Labor and Delibery Trauma, and Steve: “Just” Be with
Jesus.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Part II.... (New 6/19/13) Page 4 of 11

discovering that the opposite message is one of the most common blockages hindering a
person from perceiving the Lord’s presence. In many situations where the person is initially
unable to perceive the Lord’s presence, we discover that she does not want Him to be with
her – either because she’s afraid to let Him be present or because she’s angry at Him; and
that instead of making an invitation she is (consciously or unconsciously) sending the exact
opposite message: “Lord, stay away from me!” When we are not making an invitation –
when we do not want the Lord to be with us in a given memory or experience, the Lord
seems to respect our desire that He stay away.4 Furthermore, we often see people who are
initially not able to perceive the Lord’s presence become able to perceive His presence when
we identify that they do not want Him with them and help them to resolve this blockage, and
then they replace “stay away from me” with an invitation.

Additional comments regarding direct, explicit request: I’m not a theologian, and have not
done a careful theological study regarding the role and importance of asking, but my
Layman’s/Lehman’s experience is that asking does seem to make a difference. My
experience is that the Lord, out of His grace, sometimes gives us what we need and/or want
without even waiting for us to ask, but that more often He seems to want us to ask.

“You have not because you ask not” (James 4:2) seems to be a very simple summary of this
point.

The importance of asking was especially visible early in our journey with Immanuel
interventions and the Immanuel approach, before we began to start each session with helping
the person perceive the Lord’s presence. As described in Part I, there was a block of time
during which we would not try an Immanuel intervention unless/until we encountered a
problem with inadequate capacity. In these early sessions, we would usually be half way
through the session, the person would be having difficulty with a painful memory, and I
would finally suggest trying an Immanuel intervention. And in some of these situations the
person reported that she became able to perceive the Lord’s presence immediately in response
to our asking. Some told me that they had become able to perceive the Lord’s presence at the
moment we finished the prayer, and others described becoming able to perceive the Lord’s
presence “before we even finished praying.” Several people specifically commented: “Now I
realize that He’s been here, with me, the whole time, but I wasn’t able to see Him (feel
Him/hear Him/sense His presence) until we prayed.”

In each of these situations, my perception was that the Lord had been waiting for us to ask –
that He had wanted to be tangibly present, to be more connected, and to provide more
assistance, but that He had been waiting for us to ask. In fact, in one session, after the
recipient made an invitation for Jesus to be with her, asked for His help in perceiving His
presence, and then became able to see Him with her in the memory we were working with,
she paused for a moment and commented spontaneously, “Jesus says He was waiting for me
to ask.”

3. Ask “What’s in the way (of perceiving the Lord’s presence and establishing an
interactive connection)? And then coach the person to describe whatever comes into her
awareness: Often the simple heart invitation and explicit request are all that’s needed, either

4
I believe that He is actually still with us, but when we do not want Him with us, He seems to respect
our desire/request by allowing us to not perceive His presence.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Part II.... (New 6/19/13) Page 5 of 11

at the beginning of the session, when the person first invites the Lord to be with her and asks
Him to help with perceiving His presence and interactive connection, or as the first, most
basic Immanuel intervention for any point later in the session at which the person temporarily
loses her connection with the Lord. However, in some situations this simple, initial
intervention will not be enough to reestablish the interactive connection. When this occurs,
the next step with respect to Immanuel intervention troubleshooting is to ask, “What’s in the
way of _____ perceiving Your presence and establishing an interactive connection?,” and
then coach the person to describe whatever comes into her awareness. As soon as a blockage
is identified, ask the Lord for guidance with respect to how to resolve it. I usually ask (or
coach the person to ask) something along the lines of, “so now what do we do?/how do we
cooperate with Your plan for moving forward?/what do we do to take the next step forward?”
And once you have asked for direction regarding how to resolve the blockage, coach the
person to describe whatever comes into her awareness, notice what the Lord reveals, and then
cooperate with His guidance.

Notice that something important has come forward and then ask again: Just as describe in
the earlier section on coaching the person to engage directly with Jesus at every point in the
session, helping the person to recognize that something important has come forward, and
then encouraging her to ask again is a subtle but important variation that the facilitator should
be aware of as an option for augmenting the coaching. The person may not recognize any
answer to the question she just asked, but when I coach her to describe whatever is coming
into her awareness she reports new information and/or emotions that I can usually perceive to
be significant. As mentioned above (and discussed at much greater length in chapter **fill
in**, below), the person often does not perceive their meaning or importance until she
describes them to me, and even after recognizing their significance, in many of these
situations the person still does not feel that the new, important content is coming from the
Lord. Even so, I encourage her to notice the significance of the new content, to consider the
possibility that it is from the Lord, and to ask for more. In most of these situations, the
different pieces coming forward eventually all fit together and we can see clearly that the
Lord has been leading the process.

Help the person recognize what’s in her heart, get words to describe it, and then share
whatever she has formulated/articulated with Jesus: Just as describe in the earlier section on
coaching the person to engage directly with Jesus at every point in the session, additional
careful coaching to help the person recognize what’s in her heart, get words to describe it,
and then talk directly to the Lord about it is a simple intervention for increasing the
effectiveness of any other piece of the process. For example, we might ask the Lord, “What’s
in the way?,” and the person might report mental content that doesn’t seem to go anywhere,
but my intuition/guidance from the Lord is that there’s something else coming forward that
the person has not been able to identify or articulate. In these situations, before trying
anything more complicated I simply try a slower, more careful, more deliberate form of
coaching the person to “describe whatever is coming into your awareness.” I coach her to
carefully look through her internal awareness, and help her to notice, identify, and get words
for whatever she finds there. Then I help her to present it to Jesus as clearly, honestly,
humbly, and vulnerably as possible.

An interesting point here is that this intervention is still surprisingly effective, even though
the person is not experiencing an interactive connection or even perceiving the Lord’s
presence. I coach the person to stand in faith, claiming the truth that Jesus is always with us,
and talk to Him directly, even though she doesn’t yet perceive Him in any tangible way. That
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Part II.... (New 6/19/13) Page 6 of 11

is, I coach the person to operate out of the invisible truth that Jesus is always with us, and talk
to Him as if she can perceive His presence. And when she does this, something usually shifts
in a good way and the process moves forward.5

Even with just these simple Immanuel intervention tools, we usually find something that
explains the blockage. For example, the person might discover that she has a lot of
ambivalence about experiencing Jesus’ presence in the memory we are working on. After
asking “What’s in the way?” she realizes that the memory includes sinful choices on her part,
and she is afraid that Jesus will be angry and condemn her if He should show up in the
memory. And when I help her recognize this, get words for it, and then talk directly with
Jesus about it, the blocking thought/fear/concern/issue loses power and she becomes willing
to allow the Lord’s presence. As soon as we notice this shift, I coach her to try the heart
invitation and explicit request again, and she is then able to perceive the Lord’s presence and
quickly establishes an interactive connection. In fact, the person often becomes able to
perceive the Lord’s presence as soon as the shift occurs, before we even get around to
repeating the invitation and request.

These steps in the Immanuel intervention troubleshooting process, including the two subtle
variations for augmenting the process, might look something like the following:6

The person receiving ministry is working inside a memory in which she was traumatized by
her mother’s harshness, judgment, and unfairness. Immediately prior to the portion of the
session presented here, we have clarified that the recipient lost her interactive connection
when she entered the memory, she has taken the first Immanuel intervention
troubleshooting step of making an explicit invitation and request (but she is still unable to
perceive the Lord’s presence), and I have just coached her to ask the Lord for guidance
regarding “What’s in the way?”

Rita: “Lord, please show me what’s in the way – what’s hindering me from perceiving You
and connecting with You?”

Dr. Lehman: “Good. Now just describe whatever comes into your awareness.”

Rita: (pause) “I’m just realizing that I still feel bitter towards my Mom in this memory.
(pause)... The thought comes to me that maybe my bitterness is somehow blocking me from
connecting with Jesus.”

I coach Rita to ask the Lord for guidance regarding how to move forward, she does this,
and I again coach her to describe whatever comes into her awareness.

5
As mentioned earlier, these two variations can provide additional help in recognizing and
understanding whatever the Lord is sending forward. When we ask for guidance/help, and we don’t
receive the kind of response we’re expecting, these two simple coaching variations – noticing that
something important has come forward and then coaching the person to ask again, and helping the
recipient to recognize what’s in her heart, get words to describe it, and then share whatever she has
formulated/articulated with Jesus – can help the session keep moving forward.
6
All of the details in this example are taken directly from an actual Immanuel approach session, and
are used with permission.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Part II.... (New 6/19/13) Page 7 of 11

Rita: (pause) “The thought comes to me that I need to let go of this bitterness towards my
mother.”

Dr. Lehman: “Do you feel like you’re ready to do that?”

Rita: “Yes, of course. It’s in the way, so I need to let it go.”

I lead Rita through a prayer for releasing bitterness, and she appears to cooperate, but
nothing changes. So I coach her to ask for more guidance regarding what’s in the way and
how to take the next step forward. She does this.

Rita: (Pause) “Nothing’s happening.”

Dr. Lehman: “Just describe whatever’s coming into your awareness. Don’t worry about
whether it feels like it’s coming from the Lord, don’t worry about whether it feels
important, and don’t worry about whether it makes sense – just reports anything you notice
coming into your awareness.”

Rita: (Pause) “Nothing’s happening, except that I feel uncomfortable.”

Dr. Lehman: Focus on your feeling of discomfort, keep asking the Lord for more guidance,
and then report whatever comes to you.

Rita: (Pause) “Lord, what’s this discomfort about. What do You want to show me about
this discomfort?” (Pause) “Well, when I think about letting go of the bitterness, I notice the
discomfort. (Pause) “Maybe I feel anxious about letting go of the bitterness.”

Dr. Lehman: Focus on your anxiety about letting go of the bitterness, keep asking the Lord
for more guidance, and then report whatever comes to you.

Rita: (Pause) “Lord, what do You want to show me about my anxiety about letting go of the
bitterness?” (Pause) “Well, it feels like the bitterness helps me defend myself from my
Mom. If I’m not angry, I won’t be able to protect myself from her unfairness – she’ll just
win.”

Dr. Lehman: “Now that we’ve clarified the problem with being afraid to let go of the
bitterness, I’d like to try something. Would you be willing to invite Jesus to be with you
here, to help you let go of the bitterness?”

Rita: (Pause) “The thought that just pops into my head is ‘no.’” (Pause) “I’m noticing the
thought that Jesus might make me let go of the bitterness.” (Pause) “I think maybe I’m
afraid to let Jesus be here because I’m afraid He will make me let go of the bitterness.”

Dr. Lehman: “If you’re willing, I’d like you to speak directly to Jesus – talk to Him about
all the stuff you just told me, and ask Him what He wants you to know about it. I realize
you can’t perceive Him yet, but if you’re willing, stand in faith on the truth that He’s here,
and talk directly to Him about all of this.”

Rita: (Pause) “Jesus, I think maybe I’m afraid to let go of my bitterness.” (Pause) “I’m
afraid that if I let go of my anger, I won’t be able to defend myself. Mom will just yell at
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The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Part II.... (New 6/19/13) Page 8 of 11

me, be unreasonable, not listen to me, blame me for all the problems with my sister, and I
won’t be able to do anything about it. And I’m afraid to let You be with me here, because
I’m afraid You will make me let go of the bitterness.” (long pause)

Dr. Lehman: “So, what’s happening? Just try to notice and describe whatever is happening
inside, and then describe it.”

Rita: (Pause) “Well, this is kind of funny. I don’t perceive Jesus, and I didn’t notice
anything dramatic happening, but it doesn’t feel as true any more. Somehow, it just doesn’t
feel true that I won’t be okay if I let go of the bitterness.” (Pause) “I feel like I’m ready to
let go of the bitterness, and I don’t feel afraid to let Jesus be here any more.”

Dr. Lehman: “So, would you be willing to try the invitation and request again?”

Rita: “Sure. Lord, I make a heart invitation for You to be with me here. Help me to perceive
Your presence, and help me let go of this bitterness.” (Long pause, but Rita’s face changes
dramatically during the pause, moving from anxiety and anger to an expression of
peacefulness).

Dr. Lehman: “So, when you’re ready, let me know what’s happening.”

Rita: “This is so cool. As soon as I started, I could see Jesus standing beside me in the
memory. I could tell that He understood everything about why I was so upset, and about
why my Mom’s behavior hurt me so much. For just a moment I could feel all the pain from
the memory, but then I could feel Him with me, and it all seemed to change.” (Pause) “I
didn’t feel alone any more, and I didn’t feel helpless and unable to defend myself any more.
Somehow, I suddenly realized that I’m not a little girl any more – I didn’t feel paralyzed, or
weak, or small – it just felt like I could say what I would need to say if I were in a situation
like that.” (Pause) And Jesus was showing me stuff about my mother – how she was
overwhelmed and triggered. I think He gave me compassion for my mother.”

Dr. Lehman: “So where’s the bitterness?”

Rita: “Oh, wow! This is kind of weird. It’s totally gone. Now I just feel compassion....”

From this point I continued to coach Rita to focus on Jesus, to ask for guidance, and to
engage directly with Him regarding everything that came up. We went through the memory
in this way, looking for any splinters, and finished the session with the memory completely
resolved.

4. Go back to initial interactive connection: If you try the simple, basic Immanuel
interventions just described but they don’t seem to be working, coach the person to go back
to the interactive connection from the beginning of the session. And then, in the context of
the positive memory and interactive connection from the beginning of the session, you can
coach the recipient to engage directly with Jesus and ask Him for guidance and help
regarding the point in the session where she was not able to perceive His presence or
establish an interactive connection. In fact, if you are feeling confused and/or overwhelmed at
any point for any reason, you can always coach the recipient to go back to the interactive
connection that was just refreshed at the beginning of the session. As will be discussed at
more length in the next chapter, this is one of the wonderful Immanuel approach safety nets
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Part II.... (New 6/19/13) Page 9 of 11

for beginners, lay person’s, and group exercises.

5. Practical considerations regarding the return-to-initial-interactive-connection

intervention: Note: If you’re reading this material for the first time, just to get an overview
regarding Immanuel interventions, then I would recommend skipping/skimming this section
(for now) so that these practical details don’t slow you down and hinder you from seeing the
big picture. Come back for these practical details when you’re ready to actually start
practicing with the Immanuel approach.

a.) It can more challenging if the recipient is intensely non-relational: Sometimes a

person who is connected to a traumatic memory will be feeling intense negative emotions
and her relational circuits will be really off, and in this context she will not initially feel
like talking about positive memories and she will not initially feel any subjective sense of
appreciation. In these situations you may need to be very directive and persistent in
coaching the person to talk about positive memories and appreciation even when they don’t
feel like it. In some situations it may take as long as fifteen to twenty minutes, but our
experience is that if a person persists in talking about positive memories of experiencing
the Lord’s presence they will eventually calm down, regain access to their relational
connection circuits, return to feeling appreciation, and be able to get back to a good place of
perceiving the Lord’s presence and enjoying an interactive connection with Him. It may
take some practice to learn to be adequately directive and persistent in these situations, but
with appropriate coaching most people can learn this fairly quickly. See pages five and six
in the next chapter, The Immanuel Approach Safety Net, for additional practical tips
regarding the return-to-initial-interactive-connection intervention with people who are deep
in non-relational mode.

b.) A potential shortcut: Sometimes the recipient can go directly back to the interactive
connection from the beginning of the session, without even needing to repeat the positive
memory recall and deliberate appreciation steps.7 If you work with a person repeatedly, and
discover that she can usually do this, it’s good to try this simpler, more time efficient
intervention first. And then only include the more time consuming positive memory recall
and deliberate appreciation steps on the rare occasions when she is not able to quickly and
easily reestablish the connection with God from the beginning of the session.

B. Intermediate – advanced Immanuel interventions: As mentioned earlier, the Immanuel

interventions that we have just described are so basic, simple, and easy that the average
layperson can learn to use them quickly, and so safe that they can be used by beginners and in
the context of group exercises. Many facilitators and recipients are surprised to discover that
they can usually successfully navigate through the Immanuel approach emotional healing
process with only the simple, basic trouble-shooting tools described in chapter 12, and the
simplest, most basic Immanuel interventions describe in this chapter. However, some people
(like myself, in my early experience with emotional healing and Immanuel) have complicated,
memory-anchored blockages that hinder them from establishing an initial interactive
connection with God, and other recipients will lose their interactive connection while working

7
The Bob: Safety Net Demonstration live session teaching DVD (#29 in the LMS series) provides a
good example of quickly and easily going back to the initial interactive connection, without having to go
through the positive memory recall and deliberate appreciation steps. **note: this teaching DVD is still
pending as of June 25, 2013**

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Part II.... (New 6/19/13) Page 10 of 11

on intense trauma, and then have complicated, memory-anchored blockages that hinder them
from reestablishing a connection. In these sessions, the facilitator will need to use more
advanced Immanuel interventions as discussed in Chapter **Fill in when this chapter is
finalized**. Almost everybody8 is eventually able to perceive the Lord’s presence, establish an
interactive connection, and then receive powerful healing and blessings, but with these
complicated, memory-anchored blockages the facilitator and recipient sometimes need to
persist through extended troubleshooting with advanced Immanuel interventions.

C. Expect Particularly Good Results with People Who Often/Usually Perceive the Lord’s
Presence: An interesting data point is that when we work with someone who’s been able to
perceive the Lord’s presence in many previous emotional healing sessions (and/or has often
perceived the Lord’s presence in other situations), and then we encounter a situation in which
the person is not able to perceive the Lord’s presence, we have a very high success rate with
finding and resolving the blockages by the end of the session. In almost every case, by the end
of the session we’ve been able to figure out what was in the way, resolve the blockage, and
then go forward, with the person being able to perceive the Lord’s presence. Again: if a
person has often/usually been able to perceive the Lord’s presence in the past, then it’s almost
always possible to (fairly quickly) find and resolve hindrances in any specific situation where
she’s not able to perceive His presence.

My point here is that I want to encourage a special level of persistence and faith, within a single
session, for any situation where you’re working with someone who has often or usually been
able to perceive the Lord’s presence in the past. Also, this is a good place to start if you are a
beginner and feeling insecure with respect to Immanuel interventions.

In the long run, you should have the same kind of persistence and faith for any person seeking
to perceive the Lord’s presence. Almost every person we have worked with has eventually been
able to perceive the Lord’s presence and establish an interactive connection; but some of these
people have required many sessions to identify and resolve a variety of memory anchored
blockages, and some of these people have required many sessions to identify and resolve the
different components of their particular pernicious blockages. My own experience with many
healing sessions to resolved a variety of memory anchored blockages, and many sessions to
identify and resolve the different components of my particular pernicious blockage, provides a
good example. I was not able to perceive the Lord’s tangible presence or establish an
interactive connection until I went through many emotional healing sessions to resolve memory
anchored blockages, and to identify and untangle the components of my pernicious blockage;
but in the long run this persistent work has been effective, and it has been worth it! I now
routinely perceive the Lord’s presence and am able to establish an interactive connection with
Him, both of these pieces have become easier and easier to accomplish, and the strength and
quality of my interactive connections with the Lord have been increasing steadily. A final
encouraging thought along these lines is that I’m convinced my journey would have been
considerably easier and shorter if our current Immanuel approach insights and tools had been
available.9

8
As mention earlier in chapter ,
9
For a detailed discussion of the pernicious blockage that hindered my connection with the Lord for
many years, including the story of how the Lord helped me to resolve it, see “Immanuel, An Especially
Pernicious Blockage, and the Normal Belief Memory System.” For discussion of my healing journey
with respect to other memory anchored blockages, see “Dad/God Isn’t All-knowing or All-powerful:

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 13: Troubleshooting Part II.... (New 6/19/13) Page 11 of 11

D. Immanuel interventions usually work, and when they do, the person is always able to
take the next step forward: It is important to note that Immanuel interventions do not always
work. There have been some10 situations where we have not been able to find and resolve
whatever was in the way. However, mostly we are amazed with how often they do work. In
our current experience Immanuel interventions are usually successful, and in every situation
where Immanuel interventions are successful, and the person is able to perceive the Lord’s
presence and establish an adequate interactive connection, something good happens and the
person is able to take the next step forward.

E. Putting it all together (Immanuel interventions section): So, putting all these pieces
together, the practical application with respect to the Immanuel Approach is that the facilitator
needs to help the person maintain an adequate interactive connection through out the process.
We need to actively watch for clues that the person may have lost an adequate interactive
connection, we need to check-in regarding the person’s interactive connection as part of routine
troubleshooting whenever it seems the session is not moving forward, and we need to apply
Immanuel interventions whenever we find that an adequate interactive connection is no longer
present.

A Case Study and Discussion,” “Case Study: ‘God the Psychotic Cult Leader,’” and “Emotional Healing
and Personal Spiritual Growth: A Case Study and Discussion.” These essays are all available as free
downloads from www.kclehman.com.
10
A very small number, but not zero.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 14: Immanuel Approach Safety Nets
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 6/22/2013)
DRAFT

Prior to developing the Immanuel approach, we had decided to avoid group emotional healing
exercises due to concerns about the possibility that many people might get stuck simultaneously.
With all other approaches to emotional healing that we are aware of, you can only do
troubleshooting in a “one on one” setting. Therefore, we never did group exercises because we
did not want to get to the end of an exercise and have 38 people stuck in traumatic memories,
each needing an experienced facilitator to provide one-on-one troubleshooting. Actually, I did
this once. I tried a group exercise at one of our seminars, with maybe 50 to 75 people. Many of
the participants experienced wonderful healing; but a number of the participants got stuck in
negative memories, we were not able to provide one-on-one troubleshooting in the group context,
and these people had miserable experiences. Once was enough. Hence the decision to avoid
emotional healing exercises with groups. However, as Dr. Wilder and I worked with the
Immanuel approach we realized that several of the principles and process pieces that are new
with the Immanuel approach make it possible to deploy a number of “safety nets” that protect
against this problem. Therefore, one aspect of the Immanuel approach to emotional healing that
is particularly exciting is that it can be used in group settings.

When one thinks about the war torn third world countries, where millions of people have post
traumatic stress disorder but where there are minimal resources available for these multitudes to
get effective treatment to address their traumatic memories, it is hugely strategically important
that the Immanuel approach can be used with many people simultaneously. For example,
wouldn’t it be glorious if an emotional healing mission team could gather a couple of hundred
trauma survivors and facilitate healing for all of them at the same time? With this kind of
possibility in mind, Charlotte and I, Dr. Wilder, the Khouris, the Courseys, Pastor Patti, and
several other colleagues have been experimenting with group exercises in a number of different
settings over the last four to five years. And the results so far have been very encouraging –
together, we have worked with thousands of group exercise participants, with group sizes from
25 to 1200, and we have seen lots of healing with minimal problems.

Prior to developing the Immanuel approach, we were also cautious about lay people doing
emotional healing work (we wanted them to get a lot of training before facilitating lay ministry),
and we felt that beginners should only practice under the close supervision of experienced
facilitators. As with group exercises, we were concerned that recipients might get stuck – we
were concerned that some recipients would open up painful memories, encounter difficulties
beyond the troubleshooting abilities of lay ministers/beginners, and then be re-traumatized by
remaining in the unresolved trauma for extended periods of time. However, as we have been
working so diligently to clarify the principles and sharpen the tools for using the Immanuel
approach with groups, we have realized that the same “safety nets” that make it possible to use
the Immanuel approach safely with groups also make it possible for lay people to safely provide
emotional healing ministry with much less training. This means that more lay people can become
lay ministers much more quickly and easily, and this means that many people with less
complicated trauma will be able to get healing with lay ministers, instead of having to wait for
one of the rare and overloaded Immanuel approach mental health professionals. Furthermore,
these same “safety nets” also make it possible for unsupervised beginners to safely practice with
each other. This means that a handful of people anywhere in the world can get together to learn

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 14: Immanuel Approach Safety Nets (New 6/25/13) Page 2 of 6

and practice with each other. You don’t have to wait for one of the rare Immanuel approach
trainers to come and supervise as you practice with each other.1 You can just gather a handful of
your friends, family, or colleagues, put together your own study group, and then receive
Immanuel approach healing in the context of practicing with each other.

This is good news for the millions of third world citizens with severe post traumatic stress
disorder and minimal resources, and also for those of us with less trauma and more resources.
Even in first world countries there are many people with moderate trauma who are having a hard
time finding someone to facilitate Immanuel approach sessions for them. I spent the fall of 2012
working with Andy and a professional website designer building the new Immanuel network
directory (see the “Referrals” page of www.immanuelapproach.com). When we first put it up, I
had hoped that large numbers of facilitators would quickly post profiles, and that this would
make it much easier for folks to find a facilitator. Unfortunately, many well trained, experienced
facilitators have chosen to not post profiles because they are already swamped with more
requests than they can care for. Consequently, many who would like to receive Immanuel
approach sessions are still having difficulty in finding facilitators, and this problem will probably
continue for some time.

Bringing us back to “It’s good news that the Immanuel approach safety nets make it possible for
many more lay ministers to get adequate training much more quickly and easily, and it’s good
news that these same safety nets make it possible for unsupervised lay person beginners to safely
practice with each other.” My hope is that large numbers of lay people2 will take advantage of
every possible training opportunity, so that we have a steadily, rapidly growing number of
facilitators available to the general public. I am also hoping that people will build study/practice
groups by actively recruiting family and/or friends and/or colleagues,3 and then use the do-it-
yourself Immanuel approach training resources in this context.4 If these possibilities develop as I
am hoping they might, lay people practicing with each other in the context of do-it-yourself
Immanuel approach study/practice groups and sessions facilitated by lay ministers will be two of
the most important resources for those who are wanting to experience the Immanuel approach.

I. Safety net number one: The initial steps of identifying a positive memory, deliberate
appreciation, and establishing an adequate interactive connection with the Lord combine to set up
an especially reliable “home base” that the lay person/beginning facilitator can use as a back up

1
It is tremendously helpful to have a trainer teach you about the Immanuel approach and then
supervise you as you practice with each other, and you should therefore take advantage of any
opportunity to learn from someone who is already experienced with the Immanuel approach, but I don’t
think this is necessary (which is a good thing, since there are so few trainers).
2
Mental health professionals and people in full time ministry are certainly welcome as well, but my
vision is for every person in the world to be able to receive Immanuel approach sessions, and for this to
be possible we will obviously need massive participation on the part of lay ministers.
3
Another possibility for building study/practice groups is for lots of people to post profiles on the
Immanuel website network directory and tag their profiles with the “Immanuel approach study group”
label. Then people wanting to build study/practice groups can find potential participants by searching for
other “Immanuel approach study group” profiles in their area.
4
Resources for Immanuel approach do-it-yourself training can be found in the “Where/How Do I Get
Training Regarding the Immanuel Approach?” essay on the “Training” page of the Immanuel approach
website (www.immanuelapproach.com), and/or Appendix C of Outsmarting Yourself.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 14: Immanuel Approach Safety Nets (New 6/25/13) Page 3 of 6

resource, or troubleshooting “safety net,” during the session. As discussed briefly in chapter 13,
if the recipient loses her connection with God and other basic Immanuel intervention
troubleshooting tools are not effective in reestablishing an interactive connection, the facilitator
can coach the her to go back to the interactive connection from the beginning of the session. And
then, in this safe, positive context, the facilitator can coach the recipient to engage directly with
Jesus and ask Him for guidance and help regarding the point in the session where she was not
able to perceive His presence or establish an interactive connection. We have been amazed at the
effectiveness of this simple safety net troubleshooting intervention.

The especially reliable home base that gets set up at the beginning of the session also provides a
“make sure the person is okay” safety net at the end of the session. If the recipient gets stuck in a
bad place and is not able to resolve whatever blockages are preventing her from moving forward,
or if she is unable to finish processing her traumatic memory because she simply runs out of
time, she can return to the positive memory, appreciation, and interactive connection with the
Lord that were all refreshed at the beginning of the session. She may be disappointed that she
was not able to resolve the traumatic memory, but she at least ends up back at a safe place of
relational connection and positive emotions.

An airplane analogy helps in understanding the particular importance of the make-sure-the-

person-is-okay-at-the-end-of-the-session safety net. Having a safety net that helps the recipient
get back to her initial interactive connection with Jesus, even if she gets stuck regarding her
trauma work and/or runs out of time, is like having a safety net that would enable a pilot to
always get her plane safely back on the ground, regardless of any problem she might encounter in
the air. The scariest part of flying in an airplane is that if things go wrong, you can drop out of the
sky at hundreds of miles per hour and end up as flaming debris scattered across somebody’s
cornfield. And this is why you never hear of beginner pilots practicing without an experienced
pilot sitting right next to them. Without one-on-one supervision, a beginner making even one
serious mistake, or encountering any serious problem she doesn’t know how to deal with, would
pretty much be dead. No sane person will take this kind of risk.

In contrast to this scenario, think about how not scary and not dangerous flying would be if there
was a big red button in the middle of the control panel that could always get you safely back on
the ground. You’ve miscalculated the cost of bucking a strong headwind all the way from New
York to Chicago, and so you’re running out of fuel over the middle of lake Michigan? No
problem – just push the big red button and you’re perfectly safe, back on the ground in New
York. You can’t see the ground because of heavy cloud cover, your navigational system gives
out, and now you’re totally lost somewhere over the rocky mountains between New York and
Los Angeles? No problem – just push the big red button and you’re perfectly safe, back on the
ground in New York. You might be disappointed that you weren’t able to get to Chicago or Los
Angeles, but I think most people would be willing to handle the risks of practicing without
supervision if this were the worst that could happen. It’s still ideal to learn the Immanuel
approach with an experienced facilitator sitting beside you and coaching you as you practice, but
in areas where no experienced facilitator coaches are available, having a safety net that can get
the recipient safely back on the ground minimizes the risks to the point that many beginners are
willing to learn and practice even without supervision.5

5
These ideas obviously also apply to situations in which a small team of experienced facilitators are
leading an exercise for a large group, so that minimal supervision is available.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 14: Immanuel Approach Safety Nets (New 6/25/13) Page 4 of 6

And we know this works because we have heard from lay person beginners who have already
tried it. For example, several months ago a twenty three year old friend of ours called from
another country, asking for help regarding her cousin who was in crisis. I encouraged Barbara to
help her cousin find someone who could facilitate Immanuel approach sessions; but,
unfortunately, they had already explored this possibility pretty thoroughly, and they could not
find anybody in their area who could provide what they needed. So then I suggested that she
might try facilitating a session for her cousin. Barbara had read some of our material, and she had
received a handful of Immanuel approach sessions for her own healing work, but other than these
two pieces she didn’t have any ministry or mental health training or experience. So the prospect
of facilitating an emotional healing session for someone in crisis was understandably quite
daunting. However, as we continued to talk about the possibility of her doing a session with her
cousin, I kept reminding her about this safety net; and I explained several times how she could
make sure it was in place at the beginning of the session, and then if she got in over her head all
she had to do was help her cousin get back to the initial positive memory connection with Jesus.
She eventually decided to go ahead with this plan, even though she was a total beginner and
would be facilitating her very first practice session without supervision.

A couple weeks later we got another call, and Barbara informed us that she had, indeed, gone
ahead with the plan to facilitate an Immanuel approach session for her cousin. She also informed
us that the safety net had been a very, very good idea. Within twenty minutes of starting the
prayer time, her cousin was lying on the floor, overwhelmed with painful emotions as she re-
experienced severe early traumas that she had never before been consciously aware of. Barbara
coached her cousin to invite Jesus into the traumatic memories, and then tried several simple
troubleshooting tools when her cousin was not able to perceive Jesus, but she was still not able to
establish a connection with Jesus inside the traumatic memories.

At this point Barbara realized that she was in over her head. She did not have the troubleshooting
knowledge or skill necessary to be able to help her cousin identify and remove the blockages
hindering her from connecting with Jesus, and she certainly didn’t have the therapy training or
experience necessary to be able to help her cousin work through the trauma without Jesus.
Without a safety net, this would have been a very messy situation, and Barbara would have
needed to turn to unpleasant emergency interventions, such as sitting with her cousin through
hours of excruciating emotional pain, hoping that she would eventually, somehow, calm back
down, or possibly even taking her cousin to the emergency room and having her admitted to a
psychiatric inpatient unit. However, Barbara had fortunately remembered to put the safety net in
place at the beginning of the session. When she had tried all of the tools she knew how to use and
realized that she was in over her head, she simply coached her cousin to return to the positive
memory, appreciation, and connection with Jesus from the beginning of the session. And even
though her cousin had been totally stuck in traumatic memories with overwhelming negative
emotions – even though she had not been able to resolve the blockages and get through the
trauma to resolution – they were still able to end the session in a good place, with her cousin
connected to a positive memory and experiencing an interactive connection with Jesus.

Our young friend was willing to try facilitating an Immanuel approach session because she knew
this safety net would be in place. And she was able to successfully use the safety net, even though
she did not have any ministry or mental health training or experience, even though she had to
practice without supervision, and even though she stumbled into intense, early, dissociated
traumatic memories in the very first session.

II. Safety net number two: When working with groups, when teaching the basic exercises to lay
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 14: Immanuel Approach Safety Nets (New 6/25/13) Page 5 of 6

ministers, and especially when training beginners, we set a policy that establishes a second safety
net. Those who are not able to perceive the Lord’s presence and establish an interactive
connection with Him at the beginning of the exercise are encouraged to participate in the rest of
the exercise as intercessors, but they do not work with their own traumatic memories. This
precaution seems to identify and protect those who are most likely to get stuck and have a
negative experience, and thereby provides a second safety net. It also identifies those who do not
have the primary safety net in place, which is another really good reason for them to abstain from
working on their own trauma.

III. Safety net number three: Whenever you are working with a group, whether you are
working with a large group of three hundred or whether you are practicing in an Immanuel
approach study group of twelve, the first step of the group exercise is to divide the larger group
into very small circles of three to five. This provides a third safety net, or maybe I should say that
it provides the team that makes sure the first safety net gets deployed effectively. If the group
member who is receiving gets stuck in a negative place, the others in the group can help her
return to her initial positive place by coaching her to describe the initial positive memory, to
repeat the deliberate appreciation exercise, and then to reestablish the initial interactive
connection with the Lord. Dividing the larger group into small clusters also provides a setting in
which each member can report regarding her experience (describing “whatever comes into her
awareness”), at each step in the process, and thereby benefit from the ways in which our brains
work better in community.6 This significantly increases the effectiveness of the exercise, both
increasing good results and decreasing disappointing results.

Note that both this third safety net and the enhanced efficacy from our brains working better in
community also apply to individual sessions, since the recipient can report to the facilitator at
each step in the process, and if the first safety net needs to be deployed the facilitator can coach
the recipient to return to her positive memory, refresh her appreciation, and reestablish her initial
connection with the Lord.7

______________________________________________________________________________
Advanced topics warning: If you’re reading this material for the first time, just to get the
overview regarding the Immanuel approach safety nets, then I would recommend
skipping/skimming the next section (for now) so that these practical details don’t slow you down
and hinder you from seeing the big picture. Come back for these practical details when you’re
ready to actually start practicing with Immanuel approach exercises.

V. Practical considerations regarding the return-to-initial-interactive-connection

intervention:

6
See chapter 16, “Our Brains Work Better in Community,” for a compelling explanation of why it’s
important for each participant to describe “whatever comes into her awareness,” and for discussion of the
intriguing ways in which God has designed our brains to function best in community.
7
The only situation that does not benefit from this third safety net and our brains working better in
community is when you try the Immanuel approach on your own. This is one of the reasons we strongly
recommend first experiencing the Immanuel approach in a group or with a facilitator, and only doing it
on your own after you have developed capacity and skill in the context of group exercises/facilitated
sessions.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 14: Immanuel Approach Safety Nets (New 6/25/13) Page 6 of 6

A. It can more challenging if the recipient is intensely non-relational: As mentioned in

chapter thirteen, sometimes a person who is connected to a traumatic memory will be feeling
intense negative emotions and her relational circuits will be really off, and in this context she
will not initially feel like talking about positive memories and she will not initially feel any
subjective sense of appreciation. Again, in these situations you may need to be very directive
and persistent in coaching the person to talk about positive memories and appreciation even
when they don’t feel like it. In some situations it may take as long as fifteen to twenty minutes,
but our experience is that if a person persists in talking about positive memories of
experiencing the Lord’s presence they will eventually calm down, regain access to their
relational connection circuits, return to feeling appreciation, and be able to get back to a good
place of perceiving the Lord’s presence and enjoying an interactive connection with Him. It
may take some practice to learn to be adequately directive and persistent in these situations, but
with appropriate coaching most people can learn this fairly quickly.

When the person is intensely connected to traumatic memories (and usually also deep in non-
relational mode), and you want to use the return-to-the-initial-interactive-connection
intervention, it is important to acknowledge the validity of the person’s distress, assure her that
her pain is not being dismissed or ignored, remind her regarding the purpose of the positive
memory intervention, and assure her that you will eventually come back to the unresolved
trauma. I usually say something along the lines of, “I understand that this painful memory place
is very important, and needs to be cared for. I’m not trying to ignore or minimize this memory
place, or just stuff it back down. But for right now, the next step in the healing process is to
“switch gears” and go back to the positive memories and interactive connection from the
beginning of the session.”

If you know about attunement and are skilled in providing it, the ideal is to start with offering
attunement until the person regains access to her relational connection circuits, and then after
she has regained access to her relational connection circuits coach her through the steps of
recalling positive memory, deliberately stirring up appreciation, and reestablishing an
interactive connection. When I include attunement in this way, the comments validating her
pain, reminding her of the purpose of the intervention, and assuring her that we will return are
usually part of my offering attunement.8

B. A potential shortcut: As also mentioned in chapter thirteen, it is sometimes possible to use

a shortcut. Some recipients are able to go directly back to the interactive connection from the
beginning of the session, without even needing to repeat the positive memory recall and
deliberate appreciation steps.9 Again, if you work with a person repeatedly, and discover that
she can usually do this, it’s good to try this simpler, more time efficient intervention first. And
then only include the more time consuming positive memory recall and deliberate appreciation
steps on the rare occasions when the recipient is not able to quickly and easily reestablish the
interactive connection with God from the beginning of the session.

8
For additional discussion of attunement and relational connection circuits, see chapters 15 and 17 in
Outsmarting Yourself, and Part II of the “Brain Science, Psychological Trauma, and The God Who is
With Us” essays (available as free downloads from www.kclehman.com).
9
The Bob: Safety Net Demonstration live session teaching DVD (#29 in the LMS series) provides a
good example of quickly and easily going back to the initial interactive connection, without having to go
through the positive memory recall and deliberate appreciation steps. **note: this teaching DVD is still
pending as of June 25, 2013**

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 15: Formulate and Tell the Immanuel Story
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 7/5/2013)
DRAFT

Over years of working with the Immanuel approach, Dr. Wilder, myself, and many others have
noticed that some people have a few powerful, beautiful healing experiences with Immanuel, and
even report dramatic lasting fruit, but then do not continue with ongoing Immanuel approach
sessions. They are grateful for the handful of beautiful connections with Jesus, for resolution of
the one traumatic memory (or one set of related traumatic memories), and for relief of the pain
and symptoms associated with this one memory (or set of related memories), but then they don’t
go on to pursue emotional healing as a regular, ongoing part of their lives. In contrast, others
have a few initial Immanuel approach sessions and then quickly begin to make the Immanuel
approach a regular part of their lives. For these people, deliberately watching for times when they
get triggered and then pursuing Immanuel healing for the underlying trauma become a lifestyle,
as opposed to a one time event (or maybe something they do every several years, when they are
in crisis and/or experiencing especially intense pain).1 Naturally, we all wondered, “Why doesn’t
everybody get it? Why do some people quickly recognize the larger importance of their initial
healing sessions, and then deliberately incorporate ongoing emotional healing as an integral part
of their lives, while others seem to totally miss the bigger picture?”

My perception is that there are a number of factors that contribute to this difference, but Dr.
Wilder noticed that one striking variable is whether or not the person formulates the experience
into a coherent narrative and then shares this “Immanuel story” with others. I haven’t had a
chance to go through the science myself, but Dr. Wilder’s summary of the psychological and
neurological research is that formulating the experience into a coherent narrative and then
sharing the story with others helps to deepen and consolidate the beneficial effects. The specific
traumatic memory still gets healed, whether or not you formulate the experience into an
Immanuel story and then share it with others, but formulating and sharing the Immanuel story
helps you begin to think differently about how to respond when other traumatic memories get
triggered in the future. Formulating and sharing the Immanuel story actually increases the
beneficial brain changes associated with Immanuel healing, causing updates in the memory files
that carry information about how you should respond to the many different situations that you
might encounter. If you formulate and share the Immanuel story after each healing encounter,
when you get triggered in the future you will become more and more likely to immediately think,
"Hey, I'm triggered, but I know what to do about it! Instead of being miserable and fighting with
the triggers, I'll do that Immanuel thing, connect with Jesus, and get healed."

Furthermore, it is beneficial to the listener to hear others share about their Immanuel encounters.
Not only do these stories provide encouragement, build faith, and fulfill a Biblical mandate
("Remember what I have done for you,...tell your children about My faithfulness..." etc), but they
also produces beneficial brain changes. Just as with you sharing your Immanuel stories, hearing
others tell stories about how they respond to triggering with the Immanuel approach to emotional
healing, and how they respond to other situations with the Immanuel approach to life, also causes

1
As described in chapter two, the Immanuel approach to life includes more than just emotional
healing and more than just connecting with Immanuel during specific sessions. However, most people
begin building an Immanuel lifestyle/an Immanuel approach to life by getting healing for traumatic
memories in the context of Immanuel approach sessions.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 15: Formulate and Tell.... (New 7/5/13) Page 2 of 7

memory updates in the parts of your brain that carry information about the best ways to respond
to the many different situations that you might encounter. Good stories actually provide a form of
modeling. When you encounter a similar situation, the "What do I do now?" part of your brain
will remember the story, and respond with something along the lines of, "When Dr. Wilder
encountered a situation like this, he did that Immanuel thing with Jesus, and it turned out pretty
well. I think I’ll try that plan, instead of just fighting with the trigger."

The very short summary with respect to how to formulate an Immanuel story is: 1) describe how
things were regarding the particular issue/memory before you experienced God’s presence; 2)
describe (in as much detail as possible) what happened/changed as you became able to perceive
God’s living interactive presence, and then engaged with him regarding the particular
issue/memory; and 3) describe how things have been different since engaging with God’s
Immanuel presence regarding the issue/memory. For some recipients, this short summary is all
they will need. Just coach them to put these three pieces together into a coherent narrative, and
then to share the story with God, yourself, and with at least three additional people, ideally within
a day or two of the Immanuel experience.

However, there are several considerations that lead to the need for additional specific coaching in
certain situations. The first of these considerations is that many people have much more
experience, much more skill, and much more vocabulary for talking about the painful part of the
story before they perceived the Lord’s Immanuel presence and engaged with him for healing. As
a result of this, people’s Immanuel stories are often 30 minutes of pain story (all about how bad
things were and how painful it was before Immanuel), and then 15 seconds of “Then suddenly
Jesus was there with me, and all the pain went away. I feel better now, and that memory doesn’t
bothered me any more.” Another consideration is that Immanuel stories can sometimes get
hijacked by trauma splinters. As mentioned in the discussion of deliberate appreciation,2 with
complicated trauma it is common to have a number of distinct pieces within a given traumatic
memory, so that unresolved pieces (or “splinters”) may sometimes remain, even though the
recipient has truly experienced the Lord’s living presence and received beautiful healing. When
this is the case, if one of these splinters gets touched on as the person is trying to formulate and
share her Immanuel story, the story can get “hijacked” and end up being all about the pieces of
pain that are still not resolved. Finally, the Immanuel approach is often used in situations in
which it is particularly problematic to have participants focusing on their pain stories. As
described in chapter two, the Immanuel approach is often used in group settings with people who
have experienced large amounts of severe trauma, and who often have similar trauma. In these
situations, if participants start telling long, detailed pain stories they will trigger each other, and
you will have a room full of people who are all intensely connected to unresolved severe trauma.3

Therefore, in environments where there’s a lot of trauma that could get triggered, it’s important
to provide some practical coaching, especially helping people to de-emphasize the part of the
story about the pain and to enrich the parts of the story about engaging with Immanuel and about

2
“Appreciation without splinters” in the “Practical Considerations” section of chapter six (pages
**fill in**).
3
Thankfully, we can care for this situation by calling a time out, and coaching everybody to go back
to their positive memories, appreciation, and initial interactive connection with God, but it’s better to
avoid this situation as much as possible.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 15: Formulate and Tell.... (New 7/5/13) Page 3 of 7

what has been different since engaging with Immanuel.4 Actually, our observations are that most
of us are much better at telling the pain part of the story, and that most of us formulate narratives
with the Immanuel part of the story being brief and impoverished. In fact, our observations are
that most of us need to be more deliberate in formulating the Immanuel part of our Immanuel
stories, and that most of us could benefit from the coaching we provide here with respect to
formulating the Immanuel details. So even if you are not in a high trauma situation in which it is
important to avoid the pain part of the story, we encourage you to try these suggestions regarding
how to formulate a story with rich, optimal Immanuel details.

I. One pain free phrase for the initial context: When working in high trauma environments,
we want to both start and end the Immanuel story at a positive Immanuel interactive connection
place, so the recipient should start the Immanuel story at the point when she first becomes aware
of Immanuel’s presence. As the first step in preparing the Immanuel story, help the recipient
formulate a single phrase that presents the context for this initial perception and connection with
the Lord (a single phrase that gives just the simplest description of the physical setting, with no
content regarding the pain). For example, if Eileen were constructing this kind of minimize-the-
pain Immanuel story for the emotional healing session presented in chapter one, she could start
with this single phrase, “I was standing in the middle of the kitchen.”

Eileen would not formulate a whole paragraph (or page) about how her depressed mother was
staring blankly into space as she mindlessly scrubed the counter, about how Eileen was longing
for love and connection but never got it, about how she desperately needed her mother but her
mother just ignored her, about how Eileen was not getting the love she needed but there was
nothing she could do about it, about how Eileen had been waiting and waiting for her mother to
notice her but her mother didn’t seem to know she existed, about how Eileen was crying but her
mother didn’t hear her, about how Eileen doesn’t have a single memory of her mother holding
her or saying, “I love you,” about how Eileen has always had an empty, unsatisfied feeling – a
sense that something was missing – a sense that there was something she needed but could never
quite get, about how Eileen has had a long standing pattern of compulsive eating with respect to
ice cream, and about how Eileen has struggled with her weight for as long as she can remember.
She would not even formulate a long sentence with multiple phrases that at least touches on the
pain, such as, “I was standing in the middle of the kitchen, watching my mother working at the
counter, and I was crying as I longed for her to notice me and want to be with me.” Just, “I was
standing in the middle of the kitchen.”

II. A detailed description of interactions with Immanuel: Once the recipient has a single
phrase that provides a very simple, pain free presentation of the context, the next step in
preparing the Immanuel story is to formulate a description of her experience of perceiving God’s
Immanuel presence, connecting with Him, and engaging with Him to receive healing. As she
describes perceiving and engaging with Immanuel, she should include as many details as
possible, giving a blow-by-blow account, like a sports newscaster reporting on the super bowl.
For example, if Eileen were preparing this part of the Immanuel story for her session from
chapter one, she might come up with the following:5

“I became aware of Jesus sitting at the kitchen table right after you asked Him to help me

4
These instructions are adapted from E. James Wilder and Chris M. Coursey, Share Immanuel: The
Healing Lifestyle (Pasadena, CA: Shepherd’s House Inc.), pages 10-13.
5
Based on additional information from the video for the complete session.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 15: Formulate and Tell.... (New 7/5/13) Page 4 of 7

perceive His presence, and when I told you I saw Him sitting at the table I felt a smile. At first I
thought Jesus was just watching me, but then when you coached me to focus on Him more
deliberately I realized that He was putting out His arms to me, asking me to come to Him. He
didn’t coming and get me, but He was putting out His arms to me and inviting me to come to
Him. And I could feel the warmth of His presence and smile. I struggled for a while, because I
was still focusing on my mom – I was still wanting and waiting for her to pay attention to me –
I was still trying to make her notice me and love me. But then you coached me to focus on
Jesus again, and ask Him for more help, and when I did He told me that He has loved me from
the beginning of time.

I was still having trouble, still trying to hang on to the hope that my mother would notice me
and want me, but when I talked to Jesus more about all of my thoughts and feelings, and asked
Him for more help, He came closer and gave me some more encouragement. He showed me
that I needed to let go of trying to meet my own needs, He told me that I needed to give Him
my broken heart, and He said that He would give me a new one. He said, ‘I was with you when
you were born, I wanted you to come to life, and I’ve always been with you.’ And then He held
out His hands to me, He showed me His wounds, and He said, ‘I did this for you.’”

Finally, I was able to go to Jesus and He picked me up and held me. As He was holding me I
could feel His heart beating. And at the very end He told me that, for now, I could just be with
Him and enjoy being with Him, but that at some time in the future we will have to do some
more work about my mother.”

III. The differences between thoughts and feelings before Immanuel and thoughts and
feelings after Immanuel: The next part of preparing the Immanuel story is to identify the
differences between our thoughts and feelings before our interactions with Immanuel and our
thoughts and feelings after our interactions with Immanuel. Coach the recipient to formulate a
series of sentences, with each sentence including the following three parts: 1. Her thoughts
and/or feelings before her interactions with Immanuel, 2. What Immanuel did to effect the
change, and 3. Her thoughts and/or feelings after her interactions with Immanuel. For example, if
Eileen were preparing this part of the Immanuel story for her session from chapter one, she might
come up with the following:

“Before, I felt a cold, empty void – I felt my mother’s absence. But then I became aware of
Jesus, and now I feel the warmth of His presence and smile instead of the cold, empty void.”

“Before, I was crying. But then Jesus smiled, and when I sensed His smile and the warmth of
His presence I began to smile.”

“Before, I felt alone and disconnected, but then Jesus picked me up and held me, and now I feel
connected.”

“Before, I felt unloved – I felt the absence of my mother’s love. But then Jesus told me that He
has loved me from the beginning of time, and now I feel loved.”

“Before, I felt unwanted, but then Jesus said that He wanted me, and now I feel wanted.”

“Before, I felt unnoticed, unimportant, and uncared for. But then Jesus showed me the wounds
in His hands and said, ‘I did this for you,’ and now I feel seen, special, and cared for.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 15: Formulate and Tell.... (New 7/5/13) Page 5 of 7

“Before, I felt anxious, and that I had to take care of myself by making people notice me and
care for me. But then Jesus told me that I need to let go of taking care of myself, and that I need
to give Him my broken heart. And then I renounced trying to meet my own needs, and let Him
pick me up and hold me. Now I feel peaceful, and secure in His love.”

“Before, I felt like something was missing – I felt the absence of my mothers attention and care
and love. But then Jesus held me and told me He loved me. Now I feel content, satisfied, and
not hungry.”

“Before, I felt helpless and powerless – like there was nothing I could do to get what I wanted
and needed (like there was nothing I could do to make my mother notice me, want me, and love
me). But then Jesus told me to give Him my broken heart and that He would give me a new
one, and now I feel like I can turn to Jesus when I need help.”

“Before, I felt sad and lonely. But then I sensed Jesus’ smile, He told me He loved me, and He
held me so close that I could feel His heart beating. Now I feel wonderful and joyful.”

IV. Lasting changes in the recipient: The final part of preparing the Immanuel story is to
identify any lasting changes in the recipient that have occurred as a result of her interactions with
Immanuel. Are there longstanding negative thoughts that no longer feel true? Are there new,
positive thoughts that now feel true for the first time? Are there old, familiar negative emotions
that are no longer present? Are there new, positive emotions that are now present for the first
time? Are there longstanding patterns of negative behavior that have decreased, or even
disappeared entirely? Are there positive behaviors that are now more common, or even present
for the first time? Obviously these kinds of changes will be easier to observe over time, but it is
still good to look for these even as the recipient formulates her Immanuel story at the end of the
session. If Eileen were formulating this part of the Immanuel story for her session from chapter
one, she might come up with the following:

“For as long as I can remember, I have always had a vague sense that something was missing –
a sense that there was something I needed but could never quite get – a restless, empty,
unsatisfied feeling that I could never quite focus or resolve. And I have always tried to fix this
problem/fill this empty place/resolve these unsatisfied feelings by eating ice cream. But now,
on some very deep level, it feels like I’ve been comforted by something other than ice cream –
it feels like this place has been filled and that this need has been satisfied with Jesus’ presence
and love, and I don’t feel the constant need to try to fill this hole or satisfy this need with ice
cream any more. And not only does it feel different, but my compulsive ice cream eating has
actually stopped.”

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with my weight. I’ve gained and lost the same
15 to 25 pounds at least 15 times, but I had never previously been able to maintain my weight
at a place I felt good about. But now I have been steadily losing weight, with much less
difficulty than ever before, and I am maintaining my healthy weight loss.”

“I have always struggled with feeling unloved, unwanted, and unimportant – at family
gatherings, or other social events, these thoughts and feelings would easily get triggered if I felt
that people weren’t noticing me, paying attention to me, or caring for me. And I would always
be trying to make people pay attention to me, love me, and care for me. This whole thing has
caused many problems with my family relationships and friendships. But since the Immanuel

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 15: Formulate and Tell.... (New 7/5/13) Page 6 of 7

time with my three year old part in the kitchen, this has been less. It’s hasn’t totally resolved,6
but it’s not as bad. And in that specific three year old child place I still feel that Jesus notices
me, wants me, cares about me, and loves me. In that specific child place, the sensitivity to not
getting enough attention, care, and love, and the need to try to make people pay attention to me,
care for me, and love me are totally gone.”

V. Share the complete Immanuel story: After the recipient has finished preparing/formulating
her Immanuel story, the next step is for her to tell the whole story, out loud, to God, and then take
time to sense God’s response to hearing her story. After telling the story to God, the recipient
should share the story with anyone who was with her as she was perceiving and interacting with
Immanuel (for example, the other members of her small group if she is working in a group
setting). Finally, she should tell the story to three other people (Dr. Wilder recommends doing
this before the end of the day). The story doesn’t actually take that long to tell,7 so this isn’t as
challenging as it might seem at first. Telling the right8 Immanuel story three times will help the
new, positive thoughts and feelings about herself to sink in more deeply. Also, as mentioned
earlier, this will cause the memory files in the “how to respond to various situations” part of the
recipients brain to be updated, so that in the future, when she encounters painful situations and/or
gets triggered, she will be more likely to think to go to Immanuel for help and healing.

VI. Additional practical considerations:

• In preparing the Immanuel story, most people find it to be very helpful to work with the
facilitator and/or their small group (anyone who witnessed the session). Most people also find
it helpful to use written notes in preparing their Immanuel stories.

• Note that an Immanuel story formulated as described above is not the same as a case study or
testimony, such as Eileen’s story from Chapter one. As already described, the pain part of the
story is completely removed in order to prevent people in high trauma environments from
triggering each other with their Immanuel stories, and the positive parts of the story are
formulated to accomplish very specific objectives with respect to integrating, consolidating,
and updating in the brain. Testimonies and case studies, on the other hand, have different
objectives and therefore need to be formulated differently. (I will include more regarding this
distinction for the final draft of the book.)

• This is probably already apparent to the reader, but when recipients use the minimize-the-pain
version of their Immanuel stories it will feel strange to tell their stories without any explanation

6
This issue of not feeling noticed, wanted, cared for, or loved is a thematic issue for Eileen, with
many other memory anchors in addition to the specific memory resolved in this Immanuel approach
session. The reader will be encouraged to know that it has continued to progressively resolve as she has
continued to get Immanuel healing for these other memory anchors. Along these lines, it is interesting to
note that her struggle with trying to fill the hole with ice cream did resolve with the healing from this one
session.
7
I just tried reading Eileen’s example Immanuel story (out loud, and slowly), and it only took me
four-and-one-half minutes.
8
Pop quiz: What do we mean by the “right” Immanuel story? Hopefully your answer is something
along the lines of “The pain part of the story is not overemphasized, the interactions with Immanuel are
described in detail, and the story includes details regarding the things that changed from before engaging
with Immanuel to after engaging with Immanuel.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 15: Formulate and Tell.... (New 7/5/13) Page 7 of 7

or description regarding the trauma/pain parts of the stories. It is helpful to name this when
explaining the process to the recipients, and then encourage them to try it anyway. It will also
feel strange to the listeners, and many will ask about the pain details. Our recommendation is
that the recipients try, “I have to talk to God about it, come back for an answer in three days.”
And then ask God how to answer them when they return. This will obviously be less awkward
and confusing if the listeners are also familiar with this material regarding minimize-the-pain
Immanuel stories. For example, this works very smoothly in a group training situation in which
the all of the participants have received this teaching regarding minimize the pain stories, and
they can share their stories with each other.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 16: Chris, Birth Ordeal, and Immanuel
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 6/27/2013)
DRAFT

After two days (43 hours) of waiting, praying, and agonizing labor pains, Chris and Jen were
exhausted and at the point of desperation. Jen’s dream of a natural birth was a foggy, distant
memory, and they were both at the place of just wanting relief. They and the doctors decided to
add pitocin, in an attempt to move things forward, and this quickly and dramatically dialed up the
intensity. At this point one of the doctors also discovered that Matthew, Chris and Jen’s unborn
son, was misaligned, and Chris feared for the lives of his wife and child as the medical team
scrambled to intervene.

Thankfully, by hour 47 Jen was holding their son as tears of joy rolled down their cheeks, but
Chris had definitely been traumatized by the drama in the middle of the experience. During the
two hours of maximum intensity, when the pitocin had been doing its’ job and the medical team
had been scrambling to get Matthew lined up correctly, Chris was fully aware that he had lost
access to his relational circuits, that he had lost his shalom and joy, and that he had lost his
awareness of God’s Immanuel presence. He noticed himself thinking, “I don’t want to go through
that again,” and suddenly realized that he no longer wanted more children. Losing access to his
relational circuits, losing his shalom and joy, losing his awareness of God’s presence, and the
sudden appearance of new negative thoughts and emotions all indicated that he had not been able
to successfully process the painful experience.1

Fortunately, this inadequately processed pain only remained as trauma for a short time. As soon
as he realized what had happened, Chris turned to Immanuel for help. He very deliberately
thought about a previous experience of connecting with Jesus, and then focused on this positive
memory until he felt gratitude and had reestablished a connection. As soon Jesus’ presence
seemed real, living, and interactive in the present Chris began to engage directly with Him
regarding his unprocessed pain: “Lord, I realize I have no idea where You were or what You
were doing during the time Jen was in serious trouble. I was afraid for my wife and my son. I felt
so helpless and alone. Where were You when I needed You?”

After sharing the pain that was in his heart, Chris perceived God’s comforting presence, and the
words, “Chris, that was scary for you. I was there providing and working through the team of
nurses and doctors who were trained to do their job under extreme circumstances. Even though
you did not know what to do, they did.” The sense of God’s presence and these reassuring words
brought some peace, but Chris still felt tension and fear when he thought about the hours with the
pitocin and the medical team scrambling to get Matthew lined up correctly. The lack of complete
shalom indicated that more healing was still needed, so Chris continued with, “Lord, thank You
for Your team of people. They were helpful. However, I still feel hurt, afraid, and angry about the
whole ordeal. Why did it have to be so intense? That was so scary, Lord!”

At this point Chris noticed a remarkable image coming into his mind:

“The best way to describe the image is what happens if you face a mirror when there is another

1
Remembering from chapter two, “not being able to successfully process a painful experience” is our
definition of trauma.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 16 (New 6/27/13) Page 2 of 2

mirror behind you, and your reflection appears multiplied as far back as your eyes can see.
With this image in mind, I felt Immanuel continue, ‘Chris, when the team of nurses and doctors
were born, I had Matthew in My mind. When the parents of your nurses and doctors were born,
I had Matthew in My mind. When their grandparents were born, I had Matthew in My mind.’”

And this pattern continued until Chris felt overwhelmed by the depth and power of the truth that
the Lord was revealing to him. Jesus was showing him that He had Matthew in His mind all the
way back to the beginning of time, and that He had prepared this specific, special team of people
to help Jen successfully deliver their son!

This profound, healing interaction fully restored Chris’ shalom and joy. “I never want to go
through that again” and the associated fearful resistance to the idea of having more kids was
replaced by the return of his longing for more children, and the negative images, thoughts, and
emotions from the pitocin hours were replaced with a vivid, peaceful picture of Jesus providing
for his family. Furthermore, these positive changes have remained. His desire for more children
has continued (Chris and Jen now have a second son), and as I write this three-and-one-half years
later, his image of Jesus providing for his family remains vivid and his memories from the
pitocin hours remain free of negative thoughts, painful emotions, or any other indicators of
trauma.

Adapted from E. James Wilder, Edward M. Khouri, Chris M. Coursey, and Sheila D. Sutton, Joy
Starts Here: the Transformation Zone, Beta Version 1.0, (Shepherd’s House Inc.: Peoria, IL:
Shepherd’s House Inc., 2013), pages 175-177, with additional information from Chris and Jen
per private communication. Used with permission.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 17: Describe Whatever Comes Into Your Awareness
(Our Brains Work Better In Community)
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 7/17/2013, revised 11/15/13)
DRAFT

At the beginning of each Immanuel approach session, we ask that God guide both the facilitator
and recipient by guiding each thought, image, memory, emotion, and physical sensation coming
into their internal awareness. In response to this prayer, the Lord always provides guidance. Our
minds are never empty. There are always clues present. Therefore, an important part of letting
Jesus lead the process is for both the facilitator and the recipient to watch for, recognize, and
report/describe what God is showing them. Especially for the recipient, as she participates in the
Immanuel approach it is important that she describes everything that comes into her awareness,
regardless of whether or not it feels important or makes sense.

I. A compelling explanation for why it’s so important: Those of you familiar with
Theophostic will know that Dr. Smith has always taught that it is very important for emotional
healing recipients to describe everything that comes into their awareness. However, he has not
provided any support for this point other than his personal observation that it appears to be
consistently helpful. Over the last several years I have gathered a collection of data points that I
believe come together to build a compelling explanation for why it is so important for us to
describe everything that comes into our awareness as we work to receive emotional healing.

A. Case studies from our experience with emotional healing: The first data points I want to
present are observations from our experience with emotional healing sessions.

1. My session regarding 2 y.o. separation memories: When I was two years old my brother
and I were sent to stay with friends for three to four weeks during a time when Mom was so
physically ill that she was unable to care for us. To put this in perspective: a two-year-old will
experience a three week separation from his parents in much the same way as he’ll
experience his parents dying suddenly – they disappear suddenly, and stay away longer than
any possible two-year-old ability to understand or cope with their absence. Furthermore, a
two year old perceives his parents to be omnipotent – he believes nothing happens unless
they allow it, and that nothing could make them do anything they don’t want to do. This
means he’ll believe he’s separated from his parents because they want to be away from him,
and he’ll believe that they can hear his calls and could come if they wanted to, but that they
are choosing to ignore his cries for help. This extended separation from my parents was
certainly more than I was able to successfully process with my very limited two-year-old
capacity and maturity skills, and therefore ended up as psychological trauma.

For most of my life I didn’t even know about this early and important trauma. We usually
start recording conscious, explicit, autobiographical memory for events around the age of
three, and since all of this occurred when I was two, I had no conscious autobiographical
memory for this important separation trauma. My discovery of these events makes a good

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 2 of 20

story. I had been learning a lot about the unique characteristics of traumatic memories,1 about
various aspects of triggering, and about the differences between “normal” explicit memory
and “invisible” implicit memory.2 As part of all this, I decided to be much more intentional
with respect to noticing when I was triggered and then trying to figure out where the triggered
content was coming from. And as I was observing my own triggering much more carefully, I
noticed one especially dramatic pattern that I could not explain. Any scene in a movie or
book with a little boy losing his mother would make me cry. For example, even though I had
watched the movie The Kid many times, I would still cry every time I came to one of the
scenes about his mother dying of cancer. This didn’t make sense to me, since my mother was
still alive and well: “Why do I cry every time a kid loses his mother, since that has obviously
never happened to me?”

During the time I’m making these observations my older brother comes to visit, and while
we’re sitting in a restaurant eating deep dish pizza I mention this particular puzzling
observation: “....This one just doesn’t make sense. Mom never got sick – why do these scenes
stir up so much emotion for me?” He promptly replies with: “What about the time when
Mom got so sick that we had to go stay with the Wetzels?” After looking stunned for several
seconds, I respond with something along the lines of “What on earth are you talking about?
Mom never got sick!” He goes on to tell the whole story, since he had been two years older
and could still remember many of the details. He told me about how Mom got mono while
she was pregnant with our younger sister, and eventually got so sick that Dad had to carry her
to the bathroom. And about how they gladly accepted the Wetzel’s offer to care for us, since
Mom couldn’t even get out of bed, let alone chase after two small boys, and Dad was
working full time. I still didn’t believe him until I talked to Mom and Dad and they both told
the exact same story. How strange! These events had affected me greatly, and I could still
observe intense triggered thoughts and emotions that I now recognized as coming from these
memories, but I had absolutely no conscious autobiographical memories for these events.

As these pieces all came together I realized that I had often experienced triggered implicit
memory thoughts and emotions from these events, but that I had never recognized or

For detailed discussion of the many important difference between traumatic and non-traumatic
1

memories, see “Brain Science, Psychological Trauma, and the God Who Is with Us, Part III: Traumatic
Memories vs Non-Traumatic Memories,” (available as a free download from www.kclehman.com).
2
Explicit memory recall is what we all think of as “remembering.” Explicit memory feels like
“normal” memory. When we recall events through the explicit memory system it feels, subjectively, like
“I’m remembering something from my personal past experience.” Implicit memory is all memory
phenomena that does not include the subjective experience of “I’m remembering something from my
personal past experience.” Implicit memory content does not feel like “normal” memory. When the
implicit memory systems are activated our minds and brains recall memory material, but it does not feel,
subjectively like explicit autobiographical memory. Since implicit memory does not feel like what we
think of as memory, we usually do not have any awareness that we are remembering or being affected by
past experience when memory material comes forward through one of the implicit memory systems.
When this happens, the person perceives that the implicit memory material, such as the beliefs and
emotions associated with a childhood traumatic event, are true in the present. We sometimes refer to
implicit memory as “invisible” memory, since it usually affects us without being “seen” by our
conscious minds. For additional description and discussion regarding Implicit memory vs explicit
memory, see chapter two of Outsmarting Yourself and “Brain Science, Psychological Trauma, and the
God Who Is with Us, Part III: Traumatic Memories vs Non-Traumatic Memories,” (available as a free
download from www.kclehman.com).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 3 of 20

understood them. This implicit memory content had even come forward in emotional healing
sessions, but I had not recognized it or known what to do with it, and so always eventually
pushed it aside and went on to something else. So the next time I got together with my prayer
partner, I decided to work very deliberately on these memories. In this session, I focused on
the familiar triggered thoughts and emotions I guessed to be coming forward from these
memories, and then asked the Lord to help me access the underlying trauma. What happened
next is the data point that’s relevant for this section. After asking the Lord to help me access
the underlying memories, images and thoughts started coming into my mind. I had an image
of holding a telephone to my ear, but I was looking up at the place where the cord goes into
the wall, so I must have been quite small (about the size of a two year old). I was looking
around a room, with a door leading to a hallway to my right and a large sofa across the room
from me. And the thought came to me: “I can hear her voice – she must be here somewhere! I
wonder where she could be hiding? The sofa’s big enough to hide a grown-up – maybe she’s
behind the sofa!”

But here’s the strange part: I did not have any sense that these images or thoughts were
important, and I did not perceive their meaning. The thoughts and images didn’t feel
important, and I did’t recognize how they fit into my personal autobiographical story. In fact,
this effect was so complete that I told Dan: “Nothing’s happening. I’m not getting anything.”
Fortunately, Dan is an experienced enough therapist that he responded with: “Your mind is
never completely blank,3 so why don’t you just describe whatever’s coming into your
awareness, even if it doesn’t make sense or feel important.” As soon as I started to describe
the above thoughts and images, a huge wave of emotion welled up inside of me, I started
sobbing, and I recognized that I was getting the visual images, thoughts, and emotions from
being at the Wetzel’s and talking to Mom on the phone. At two years old I had not been able
to comprehend that she could be so far away and still be talking to me – I figured that if I
could hear her voice so clearly she must have been somewhere near by.

When the content was isolated inside my head, I was not able to feel its importance or
perceive its meaning; but as I described it to Dan both of these pieces fell into place, and I
was able to feel that it was important and to see how it fit into my personal story.

2. Person with memory of looking out the window of a car: In a session where I was
facilitating the emotional healing process, the person I was working with initially reported
“I’m not getting anything.” However, as I coached her to describe whatever was coming into
her mind, regardless of whether or not it felt important, she eventually acknowledged that she
had been getting a mental image, but she also assured me that it didn’t make any sense and
was certainly not important. With more coaching, she eventually described “I’m seeing
myself in the car with my family – I’m sitting in the car, looking out the window as we drive
down the highway.” And as she continued to talk about and focus on this image, she realized
that it was from the beginning of a trip that had ended in deep rejection – it was from the
beginning of an unresolved traumatic memory that was still anchoring an important rejection
lie.

3
The one exception to “Your mind is never completely blank” is when internal parts and/or demonic
spirits are deliberately creating the specific, unusual phenomena in which the recipient truly perceives
her internal mental awareness to be completely blank. However, once you know this it is no longer a
problem, because whenever you encounter a situation in which the recipient’s internal awareness is truly
completely blank you will realize this actually means you need to deal with internal parts and/or demonic
spirits intentionally blocking whatever would otherwise be coming forward.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 4 of 20

When the content was isolated inside her head, she was not able to feel its importance or
perceive its meaning; but as she described it to me both of these pieces fell into place, and
she was able to feel that it was important and to see how it fit into her personal story.

3. “Pulu did it”: In another session the person I was working with commented: “I’m not
getting anything – I’m just getting gibberish.” But when I asked “What kind of gibberish?,”
and encourage her to describe whatever was coming into her mind, regardless of whether or
not it made sense or felt important, she reported “I just keep getting the words ‘Pulu Did It’.”
“Who’s Pulu? And what did she do?” I asked, thinking that maybe Pulu was the name of an
internal child part. “No” she responded, “It’s the name of a children’s book I got in the mail
yesterday,” and then immediately went on to make several spontaneous comments about
things that had upset her about the book. I asked her to focus on these comments and ask the
Lord to show her what He wanted her to know about them, and within five minutes these
comments had led to an important connection to traumatic childhood memories.

When the content was isolated inside her head, she was not able to feel its importance or
perceive its meaning; but as she described it to me both of these pieces fell into place, and
she was able to feel that it was important and to see how it fit into her personal story.

B. Neurological case study: Another collection of data points I want to present come from a
fascinating case study described by Dr. Antonio Damasio.4

Elliot was doing well personally, professionally, and socially. He was a good husband and
father. He was very intelligent and talented, and had a good job with a successful business firm.
He was a role model for his younger siblings and colleagues. And then he began to make poor
decisions. For example, he might spend the entire afternoon on a series of tasks that were
interesting but less important, while neglecting to prepare for a crucial meeting scheduled for
the next morning. The tasks he did focus on would be done well, but then he would show up
the next morning and be totally unprepared for the meeting. And these poor decisions were not
an occasional accident, but rather became a consistent problem to the point that he could not be
counted on to perform an appropriate action when it was expected. At this same time he also
developed severe headaches, and it was eventually discovered that he had a large, fast growing
brain tumor. The tumor was benign, and was successfully removed, but unfortunately a large
area in the right-sided prefrontal cortex had been irreversibly damaged before the problem was
corrected.

Elliot continued to make poor decisions so persistently that he eventually lost his job. And
another job. And another job. In spite of warnings from several friends, he invested his life’s
savings with a questionable business partner, and then lost all of his money when the venture
ended in bankruptcy. Aside from his persistent difficulty with poor decisions he appeared
remarkably normal, and this actually contributed to his problems because his family and friends
could not understand why he was behaving so foolishly. His wife, for one, could not deal with
this state of affairs, and his marriage eventually ended in divorce. And then his second marriage
also ended in divorce. By the time Elliot was sent to Dr. Damasio he was unemployed, twice
divorced, bankrupt, and in the custody of one of his siblings.

4
Antonio R. Damasio, Descarte’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. (New York, NY:
Avon Books, 1994), pages 34-51, 205-222.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 5 of 20

Dr. Damasio was asked to see Elliot because he had lost his disability income. The problem
was that he appeared to be so normal the disability investigators concluded he simply did not
want to work. As Dr. Damasio proceeded with his evaluation, he was increasingly able to
understand why the disability investigators had decided to discontinue Elliot’s assistance – to
his surprise, he could not demonstrate any objective impairment, even with an exhaustive
battery of every psychological testing procedure that might possibly be relevant. Standardized
IQ testing showed his intelligence to be superior; normal performance on the Wisconsin Card
Sorting Test demonstrated basic logical competence and the ability to change mental set;
normal performance on specialized tests developed by Shallice and Evans5 revealed that he
could complete the complex task of making estimates on the basis of incomplete knowledge;
he generated a valid profile on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI); and a
variety of additional tests revealed that his perceptual ability, past memory, short-term memory,
working memory, attention, new learning, language, and ability to do arithmetic were all intact.

Damasio and his colleagues also developed a number of specialized testing tasks to evaluate
whether Elliot could come up with solutions for hypothetical ethical dilemmas and hypothetical
business problems, whether he could predict the practical consequences of hypothetical events,
whether he was aware of the social consequences of hypothetical actions, whether he could
generate a variety of different options for how to respond in hypothetical situations, and
whether he could conceptualize efficacious means for achieving a variety of hypothetical social
goals. Elliot performed as well or better than the normal controls on each of these tasks,
demonstrating that he still had cognitive knowledge of the principles of behavior that he
neglected to use day after day in real life. He still had cognitive knowledge of these principles,
and could carry on a very coherent and logical discussion of the different considerations
involved in all of these hypothetical scenarios, but he was unable to apply any of this
knowledge or understanding in his real life decisions.

As I am sure you already realize, one of the most significant points in all of this is the dramatic
discrepancy between Elliot’s excellent performance on the tests and his dismal performance in
real life. Not surprisingly, Dr. Damasio and his colleagues also noticed this dramatic
discrepancy, and they wanted to develop new tests that would be able to demonstrate Elliot’s
disability, and that would help to elucidate its source. But how to proceed? They knew that the
damage to his prefrontal cortex had resulted in abnormalities in his brain function; but what
were these abnormalities that caused him to perform so poorly in real life, but that did not
affect his performance on the many different testing tasks? And they knew that the challenges
encountered in real life must include component tasks that Elliot could not perform; but what
were these tasks that he so persistently failed to navigate in everyday living, but that were
obviously not included in the tests that he completed so successfully?

Two clues led Dr. Damasio and his colleagues to develop fascinating testing procedures that
finally provided the explanation for Elliot’s puzzling disabilities. The first clue was noticing
that Elliot lacked normal emotional responses to situations that would be expected to upset the
average person, the clearest example being Elliot’s lack of negative emotions regarding his
own tragic story. All of the testing had focused on Elliot’s cognitive abilities, but as Dr.
Damasio spent hours talking with him about every detail of his story, he slowly realized that

5
For detailed description and discussion of these specialized testing tasks, see Tim Shallice and
Margaret E. Evans, “The involvement of the frontal lobes in cognitive estimation,” Cortex, 1978, Vol.
14, pages 294-303.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 6 of 20

Elliot’s minimal display of emotion was not just the result of a stoic personality, but rather an
abnormal lack of emotional response. And so the thought occurred to him: “Could Elliot’s
problems somehow be linked to his impaired emotions?”

A comment from Elliot supplied the second clue. At the end of a session of working on the
specialized testing tasks described above – after coming up with many plausible, reasonable
ways in which he might handle the hypothetical situation that had been presented – Elliot
commented spontaneously: “And after all this, I still wouldn’t know what to do!’” Pondering
this comment, Dr. Damasio realized that the specialized testing tasks had included formulation
of alternatives, reasoning through costs and benefits, identifying possible consequences, etc –
all of this being logical discussion of the principles – but the tests had not included the bottom
line of having to make decisions or choices with actual consequences. As Damasio points out:
“Real life has a way of forcing you into choices,” (Page 49) and choices in real life have
consequences. And so the thought occurred to him: “Could Elliot’s problems come from
difficulty at the point where he has to make an actual choice with real life consequences?”

In response to these thoughts, Damasio and his colleagues set out to design testing procedures
that would simulate the complexity and uncertainty of real life, that would require choices with
consequences, and that would include the assessment of emotional response.6 They came up
with a testing scenario that involved simulated gambling. The test subject, or “player,” was
given $2,000 of very real-looking play money, and told to lose as little as possible and make as
much as possible. The player would then sit in front of four decks of cards, and would pick
cards, one at a time, from whichever decks he chose. The only information the player received
was that every card would indicate some amount of money that would be paid to him, and that
some of the cards would also indicate a penalty he would have to pay to the experimenter. The
algorithms for the actual numbers on each card in two of the decks were designed so that these
decks were “slow but safe” – the rewards were small, but the penalties were also small, so that
the subject would consistently win, over the course of the whole game, when pulling cards
from these slow but safe decks. The other two decks were “fast,” with each reward being much
higher, but these “fast” decks were also dangerous, with occasional penalties that were so large
that the subjects would consistently loose, over the course of the whole game, if they persisted
in pulling cards from these fast but dangerous decks.

The details of the experiment were designed to be very complex, with lots of variability, lots of
unpredictability, no patterns that were easy to identify, and the participants were not allowed to
take notes or make calculations. The point of all this was to produce a very complicated
situation with no clear right or wrong answers – a situation where the participants could not use
their left hemisphere analytical systems to solve the problem by figuring out the underlying
algorithms and thereby coming up with a logical plan that would guarantee success. Just as
often happens in real life, they had to use right hemisphere intuitive assessment to come up
with “best guess” decisions in a very complex situation with many variables and no clear right
or wrong answers.

The results of this experiment were fascinating, and revealed that Damasio and his colleagues
had designed the first laboratory task that could measure the functional difficulty displayed by

6
For a more detailed discussion of this fascinating research, see: Antoine Bechara, Antonio R.
Damasio, Hanna Damasio, and Steven W. Anderson, “Insensitivity to future consequences following
damage to human prefrontal cortex,” Cognition, Vol. 50 (1994): pages 7-15.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 7 of 20

people with frontal lobe damage such as Elliot’s. Normal subjects initially sampled all decks,
and often showed early preference for the “fast” decks, but then always moved to the safe decks
by the time they had pulled 30 cards. They then stayed with the safe decks, and although their
games went more slowly, with smaller rewards, they consistently won. Elliot, on the other
hand, did not do this. He continued with a strong preference for the fast but dangerous decks
throughout the entire experiment, even though he went bankrupt half way through the game
and had to take “loans” from the experimenter. One of the most intriguing data points is that by
the end of the game Elliot had figured out, cognitively, that the two “fast” decks were bad; but
although he cognitively understood this key principle, he was not able to apply it when actually
playing the game.

The second part of the testing setup was that the investigators used skin conductance7 to
measure the subjects emotional responses throughout their participation in the card game
gambling scenario.8 The results from this part of the study were also fascinating. After each
card was turned – when they would see the results of each choice – Elliot’s skin conductance
responses were similar to those of normal subjects; but there was a dramatic difference
regarding their responses before turning each card. Normals had an increasingly intense skin
conductance response warning them of danger before taking cards from the dangerous decks.
As they reached for the danger decks, their spontaneous, intuitive, emotional response
(measured by skin conductance) said “oh, oh, oh – danger, danger,” and this response steadily
increased the longer they played the game. However, the right prefrontal injury patients
showed no skin conductance responses prior to choosing from the dangerous decks. The
emotion-based intuitive guidance system, indicated by the skin conductance, was not working
to contribute intuitive, emotion-based warning; and this matched exactly their hard to identify,
but hugely disabling problems in real life.

Finally, all the pieces fit together. Elliot’s life had fallen apart because his ability to make real
life decisions was greatly impaired, and he had this difficulty with real life decisions because he
could not feel what was important. He could endlessly discuss all of the cognitive, logical
considerations, but he couldn’t feel which considerations were more important. He could
logically analyze all of the different factors involved, but he consistently made bad choices
because he had lost his right sided intuitive guidance system that had previously enable him to
feel the relative importance of the different considerations, and that had enabled him to feel
whether a given bottom line decision was “good” or “bad.” Elliot was crippled in the real life
world of pervasive complexity and uncertainty, where we constantly rely on our intuitive,
emotion-based system to augment our logical, analytical system. For example, Elliot could
correctly formulate and logically discuss all the considerations that should contribute to
scheduling the events of his next week, but he might make the very poor final decision of
skipping his daughter’s birthday party in favor of getting his hair cut because he could not feel
that his daughter’s birthday party was more important than making sure to get his hair cut

7
Skin conductance is a measure of how easily electricity flows across study subjects’ skin. When
subjects experience emotional stress the stress stimulates sweating, the sweat allows electricity to flow
much more easily, and skin conductance consequently goes up. And because sweat has such a dramatic
effect on the conduction of electricity, even very subtle emotional responses resulting in very small
amounts of sweating will still produce easily measured increases in the flow of electricity.
8
For a more detailed discussion of this part of the study, see: Antoine Bechara, Daniel Tranel, Hanna
Damasio, & Antonio R. Damasio, “Failure to respond autonomically to anticipated future outcomes
following damage to prefrontal cortex,” Cerebral Cortex, Vol. 6 (March/April 1996): pages 215-225.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 8 of 20

before the weekend, and he could not feel that it would be bad to miss his daughter’s party.

And for the purposes of this discussion, it is important to remember the brain tumor at the
beginning of the case study – all of these problems were caused by damage to Elliot’s right
prefrontal cortex.

C. Other information regarding the prefrontal cortex: A large body of case studies and
other research provides additional pieces to the puzzle:

1. the right prefrontal cortex is the primary area for interactions with other people, and
especially for face to face communication (for example, this part of the brain watches and
interprets other people’s facial expressions and voice tones, and generates appropriate facial
expressions and voice tones in response);

2. the left prefrontal cortex is especially involved in language-based communication; and

3. both right and left prefrontal cortices are heavily involved in perceiving the meaning of a
particular piece of mental content, and especially in perceiving how any particular mental
content fits into your personal autobiographical story.

D. Returning to “describe everything that comes into your awareness”: So, putting all the
pieces together – Elliot’s right prefrontal brain injury, his impaired decision-making in real life,
the normal results from most psychological tests, the gambling decision-making research, the
skin conductance research, our experience with Theophostic-based therapy and Immanuel
Interventions, and additional research regarding the functions of both right and left prefrontal
cortices – I have come up with the following set of hypotheses regarding why it is so important
to describe everything that comes into our awareness:

• Our internal mental content needs to be processed through our right-sided pre-frontal cortices
in order for us to be able to feel it’s importance. In the same way that Elliot couldn’t feel any
guidance from his damaged pre-frontal cortex, if a particular piece of relevant, significant
mental content is not processed through the right-sided pre-frontal cortex, we can look right
at it and not feel it’s importance. This is what often happens when we are in an emotional
healing session and do not describe everything that comes into our awareness.

• Our internal mental content needs to be processed through both our right and left prefrontal
cortices in order for us to be able to recognize it’s meaning, and especially for us to be able to
recognize how a given piece of content relates to our personal autobiographical story. If a
particular piece of important, meaningful mental content is not processed through both pre-
frontal cortices, we can look right at it and not recognize how it relates to our personal
autobiographical story. This is what often happens when we are in an emotional healing
session and do not describe everything that comes into our awareness.

• The social interaction task of communicating with the therapist/facilitator, especially face to
face communication, causes the content we are describing to be processed through the right
prefrontal cortex.

• The language task of getting words to describe our mental content causes the content to be
processed through the left prefrontal cortex.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 9 of 20

• Therefore, when we describe our mental content to another person, the combination of
the social interaction task and the language task causes the content we are describing to
be processed through both our right and left prefrontal cortices, and thereby enables us
to feel the importance of the content we are describing, to perceive the meaning of the
content we are describing, and especially to perceive how the content fits into our personal
autobiographical stories.

II. Upgrading from partial to full benefits: Furthermore, even if you can feel that something is
important and can correctly perceive it’s meaning, you will often miss a large percentage of the
positive power if you keep it to yourself. My experience during a THRIVE conference exercise
several years ago provides a good example. We were doing a devotional exercise, with
instructions along the lines of “Pay attention to any images or thoughts or emotions that come
into your awareness. Write them down, and trust that they are from the Lord...etc.” Often when I
would try this kind of exercise, I would not get anything that I perceived to be from the Lord, and
so would usually end up disappointed, frustrated, and triggered. So my initial response was not
exactly positive. I was thinking:

“This kind of thing never works for me. For example, right now I get an image of His smiling
face, but I can feel that it’s an imagination image that I’m generating as I think ‘So what would
it look like if I could see His face?’ And I have the thought ‘I’m glad to be with you,’ but I can
feel that this is just a thought that I’m generating in answer to my own question ‘So what would
the Lord say?’”

And then suddenly I had a second mental image of His face, but this image was spontaneous,
unexpected, not initiated by me, much more engaging, and had a smile that was alive. At the
moment I perceived this new, spontaneous image of Jesus’ face, the thought came into my mind:
“Just because you can accurately guess that I’m here and that I’m glad to be with you doesn’t
make it not true – just because you accurately deduce these truths doesn’t disqualify them!” And
the sense I had was that He said this with a smile and a chuckle – He wasn’t upset with me or
rebuking me, but rather was on my side, and laughing with me regarding my logical error and
spiritual fussing.

At the time this occurred my initial response was surprisingly mild. Based on clues such as the
unexpected, spontaneous nature of the image and thoughts I came to a logical conclusion along
the lines of, “This is really the Lord – this image and these thoughts are actually from Him,” and
I had a subjective feeling that the image and thoughts were important and genuinely from the
Lord, but both pieces of this initial reaction were quite subdued. However, later in the day, as I
described this experience to Charlotte, intense emotions began welling up as I was telling the
story and I had a much clearer, keener perception of what it meant. Until I described the
experience to Charlotte, I had not been able to fully feel its importance or to fully comprehending
its meaning. As I think about this now, it seems that I had been missing 90% of the blessing until
I talked to Charlotte about it.

Watching groups doing Immanuel exercises provides another good example. As will be
described in chapter (**fill in**), group Immanuel exercises include breaking up into small
groups so that the participants can benefit from how our brains work better in community as they
describe their experiences to each other. As I have observed those participating in these small
group sharing circles, I have noticed that people are usually fairly calm while they are waiting to
share (they have completed a piece of the exercise internally, but are waiting to share with the
rest of the group). And then these same people come alive emotionally as they describe the
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 10 of 20

details of their experience with the others in their small group. When people are just doing the
exercise in their own heads, I see smiles, nods, and observable emotions with levels of intensity
between 1 and 3 (on a scale of 1 to 10); but when they describe their experiences to each other, I
see tears, laughter, and observable emotions with levels of intensity between 3 and 7.

III. Compelling explanation helps (the reason I’m giving you this information): As
mentioned above, Dr. Smith has taught “describe everything that comes into your awareness” as
a part of the Theophostic process for years. However, my observation is that this simple directive
is amazingly hard to implement when you are the one receiving healing. Even after being
repeatedly, emphatically instructed to “report everything,” it is still very easy to leave out the
things that feel truly unimportant: “Yes, I know I’m supposed to report everything, but surely that
doesn’t apply to the things that really don’t feel important.”

Regarding this point, there is a striking similarity between what I observe in emotional healing
sessions and Elliot’s experience. Extensive psychological testing demonstrated that Elliot had a
cognitive understanding of the principles regarding how to navigate life, but somehow being
unable to feel their importance at the point they were relevant got in the way of actually being
able to apply them in real life. In the card game, he eventually figured out the key principle that
certain decks were dangerous, but somehow being unable to feel this danger at the point it was
relevant got in the way of applying this knowledge when he was actually playing the game. And
this same phenomena occurs with the “describe everything” directive! We understand this
principle cognitively, but somehow being unable to feel it at the point it is relevant gets in the
way of actually applying it – we have a cognitive understanding of the principle, but somehow
being unable to feel the importance of a particular piece of mental content gets in the way of
actually choosing to describe it.

My own experience provides an especially clear example. I totally understood the “describe
everything” instruction, and I was convinced that it was valid and important because I had
personally observed the whole phenomena so many times. I consistently taught that this was an
important principle, and even wrote an entire essay about the importance of making sure to
describe everything that comes into your awareness. But in spite of all of this, I would still
frequently fail to apply this principle in my own sessions. Somehow, when I was inside my own
sessions, being unable to feel the importance of certain mental content got in the way of actually
choosing to describe it. When I was inside my own sessions, it was so difficult to take the time
and energy to report things that truly, truly, truly felt unimportant. “I know what I tell everybody
else, and I know I’ve missed things in my own sessions when I didn’t report everything, but these
thoughts/images/emotions/physical sensations are truly just distractions. I will ‘describe
everything that comes into my awareness’ (as long as it feels at least a little bit important).”

Deep down in our experiential, intuitive, right hemisphere “guts,” it’s really hard to believe
something might be important when it doesn’t feel important; and in the middle of a session
(especially when we’re more triggered and blended than we realize), it’s sooo hard to report
something when we truly don’t believe that it might be important.

Here’s the good news, and the reason I have just taken all this time to present this material: I
have noticed a dramatic change in my behavior since coming to these conclusions regarding the
underlying brain science. In sessions where I’m receiving, when I become aware of mental
content that does not feel important, I find myself thinking about the material I’ve just presented,
and it is so compelling that it consistently tips the balance. I can feel that being aware of this
material helps me choose to go ahead and report things even when they don’t feel important. I
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 11 of 20

have also observed this same benefit for people I work with – a clear understanding of this
material helps them to more consistently implement the directive to report/describe everything.

IV. Complexity, variability: There is obviously some complexity with respect to these
circuits/this phenomena, since sometimes thoughts, emotions, images, etc come into our
conscious awareness and we are able to feel the importance and perceive the meaning even
though we are not describing our mental content out loud to another person. Some people seem
to prefer to process internally at times, and this is okay as long as it works. However, as
described above, in many situations the person is not spontaneously able to feel the importance
and perceive the meaning, and he usually has no insight regarding his lack of ability to feel the
importance and perceive the meaning of the clues sitting in front of him. Therefore, it is
especially important to coach the person to report/describe everything when things are not
moving forward and the session seems to be stuck. Furthermore, even with people who like to
process internally and silently, I invite them to experiment with the “describe everything”
technique to see if this tool will enable them to move forward even more effectively.

V. Risks with using the Immanuel approach by yourself (getting stuck and inoculation):
People frequently ask, “Can I use the Immanuel approach by myself, or will it only work with
someone facilitating for me?” The simple answer is, “Yes, you can use the Immanuel approach
by yourself.” I know many people who use these principles and tools, without a facilitator, to
engage with the Lord for emotional healing and also to connect with him for many other reasons
throughout the average day. Using Immanuel approach principles and tools to become
increasingly aware of God’s living presence throughout the average day, and to increasingly
abide in an interactive connection with him is the core of what I call the Immanuel lifestyle.
Applying the Immanuel approach principles and tools by yourself, without a facilitator, is
obviously an important part of this “all day every day” picture. However, I would like to offer
two important cautions with respect to using the Immanuel approach by yourself. The first is that
some people get themselves into traumatic memories and then have trouble getting themselves
back out again. For example, when a person gets intensely triggered and is in deep non-relational
mode, she may need a facilitator to provide very directive and persistent coaching in order to get
back to a good place.9

The second caution is that the Immanuel approach is subtly but significantly less effective when
used alone, because you do not have the benefit of the subtle but important phenomena described
in this chapter. That is, when you use the Immanuel approach by yourself, you do not have the
benefit of the quiet but powerful neurology associated with describing your mental content to
another person – the interpersonal neurology that pulls the content through the front of your brain
and makes it much easier to feel it’s importance, understand it’s meaning, and see how it fits into
your personal story. Once you have become familiar with the Immanuel approach, have
experienced many fruitful connections with God, and have become utterly convinced of it’s
effectiveness and value, this concern about decreased effectiveness is minor. You will usually
notice that your interactions with God are more subtle and less intense when you don’t have a
facilitator to interact with, and you will occasionally encounter some kind of difficulty that you
can’t resolve on your own, but these will be minor problems and you will still receive daily
blessings and benefit. However, when you are just starting the risk is much more strategic.

9
As you may remember, this concern was discussed in more detail in the “Practical Considerations”
section of the chapter on safety nets (chapter 14). And it will be discussed again, in even more detail, in
the “Safety Net Intervention” section of the chapter on group exercises (chapter **fill in**).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 12 of 20

When you are just beginning to experiment with the Immanuel approach, the biggest risk is that
you will try to apply the principles and tools by yourself, the process will bog down because you
can’t feel the importance or recognize the meaning of key clues, and then you will (erroneously)
decide that the Immanuel approach just doesn’t work. I call this being “inoculated” to the
Immanuel approach because after this experience you will be “immune” to the possibility of
trying it again in the future. If you have not yet tried it and one of your friends tells you about it,
you might respond with, “Wow. That sounds really exciting. I’d like to try it – how can I learn
more? Could you do a session for me?” However, if you have tried it on your own, and
(erroneously) concluded that it doesn’t work, you will respond with, “Yeah, I already know about
that. In fact, I tried it but it didn’t work. It’s just another fad – lot’s of hype, but just another
disappointment. I’m not interested.”

VI. Putting it all together: Putting all these pieces together, the first application with respect to
the Immanuel approach is that we should include regular sessions with others as part of our
Immanuel lifestyle. As just described, this is especially important when we are just getting
started, and even more especially important if we are having difficulty and are tempted to
conclude that the Immanuel approach doesn’t work. The second application is that when we
facilitate Immanuel approach sessions, it’s very important to coach the recipient to describe
everything that comes into her awareness. Repeatedly, persistently, and gently encourage the
recipient to describe every thought, image, memory, emotion, and physical sensation that comes
into her awareness, at every point, throughout the Immanuel approach process. The third
application is that when we are receiving, we should deliberately practice the skill of describing
everything, including internal mental content that doesn’t make sense or feel important.

VII. Additional examples: In addition to further illustrating the general principles described in
this chapter, I am hoping the following examples of some of the most common specifics will
help many recipients to recognize the ways in which they are missing important clues. As already
described, I have been amazed by how often we can miss important information that is sitting
right in front of us. Sometimes the lightbulb doesn’t go on until recipients read or hear examples
that describe their specific situations. Hopefully there will be recipients who read the examples
included below and respond with,“I do that! That happens in my sessions all the time. I didn’t
realize it was important – I didn’t think Dr. Lehman could possibly have been referring to that.”

The initial images can seem particularly unimportant, mundane, or even boring: Some
times an important memory is coming forward but all the recipient sees is the opening image or
scene, and this initial image or scene seems so unimportant, mundane, insignificant, or even
boring that the recipient can’t believe it could possibly be worth reporting. One of our earlier
case studies provides a good example, with the person who was convinced that the process
wasn’t working because all she was getting was a boring, unimportant, insignificant image of
herself looking out the window of their car as she and her family were starting out on a road
trip.

This phenomena with respect to recalling traumatic memories reminds me of certain action
movies I have seen. The movie begins with scenes of a peaceful meadow, with wild flowers
blowing gently in the breeze. My spontaneous response to the leader footage could be
something along the lines of, “Hey, I thought this was supposed to be Godzilla vs. King Kong –
did we accidentally put the wrong tape into the VCR?” Then the music changes, and a huge
scaly foot stomps into the middle of the meadow, as Godzilla charges out of the forest and
crashed through the meadow on his way to destroy New York City. Similarly, recall of
traumatic memories will often begin with “leader footage” that seems particularly innocuous,
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 13 of 20

mundane, and non-traumatic. However, if the person receiving healing describes these initial
images, and then stays with them, the memory will continue to play forward into an important
traumatic event. For example, the recipient might initially report “I’m just standing in the
woods, listening to birds singing – what’s this got to do with anything?” and then “Oh, no! This
is the campground where my brother got hit by that drunken guy in a jeep. This is where I was
standing when I heard him scream,...etc.”

The person receiving healing can also be in the middle of an important memory scene, but
focusing only on non-traumatic aspects of the scene. For example, one person I was working
with kept going to a memory where he was standing on the edge of a lake studying every detail
of a boat in the distance, and thought this seemingly unimportant memory was just a
distraction. However, as he stayed with this memory and asked the Lord for guidance he
realized that he was focusing on the boat as a way of “escaping” the scary and painful part of
the memory – his parents were behind him, fighting, as he was “looking away” towards the
boat.

“I’m just getting distractions,” “It’s just a jumble,” “I can’t get words”: One of the most
common scenarios is for the recipient to get a jumble of confused thoughts and images that
don’t seem to make sense and that she has difficulty describing.10 These scenarios usually look
something like this:

Client: Pauses as she waits for her internal mental content to become more organized and to
make more sense (often pausing for as long as I allow, before coaching her to “describe
whatever”).

Dr. Lehman: “If you can, I’d like you to describe whatever’s happening inside, even if it
doesn’t make sense or feel important.”

Client: “I’m just getting distractions.”

Dr. Lehman: “If you’re willing, I’d like you to describe them – just for kicks.”

Client: “There are a bunch of different images and thoughts, but they’re just fragments,
they’re all jumbled together, and they don’t make any sense...it’s really hard to get words...”

Dr. Lehman: “What you’re describing is very common – people often have difficulty finding
words that feel just right; but I’d like you to give it a try and just do the best you can. What
we usually see is that the person makes a first attempt, with comments about how difficult it
is and how the words don’t quite fit, but then as they work at it the picture becomes
increasingly clear and they eventually find words that feel right. If you’re willing, I’d
encourage you to do that – just take the image/thought fragments one at a time and do your
best to describe them.”

And when the client does this, she is usually surprised to discover that the pieces become
increasingly clear and fit together with increasing coherence. Sometimes it takes only a few

10
It is helpful to be familiar with this scenario because recognizing it will enable the client-facilitator
team to successfully navigate the situation by encouraging them to be persistent with the “describe
everything” technique.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 14 of 20

minutes for all the pieces to fit together and sometimes it takes half an hour, but when she
finishes this process of describing her mental content the pieces have come together, and a
larger picture comes into focus in a way that enables her to take the next step forward.

“I’m just getting distractions – it’s not important (and/or) it doesn’t make sense”: As this
entire chapter has been describing, the recipient can have all kinds of important content, in any
and every modality, sitting right in front of her, but if it isn’t being processed through her right
and left prefrontal cortices she can still respond with “I’m just getting distractions – I’m getting
some stuff, but it’s just distractions – it’s not important (and/or) it doesn’t make sense.” Like
my experience with the images from being on the phone at the Wetzel’s when I was two years
old. Or like the “Pulu Did It” case study example, with the person who was “...just getting
gibberish.” And this is why we gently but persistently coach the recipient to describe whatever
comes into her awareness, regardless of whether it makes sense or feels important, at every
point in the Immanuel approach process.

“I’m getting something, but I think it’s just coming from my own mind” part one: In one
of the most common scenarios,11 something comes into the person’s awareness, such as a
subtle image of Jesus’ face accompanied by a thought, but the image and thought are faint and
the recipient feels unsure regarding whether she is perceiving the Lord’s tangible presence and
thought or whether this mental content is just a construct of her own mind. At this point the
person will usually pause, waiting for greater clarity. Unfortunately, in many situations this
greater clarity never comes because she is missing significant clues due to her inability to feel
their importance and/or recognized their meaning. The person continues to wait...and wait...and
wait, and eventually concludes that the process is not working.12 However, if the facilitator
coaches her to apply the “describe everything” technique the session can look like this:

Client: Long pause as she waits for a greater sense of clarity regarding whether or not she is
really perceiving the Lord’s presence.

Dr. Lehman: “If you can, I’d like you to describe whatever’s happening inside, even if it
doesn’t feel important or you’re not sure what it means.”

Client: “I don’t think it’s working.”

Dr. Lehman: “If we do discern that the process isn’t working then we’ll ask the Lord to show
us what’s in the way, but for now I’d like you to just describe whatever’s coming into your
awareness.”

Client: “I think maybe I’m just making it up.”

Dr. Lehman: “If we discern that your own mind is making things up – in an attempt to ‘help’
the process work, or for some other reason – we can ask the Lord to help us sort that one out;
but if you’re able to, I’d like you to start with just describing whatever has come into your
awareness.”

11
Again, recognizing this scenario will enable the client-facilitator team to successfully navigate the
situation by prompting them to gently persist with the “describe everything...” technique.
12
Or, at the very least, she needlessly wastes time circling in confusion because she is unable to
recognize the clues that would clarify the situation.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 15 of 20

Client: “Well, I’m still in the memory, but now I have a subtle sense of the Lord’s presence.
(Pause) It’s very faint, but I see an image of Jesus standing next to my Mom. (Pause) The
thought comes: ‘if you were to get into a situation like this again you could respond
differently.’ And He’s showing me how the situation could have been handled much more
constructively. But it’s all so faint – I’m not sure if it’s really Jesus, or whether I’m just
making it up.”

Dr. Lehman: “Were you thinking about ways in which the Lord might intervene, and then
proactively imagining these images, thoughts, and insights, or was it all a surprise?”

Client: “Oh, it was totally a surprise. I was thinking about the memory, worrying that nothing
would happen, and then I had the image of Jesus standing beside my mother and the thoughts
came into my mind.”

Dr. Lehman: “Do the thought that you could respond differently and the insight about the
more constructive way in which to handle the situation feel true?”

Client: (Pause) “Yes. Yes they do. They feel totally true.”

Dr. Lehman: “And how does the memory feel?”

Client: “Well, now that you mention it, it feels peaceful and calm. (Pause) I’m just realizing –
in the past this memory has always upset me because I felt like I didn’t know how to handle
the situation, and I’ve always avoided similar situations because I didn’t want to re-
experience that feeling of being overwhelmed and inadequate. But now it doesn’t bother me
to think about it because I feel like I would know what to do.”

As I ask questions that help the person discuss the details out loud, it usually becomes
increasingly clear one way or the other. In some sessions, like the one just described, with
careful joint discernment it becomes increasingly clear that the person is experiencing the
Lord’s living, healing, life-changing presence. In other sessions, with careful joint discernment
it becomes increasingly clear that the person’s mind is generating the phenomena through
proactive imagination. For example, in one session the person reported having the thought,
“Where should I put Him?” and then could feel herself constructing an imaginary image of
Jesus at the place in the memory where she had decide to “put Him.” As the reader could
probably have predicted, the image she had just constructed did not feel unexpected,
spontaneous, or surprising, nothing changed or resolved, and it became increasingly clear to
both of us that the image of Jesus was purely a product of her own imagination.

“I’m getting something, but I think it’s just coming from my own mind” part two: As
clearly implied from the end of part one, in some situations the recipient is getting images that
would appear to represent the tangible presence of God and thoughts that would appear to be
from God, she is worried that she is fabricating both the images and thoughts, and her concerns
are valid. Sometimes the person’s own mind is making up images of Jesus and/or messages
that are supposedly from Jesus.

But it is still really important for the recipient to describe this because it is vitally important
information! Especially for people who have grown up in Christian homes, and who are
desperately trying to cooperate, one of the most common blockages that hinders the Immanuel
approach is the person’s own mind, worrying that she won’t “get anything,” and then trying to
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 16 of 20

“help” by fabricating images of Jesus and imagining what He might say. If this is happening, it
is very important for the recipient to describe exactly what she is experiencing inside, including
her anxiety that it won’t work, the subjective perception that she is proactively fabricating the
images and thoughts that are supposedly from Jesus, and the thoughts that maybe her own mind
is generating this content in an attempt to help by making guesses regarding the kind of
thoughts and images that possibly should be coming forward. If this is happening, it is very
important for the recipient to describe it so that the facilitator can be aware of it and address the
problem directly (see chapter (**fill in**), Advanced Troubleshooting, for additional
discussion of this scenario. **or also reference to Advanced TS book?**).

“I’m getting something, but I think it’s just coming from my own mind” part three: Very
subtle God thoughts provide a third scenario in which the recipient will eventually report
something along the lines of, “Well, I do have a thought, but I didn’t tell you about it because it
felt like it was just coming from my own mind.” She’s not getting thoughts and images of Jesus
that she disqualifies because they are subtle. And she’s not getting thoughts and images of
Jesus that she disqualifies because she suspects she may be fabricating them out of anxiety and
a desire to “help.” She’s just getting thoughts that feel like her nothing-special, everyday,
normal, natural mental content, but they turn out to be God thoughts.

Many of us expect that guidance from God will feel supernatural and/or foreign (like it’s
coming from outside of one’s own mind). At the very least, most of us expect that guidance
from God will feel subjectively different or special in some tangible way that is fairly easy to
discern. However, our observation is that sometimes the Lord provides guidance in very subtle
ways, so that the thoughts coming into our awareness feel just like our own normal, natural,
nothing-special, every-day thoughts. God’s mind touches our mind in such a gentle way that we
initially have no perception that the content is coming from the Lord. This happens to me fairly
frequently, and in these situations the only indicator that Jesus is sharing His mind with me is
that the session moves forward if I describe the thoughts out loud, deliberately focus on them,
ask the Lord for more guidance, and then keep reporting whatever comes into my mind. If I
describe them, and then “test drive” them, it turns out that they have brought forward helpful
information/insight that moves the session forward.

For example, I was working along in a session, trying to get more light and resolution for the
way I can get intensely triggered by having trouble with inanimate objects. I was focusing on
some trigger, such as being unable to find my keys. (Why are they deliberately tormenting me,
again, by hiding when they know I need them for something important and don’t have time to
deal with this nonsense?!) As I was thinking about my intense frustration towards my perverse,
stubborn, hateful keys, the thought just came to me that maybe my anger was implicit memory,
and part of my childhood protest/battle to try to make the world be different – instead of
standing straight in the pain of feeling so helpless with respect to the many frustrations in the
world, I was trying to attack the triggers in an attempt to make the world be different. And
along with this thought came the thought that I should deliberately choose away from indulging
in the anger, try to stand straight in the pain of feeling so frustrated and helpless, and invite the
Lord to be with me in this place. These thoughts didn’t feel supernatural, external, different, or
special – they just felt like my usual, normal thoughts.13 But as I described all of this to my
prayer partner, and then tried it, I felt like the whole healing process with respect to this

13
Actually, they felt just the slightest bit different than my usual thoughts, in a subtle way that I have
learned to recognize with much careful practice, as described in the next paragraph.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 17 of 20

particular issue began to move forward.

Actually, I shouldn’t say that the thoughts from God are completely indistinguishable from my
own thoughts. Over time, with deliberate, careful practice, I have learned to recognize a subtle
but distinct feeling that comes with God’s thoughts. I have had the hardest time describing this
God-thought feeling, but one might call it a very quiet sense of grace and truth. I learned to
recognize this God-thought feeling by watching for the positive outcome that went with God-
thoughts, and then retrospectively pondering every detail I could remember regarding how the
thoughts felt when they first came forward. Even so, the quiet sense of grace and truth is still
sometimes so subtle that I don’t know for sure until I describe the thoughts out loud, focus on
them, ask God for more guidance, continue to describe whatever comes into my awareness, and
then notice that everything moves forward.

“I’m getting something, but I think it’s just coming from my own mind” part four: Trying
to analyze the issue and/or trying to solve the problem on her own provides a fourth scenario in
which the recipient will eventually report (after multiple rounds of coaching to describe
whatever comes into her awareness), “Well, I do have a thought, but I didn’t tell you about it
because it felt like it was just coming from my own mind.”

In some situations, there is something hindering the recipient from being able to perceive
God’s guidance, and the recipient quietly, unintentionally slips into old familiar patterns of just
trying to figure things out on her own. She’s not getting thoughts and images of Jesus that she
disqualifies because they are subtle. She’s not getting thoughts and images of Jesus that she
disqualifies because she suspects she may be fabricating them out of anxiety and a desire to
“help.” And she’s not getting subtle guidance from God that she disqualifies because it feels
like it’s just coming from her own mind. She’s getting thoughts that feel like her everyday,
normal, natural thoughts because they are – she’s just noticing her own thoughts as she slips
into familiar patterns of trying to figure things out in her own strength.

Note that it is still very important that the recipient describe these thoughts, because often the
only way to tell the difference between subtle God thoughts that feel almost identical to our
own thoughts and thoughts that are truly just coming from our own minds is to describe them
to the facilitator and then engage in joint discernment. Often, once the recipient has described
the thoughts out loud, both the facilitator and recipient can easily see that the thoughts are just
the recipient’s own attempts to analyze, problem solve, etc. And if this is not immediately
clear, the facilitator can test drive them by coaching the recipient to focus on them, ask for
more guidance, continue to report whatever comes into her awareness, and then see what
happens. As mentioned above, if they are actually subtle God thoughts, then test driving them
will move the session forward. However, if they are indeed just the recipient’s own thoughts,
then the session will wander fruitlessly as the recipient tries to solve the problem in her own
strength.

If it becomes clear that the thoughts are, indeed, just the recipient trying to solve the problem
on her own, then the facilitator and recipient work together to identify and resolve whatever
blockages are hindering her from receiving God’s help. The troubleshooting can sometimes be
as simple as the facilitator asking, “Can you still perceive Jesus?” And when the recipient
responds with, “Yes, He’s still here, but I sort of forgot about Him when I slipped into trying to
figure it out for myself,” the facilitator simply coaches her to focus back on Jesus, ask Him for
help, and then watch/listen for His response instead of trying to figure it out. If the recipient
can’t perceive the Lord’s presence, one simple troubleshooting option is to go back to the
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 18 of 20

initial interactive connection, and coach the recipient to engage with Jesus in that context. In
many situations this basic intervention will result in a quick and simple resolution: “Jesus is
showing me that I slipped back into my old problem solving mode. I think He’s saying that I
just need to try again, but this time stay focused on Him and listen for His guidance (instead of
trying to figure it out myself).” The alternative basic troubleshooting intervention is to coach
the recipient to ask, “What’s in the way, Lord?” and then coach her to observe and describe
whatever comes into her awareness14

My own experience provides a good example. Before starting to work with deep healing tools
such as EMDR, Theophostic, and the Immanuel approach, I would get together with a therapist
colleague each week and we would talk about our stuff. We would essentially take turns giving
and receiving insight oriented psychotherapy, thinking and talking for an hour-and-a-half about
our childhood memories, current family dynamics, problematic emotional reactions, difficult
behavior patterns, etc. And I did this every week for years. All this to say that I have a LOT of
experience with deliberately thinking about psychological and spiritual issues in my life, and I
have a very good sense of what it feels like when I am using my own human abilities to
analyze, figure out, and problem solve regarding some psychological and/or spiritual issue in
my life.15 Occasionally, when I am doing my own Immanuel approach healing work, I will
describe my mental content and then recognize that I have slipped into this old, familiar way of
thinking – whatever it is I’m working on, I have slipped into trying to resolve the issue with my
own analysis and problem solving. Fortunately, usually all I have to do to correct this difficulty
is to recognize it, deliberately set aside my own attempts to figure it out, and then go back to
focusing on Jesus, asking Him for guidance/help, watching for whatever He brings forward,
and then describing whatever comes into my awareness.

“I’m getting something, but I think it’s just coming from my own mind” part five: In
addition to the four just described, there is yet another scenario in which the recipient will
eventually report (again, after multiple rounds of coaching to describe whatever comes into her
awareness), “Well, I do have a thought, but I didn’t tell you about it because it felt like it was
just coming from my own mind.” The person perceives that the thought in question is just
coming from her own mind, and it turns out that this is indeed the case, but with this variation
on the theme the thought is not analysis or trying to figure things out – in this case the thought
is an observation of some kind. But we still need to report these thoughts because they often
contain valuable information that God wants to use in guiding the session, and we often don’t
recognize their importance and/or meaning until we describe them to the facilitator.

For example, in several of my own sessions there were points where it seemed like nothing was
happening, and all that I was aware of was anxiety that nothing would happen. I didn’t mention
this because I was waiting for “something else,” but after a looong pause I finally reported:

14
Review chapters 12 and 13 for additional discussion of these basic troubleshooting interventions.
In some situations the hindrances can be more complicated and can require advanced troubleshooting.
See chapter (**fill in**) for additional discussion of advanced interventions.
15
There is nothing inherently wrong with this kind of thinking, analysis, and problem solving. In fact,
these conversations were moderately helpful – I felt like I gained insight and self awareness that were
both helpful in coping more effectively. But in all of these many conversations I don’t think I ever
experienced permanent resolution of underlying traumatic memories, and this kind of proactive, “I’m
trying to figure this out” thinking and analysis gets in the way of the kind of receptive watching and
listening that enables us to perceive guidance that God brings into our awareness.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 19 of 20

“Well, what I’m most aware of is feeling anxious that nothing will happen.” And as I was
describing this to the facilitator, I realized that this thought and feeling were part of my
triggered fear that the Lord would disappoint me, which turned out to be an important part of
what I was working on. We would have missed this clue if I hadn’t finally decided to “just go
ahead and describe it anyway, even though it’s not important.”

The recipient’s mind is truly blank: See chapter 18: “Describe Whatever Comes Into Your
Awareness, Practical Tips.”

VIII. Several important caveats regarding “describe everything that comes into your
awareness”:

A. Not a mandate to say things you are not yet comfortable disclosing: This application of
how our brains work better in community16 is not a mandate to force yourself to say things that
you don’t yet feel comfortable sharing. For example, thoughts may come into your mind that
you are afraid will offend the facilitator, or you may recall traumatic memories that feel too
shameful to describe in detail. The “describe everything” discipline is not a mandate to force
yourself to share this content. If you do become aware of content that feels too unsafe and/or
too shameful to share, it is important to at least let your facilitator (or the others in your group,
if you are participating in a group exercise) know what’s happening. There are several options
that can help you eventually move forward with your healing (discussed in chapters 18 and
**fill in**), but it’s important to quickly tell the facilitator (or the others in your group) what’s
happening so that she (they) don’t mistakenly conclude that the process isn’t working.

As just discussed above, we are applying the neurology of how our brains work better in
community in order to address the problem of choosing to not describe mental content because
it does not feel important, because it does not “make sense” (you don’t understand how it
pertains to the current focus of your session), or because it has not yet been nicely packaged.
Choosing to not describe mental content because it feels too embarrassing or unsafe to do so is
a completely different phenomena. Again, if something comes into your awareness that you
don’t want to talk about, you do not have to describe the details if you don’t feel comfortable
doing so.17

B. Not a mandate to say things that will cause conflict or be upsetting/hurtful to others:
The “describe everything” part of the process is also not a mandate to force yourself to say
things that will cause conflict or be upsetting/hurtful to others. For example, let’s say you’re
practicing group exercises with several others from your fellowship group at church, and when
it’s your turn to receive you notice that the facilitator has a nervous twitch. This reminds you
that you happen to know he’s still using pornography, but that his wife (who’s sitting beside

16
Just in case it’s not clear, “this application of how our brains work better in community” is
referring to the persistent coaching for the recipient to report “whatever” comes into her awareness,
“even if it doesn’t feel important, even if it doesn’t make sense, and even if it’s not yet nicely packaged.”
17
For additional discussion regarding how to navigate situations where you’re reluctant to report
what’s happening because it’s too frightening, shameful, or upsetting, see chapter 18, chapter **fill in**
on advanced trouble shooting, and Karl D. Lehman, “Not Reporting Everything – An Especially Sneaky
Form of Interference,” last modified November 14, 2013, http//www.kclehman.com. **Update this
reference if it has changed by publication**

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 17: Describe Whatever.... (revised 11/15/13) Page 20 of 20

him in the practice group) doesn’t know. Applying the “describe everything” discipline in this
situation does not mean sharing all of these details with the group. As just discussed with
respect to memory content that you don’t feel comfortable sharing, it’s important to say
something so that the facilitator/others in your practice group aren’t left confused regarding
what’s happening. And it’s also possible that the content includes clues for your session that
you don’t yet recognize. In this kind of scenario, you can report the content in general terms
that won’t cause trouble, such as, “I’m just becoming aware of a complicated issue between
two of my friends, but I don’t think it’s appropriate to describe the details,” and then
specifically ask the Lord for more clarity regarding your own work, “Jesus, it feels like this is
just a distraction. Please help me to recognize if it’s more relevant to my session than I realize.”

Again, the “describe everything” discipline is trying to address the problem of choosing to not
describe mental content because it does not feel important, because it does not “make sense”,
or because it has not yet been nicely packaged. Choosing to not describe certain details of your
mental content because they would cause conflict or be hurtful/upsetting to others, and/or you
perceive this is not the right time or place to address the issue, is a completely different
phenomena. Feel free to withhold certain details or “save them for later” if something comes
into your awareness and you perceive it would not be helpful to describe this particular mental
content at this particular time.

C. Not left hemisphere analysis: This application of how our brains work better in community
is not about giving left hemisphere theoretical, analytical monologues every time something
reminds you of a subject you have thought a lot about. For example, if I’m receiving Immanuel
approach emotional healing and the facilitator makes a comment that reminds me of the chapter
I’m writing about advanced troubleshooting techniques, and I feel a lot of excitement about the
subject, applying the “describe whatever comes into your awareness” technique would not
mean launching into an hour of explanation and commentary related to the topic. The facilitator
might even be interested in the topic and welcome my comments, but this would not be an
application of the “describe everything” intervention we’re presenting here. In contrast, let’s go
back to the facilitator making her comment that reminds me of the advanced troubleshooting
material. At this point, applying the “describe everything” discipline would be to notice both
the association and my internal response to it, and then report something along the lines of,
“I’ve just spent the last week writing about advanced troubleshooting techniques, and your
comment brings to mind some of specific material I’ve been working on. I can feel an intense
emotional response – just thinking about it for a few seconds, I can feel how passionate I am
about the subject. I’m not sure if this is a distraction or a clue, but that’s what just came into my
awareness after your last comment.” I might even briefly describe any specific details that I
noticed particularly coming into my mind, just in case these details might also be part of the
Lord’s guidance. But I would not launch into a long monologue regarding my left-hemisphere
analysis with respect to advanced troubleshooting.

One more time: we are applying the neurology of how our brains work better in community to
address the problem of choosing to not describe mental content because it does not feel
important, because it does not “make sense,” or because it has not yet been nicely packaged.
Choosing to not present the details of my left-hemisphere analysis because this would derail the
emotional healing session is a completely different phenomena.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 18: Describe Whatever Comes Into Your Awareness, Practical Tips
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, New 8/1/2013, Revised 11/15/13)
DRAFT

As of July 2013, we have had the opportunity to coach hundreds of people in many different
settings as they are learning to use the Immanuel approach. Sometimes the images, thoughts,
emotions, etc that come forward quickly and spontaneously feel important and make sense. For
example, images come forward that the person quickly recognizes as coming from memories that
match the trigger she was focusing on, or she suddenly has a clear perception of the Lord’s
tangible presence, with her, inside the memory she had already been working with. This is the
low hanging fruit, and people have no difficulty reporting this kind of mental content. However,
as we have just discussed at length in chapter 17, sometimes the content that comes forward does
not feel important or make sense, and these are the situations in which the “describe everything”
discipline helps us recognize important clues that we would otherwise miss. As we have coached
many facilitators and recipients in practicing with the describe-whatever-comes-into-your-
awareness techniques, we have come up with a number of practical tips.

The tip regarding time limits can be especially helpful for people facilitating group exercises with
beginners, and the remaining tips are intended for those wanting to increase their knowledge and
skill so that they can facilitate intermediate or advanced Immanuel approach work. (For those
applying the “describe everything” technique with basic Immanuel approach exercises, just keep
coaching the recipient with a simple phrase along the lines of, “Describe whatever comes into
your awareness, regardless of whether or not it makes sense or feels important.”)

I. Experiment with time limits for pauses: As I observe people first practicing with the
“describe everything” discipline, I often see them waiting in silence for a minute,...two
minutes,...five minutes,...ten minutes, or even longer, and when I question them regarding their
internal experiences during these long pauses it becomes clear that they are waiting for
something to come forward that feels important and/or makes sense. In spite of the extensive
explanations and instructions, many people still find it amazingly difficult to just start describing
their internal mental content when it doesn’t feel important and/or make sense. In these
scenarios, coaching from the facilitator can dramatically shorten what could otherwise be
loooong pauses – pauses that appear to be fruitless and that can get so long that both the recipient
and facilitator conclude that the process simply isn’t working. Therefore, if I notice long pauses
when people are first practicing with this technique, I encourage the facilitators to experiment
with limiting pauses to one to two minutes, or even twenty to thirty seconds. If the recipient is
still silent at the end of this designated pause the facilitator offers a gentle prompt along the lines
of: “I realize additional material may come forward with more time, but just go ahead and report
whatever has come into your awareness, even if it doesn’t feel important or make sense yet.”

______________________________________________________________________________
**Advanced topics warning box: If you are just beginning to learn about the Immanuel
approach and you are reading through this book for the first time, I encourage you to skip (or
skim) the rest of this chapter for now. At this point in your learning journey, slowing down to
study these more advanced practical tips will hinder you from getting the more important
overview understanding of how all the pieces fit together. Come back to this material after you
have been through the whole book at least once, you feel that you have a good understanding of
the basic principles and tools, you have had a chance to experiment with the exercises for groups

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 18: Our Brains Work Better.... (Revised 11/15/13 ) Page 2 of 10

and beginners, and you want to obtain additional understanding and tools for applying the
“describe whatever comes into your awareness” technique in intermediate or advanced situations.
Advanced topics warning box**

II. Observe the recipient and ask about facial expressions: Another simple technique is to
observe the recipient’s face, and when you notice facial expressions that indicate thoughts and/or
emotions, prompt him with a simple observation and invitation such as, “I just noticed your brow
furrow, and I’m guessing that thoughts of some kind were associated with the facial expression.
Would you be okay describing them?” or “I just saw a thought and emotion go across your face –
could you tell me about them?”

III. Ask if there’s anything that keeps coming back: There will be important content that the
recipient still won’t report no matter how many times you discuss these principles and encourage
her to describing everything. “I know you keep saying to report everything, but I didn’t think you
wanted me to report that.” Fortunately, the most important content will usually keep coming
back, and can often be discovered by periodically asking “Are there any thoughts, images,
emotions, or physical sensations that keep coming back but that you haven’t yet described
because they don’t feel important?” One of my favorite lines from recipients is, “Actually,
_________ (fill in with some really strategic piece of information, the absence of which has been
holding up the process for months) has come into my mind every time we have prayed about this
problem, but I didn’t think it was important.”

IV. Learn to recognize different modalities/channels: Guidance from the Lord can come in
many different modalities, in many different “flavors,” or you might even say on many different
channels. Some we are familiar with and therefore recognize more easily. For example, if I am
working on my fear of anger and then I start getting images from second grade in which angry
bullies are yelling at me, once I start describing these I quickly recognize them as guidance from
the Lord. “Oh, hey! I think the Lord is showing me some of the memories that contribute to my
fear of anger and conflict.” My experience with talking to Jesus about my friend Thomas
provides another example. I had the visual image of the Lord suddenly turning to me with a big
smile, and then I was aware of new, clear, surprising thoughts that felt like they were coming
from outside of my usual stream of consciousness. I quickly and easily recognized these images
and thoughts as coming from the Lord. However, it can be easy to miss clues that come in ways
that we are not familiar with or expecting. We can miss the letter in our mailbox or the
messenger standing on our front porch because we are only listening for the phone. And a time
traveler visiting from the 1950's might miss hundreds of messages waiting patiently in her inbox
because she doesn’t know about e-mail. To frame this from the other direction, clues coming in
on a given channel are a lot easier to find if we know that channel exists and deliberately check
for clues coming in on it.

In light of all this, it can be helpful for both the facilitator and recipient to learn about the many
ways in which information can come into our internal awareness. This has definitely been
valuable for me as a facilitator. When the recipient seems to be stuck and repeatedly states that
she is not getting anything, I will provide a brief explanation1 about some of the less familiar

1
If I am working with one of my regular clients, who has already heard these explanations, I will just
name the different modalities as a simple way to refresh her memory, and then coach her to deliberately
check them.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 18: Our Brains Work Better.... (Revised 11/15/13 ) Page 3 of 10

modalities and then specifically coach her to look for clues that might be coming in those ways. I
have lost count of the times in which the person will pause for a while, and then say, “Well,
actually, I have been getting...,” and then describe some thought, image, emotion, or physical
sensation that had been present for many minutes but that she had not recognized as useful
information that she should report. Deliberately checking all channels has also been valuable for
me as a recipient. Whenever I have the initial impression that I’m not getting anything, if I can
remember to deliberately check the less popular, atypical channels, I always end up with some
clue that leads me forward. For example, when I am initially frustrated by the absence of the
kinds of images, thoughts, or emotions that I most easily recognized as clues, I try to deliberately
scan for atypical modalities such as subtle physical sensations: “Well, actually, I’m noticing that I
have a knot in my stomach and tension in my throat.” And then when I focus more deliberately
on these sensations, more clues come forward and the whole process starts moving again.

Here’s my list of modalities/channels that the recipient should deliberately check if she is having
persistent trouble with “I’m not getting anything”:

A. Images, thoughts, and emotions that feel supernatural and/or like they are coming
from an outside source: This one is a no-brainer, and the one most of us start with looking
for. In fact, if mental content actually feels supernatural and/or like it is coming from an outside
source, it most likely is already going through the circuits that enable us to feel it’s importance
and recognize it’s meaning. The only problem with this channel is that we can ignore
everything else as we focus all of our attention on waiting for something to come forward in
this modality.

B. Images, thoughts, and emotions that are clearly associated with autobiographical
memory: This one is theoretically obvious, but should still be deliberately checked because of
how important clues can still be invisible as they sit right in front of us. And the content still
needs to be reported regardless of whether it feels important or makes sense (the whole point
of this chapter, and illustrated by the examples in the case studies section).

C. Images and thoughts that we don’t report because we feel like they are just coming
from our own minds: As discussed in more detail in chapter 17, I perceive that there are at
least four variations on this theme.

“It’s just coming from my own mind” part one: As discussed in more detail in chapter 17,
sometimes we get images that would appear to represent the tangible presence of God, and
thoughts that would appear to be from God, but the images and thoughts are faint, and we
are unsure regarding whether they are really from God or just products of her own
imagination. We are therefore waiting (and waiting...and waiting) for additional clarity
(which often never comes until we describe all of this to the facilitator).

“It’s just coming from my own mind,” part two: As discussed in more detail in chapter 17,
sometimes we get images that would appear to represent the tangible presence of God, and
thoughts that would appear to be from God, but we are actually fabricating them out of
anxiety that the process won’t work and a desire to “help.” We sense this at some level, and
are therefore reluctant to describe them. So we are waiting (and waiting...and waiting) for
additional clarity (which often never comes until we describe all of this to the facilitator).

“It’s just coming from my own mind” part three: As discussed in more detail in chapter 17,
sometimes we get thoughts and/or images that feel like normal, nothing-special, everyday
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 18: Our Brains Work Better.... (Revised 11/15/13 ) Page 4 of 10

mental content. We don’t report them because we think they are just coming from our own
minds, but it turns out that they are actually from God (and this doesn’t become clear until
after we share them with the facilitator).

“It’s just coming from my own mind” part four: As discussed in more detail in chapter 17,
sometimes we get thoughts and/or images that feel like normal, nothing-special, everyday
mental content. We don’t report them because we think they are just coming from our own
minds, and this turns out to be accurate – they are just coming from our own minds as we
try to analyze the issue or figure out the problem in our own strength. But we still need to
report them to the facilitator because describing them out loud and joint discernment with
the facilitator is often the only way to distinguish them from subtle God thoughts. And then
the facilitator can help us troubleshoot regarding what’s in the way of being able to receive
God’s guidance.

“It’s just coming from my own mind” part five: As discussed in more detail in chapter 17,
sometimes we get thoughts and/or images that feel like normal, nothing-special, everyday
mental content. We don’t report them because we think they are just coming from our own
minds, and this turns out to be accurate – they are just coming from our own minds, but in
this variation they aren’t analysis or trying to figure things out. In this variation, the
thoughts come from our own minds as we make observations about the process, or engage
in a variety of other kinds of thoughts. But we still need to report them because they often
contain valuable information that God wants to use in guiding the session, and we often
don’t recognize this until we describe them to the facilitator.

D.“‘Invisible’ implicit memory thoughts and emotions”: Sometimes the thoughts and
emotions that come into the recipients awareness are coming from memories, but they come
forward as “invisible” implicit memory, so that they just feel true in the present and we don’t
recognize them as memory. On rare occasions the recipient will recognize subtle clues that
indicate implicit memory content, but more often these “sneaky” implicit memory thoughts
and emotions get missed because they can feel so much like the background reality that
nobody thinks to comment on. For example, recipients never report, “I’m aware of the reality
that I’m on planet earth, that I’m breathing air, that I’m a human being, that I’m wearing
clothes, that I’m awake, and that I’m speaking English.” Similarly, recipients can fail to
report implicit memory thoughts and emotions, such as “this won’t work for me because I
don’t deserve to get healed,” or “this problem can’t be fixed – it’s beyond repair,” or “It’s
hopeless – there’s nothing I can do about it,” with associated feelings of discouragement and
despair, because they can feel so much like part of the background reality. Or the recipient
dismisses them because “they’re just coming from my own mind” (as opposed to being
perceived as guidance from God).

People also have distorted implicit memory thoughts and emotions that you might think
would be easier to spot, such as “God is angry and distant, so why would I want to talk to
Him?,” “I’m dirty and shameful – I don’t want God to be here because I don’t want Him to
see me,” or “I don’t want God to come because He will just yell at me.” But even these more
obvious trauma-based distorted thoughts can be surprisingly sneaky. When they quietly slide
forward as invisible implicit memory, and feel so compellingly true in the present, it can be
surprisingly difficult to spot them as distorted memory content.

Again, it’s important for the recipient to describe whatever comes into her awareness, since
the importance and meaning of implicit memory material often isn’t recognized until she
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 18: Our Brains Work Better.... (Revised 11/15/13 ) Page 5 of 10

describes it to the facilitator. For example, as I describe my “It’s hopeless – there’s nothing I
can do about it” thoughts and the associated discouragement, I suddenly recognize that these
are thoughts and feelings I often had in my childhood – these are the thoughts and feelings I
had when I couldn’t learn to read because of my dyslexia.

E. Images that are not coming from the recipients personal lived experiences: In some
sessions the recipient will perceive images that are not coming from autobiographical
memory. I have seen God send a wide variety of images that have provided a wide variety of
blessings and help. For example, I have seen the Lord send images of the recipient’s
grandfather as a child, providing information that proved to be powerfully healing and that
the recipient had no other way of knowing, and I have seen God send a variety of symbolic
images that have provided guidance, encouragement, and healing truth. I have seen an
amazing variety of images generated by internal parts, with some images being sent with the
purpose of distracting or blocking us from a course of action that the part perceived to be
potentially painful, and other images sent for the purpose of communicating and/or helping.
(Note that images from internal parts can include strange images, such as cartoon characters
engaging in all manner of odd or interesting activities). I have seen demonic spirits generate
an unpleasant assortment of confusing and/or frightening images. And I have seen a wide
variety of non-autobiographical images that turned out to be coming from the recipient’s
nonconscious mind. An amazing array of images that are clearly not from autobiographical
memory, but that need to be reported to the facilitator – both to bring them through the front
of the recipient’s brain and to benefit from joint discernment – in order to determine what
they mean and what to do with them.

F. Guardian lie fears: The recipient will often experience thoughts and emotions that
represent guarding lie fears. That is, fears that are based on distorted beliefs and that stand in
the way of moving forward with the healing process. For example, the person may feel
intense fear of continuing with the process, and have the thought, “If I remember this I will
die.” Or the recipient may feel fear of continuing the process, and have the thought, “I’m
afraid of what we might find.” Or the recipient may feel intense resistance to continuing, and
have the thought, “I’m afraid that I’ll invite God to be with me, but He won’t show up and
then the disappointment will be unbearable.” Or “I’m worrying that I’m making this up, and
if I describe what’s coming to me you will wrongly think badly about my grandfather.” And
sometimes the recipient will pause, waiting...and waiting...and waiting – waiting to move
forward with the process until the blocking fear somehow resolves itself. However, it is very
important for the recipient to just go ahead and report the whole guardian lie package, since
these blocking fears usually don’t resolve until the recipient describes them out loud and then
works with the facilitator to engage in troubleshooting.

At other times the recipient will just say something like, “I think it’s time to stop,” or “I don’t
want to do this anymore.” In these situations it’s important that the facilitator know about
guarding lie fears, so that she can provide coaching along the lines of, “You can certainly
stop at any time you decide to do so, but before we stop I would like to mention one
possibility. Sometimes a person will have a fear that gets in the way of going forward, such as
(give some examples), and if this is what you’re experiencing right now I would encourage
you to at least get words for your fear(s), and then talk to Jesus about them, before stopping.
Again, you can certainly stop if you still want to.”

G. Physical sensations: Physical sensation clues seem especially easy to miss (many people
have never learned that important clues can come forward as physical sensations, and even
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 18: Our Brains Work Better.... (Revised 11/15/13 ) Page 6 of 10

people who already know about this have often not had much practice with checking this
“channel”). I have seen many situations where the person is convinced that nothing is
happening, but then when I coach her to specifically scan for physical sensations, “Well, now
that you mention it, I am noticing that my wrists are sore,” as she starts rubbing her wrists.
And then when she deliberately focuses on this, “Wow. Now I’m remembering the time my
brothers tied my hands behind my back, as part of a game of cowboys and Indians, but then
they forgot all about me and went into the house for a snack....”

NOTE: It can be helpful to know about the different ways in which clues can present, and to
practice deliberately checking for them, but it’s important to remember that even deliberately
checking all of the channels does not fully compensate for the way our brains have been
designed to work best in community. Understanding and practice with respect to the different
modalities make it easier for the recipient to spot clues, but even with recipients who have this
understanding and practice, it’s still important to repeatedly coach the person to “describe
whatever comes into your awareness, regardless of whether it makes sense or feels important.”
As with my experience with memories of being two years old at the Wetzel’s house, you can
have dramatic clues presenting in the most obvious modalities, all sitting right in front of you,
but still not feel their importance or recognize their meaning (until you describe them out loud
to the facilitator). Coaching the recipient to deliberately check all channels will help her to
focus her attention on content that may have previously been in the periphery of her internal
awareness, but she may still fail to report it because she still does not feel it’s importance or
recognize how it fits into her story.2

V. Jesus’ hand is quicker than the eye: Some recipients don’t “see,” “hear,” or “feel” anything
at the moment of healing, and often don’t even realize that they have received healing. In fact, in
many of these situations the recipient eventually begins to complain that nothing is happening
and that the process isn’t working. If the facilitator suspects the possibility of quiet healing (for
example, she notices a decrease in the recipient’s distress), she can expose the healing by
coaching the recipient to carefully check regarding whether any of the negative aspects of the
original traumatic memory have changed. And when he does this the recipient will discover that
a new truth has replaced an old lie, or that some other aspect of the traumatic memory has been
“mysteriously” resolved. My own experience provides a good example. I have had several
sessions in which Jesus resolved some aspect of a traumatic memory, but I didn’t have the
slightest awareness of this new reality and actually started complaining to Charlotte: “It’s not
working. We’re asking Jesus what He wants me to know about this lie, and I don’t see, sense, or
feel anything.” But when she encouraged me to look back at the lie to see whether it still felt true,
I realized that Jesus’ hand had once again been quicker than my eye. The Lord had removed the
lie and replaced it with truth, even though I hadn’t seen, sensed, or felt the actual process of Him
making the switch.3

2
To some extent, deliberately focusing your attention on a specific channel, and being able to feel
the importance of the content and recognize it’s meaning are separate neurological issues/phenomena.
They interact, so that focusing your attention in the right place can help with the importance/meaning
blind spot, but the focus-of-attention neurology will not fully resolve the importance/meaning blind spot.
Again, the only way to avoid missing important clues is to describe the content out loud to another
person, so that the content is sure to get pulled through the parts of your brain that enable you to feel it’s
importance, to recognize it’s meaning, and to understand how it fits into your personal story.
3
Note that in this example Charlotte resolved the problem by suggesting that I check to see if the lie
still felt true. However, careful, thorough use of the “Describe whatever thoughts, images, etc.” technique

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 18: Our Brains Work Better.... (Revised 11/15/13 ) Page 7 of 10

VI. “Describe nothing”: When the recipient reports, “I’m not getting anything,” or “Nothing’s
happening,” I sometimes respond with “Describe nothing” as a light-hearted way of reminding
them that the Lord always provides us with guidance when we ask, that our minds are never
blank, and that the challenge is to recognize and report the clues that must be present but that
don’t yet feel important or make sense.

VII. The recipient’s mind is truly blank: I often say that a person’s mind is never blank or
empty. The person may not perceive her mental content to be important, but there’s always
something there. The one exception I am aware of is an abnormal, artificial blankness, or
emptiness, caused by demonic spirits and/or internal parts in order to block the prayer for
emotional healing process. When the recipient is experiencing this unusual blankness/emptiness,
she will respond to my usual “our minds are never blank” comments with something like “No –
my mind really is blank. It’s just empty. It’s weird.” Every time one of my clients has reported
this phenomena, there have been demonic spirits causing the blankness/emptiness in an attempt
to hinder the healing work and/or internal parts causing the blankness/emptiness in an attempt to
protect the person from going to painful memories. It has always been possible to resolve these
blockages, but the interventions have often included advanced principles and techniques (see
chapter (**fill in**) for discussion of advanced troubleshooting, and also www.kclehman.com
for the essay about the direct eye contact technique for working with internal parts, for other
essays about working with internal parts, and for essays about dealing with demonic
interference).

VIII. Ask if there is anything the recipient is afraid and/or embarrassed to share: As just
discussed in great detail, in many situations the recipient does not report important clues because
she does not feel them to be important and/or perceives them to be nonsense, and we address this
problem by repeatedly coaching her to describe “whatever” comes into her awareness “even if it
doesn’t feel important or make sense.” However, there are also situations in which the recipient
chooses to not report important clues because it feels intensely unsafe and/or unbearably
embarrassing to talk about the content that has come into her awareness.

For example, in one session I was facilitated a demonic spirit came forward as we approached a
particularly strategic healing target. This demonic presence came forward with intense anger,
with thoughts like, “I hate you doctor Lehman,” and with an intense desire to hurt me. But this
patient did not immediately recognize the true source of these thoughts and emotion. That is,
when these thoughts and emotions first came forward the recipient initially felt like they were
coming from his own heart and mind. Understandably, this patient was very reluctant to share
this, and was afraid that it would harm our therapeutic relationship if he told me that he was
feeling intense anger towards me, that he was thinking, “I hate you,” and that he felt like he
wanted to hurt me.

Many recipients are reluctant to report certain memories that come forward because they are
afraid the facilitator will think badly of their families. I have facilitated many sessions in which
the recipients had been traumatized by woundedness and dysfunction in their parents and
siblings, but they still loved their families and correctly realized that their parents and siblings
had good hearts underneath their woundedness and dysfunction. When these memories came

also would have worked. If I had rigorously described exactly what was in my mind, it would have
included a picture where the lie didn’t feel true any more, and if we had been paying attention we would
have recognized this.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 18: Our Brains Work Better.... (Revised 11/15/13 ) Page 8 of 10

forward, with the recipients being traumatized by negligent and/or toxic behavior on the part of
their families, the recipients initially withheld important parts of the stories because they were
afraid that I would misunderstand and judge their loved ones (they were afraid I would not be
able to see the good hearts underneath all of the woundedness and dysfunction).4

Survivors of childhood abuse provide another common example. If the recipient was abused as a
child, she may have heard the perpetrator say things like, “Remember, your job is to warn me if
anybody is coming so that we won’t get caught.” The recipient may have been punished and
yelled at for telling the truth: “How DARE you say such a thing about your grandfather! Why do
you make up such crazy lies? If you ever say anything like this again I will....” And she may have
been directly and explicitly threatened by the perpetrator: “I will come back and do it again if you
tell anyone,” or “I will kill your mother if you tell anyone.” People who survive memories like
these will almost always come away with distorted fearful beliefs along the lines of “I will get
hurt if I tell anybody about this,” or “It’s not safe to talk about this.”

And many people are loath to describe any kind of mental content that includes sexually explicit
details. For example, Jesus may want to bring forgiveness and healing for guilt and shame that
have haunted memories of sexually promiscuous college partying, but when these memories
come forward the recipient might assume that he will have to talk about the specifics in order to
work through the memories, and feels like he will experience unbearable shame as he describes
the mortifying details. Or God may want to bring healing for a sexual assault trauma, but when
the memory comes forward the recipient might assume that she will have to talk about the
specifics in order to work through the memory, and feels that describing the details will be
unbearably shameful. Or the Lord may want to bring healing for memories of childhood sexual
abuse, but when the memories come forward the recipient might assume that she will have to talk
about the specifics in order to work through the memory, and feels that describing the details will
bring unbearable shame.

Again, this is an important phenomena that can cause the session to bog down, but it’s different
from the accidental withholding of information described in chapter 17, and coaching the
recipient to describe “whatever” comes into her awareness, “even if it doesn’t feel important,
even if it doesn’t make sense, and even if it’s not yet nicely packaged” won’t resolve the
problem. The simplest intervention for addressing this concern is to talk about the phenomena as
a “theoretical” problem that can sometimes hinder emotional healing work, to describe the
simple options below for addressing it,5 and then to find the gentlest possible way of asking
whether there is any content that the recipient is deliberately withholding due to fear and/or
shame (for example, “Do you think this problem we just talked about might be affecting your
healing work?).6 If the recipient acknowledges that this is indeed happening, then you can coach

4
The reluctance to describe this kind of memory can be exacerbated if the recipient’s family
members have personal friendships with the facilitator, as is especially common when friends
and family are facilitating Immanuel approach sessions for each other.
5
It’s important to describe the options for addressing the problem before asking whether there is
anything that the recipient is deliberately withholding, so that she understands the larger purpose as
opposed to feeling like you are asking the question in order to catch her doing something wrong.
6
If the recipient’s healing work is not flowing forward smoothly and you suspect that there might be
important clues that she is afraid and/or ashamed to tell you about, one way to address this whole
package is to make a copy of this part of chapter 18, and then offer it to the recipient with an explanation

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 18: Our Brains Work Better.... (Revised 11/15/13 ) Page 9 of 10

her through one of the following three simple interventions for addressing the concern.

With a recipient who is afraid to describe the content that’s coming into her awareness, we ask
Jesus to help her get a clear focus regarding exactly what she is afraid of, and we are then almost
always able to identify specific fears blocking the way forward. For example, “I’m afraid you
will think my parents are terrible people if I tell you about this memory,” or “I’m afraid you will
be offended and stop working with me if I tell you about the thoughts and feelings that I’m
having right now,” or “I’m afraid that I’ll get in trouble and that terrible things will happen if I
tell anybody about this stuff.” I then coach the recipient to engage with Jesus regarding her fears,
she talks directly to Jesus about her fears and asks for His guidance and help, and then the
blocking fears almost always resolve and her healing work begins to move forward again.

With a recipient who is deliberately not reporting certain information because it feels too
embarrassing, I coach her to describe the content in general terms that feel much less shameful,
but that still give me enough information to be able to facilitate effectively. For example, if a
person feels that it is too embarrassing to talk about the details of the sexual abuse memories that
are coming forward, she can just report that she is remembering being sexually abused (with no
additional specifics), and then talk about the associated issues that need to be addressed (such as
distorted beliefs, shame, self hatred, helplessness, confusion, bitterness, etc) as the focus of the
healing work. Or if it feels too embarrassing to even mention sexual abuse, she can just report
that she is remembering painful events from her childhood, and then focus on the associated
issues that need to be addressed. I have done this on many occasions, and it is consistently
effective. (This actually makes sense, since the embarrassing specifics of the memories aren’t
really important with respect to healing – it’s the distorted beliefs, shame, self-hatred, confusion,
etc that need to be worked through in order to complete the processing tasks and resolve the
trauma.) Furthermore, the recipient can stand with Jesus in the present and look back at the
memories without my needing to know the details, she can go back to the memories and allow
Jesus to be with her in the memories without my needing to know the details, and she can talk
(silently) directly to Jesus about any details she feels the need to discuss without my needing to
hear what she’s saying.

Finally, in some situations the recipient won’t feel comfortable with either of these interventions.
For example, if she’s working with a very inexperienced facilitator or working in a practice
group with people that she doesn’t know well, she might decide that she wants to be with trusted
friends and/or an experienced facilitator in order to work with such intensely frightening and/or
vulnerable content. In these situations the recipient can simply let the facilitator (or practice
group) know that she has encountered content that she knows is important, but that she doesn’t
want to work with it in the present context. The facilitator (or group) can then help her go back to
her initial positive memory and connection with Jesus, and in that context she can talk with Jesus
regarding whether to pick some other target or whether to just end the session.

Regardless of which option she decides to choose, it’s very important for the recipient to let the
other(s) know what’s going on so that they can provide appropriate support, and also so that so

along the lines of “Sometimes important clues get held back because the person is afraid or ashamed to
share them, and Dr. Lehman recommends asking about this possible hindrance if the healing work isn’t
moving forward smoothly and easily. Why don’t you look at this, and then we can discern together
regarding whether this might be hindering your healing work? One really important piece that I want to
make sure you notice is that there are a couple of simple, gentle interventions that can usually take care
of the problem.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 18: Our Brains Work Better.... (Revised 11/15/13 ) Page 10 of 10

they don’t mistakenly conclude that the process isn’t working.

For discussion of additional examples and principles regarding the problem of withholding
information due to fear and/or shame, an also discussion of more advanced interventions, see
**chap on advanced trouble shooting,** and the essay, “Not Reporting Everything – An
Especially Sneaky Form of Interference.”7

7
Karl D. Lehman, “Not Reporting Everything – An Especially Sneaky Form of Interference,” last
modified November 14, 2013, http//www.kclehman.com. **Update this reference if it has changed by
publication – e.g., moved to immanuelapproach website.**

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 19: Tom, Mom, and Immanuel
(©Copyright 2014 K.D. Lehman MD, new 5/27/2014)
DRAFT

Charlotte and I have close friends, Tom and Adey Wassink, who are husband and wife co-pastors
of a church in Iowa City. Tom is also a psychiatrist and a professor at the University of Iowa, so I
particularly appreciate hearing about his experiences with the Immanuel approach. (I don’t have
very many psychiatrist colleagues who are both facilitating Immanuel approach sessions for
others and also receiving their own Immanuel approach healing.) Charlotte and I were blessed to
enjoy several short fellowship and prayer getaways with Tom and Adey during the summer and
fall of 2013, and during one of these get-togethers Tom told us about the experience described
below, from an Immanuel session he had in May of 2013. He has also graciously given me
permission to share this Immanuel story with the rest of you.

I was eight years old and in the backyard with my Mother and six year old brother. My mother
was upset and crying and my brother and I were miserably looking down at the ground. “Why
can’t the two of you get along! Honestly, I just don’t know what to do. I’m at my wits’ end!” I
had horrible sibling rivalry with Mark. I was mean to him, kept him out of neighborhood
friendships, and cheated to win at games. I still don’t know why—insecurity? jealousy? and I
certainly had no idea back then.

My family is Dutch, so Mom crying was a big deal. We never showed emotion except for joy
when Michigan beat Ohio State, but my mother crying now had nothing to do with football.
She didn’t know what to do with our rivalry either -- how to help us talk about it, how to help
us explore why it was there, or how to help get us through, and it felt to me that in that moment
she was putting her frustration onto us, two clueless young brothers who already felt confused,
angry, and guilty.

I had started the Immanuel prayer time with a positive memory of sailing with friends off the
coast of Maine on a sunny afternoon, and I connected with Jesus when I invited him into the
experience and then immediately saw him sitting right beside me on the bow, his feet dragging
in the chill water just like mine. I also asked Jesus to help me be aware of his presence in the
room where we were praying, and then I sensed him sitting in a chair, leaning forward and
looking at me intently. I asked, “What do you want to show me Jesus?” and a few moments
later I was in the memory of being in the backyard with my mother and brother.

In my remembering, I entered the shame of that moment. I could see the three of us sitting in
the grass, our wooden deck off to the side. I felt angry. This isn’t fair! She was the Mother, the
one in charge, who was supposed to know how to deal with these things. And her helplessness,
sadness, and frustration were supposed to be hers—but now, not only was I beyond hope
regarding my brother, but I also was the cause of my mother’s tears! I already felt bad about
how I was treating Mark, and now I felt guilty for making Mom cry too.

“Where’s Jesus?” the person praying with me asked.

“Jesus?” I thought, “Who cares! What can he do? This thing can’t be undone. I have lived
distant from my brother (and guilty towards my mother) for 40+ years. I don’t want Jesus to
somehow make me feel all happy about it.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 5 (New 5/27/13) Page 2 of 2

But then I saw him. He was sitting on the deck, sort of behind me, facing sideways. He
obviously was there for me, but I think he knew I wouldn’t talk to him yet. In my mental
imagery, my child self in the memory stood up and moved a foot or two towards him, but I was
still facing my mom and brother. They had stopped moving, like in the movie scenes where all
action freezes except for the main character.

And then the weirdest thing happened. I (adult Tom) was still feeling very angry at Jesus. So I
watched in shock (and amazement) as eight-year old Tom from inside the memory sighed,
shrugged his shoulders, walked up onto the deck and plopped down next to Jesus. I had been
watching the whole scene from an outside observer perspective (from above, and a little to the
left), but I also at this point sort of went inside my little self. And I said—and these were the
only words I spoke in the whole process of going through the memory—“This really sucks.”
And Big Jesus sitting beside me said, “Yeah, this really sucks.”

Well, that was enough for little Tommy. He/I took a deep breath, got up, and began to walk
back to Mark and Mom. I remember my adult self thinking, “Wait—that was too fast! You
can’t just fix a life time of sibling rivalry and bad parenting with ‘That sucks!’ Go back—sit
down!” But try as I might, I could not deter little Tommy. He all of a sudden felt good! He
trooped on down to Mom and Mark and just wanted to play. All of a sudden, this whole intense
sibling rivalry meltdown, with all its pain and shame and heaviness, felt like a silly distraction
getting in the way of having fun on a sunny afternoon.

I remember trying to probe the child me that was still inside the memory. I was looking for
some kind of sign that I was making the whole thing up because it just seemed too easy. But I
was not in denial—I knew what had happened—I knew it was real—and I was now serene. I
was as connected as I’d ever been with that experience--with that whole thread from my
childhood memories. Jesus was present, with me, and that was enough.

Follow-up: The healing benefits of this interaction with the living presence of Jesus appear to be
long-lasting. It’s now May of 2014, a year after the Immanuel prayer time just described, and in
these past twelve months Tom has noticed things shifting in a good way with respect to his
mother. For example, he visited his parents recently and felt himself to be “more free and open in
conversation with her, less secretive.” He also “felt the possibility of engaging more deeply with
her about real topics of conversation–religion, church, and growing up in a socially rigid
environment.” Furthermore, whenever he goes back to the memory of being in the back yard with
his mother and brother, he continues to perceive Jesus’ presence with him in the memory and that
this once painful experience has been permanently resolved. Instead of feeling the shame,
despair, and anger that this memory used to carry, now when he visits it he feels only the freedom
he was experiencing as he came out of the prayer time.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 20: Facilitator Establish Interactive Connection,
Constantly Ask God for Guidance
(©Copyright 2013 K. D. Lehman MD, new 10/25/2013)
DRAFT

******************************************************************************
Advanced topics warning: If you are going through the book for the first time, trying to get the
overview big picture, just skim over this material for now and come back for a more thorough
review when you are ready to actually begin practicing with the Immanuel approach. And when
you are ready to begin practicing, if you are a lay person and/or beginner doing basic Immanuel
approach work, just focus on the simplest, most basic connection and benefits. If you perceive
God’s presence, maintain an interactive connection, and just receive encouragement, reassurance,
strengthened relational circuits, increased joy, and increased capacity from sensing that God is
glad to be with you, that’s great, and that’s all you need for basic Immanuel approach work. You
can study the material about receiving and transmitting more complicated guidance and help if
you decide to do intermediate and/or advanced work at some point.
******************************************************************************

In the full, ideal version of the Immanuel approach, both we and the recipient establish and
maintain interactive connections with God. We should be focusing one half of our attention on
the recipient and focusing the other half of our attention on Jesus – constantly watching for any
guidance, encouragement, or other help that He might be providing throughout the session. I
know that this is not an absolute requirement, since I have facilitated successful Immanuel
approach sessions while being subtly triggered, quietly non-relational, and without any awareness
of Jesus’ presence or an interactive connection with Him, but it is certainly the ideal. And the
more we deal with intermediate and advanced issues and blockages, the more valuable it will be
for us to have our own connection with Jesus as we lead sessions. Similarly, in group exercises
the ideal is for every person in each small group – the recipient, the lead facilitator, and all of the
observers/intercessors – to establish and maintain interactive connections. With individual
sessions, with group exercises, and with every other situation we might possibly end up in, more
interactive connection with Jesus is always better.

Getting into relational mode and staying there: Since we have to have our relational circuits
online to be able to establish any kind of relational connection, to the extent that we are able to
establish and maintain a relational connection with Jesus we will get into relational mode and
stay there. And being in relational mode is a good thing with respect to many aspects of
facilitating Immanuel sessions. For example, even without a connection to God, just being in
relational mode increases our capacity, our emotional presence, and our discernment. Being in
relational mode will also increase the ease and effectiveness with which we are able carry out
many of the practical facilitator tasks, such as helping the recipient to get words for what’s in her
heart, helping her to describe whatever is coming into her awareness, coaching her to engage
directly with Jesus regarding everything that comes forward, and offering attunement.1

1
If you observe yourself carefully, you will notice that when you are in relational mode these
facilitator tasks flow easily, require minimal effort, and feel natural, real, and “right.” In contrast, when
you are subtly triggered and in non-relational mode you can still carry out some of these facilitator tasks,
but they do not flow smoothly, they require much more effort, and they usually feel a bit awkward, stiff,
clumsy, and artificial. Furthermore, since your relational circuits are the part of your brain that does
attunement, you can only offer true attunement when you are in relational mode. (You can try to offer

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 20: Facilitator Establish Interactive.... (New 10/25/13) Page 2 of 4

Protection with respect to triggering and non-relational mode: As just mentioned,

establishing and maintaining a relational connection with Jesus helps get us into relational mode
and helps keep us there, and this is a good thing with respect to many aspects of facilitating
Immanuel sessions. In addition to these benefits, getting in the habit of establishing and
maintaining relational connection with Jesus also provides a valuable warning system with
respect to triggering and non-relational mode. If we usually establish and maintain a relational
connection with Jesus, any time we notice that we are having difficulty with this connection it
should be a warning signal to check whether we may be subtly triggered and/or have slipped into
non-relational mode. Being triggered and/or in non-relational mode will dramatically impair our
ability to facilitate effectively, so if it turns out that we are triggered and/or in non-relational
mode, we should take appropriate measures to get back into relational mode immediately.2 At the
very least, we should keep working on our own issues as part of our ongoing spiritual growth so
that we will be less likely to get triggered and fall into non-relational mode in future sessions.3

How to best transmit guidance and help from God through the facilitator to the recipient:
As already mentioned at several points, and as will be discussed in much greater detail in chapter
(**Fill in**), the primary focus with the Immanuel approach should always be the connection
between Jesus and the recipient. The primary source of guidance and help is not the well trained,
skilled, experienced, gifted, and wise facilitator providing advice, assistance, teaching, insight,
and prophetic truth, but rather the recipient engaging directly with God. However, with the
facilitator also having an interactive connection with God, the Lord sometimes provides guidance
and help to the facilitator that the facilitator should pass on to the recipient. So an important
question is, “How can the facilitator pass on the guidance and help from God without disrupting
one of the most important pieces of the Immanuel approach – the priority of the connection
between the recipient and God?”

Guidance and help that quietly pass to the recipient without the need for explanation: Some
pieces are easy, in that some of the guidance and help that the facilitator receives through an
interactive connection with Jesus quietly pass to the recipient without the need for explanation
or any other explicit communication. For example, often when I am facilitating an Immanuel
approach session I will sense Jesus standing beside me, I will have a subtle mental image of his
smiling face, it will feel true that he is glad to be with me, and I will have the sense that he
approves of what we are doing. These interactions with Jesus encourage me, reassure me,
increase my faith, increase my capacity, increase my joy, and increase the intensity of my
relational circuit activity. Or I will be puzzled by some aspect of the session, I will focus on
Jesus and ask for guidance, I will then notice an important but subtle clue that I had previously
missed, and I have the sense that I was able to spot the clue because Jesus just gave me a gentle
nudge in the right direction. Or the recipient will be having difficulty connecting with Jesus and

attunement when your relational circuits are offline, but the resulting pseudo-attunement just doesn’t feel
the same.) For additional discussion of the importance of your relational circuits and the connection
between relational circuits and attunement, see chapters 12 and 15 through 18 in Karl D. Lehman,
Outsmarting Yourself (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2011).
2
For careful discussion of how to tell when you are triggered and/or in non-relational mode, and also
discussion of how to get your relational circuits back online, see chapters 12 and 15 through 22 in Karl
D. Lehman, Outsmarting Yourself (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2011).
3
The importance of getting your own healing is discussed at length in chapter (**fill in when
complete**).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 20: Facilitator Establish Interactive.... (New 10/25/13) Page 3 of 4

the first round of simple troubleshooting has not been effective, I will focus on Jesus and ask
for guidance, a thought comes to me regarding a new/different/creative question to ask as part
of the troubleshooting process (and it works), and I have the sense that the new, helpful thought
was from the Lord.

All of these benefits will bless my effectiveness as the facilitator in any session, they will be
especially appreciated in long, difficult, complicated advanced sessions, and they will all be
released into the session without my having to offer any explanation to the recipient. Again,
these are the easy ones, that don’t pose any difficulty with respect to interfering or competing
with the priority of the connection between the recipient and God.

Guidance/help that requires explanation: However, in some situations the guidance and/or
help from God can only be applied by explicitly presenting it to the recipient. For example, the
recipient is having difficulty establishing a connection with God in spite of our best efforts at
Immanuel intervention troubleshooting, I focus on Jesus and ask for guidance, and the thought
comes to me that the recipient has a dissociated child part4 carrying guardian lie fears5 about
allowing Jesus to be tangibly present. Or the recipient and I are working with a guardian lie fear
that appears to be blocking her from establishing an interactive connection, the guardian lie fear
does not seem to be resolving, I focus on Jesus and ask for guidance, and the thought comes to
me that the guardian lie fear is anchored in a painful memory from first grade reading class. Or
the recipient is working with Jesus to address a hurtful, sinful pattern in her life, she is making
brave choices to keep looking at the truth and humbly receive correction, I sense from Jesus
that he is intensely pleased with her life-giving choices, and I sense that he wants me to share
this with her as part of encouraging her to continue. In these situations I can’t apply the
guidance and help I am getting from Jesus without some kind of explanation to the recipient.

I occasionally see this even when the recipient has a good interactive connection of her own,6
but my perception is that this is much more common when the recipient is having difficulty
with receiving guidance and help directly from God. This makes sense, since the facilitator
obviously needs to provide more direction and assistance in these situations, and my perception
is that God seems to know this and correspondingly offers much more guidance and help
through the facilitator in these situations. Receiving guidance and help from God through the
facilitator especially becomes necessary when people doing intermediate and advanced
Immanuel approach work encounter longer blocks of time during which they have difficulty
establishing good connections with the Lord themselves. This is an obvious important reason
for intermediate and advanced facilitators to get in the habit of establishing and maintaining the
best possible connection with God, since the facilitator’s connection may be the only channel
still working in the most difficult sessions (when guidance and help are needed the most).

4
Possible footnote re dissociated child parts?
5
Guardian lies are distorted beliefs (lies) that “guard,” or block the way forward in emotional healing
work. For example, if I believe that I will go crazy if I feel the emotional pain associated with certain
memories then I will not cooperate with attempts to work with these memories. Or if I believe that I am
bad and dirty, and that Jesus will yell at me and shame me if he shows up, then I will not allow myself to
be aware of his tangible presence.
6
In these situations it seems like Jesus just enjoys including me more actively in whatever he is
doing.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 20: Facilitator Establish Interactive.... (New 10/25/13) Page 4 of 4

Be humble and tentative: Which brings us back to, “How can the facilitator pass on the
guidance and help from God without disrupting one of the most important pieces of the
Immanuel approach – the priority of the connection between the recipient and God?”

I think the key is for us to be humble and tentative as we offer the guidance and help. For
example, with the first two scenarios just presented above I might start with something along
the lines of, “I have a thought about something that might be helpful. I think it may be from
Jesus, but it may just be from my own mind. If you would like to hear it, let me know when you
come to a good place to pause and I would be happy to share it with you.” And then (if and
when the recipient asks for my input), I offer it gently, as a suggestion that she is free to accept
or reject. With the first scenario, possibly something like,

“I was asking Jesus for guidance, and then the thought came to me that maybe your ability to
perceive Jesus is being blocked by a part that is afraid to let Jesus be more tangibly present.
It’s totally okay if I’m wrong, but that’s the thought that came to me. If you think I may be
right and you’re willing to try it, I’d like to try the direct eye contact thing7 and check to see if
there is a part inside that’s afraid to let Jesus be present.”

With the second scenario, maybe something along the lines of,

“I was asking Jesus for guidance, and then the thought came to me that maybe your guardian
lie fear isn’t moving because it’s anchored in a memory. And the thought also came that it
might be a memory from first grade reading class. This may just be from my own mind – I’ll
be fine if I turn out to be wrong – but those are the thoughts that came to me. If you think I
may be right and you’re willing to try it, I’d like to see what happens if you specifically ask
Jesus for help with this possibility and then report whatever comes into your awareness.”

And with the third scenario, I might start with, “I think I may be sensing some encouragement
for you from Jesus – they may just be my own thoughts, but I think they might be from Jesus. If
you would like to hear it, let me know when you come to a good place to pause and I would be
happy to share it with you.” And then (if and when the recipient asked for my input), I would
follow up with something like,

“All along as we’ve been working I’ve had a subtle image of Jesus’ face with a quiet smile,
and I’ve had the sense that he’s glad to be with us. Just now, as you’ve been embracing his
correction with such a humble and teachable spirit, he gave a little nod, he got this big grin on
his face, I got the sense that he’s intensely pleased with your life-giving choices, and I got the
sense that he wanted me to share this with you to encourage you to continue. Again, these
might just be my own thoughts, but I wanted to offer them to you and let you discern whether
or not they are from the Lord.”

The recipient always makes the final call: When the facilitator offers something as possibly
from God, the recipient always makes the final call regarding whether or not to accept the
guidance and/or help as from the Lord.

7
See “Direct Eye Contact (Technique for Making Contact with Internal Parts),” available as a free
download from www.kclehman.com, for discussion of this simple but powerful tool for working with
internal child parts.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 21: Faith (In God’s presence, In God’s Goodness,
In God’s Guidance, and In the Effectiveness of the Immanuel Approach1)
(©Copyright 2013 K. D. Lehman MD, new 11/25/2013)
DRAFT

My perception is that faith helps. Although the Lord is amazingly gracious, and often works even
in the face of minimal faith, it seems that faith does contribute to the efficacy of our prayers in
releasing the Lord’s will for healing in any given situation. In ways I don’t fully understand,
faith cooperates with the Lord’s intentions and makes it possible for Him to work more
powerfully.

I. Biblical teaching: I’m not a theologian, and have not done a careful theological study
regarding the role and importance of faith in emotional healing, but I think we can all agree that
passages such as the following indicate that faith is important:

Matt 9:20-22, especially verse 22: “....Jesus turned around and said to her, ‘Daughter, be
encouraged! Your faith has made you well.’....”2

Matt 9:27-31, especially verse 29: “....Then He touched their eyes and said, ‘Because of your
faith, it will happen....’”

Mark 6: 1-5, especially verse 5: “....And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any mighty
miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.”

Luke 7:37-50, especially verse 50: “....And Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you;
go in peace.’”

Luke 17:11-19, especially verse 19: “....And Jesus said to the man, ‘Stand up and go. Your
faith has made you well.’”

II. Our experience and observations: Both Charlotte and I have noticed that it is easier to
work with people who have strong faith. When a person comes in expecting to connect with the
Lord and to get healing, the session goes more smoothly and the positive results are more
dramatic.

Both Charlotte and I have also noticed greater efficacy when our faith is strong. We observed
this most clearly the first several times we returned to Evanston after attending Theophostic
training events where Dr. Smith had provided a series of live demonstration sessions. Most days
would include some lectures, but occasionally the entire day was invested in demonstration
sessions. On one of these days, the morning would start with Dr. Smith picking a volunteer from
the audience – maybe a person who reports that she has panic attacks whenever she thinks about
a certain subject. Dr. Smith would lead her through the Theophostic process, and in anywhere

1
Note that the comments here with respect to the Immanuel approach also apply to Theophostic and
any other Christ-centered emotional healing ministries.
2
Scripture quotations marked New Living Translation are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living
Translation, (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1996). Used by permission.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 21: Faith (In God’s Presence,....) (New 11/25/13) Page 2 of 10

from 20 to 90 minutes she would find the underlying traumatic memories, focus the distorted
interpretations, and identify and resolve blockages. Jesus would then bring truth to replace the
distorted interpretations, and she would report that she could now think about the triggering
subject without the least twinge of anxiety, let alone panic. There would be 20 to 30 minutes for
questions and discussion regarding the session, and then we would take a break for cookies and
hot chocolate.

After the break, Dr. Smith would choose another volunteer – maybe a middle-aged man who
describes a problematic compulsive behavior. Dr. Smith would lead him through the
Theophostic process, and in anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes he would find the underlying
traumatic memories, focus the distorted interpretations, and identify and resolve blockages.
Jesus would then bring truth to replace the distorted interpretations, and he would report that he
could now think about the most intensely triggering situations without the slightest impulse
towards his previous compulsive behavioral response. There would be 20 to 30 minutes for
questions and discussion regarding the session, and then we would take a break for lunch.

We would come back from lunch, and Dr. Smith would pick another volunteer – maybe an older
woman who asks for help with persistent feelings of self-hatred. Dr. Smith would lead her
through the Theophostic process, and in anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes she would find the
underlying traumatic memories, focus the distorted interpretations, and identify and resolve
blockages. Jesus would then bring truth to replace the distorted interpretations, and she would be
able to talk about events that had always especially stirred up self-hatred, but now without feeling
the slightest self-condemnation. There would be 20 to 30 minutes for questions and discussion
regarding the session, and then we would take a break for crackers, cheese, and soda.

After the break, Dr. Smith would choose another volunteer – maybe a 35 year old man who
experienced persistent guilt about getting his high-school girlfriend pregnant and then pushing
her to get an abortion, even though he had confessed this sin and asked the Lord’s forgiveness on
hundreds of occasions. Dr. Smith would lead him through the Theophostic process, and in
anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes he would go through the memories for these events (and also
any related unresolved traumatic memories), focus the distorted interpretations, and identify and
resolve blockages. Jesus would then bring truth to replace the distorted interpretations, and the
volunteer would report that he still knows his choices were wrong, but that now he finally feels
forgiven. There would be 20 to 30 minutes for questions and discussion regarding the session,
and then we would take a break for supper. Occasionally, Dr. Smith would facilitate one last
session in the evening.

By the end of one of these seminars we had usually seen at least 10 - 15 sessions in which the
person appeared to receive permanent healing for significant traumatic memories. Both
Charlotte and I could sense that watching session after session after session of effective healing
was tremendously faith-building, we could both sense a dramatic increase in the positive results
in our work when we returned home, and we both perceived that at least part of this dramatic
increase resulted from our increased faith.

III. Psychological factors that contribute: In addition to the somewhat mysterious ways in
which faith releases spiritual authority and power for healing, there are also fairly straight-
forward psychological factors that contribute to the beneficial effects of faith. For example, faith
in God’s presence, goodness, and ability – the cognitive and experiential conviction that God is
always present, that God loves the recipient more than you do and always wants to heal her, and
that God is always able to provide the guidance and help needed to resolve the problem – will
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 21: Faith (In God’s Presence,....) (New 11/25/13) Page 3 of 10

predictably encourage persistence in troubleshooting. Faith in the effectiveness of the Immanuel

approach and Immanuel interventions – the cognitive and experiential conviction that they
should always work, and if it temporarily appears that they are not working then there is always a
reason that can be identified and resolved – will predictably encourage persistence in trouble
shooting.3

My experience with facilitating emotional healing over the past twenty five years provides a good
example. When I first started facilitating emotional healing sessions, both my faith and my
persistence in troubleshooting were pretty minimal. I would say that my cognitive faith was
moderate at best. I knew some of the verses promising God’s Immanuel presence, I knew the
Bible stories about miraculous healing, I had read a number of books about God coming with
powerful emotional healing in modern times, and I had even heard a few stories from people I
knew personally, so I was cognitively convinced that miraculous faith-based emotional healing
could happen and did happen. But I had not yet carefully studied the extensive Biblical support
for Immanuel approach emotional healing, I had not yet studied the neurological and
psychological research that support the Immanuel approach, and I had not yet come to understand
the reasons for why my attempts to facilitate emotional healing usually did not work.4 And my
experiential faith was pretty minimal – I had not yet had any experience of God’s tangible
presence in my own life, I had not yet had any experience of God’s healing work in my own life,
and as mentioned in chapter three, I was initially seeing dramatic resolution of traumatic
memories in maybe one out of twenty patients. At a gut level, my experiential faith could have
been summed up with, “It’s worth trying, but it usually doesn’t work.” Furthermore, I had many
trauma-associated negative beliefs that would undermine my faith even further.

Not surprisingly, my persistence in troubleshooting matched my faith (or lack thereof). I would
pray with the recipient to invite God to come into her traumatic memories with guidance and
healing, but if we didn’t perceive immediate results and 20 to 30 minutes of troubleshooting
didn’t identify and resolve the blockages, I would become increasingly discouraged.
Furthermore, In addition to my weak baseline that was vulnerable to faith fatigue from the get go,
I also had many trauma-associated negative beliefs that made the situation even worse. If the
session seemed stuck, and I asked God for help but didn’t perceive the Lord’s tangible presence
or assistance, a variety of traumatic memories would get activated. Triggered negative beliefs,
such as “God’s not really with us, he doesn’t really care, and he’s not going to help us” would
quietly start sliding forward into the present. I realized that these triggered negative beliefs were
totally contrary to scripture, so I would fight them cognitively and push them to the extreme
periphery of my internal awareness, but they would still linger in the background, quietly feeling
true and further undermining my faith. Eventually I would tell myself things like, “I guess God
doesn’t want to heal this memory today,” and, “I guess this technique just won’t work for this
particular situation,” and then abandon the attempt for true healing in favor of medications and
psychotherapy techniques for managing symptoms.

Fortunately, over the past twenty-five years my faith has steadily increased, and my persistence in
troubleshooting has increased along with it. Cognitively, I have discovered that the Biblical

3
This is not a big issue for basic Immanuel approach sessions (in which troubleshooting is quick and
easy), but persistence in troubleshooting becomes increasingly important as one begins to work with
increasingly advanced/complicated blockages.
4
Observing that something usually fails, but not having any understanding with respect to why, is a
huge faith buster.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 21: Faith (In God’s Presence,....) (New 11/25/13) Page 4 of 10

support for Immanuel approach emotional healing is EXTENSIVE, I have discovered and
carefully studied psychological and neurological research supporting the Immanuel approach, and
I feel like I understand why my earlier efforts were so ineffective. Experientially, I have enjoyed
thousands of connections with Jesus’ living presence, I have had hundreds of sessions in which I
have received healing, I have facilitated thousands of sessions in which I have seen others
experience God’s presence and receive healing, and I receive a constant stream of faith-building
stories from family, friends, and colleagues who are using the Immanuel approach.

I have also been relentless in my work with the Lord to find and resolve trauma-associated
negative beliefs.

So I now have strong faith regarding God’s presence, regarding his character and heart, regarding
his ability, regarding the effectiveness of the Immanuel approach, and regarding the effectiveness
of Immanuel interventions. Both cognitively and experientially, I am deeply, profoundly, totally
convinced that God is always with us, that he loves us even more than we love ourselves, that he
always wants us to be able to perceive his presence, that he always wants us to have a living,
interactive connection with him, that he always wants to heal our emotional trauma, that he is
always able to bring this healing, and that the Immanuel approach and Immanuel interventions
can always work.5 Furthermore, the fruit of God’s healing work in my life is that triggered
negative beliefs seldom undermine my faith. And the result of all this is that now I NEVER stop
troubleshooting. With some patients I have needed to troubleshoot for many sessions,6 gently,
carefully, and persistently identifying and removing blockage after blockage after blockage,
before they were finally able to establish an interactive connection with Jesus. And the reason I
have been able to persist with this prolonged troubleshooting is that the strength of my faith
prevents me from getting discouraged and quitting.

My experience with advanced physics problems in college provides a helpful analogy with
respect to faith and persistence in troubleshooting. In the advanced level physics classes, a single
homework assignment problem might take five to six hours of work and ten to twelve pages of
calculations to solve. However, my classmates and I would be incredibly persistent when
working on these problems because we knew there was an answer – we knew the textbook would
not give us problems that could not be solved. As we were working on these problems, we knew
that there was some way to make it work, and we would persist in trouble shooting until we
found the solution. Similarly, when I am facilitating Immanuel approach sessions I am utterly
convinced that there is always some way to make it work, and I therefore persist in
troubleshooting until we find and resolve the blockages.

One final point: Some readers may understandably think, “Maybe Dr. Lehman’s increased
efficacy is just from his increased knowledge and skill.” My knowledge and skill with respect to
troubleshooting have indeed grown steadily over the past twenty five years, and this has certainly
contributed to my current effectiveness with troubleshooting, but it is very clear to me that many

5
As mentioned earlier (**refer to location? Chapter three?**), the Immanuel approach and
Immanuel interventions always have the potential to work, but this can be blocked if the recipient
chooses to turn away from healing by choosing to indulge in bitterness, self-pity, or rebellion. And even
in these cases, we can often (eventually) help the recipient to repent of these choices and turn back to
healing (and then the Immanuel approach and Immanuel interventions work).
6
I’m talking about troubleshooting for the entire session, every session, every week for many
months.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 21: Faith (In God’s Presence,....) (New 11/25/13) Page 5 of 10

of my current successes also depend on much greater persistence. Even with my current level of
knowledge and skill, if I consistently quit after 20 to 30 minutes my success rate would go way
down. To put this another way, I have a very high success rate, even when working with people
who have complicated blockages, but breakthrough often comes at the end of a long
troubleshooting session, or at the end of a number of troubleshooting sessions. Even with my
current level of knowledge and skill, these people would not get to the breakthrough of
experiencing God’s tangible presence and receiving healing if we quit after 20 to 30 minutes.

Parallel material in essays about TP somewhere? (Allusion to this in prior notes, but as of
11/13 I’m not sure what I was referring to).

IV. Practical considerations with respect to increasing faith: Fortunately, there are specific,
concrete, accessible things we can do to increase our faith.

A. Resolve traumatic distorted interpretations (lies) that undermine faith: As described

above, traumatic memories can contain distorted interpretations that become anti-faith beliefs
when they come forward as implicit memory and are transferred onto the Lord. Distorted
interpretations (lies) from my early separation trauma provide a painfully good example. As
described in chapter 17, when I was two years old my mother got mononucleosis during her
pregnancy with my younger sister. Between the pregnancy and the mono, she got to the point
where she couldn’t even get out of bed – Dad had to carry her across the hall to the bathroom.
She was certainly too ill to care for my four-year-old brother and myself, so we were sent to
stay with friends in another city for three weeks while she was recovering. At two years old,
three weeks was much, much, much longer than I could handle being separated from my
parents, and the whole experience was intensely overwhelming and painful for me.
Furthermore, part of being two was that I perceived Mom and Dad to be omnipotent – I
believed that they knew everything and that they could do anything they wanted to. I was too
young to understand any of the explanations regarding why they wouldn’t come when I called,
and so when I asked for them all day every day for three weeks I believed that they could hear
me, and that they were choosing to stay away.

An important part of trauma is that we come up with distorted interpretations regarding the
meaning of the experience, and by the end of these three weeks of separation I had come up
with many distorted interpretations, such as, “I’ve been abandoned and I ’m on my own,” “It’s
hopeless and I’m powerless—they aren’t coming, and nothing I can do will make them come,”
“I can’t trust their hearts toward me because there’s no possible justification for allowing this to
happen,” and “They won’t help me when I’m overwhelmed and need their help.” These distorted
interpretations were then carried in the memories for these traumatic events, and any time these
memories would get triggered these false negative beliefs would come forward and feel true in
the present.

This was all sad and bad with respect to my relationship with my parents, but these distorted
interpretations would become anti-faith beliefs whenever they would get activated and
transferred onto the Lord. Any time I would become stuck in a situation that felt overwhelming,
and call out to the Lord for help, but then not be able to perceive his presence or assistance, my
interactions with the Lord in the present would match my interactions with my parents in the
two-year-old trauma closely enough to activate the toxic content carried in these memories. The
distorted beliefs from the two-year-old separation trauma would then come forward as implicit
memory and get transferred onto the Lord – it would feel intensely true that I couldn’t trust
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 21: Faith (In God’s Presence,....) (New 11/25/13) Page 6 of 10

God’s heart toward me because he chooses to allow things for which there is no possible
justification; it would feel intensely true that he’s not with me now, and won’t come even
though I call and call for him; and it would feel intensely true that he won’t do anything when
I’m overwhelmed and need his help. And since all of this would come forward as “invisible”
implicit memory, I would have no awareness or insight regarding “Oh, these thoughts and
emotions are really coming from traumatic childhood experiences.” Instead, I would perceive
that the thoughts and emotions were about the Lord, and that they were true, valid, and
reasonable in the present.7

As I’m sure the reader can see, these anti-faith beliefs are diametrically opposed to faith and
inherently incompatible with faith because you cannot simultaneously believe “He won’t come
when I need Him” and “He is always with me,” you cannot simultaneously believe “I can’t
trust the Lord’s heart towards me” and “The Lord loves me, and I can trust Him to care for
me.” At any given moment, to the extent that the anti-faith lies are triggered forward and feel
true, the opposing truth about the Lord will not feel true. This phenomena is very common and
important, and, again, we usually do not perceive the true source of the thoughts and feelings
regarding the Lord due to the triggered content coming forward as “invisible” implicit memory.

The good news is that we can resolve these anti-faith beliefs! We can find and resolve the
traumatic memory files that contain the anti-faith beliefs, and when we resolve the underlying
traumatic memories, the anti-faith distorted interpretations will be permanently resolved along
with them. Each time we resolve a traumatic memory that contains anti-faith distorted
interpretations, the truth about the Lord’s heart and character will feel more true, and it will be
easier to hold onto this truth. (We will notice especially dramatic beneficial change with
respect to situations that had previously triggered the specific trauma-associated anti-faith
beliefs that have just been resolved.)

And I know this is true because it has happened repeatedly in my own life. My two-year-old
experience of being separated from my parents once again provides a good example. As just
described above, after this traumatic separation, any time I would become stuck in a situation
that felt overwhelming and call out to the Lord for help, but then not be able to perceive His
presence or help, these interactions with the Lord would activate the distorted interpretations
from the 2 year old memories and these anti-faith beliefs would come forward into the present
and get transferred onto the Lord. However, these long-standing and very costly anti-faith
beliefs have been steadily losing power as different pieces of the 2 year old separation trauma
have been getting healed. There are still splinters that can get triggered when I’m dealing with
especially intense and prolonged frustration and disappointment, but now I often encounter
difficult, frustrating, disappointing situations without getting triggered, even when I ask the
Lord for help and do not perceive any tangible response. Instead of feeling triggered, hopeless,
overwhelmed, abandoned by the Lord, alienated from the Lord, and bitter, now what usually
feels true is: “I don’t understand why You’re allowing this mess, and it’s really hard; but I
know that You’re with me, and because of who You are, that’s enough.”

And this is only one of many examples from my personal experience. For a number of
additional examples of how traumatic experiences can include distorted interpretations that

7
If you are not familiar with how “invisible” implicit memory, the verbal logical explainer,
confabulated explanations, and central nervous system extrapolation can hide the true source of trauma-
anchored lies, please read chapters 2 through 5 in Karl D. Lehman, Outsmarting Yourself: Catching Your
Past Invading the Present and What to Do about It (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2011).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 21: Faith (In God’s Presence,....) (New 11/25/13) Page 7 of 10

function as anti-faith beliefs, and of how resolving these trauma-associated anti-faith beliefs
can strengthen our usable faith in the present, see: “Dad/God isn’t all-knowing or all-powerful:
A case study and discussion,”8 “Case study: ‘God the psychotic cult leader,”9 and “Unresolved
issues in the facilitator: One of the most important hindrances to emotional healing ministry.”10

The Rocky: Father-Son Wounds DVD provides another good example of trauma-based anti-
faith beliefs, and how emotional healing can resolved these trauma anchored lies that directly
oppose faith. At the beginning of the session Rocky felt alone, and his perception was that God
was “out golfing somewhere” instead of being with Rocky and caring for him. Referring to his
family, friends, colleagues, and also referring to God, he states: “It’s like somehow Rocky
ends up being alone. No matter what he does, no matter how hard he tries, even if he’s doing
right, he has to do it by himself – he ends up being alone.” However, as the session progressed
it became clear that these thoughts and feelings were actually coming from memories –
memories in which painful experiences with his father exactly matched the thoughts and
emotions he was perceiving to be true with respect to God – memories in which it was true that
his father was not with him or caring for him. This unresolved content was coming forward as
“invisible” implicit memory that felt true in the present, and the verbal logical explainer on the
left side of Rocky’s brain had convinced him that these thoughts and feelings were really about
God.

Fortunately, Rocky was eventually able to experience Jesus’ living presence in the painful
memories, and his distorted perceptions regarding God no longer felt true once he had worked
with Jesus to resolve the trauma with his father. At the follow-up interview 16 months later, he
reports:

“[In the past], when things would go wrong in my life, my first, knee-jerk, heart response
was: ‘Why are You allowing this? Why aren’t You helping me? Lord, where are You – are
You out golfing?’ And now when things go wrong, my initial response is: ‘This really stinks
– I really don’t like this, but I know that You’re with me.’”11

The Maggie #3: Labor & Delivery Trauma DVD provides yet another example of trauma-
based anti-faith lies, and how emotional healing can resolved them. At the beginning of the
session Maggie felt that the difficulty of working with a certain client was more than she could
handle,12 it felt true that God should have been doing more to give her relief and ease her
burden, and she perceived God to be “hard” and “mean” because he was present but chose not to

8
Karl D. Lehman, “Dad/God isn’t all-knowing or all-powerful: A case study and discussion.”
Available as a free download from www.kclehman.com.
9
Karl D. Lehman, “Case study: ‘God the psychotic cult leader.” Available as a free download from
www.kclehman.com.
10
Karl D. Lehman, “Unresolved issues in the facilitator: One of the most important hindrances to
emotional healing ministry,” see especially pages 15 - 17. Available as a free download from
www.kclehman.com **Unresolved issues in the facilitator possibly changing to chapter in book?**
11
A very condensed version of Rocky: Father-Son Wounds (9 minutes), especially highlighting this
content with respect to emotional healing and trauma-based anti-faith lies, is available as a free download
from www.outsmartingyourself.com. (It is also included on the Outsmarting Yourself companion DVD.)
12
Without being traumatized.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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provide more help. Referring to the Lord, she comments, “...you know, he could be making this a
lot easier!” However, as the session progressed it became clear that these thoughts and feelings
were actually coming from memories – memories in which traumatic aspects of her first
delivery exactly matched the thoughts and emotions she was perceiving to be true with respect
to God – memories in which the overall experience was more than she could handle, and in
which the uncaring physician should have provided understanding, encouragement, sensitivity,
and other resources that would have given her relief and eased her burden – memories in which
it was true that her doctor was hard and mean. This unresolved content was coming forward as
“invisible” implicit memory that felt true in the present, and the verbal logical explainer on the
left side of Maggie’s brain had convinced her that these thoughts and feelings were really about
God.

Fortunately, Maggie was eventually able to experience Jesus’ living presence in the painful
memories, and her distorted perceptions regarding God no longer felt true once she had worked
with Jesus to resolve her mean doctor delivery trauma. During the debriefing discussion after
the session, when I was deliberately trying to stir up any negative thoughts or emotions with
respect to the Lord allowing her situation with her client to be so difficult, she responded with,
“It feels like he’s sovereign....It feels like he’s sovereign, and he’s much smarter than I am, and
he knows – he has a purpose for what he’s doing,....” And at the follow-up interview 6 months
later, Maggie reports that“God is good and trustworthy” has continued to feel true in place of
“God is mean and hard.”13

My perception is that finding and resolving traumatic memories that contain anti-faith beliefs is
one of the most powerful things we can do to increase our usable faith, and I think this is one of
the most exciting benefits of Immanuel approach emotional healing.

2. Truth in non-traumatic memory files (for both client and facilitator): One of the
simplest and most straight-forward things we can do is to load truth about the Lord’s character
and heart, truth about Immanuel interventions, and truth about the Immanuel approach into
non-traumatic memory files. As discussed in “Brain Science, Psychological Trauma, and the
God Who Is with Us, Part III,” loading truth into non-traumatic memory files, by itself, will not
resolve trauma-associated distorted interpretations that undermine faith; however, truth in non-
traumatic memory files is still an important and valuable component that contributes to
building faith.14

When we’re thinking about how to build faith, research regarding effective teaching strategies
provides helpful guidance. In a fascinating series of studies, Daniel Schwartz and John
Bransford compared three groups of students. The first group received cognitive explanation,
the second group received “hands on” lab experience, and the third group received a
synchronized, coherent combination of the lecture explanation and lab experience. When the
students were tested for usable understanding of the concepts being taught, the combined

13
A very condensed version of Maggie #3: Labor & Delivery Trauma (9 minutes), especially
highlighting this content with respect to emotional healing and trauma-based anti-faith lies, is available
as a free download from www.outsmartingyourself.com. (It is also included on the Outsmarting Yourself
companion DVD.)
14
For additional discussion regarding the role and value of truth in non-trauma memory files, Karl D.
Lehman, “Immanuel, an especially pernicious blockage, and the normal belief memory system,” pages
13-21. Available as a free download from www.kclehman.com.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 21: Faith (In God’s Presence,....) (New 11/25/13) Page 9 of 10

presentation was found to be as much as three times (yes, that’s 300%) more effective than
either component alone.15

This research, in combination with my own observations and experience, has convinced me
that the most powerful, stable, usable faith16 is built by starting with both right-hemisphere
experiential, intuitive “knowing” and left-hemisphere cognitive logical understanding, and then
combining them in a synchronized, coherent final product. Therefore, when it comes to
participating in Immanuel interventions and the Immanuel approach, it is helpful for our left
hemisphere to have a cognitive, logical understanding of the underlying theory, so that the plan
“makes sense” and is convincing with respect to probable efficacy; and it is also helpful for
our right hemisphere to have an intuitive, experiential “knowing” that the Lord’s heart is good,
that His character is trustworthy, that He is always present, that people can perceive His
presence when blockages are removed, and that the Immanuel approach is consistently
effective.

3. Teaching regarding scriptural foundation: To the extent that a reader perceives the Bible
to be an authoritative source of truth, it is helpful to have teaching regarding the scriptural
support for Immanuel interventions and the Immanuel approach to emotional healing.
Charlotte’s teaching, Immanuel: God With Us, is designed to provide this scriptural
foundation.17 Material prepared by pastor Patti Velotta also presents extensive Biblical support
for the Immanuel approach.18 This material presented by Charlotte and Pastor Patti is primarily
left-hemisphere cognitive information and understanding, but the personal stories also provide
a component of right-hemisphere experiential knowing.

4. Teaching regarding observable data and logical analysis: To the extent that we
experience systematic observation and logical analysis to be helpful, it is valuable to have
teaching regarding the case study observations, scientific studies, and logical considerations
that support Immanuel interventions and the Immanuel approach to emotional healing. The
material presented in this book, and also the “Brain Science, Emotional Healing, and the God
Who is With Us” essay series are designed to provide this observational, scientific, and logical
foundation. This material is primarily left-hemisphere cognitive information and
understanding, but the true stories again also provide a component of right-hemisphere
experiential knowing.

5. Personal stories and other case studies/testimonies: If we have had powerful positive

15
Daniel L.Schwartz and John D. Bransford, “A Time for Telling,” Cognition and Instruction, vol.
16, no. 4, (1998): pages 475 - 572.
16
Schwartz and Bransford were studying the learning and application of new concepts, as opposed to
the building and application of faith, but I think the principle with respect to the special power of
combining right hemisphere experiential knowing with left hemisphere cognitive understanding is
transferrable.
17
See the “Store” page of www.immanuelapproach.com for additional information regarding the
Immanuel, God With Us teaching DVD.
18
For extensive additional discussion of the Biblical support for Immanuel approach, see appendices
three through ten of Patti A. Velotta, Immanuel: A Practicum (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2011),
pages 71 – 197, and also the many Bible studies available on the Immanuel: A Practicum website
(www.immanuelpracticum.com).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 21: Faith (In God’s Presence,....) (New 11/25/13) Page 10 of 10

experiences with the Lord, with Immanuel interventions, and with the Immanuel approach, we
can share our stories with others. If we know people who have had powerful positive
experiences with the Lord, with Immanuel interventions, and with the Immanuel approach, we
can ask them to share their stories with us. Although not as powerful, “second hand” stories in
the form of written case studies/testimonies can also contribute good raw material for building
faith. Just as including vegetables as a regular part of our physical diets will help to build and
maintain strong bodies, I think including stories of the Lord’s presence, goodness, and
faithfulness as a regular part of our spiritual diets will help to build and maintain strong faith.
Personal stories, case studies, and testimonies can be an excellent source for both left
hemisphere cognitive information and right hemisphere experiential knowing. (This is one of
the reasons why I have included so many stories in this book.)

6. Observe actual sessions: Even more powerful than hearing stories is observing actual
sessions. It is an amazingly powerful and faith-building experience to watch the Lord heal
someone, right in front of you. For those of us who are privileged to be in various situations
where we can regularly observe live sessions, let us remember to appreciate this gift. For those
who are not able to observe live sessions, video recordings of actual sessions can be almost as
powerful with respect to encouraging faith. (Even though I have watched them many, many
times during the editing process, I still feel tangible faith encouragement each time I view one
of our ministry session DVDs). Observing actual sessions will especially contribute right-
hemisphere experiential knowing. This is one of the reasons we have spent many, many, many
hours preparing the live session DVDs.19

7. First hand experience: There’s nothing like building our own, first hand, personal positive
experiences, both receiving Immanuel approach sessions for ourselves and also facilitating for
others. A growing pile of our own, first hand positive experiences, where the person receiving
ministry is able to perceive the Lord’s presence and the Immanuel approach is effective in
resolving traumatic memories, will obviously be uniquely effective for building our faith in the
goodness and trustworthiness of the Lord’s character and heart, our faith in the efficacy of
Immanuel interventions, and our faith in the efficacy of the Immanuel approach to emotional
healing. First hand experience, either receiving or facilitating, is obviously a uniquely powerful
source of right hemisphere experiential knowing.

19
For more information regarding our live session DVDs, see the “Store” page of
www.immanuelapproach.com.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 22: All Valid Emotional Healing Principles and
Effective Emotional Healing Tools
(©Copyright 2013 K. D. Lehman MD, new 12/4/2013)
DRAFT

The last component of the Immanuel approach is for facilitators to bring in any other valid
emotional healing principles they are aware of and any other effective emotional healing
techniques they are comfortable with.

When a person is not able to perceive God’s tangible presence and establish an interactive
connection at the beginning of a session, or when a person loses her interactive connection in the
middle of a session, we of course start with the basic Immanuel intervention troubleshooting
tools described in chapter 13, and then sometimes move to intermediate and advanced Immanuel
intervention troubleshooting as necessary and appropriate.1 These troubleshooting tools and
interventions are built out of foundational Immanuel approach principles and tools, and are
obviously an inherent part of Immanuel approach work. However, as described in chapter four,
some people have survived severe trauma and/or have experienced Christianity/church related
trauma, and have built very complex defenses, often including defenses specifically targeted
towards a God whom they perceive to be unsafe. Even with careful coaching and persistent
Immanuel intervention troubleshooting, these people regularly experience portions of sessions,
entire sessions, or even multiple sessions in a row in which they have very weak connections
with God, or in which they are not able to establish any interactive connection with God at all.
Therefore, the facilitator cannot simply depend on Jesus to provide help and guidance at every
point in the session. At the points where the person has no connection or only a weak connection,
the facilitator needs to be the primary source of therapeutic interventions, supplementary
emotional resources, and general leadership for the session.

Basically, the facilitator coaching advanced Immanuel approach work needs to provide
competent, adequate psychotherapy/ministry during the sometimes prolonged gaps during which
the recipient is not able to connect with God. For example, the facilitator might use mindfulness
interventions to help a person with dismissive attachment become more self aware and
emotionally connected, and she might use other specialized attachment interventions for other
specific attachment disorders. She might use EMDR and/or Theophostic to find and resolve
traumatic memories that contribute to Immanuel blockages. She should watch for limited
capacity as an issue that can undermine many emotional healing interventions. The facilitator
might use deliberate attunement to help a recipient get his relational circuits back on line, and to
augment his capacity and maturity skills as he works through traumatic memories. She might use
THRIVE materials as an additional resource to help him build capacity and maturity skills. And
the facilitator will hopefully apply the principles and tools regarding the pain processing pathway
and traumatic memories described in parts II, III, and IV of the “Brain Science, Psychological
Trauma, and the God Who Is with Us” essay series.2

1
See chapter twenty-six for an introduction to intermediate and advanced Immanuel intervention
troubleshooting, and then essays on www.immanuelapproach.com and www.kclehman.com for
additional resources.
2
For people moving into advanced Immanuel approach work I want to especially emphasize
Theophostic, and also understanding and interventions regarding capacity, relational circuits, attunement,

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 21: Faith (In God’s Presence,....) (New 10/25/13) Page 2 of 2

As I will discuss at great length in chapter twenty-five, when recipients are able to establish and
maintain an interactive connection, I implore facilitators to just provide the Immanuel approach
structure and then to let Jesus drive. However, when recipients are persistently not able to
establish and maintain a connection with the Lord, I bless facilitators to bring in other resources.
When recipients are persistently not able establish and maintain an interactive connection, so that
they are not able to use the usual Immanuel approach process and tools, then I explicitly
encourage facilitators to apply any other valid emotional healing principles they are aware of and
to employ any other effective emotional healing techniques they are comfortable with.

And remember, even as the facilitator is applying these other principles and employing these
other tools, every aspect of her work should still be informed by and permeated with the
Immanuel approach. For example, even as the facilitator is bringing in principles and tools that
are not directly a part of the Immanuel approach, in the back of her mind she should constantly
be aware of Immanuel approach values, such as the ultimate goal and priority of helping the
recipient have a better relationship with God. The facilitator should constantly be watching for
traumatic memories that are anchors for the blockages that prevent the person from being aware
of Jesus’ presence and establishing an interactive connection with Him, the facilitator should
constantly be watching for implicit memory getting transferred onto the Lord, and she should
constantly be watching for any other issues that might hinder the recipient’s ability to connect
with God. With each of the people she works with, the facilitator should constantly be trying to
help them move towards including the Immanuel approach in every aspect of their work, she
should constantly be trying to help them move towards having an interactive connection with
God as their usual baseline, and she should constantly be trying to help them experience stronger
interactive connections with the Lord. In this context, all valid emotional healing principles and
all effective emotional healing techniques are part of the larger Immanuel intervention
troubleshooting toolbox.

It is also good to remember the encouragement from the end of chapter four. Over time, these
people who initially require advanced Immanuel approach troubleshooting with a very large
toolbox become more able to connect with God and more able to let God provide guidance and
resources during the sessions. And as this happens, there will be less and less need for advanced,
large toolbox Immanuel intervention troubleshooting. As I mentioned in chapter four, several of
my most complicated clients, who initially required advanced troubleshooting that applied every
advanced principle in my knowledge base and employed every tool in my toolbox, now require
mostly basic Immanuel intervention troubleshooting that applies mostly basic Immanuel
approach principles and employs mostly basic Immanuel approach tools.

and specific processing tasks at each of the brain levels. I perceive each of these to be especially
valuable, and some of these principles and tools are also fairly new, so that many therapists and
emotional healing ministers have not yet incorporated them into their work. Also, see the footnotes from
chapter four for references to additional resources regarding these principles and interventions that can
augment advanced Immanuel approach work.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 23: Ian, Insecurity, and Immanuel
(©Copyright 2014 K.D. Lehman MD, new 3/29/2014)
DRAFT

From his earliest experiences of elementary school, Ian had trouble with academic endeavors. He
was competent and confident athletically, and he was comfortable socially, but he had trouble
with anything that had to do with academics. He now understands that he had a pretty significant
learning disability that especially affected reading and spelling, but when he was in elementary
school he just knew that there was something wrong with him – that he wasn’t able to learn or
perform academically like the other kids. He reports, “When I was ten years old I still couldn’t
read, at all – I couldn’t read anything.” And he still remembers one particular spelling test from
this same year, on which he missed every single word, including “it.” (He came up with “itt” as
an interesting variation.) Not surprisingly, Ian had many painful experiences related to these
learning difficulties, and by the time he finished elementary school he had accumulated a painful
package of negative thoughts and emotions that would get stirred up by reading assignments,
writing projects, tests, school-related presentations, or any other endeavors that felt like they
were intellectual or academic.

With his underlying intelligence, help from his teachers, and lots of hard work Ian eventually
overcame his learning disability. He did well in highschool, he did well in university, and in
graduate school his GPA was 4.2. (His program awarded 4.0 for an A and 4.5 for an A+, so his
grade point average was half way between an A and an A+.) Ian finished his doctorate, he
passed his comprehensive exams, he maintains a thriving private practice as a psychologist, his
colleagues tell me that he is competent and respected, and I experience him to be an intelligent,
articulate mental health professional. However, in spite of all of this he continued to struggle
with episodes of feeling inadequate and insecure whenever the old pain from his elementary
school memories would get stirred up.

For example, whenever Ian would study new material as part of his ongoing professional
education, he would have thoughts like, “I can’t handle this – this is too much,” and “I won’t be
able to learn this – I won’t be able to understand and master this well enough to be able to use it.”
Whenever he would work with difficult clients, he would have thoughts like, “I’m not smart
enough,” “I don’t measure up,” and “I’m lacking in some way.” When he used the Immanuel
approach with his clients, he had thoughts like, “I won’t be able to do this – I’m not smart
enough, I haven’t read enough, I can’t remember enough – somehow I just don’t have what it
takes to be able to do this.” And when he was preparing presentations for a seminar about the
Immanuel approach, he had thoughts like, “I’m not smart enough,” “I’ll make a mistake,” “I’m
not gonna do it right,” “I’ll screw it up,” and “ I’m gonna let it turn out badly.”

Especially with respect to any part of his career (or life) that felt like an intellectual or academic
challenge, he would have the same negative thoughts and the same associated feelings of
inadequacy and insecurity that he had struggled with in elementary school.

Fortunately, God was willing and able to resolve this longstanding burden. I was presenting
several workshops at the March 2012 Biennial Deeper Walk convention, and for one of these
workshops I had planned to provide a live demonstration of the Immanuel approach. I needed a
recipient to be a part of the demonstration, Ian volunteered, and God provided generous blessings
in response to Ian’s courage and vulnerability. As a blessing to myself and the audience, the

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach. . ., Chapter 23: Ian, Insecurity, and Immanuel (New 3/29/14) Page 2 of 5

session also turned out to be a very nice teaching demonstration.

Ian quickly and easily went to a memory of connecting with Jesus in the context of enjoying a
worship service with his two youngest daughters, intense appreciation came forward
spontaneously and easily as he thought about and talked about this positive memory, and Ian then
moved smoothly and easily from just remembering this past experience to perceiving the Lord’s
living presence and feeling a living, interactive connection with Jesus in the present.1 Once this
interactive connection was in place I coached Ian to ask Jesus for guidance regarding where to go
with the session, and the Lord lead him to this longstanding issue of feeling inadequate and the
associated family of “I’m not smart enough,” “I won’t do it right,” “I just don’t have what it
takes” type of negative thoughts.

The next step was to find the memory roots, but this was also easy since Ian still had a clear,
strong interactive connection with Jesus. I just coached him to keep focusing on Jesus and ask for
more guidance, and within moments of this request a memory from his early childhood began to
come forward. In this memory Ian was maybe five or six years old, he was sitting at a table with
sheets of paper and crayons in front of him, and his father was crouching over him, watching him
intently. Apparently Ian had been coloring outside of the lines at school, and when his teachers
shared this with his parents his father had become concerned. His father was consequently
requiring Ian to do some coloring in his presence, so that he could be sure that Ian was able to
color within the lines, and Ian became increasingly uncomfortable as he was aware of his father’s
intimidating, hovering presence and as he noticed the stern, critical expression on his father’s
face. Ian felt small and inadequate as he remembered this experience, and then he also noticed
familiar negative thoughts along the lines of “I’m not smart enough,” “I won’t be able to do this,”
“I’ll mess it up,” and “I just don’t have what it takes.”

At this point I helped Ian get past an initial difficulty and then establish a connection with Jesus
(from the perspective of being inside the memory). Initially Ian was so focused on his father that
he wasn’t able to be aware of anything else in the memory, even after we made an explicit
invitation and asked the Lord to help Ian establish a connection. However, when we asked,
“Lord, what’s in the way of Ian being able to connect with you?” Ian was able to move his focus
away from his father, and as soon as he did this he realized that Jesus was sitting right beside
him. And he also realized that Jesus had been there through the whole experience – Jesus had
been sitting right beside him the whole time, but he had been so focused on his father that he
simply hadn’t been aware of Jesus’ presence.

The rest of the session was just plain fun. I coached Ian to keep engaging directly with Jesus, and
I periodically asked Jesus for more healing and blessings, but mostly I just sat back and enjoyed
the ride as Ian described beautiful, poignant healing. Ian reported that Jesus put his arm around
the little boy in the memory, and as he described this he realized that he could actually feel the
physical weight of Jesus’ arm across his shoulders, in the present, in the prayer session. As Ian
felt Jesus’ arm across his shoulders he also felt lighter, and he felt the hovering, intimidating
presence of his dad lift away. “He’s still there, but he doesn’t feel like he’s in that hovering,
criticizing place anymore.”

1
As described in chapter eight, Ian was still in the context of the images from the memory but the
Lord’s presence in the memory imagery came to life, and Ian experienced an interactive connection with
Jesus that was real and living in the present.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach. . ., Chapter 23: Ian, Insecurity, and Immanuel (New 3/29/14) Page 3 of 5

After a brief prayer asking for more healing and blessing, Ian started describing more beautiful
interactions with Jesus. “Just as you were praying there, I was looking down at my page – at my
coloring – and of course I was trying so hard to color within the lines.” And then as Ian was
focusing so intently and working so earnestly to color within the lines, Jesus smiled, put his big
hand over Ian’s little hand, and started moving the crayon all over the page. Ian began laughing
as Jesus did this, and then eventually reported that somehow he could sense that Jesus understood
the ways in which he had misinterpreted the meaning of the whole experience. Jesus knew how
he had concluded that coloring outside the lines meant that he was bad and inadequate, and with
this fun little interaction Jesus was speaking new truth into his heart: “Nope! That’s not it. That’s
not true. Coloring outside the lines does not mean that you’re bad or inadequate or defective. It’s
okay to color outside the lines – it doesn’t mean anything.”

After another brief prayer asking for more healing and blessing, Jesus took Ian to a second
memory from this same time in his life. In the second memory Ian felt a painful sense of distance
and rejection from his father, and he also felt that the rejection was connected to his being
inadequate and not doing well in school. Ian was immediately able to perceive Jesus with him in
this new memory, and after spending some time just sensing the Lord’s presence with him in the
negative emotions, he smiled and started laughing. “It’s like the Lord kind of grabbed me, lifted
me up and held me in front of himself for a moment, and then flung me onto his shoulders” (with
gestures to demonstrate). I don’t fully understand how riding on Jesus’ shoulders fit into the
therapeutic process, but Ian said that it felt really good, and after a couple of minutes he
commented spontaneously, “I’m getting the sense that the Lord is proud of me.” After a couple
more minutes on Jesus’ shoulders Ian reported, “So the Lord just gently moved me off of His
shoulders. He set me down on the floor, and now he’s kneeling down right in front of me. He’s
just face to face with me, and I hear inside, ‘You are enough.’”

After the closing prayer Ian finished with, “I still have this clear image of the Lord kneeling right
in front of me, and I’m just feeling a sense of being complete. Not lacking anything.” And then,
with a big grin, “Which is awesome!”

I’m sure no one will be surprised to hear that these beautiful, poignant interactions with Jesus
produced dramatic healing benefits. For example, at the end of the session when I coached Ian to
focus again on the two memories with his father and to deliberately look for any lingering pain,
he discovered that the initial negative thoughts and emotions had been fully resolved. “I’m not
smart enough,” “I don’t have what it takes,” “I’m not gonna do it right,” and “I’m bad and
inadequate because I colored outside the lines” no longer felt true. These negative thoughts had
been replaced with “I’m not lacking anything” and “The Lord has given me all that I need.” And
feeling small, insecure, inadequate, and rejected had been replaced with feeling adequate,
connected, affirmed, enjoyed, and joyful. (Jesus is glad to be with me!)

However, Ian didn’t settle for just the healing work in the demonstration session. Before the
demonstration session, Ian had already been experimenting with using the Immanuel approach in
his psychotherapy practice and he had occasionally received Immanuel approach healing for
himself. But after this session he was much more deliberate about pressing into the Immanuel
approach as a lifestyle. In a follow up interview four months later and in another follow up
interview two years later, Ian explained how his interactions with the Lord during the session had
revealed something that he continued to apply, even after the session.

As he thought about the session afterwards, Ian realized that it had been the living presence of
Jesus that had made all of the difference. It had been Ian’s perception of Jesus, and Ian’s
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach. . ., Chapter 23: Ian, Insecurity, and Immanuel (New 3/29/14) Page 4 of 5

connection with Jesus’ living, loving, encouraging, reassuring presence, that had caused the
negative thoughts to lose their power and that had caused the negative emotions to be replaced
with encouragement, security, confidence, and joy. Ian also realized that he could be much more
deliberate about inviting and connecting with Jesus in the situations that stirred up the negative
thoughts and emotions from his elementary school pain, and that this should provide the same
benefits as he had experienced in the demonstration session.

The really cool part is that this plan has been working. For example, Ian deliberately established
a connection with Jesus before giving his presentations about the Immanuel approach – the “I’m
not smart enough,” “I’ll mess it up” negative thoughts didn’t bother him, he didn’t feel anxious
or inadequate, “and I attribute this, of course, to having my connection with the Lord present and
vivid through out the experience.” As another example, Ian has been deliberately connecting with
Jesus when he needs to study difficult material for ongoing professional training – the “I’m not
smart enough,” “I can’t handle this” negative thoughts, the insecurity, and the feelings of being
overwhelmed have not been bothering him, “and without that mental interference, I’m learning
more material, more quickly, and more easily.”

Furthermore, Ian has been establishing and maintaining a connection with Jesus as he uses the
Immanuel approach with his clients, including his difficult clients. He reports that he no longer
struggles with feeling insecure or inadequate. He reports that “I’m not smart enough,” “I don’t
have what it takes,” “I won’t do it right” type negative thoughts seldom come into his mind. And
he reports that when negative thoughts do come into his mind, he just focuses on Jesus and they
lose their power:

“The thoughts will sometimes intrude into my mind, but they have nowhere near the same
power as they did before. They feel unimportant – they seem like empty words. As I draw close
to the Lord and acknowledge His presence, the negative thoughts just seems to drift away, and
not affect me.”

Regarding Immanuel approach sessions with his clients, Ian summarized:

“I’m connecting with Jesus, and staying connected throughout each of those sessions. I’m
really trusting Him to do the work that He’s going to do, and resting in that place....The issue
isn’t whether I’m going to mess it up or not – the issue is his presence with me, and how I can
trust his presence working through me in facilitating the Immanuel approach with others.”

Finally, Ian reports that he has noticed more compassion towards his father. He noticed that after
the demonstration session he just seemed to be more aware of the things in his father’s
upbringing, of the things in his father’s background that got in the way of his father wanting to
know Ian and wanting to be with him in the ways that he needed. And Ian noticed that this new
understanding seemed to be spontaneously, naturally compassionate. “I feel more compassion for
him, in that way, and it has even come into our present relationship. . . . I feel more connected to
him – It’s kind of cool.”

Note: The March 2012 demonstration session and the four month follow-up interview described
here were recorded, and are available as the Live Ministry Session DVD, Ian: “I’m not

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach. . ., Chapter 23: Ian, Insecurity, and Immanuel (New 3/29/14) Page 5 of 5

Enough.”2 The account presented in this chapter also incorporates information from a second
follow up interview, January 2014, twenty-two months after the initial session.3 Used with
permission.

Advanced topics addendum: Some readers might ask, “So, where do the two memories from
the demonstration session fit in?” or “Why do any negative thoughts come, after the traumatic
memories were resolved in the demonstration session?” My thoughts are that with a very
significant learning disability over the course of his entire elementary school career, Ian probably
has hundreds of painful memories related to intellectual/academic endeavors. The specific two
memories addressed in the session were beautifully and dramatically resolved, and possibly a
number of very similar memories for which they were prototype representatives were also
resolved, but my guess is that there are also many other painful memories that have not yet been
resolved. That is, one Immanuel approach session addressing two specific memories probably did
not resolve the whole pile.

My thoughts are that some of his observed improvement is due to having less underlying
traumatic memories to get triggered, and that some of his observed improvement is due to
experiencing Jesus’ living, loving, encouraging presence with him in the situations that used to
trigger him. To some extent, experiencing Jesus’ presence simply prevents the unresolved trauma
from getting triggered. And when some of the remaining unresolved pain does get triggered, such
as when he occasionally notices a negative thought coming forward, experiencing the Lord’s
living, loving, encouraging presence removes it’s power. (Again, “As I draw close to the Lord
and acknowledge His presence, the negative thoughts just seems to drift away, and not affect
me.”)

It would be ideal for Ian to work away at the remaining painful memories, as he is able, and in
the mean time it’s wonderful that Ian’s Immanuel lifestyle minimizes the negative effects of the
trauma that has not yet been resolved. Furthermore, his growing perception of Jesus and
connection with Jesus’ living, loving presence provides tremendous blessings in many other
ways as well.

2
Karl D. Lehman, Ian: “I’m not enough,” Live Ministry Series #24 (Evanston, IL: Karl and
Charlotte Lehman, 2012), DVD. This live session DVD can be obtained from the “Store” page of
www.immanuelapproach.com.
3
**footnote for personal communication**

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 24: Immanuel Approach Exercises for Groups & Beginners
(©Copyright 2013 K. D. Lehman MD, new 11/2/07, Revised 2/15/22)

NOTE: As of Feb 2022, this essay provides an updated, totally re-written version of Chapter 24

I. Introduction. As described in chapter fourteen, our experience with emotional healing prior to the
Immanuel approach was that we could only do troubleshooting in a one-on-one setting, and we had
decided to avoid emotional healing work in group settings after a painful group exercise misadventure
in which a number of participants had all gotten stuck at the same time (each needing one-on-one
assistance that we were not able to provide). However, as also described in chapter fourteen, as Dr.
Wilder and I worked with the Immanuel approach we realized that several of the principles and process
pieces that are new with the Immanuel approach make it possible to deploy a number of “safety nets”
that protect against this problem. Therefore, one aspect of the Immanuel approach to emotional healing
that is particularly exciting is that it can be used in group settings.

When one thinks about the war torn third world countries, where millions of people have
post-traumatic stress disorder but where there are minimal resources available for these multitudes to
get effective treatment to address their traumatic memories, it is hugely strategically important that the
Immanuel approach can be used with many people simultaneously. For example, an emotional healing
mission team can gather a large group of trauma survivors and facilitate healing for all of them at the
same time. As mentioned earlier, Charlotte and I, Dr. Wilder, the Khouris, the Courseys, Pastor Patti
Velotta, Mark Hattendorf, and several other colleagues have been experimenting with group exercises
in a number of different settings over the last four to five years. And the results so far have been very
encouraging – together, we have worked with thousands of group exercise participants, with group
sizes ranging from twenty-five to five thousand, and we have seen lots of healing with minimal
problems.

In addition to our concerns about group exercises, prior to developing the Immanuel approach we were
also cautious about lay people doing emotional healing work (we wanted them to get a lot of training
before facilitating lay ministry), and we felt that beginners should only practice under the close
supervision of experienced facilitators. As with group exercises, we were concerned that recipients
might get stuck – we were concerned that some recipients would open up painful memories, encounter
difficulties beyond the troubleshooting abilities of lay ministers/beginners, and then be re-traumatized
by remaining in the unresolved trauma for extended periods of time. However, as we have been
working so diligently to clarify the principles and sharpen the tools for using the Immanuel approach
with groups, we have realized that the same “safety nets” that make it possible to use the Immanuel
approach safely with groups also make it possible for lay people to safely provide emotional healing
ministry with much less training. This means that more lay people can become lay ministers much
more quickly and easily, and this means that many people with less complicated trauma will be able to
get healing with lay ministers, instead of having to wait for one of the rare and overloaded Immanuel
approach mental health professionals.

Furthermore, these same “safety nets” also make it possible for unsupervised beginners to safely
practice with each other. This means that a handful of people anywhere in the world can get together to
learn and practice with each other. You don’t have to wait for one of the rare Immanuel approach
trainers to come and supervise as you practice with each other.1 You can just gather a handful of your

1
Error! Main Document Only.It is tremendously helpful to have a trainer teach you about the Immanuel Approach and then supervise you as you
practice with each other, and you should therefore take advantage of any opportunity to learn from someone who is already experienced with the Immanuel
Approach. But I don’t think this is an absolute necessity (which is a good thing, since there are so few trainers).
friends, family, or colleagues, put together your own study group, and then receive Immanuel approach
healing in the context of practicing with each other. And this means that even more people can receive
Immanuel Approach healing, because the people who are learning will receive healing for
uncomplicated2 trauma in the context of practicing with each other.

This is good news for the millions of third world citizens with severe post traumatic stress disorder and
minimal resources, and also for those of us with less trauma and more resources. Even in first world
countries there are many people with moderate trauma who are having a hard time finding someone to
facilitate Immanuel approach sessions for them. As mentioned in chapter fourteen, we have invested a
lot of time and energy in building the new Immanuel network directory (see the “Referrals” page of
www.immanuelapproach.com), and when we first put it up we had hoped that large numbers of
facilitators would quickly post profiles. Unfortunately, many well trained, experienced facilitators have
chosen to not post profiles because they are already swamped with more requests than they can care
for. Consequently, many who would like to receive Immanuel approach sessions are still having
difficulty in finding facilitators, and this problem will probably continue for some time.

Bringing us back to the good news that the Immanuel approach safety nets make it possible for many
more lay ministers to get adequate training much more quickly and easily, and the good news that
these same safety nets make it possible for unsupervised lay person beginners to safely practice with
each other. My hope is that large numbers of lay people will take advantage of every possible training
opportunity, so that we have a steadily, rapidly growing number of facilitators available to the general
public. I am also hoping that people will build study/practice groups by actively recruiting family
and/or friends and/or colleagues, and then use the do-it-yourself Immanuel approach training
resources in this context.3 If these possibilities develop as I am hoping they might, then lay people
practicing with each other in the context of do-it-yourself Immanuel approach study/practice groups
along with individual sessions facilitated by lay ministers will be two of the most important resources
for those who are wanting to experience the Immanuel approach.

II. Super-simple training/healing exercises: During the summer of 2012, a mission team spent a
week in Uganda doing emotional healing ministry with teens and young adults who had survived
horrific war crimes perpetrated by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Army. And I know about this adventure
because the team learned about the Immanuel approach a couple of months before they left. They had
already been prepared to use Theophostic-based tools and other emotional healing resources, but they
were excited about what they were learning and experiencing with the Immanuel approach, so they
threw in some Immanuel approach pieces at the last moment. They then contacted me when they
returned from the trip, and shared with me regarding the spectacular final results – more than a
hundred teens and young adults received powerful healing as they encountered Jesus’ living presence
in their traumatic memories.

Several months later, I was enjoying lunch with two of the people who had been part of the summer
2012 Uganda mission team. They were describing the amazing things they had witnessed during their
recent trip, and we were all talking about the possibility that their team could return to Uganda for
more emotional healing mission work in the summer of 2013. Somewhere in this conversation, I
popped out with, “You know, if we stripped the Immanuel Approach down to the absolute minimum, I
think we could come up with a package of principles, tools, and skills that would still be effective for
most trauma, but that would be so simple and so safe that you could leave it behind when you come

2
Error! Main Document Only.I use “uncomplicated” instead of “mild to moderate” very deliberately. As long as the process is not hindered by
complicated defenses and blockages, we have seen beginners in practice groups facilitate healing for even severe trauma.

3
Error! Main Document Only.My thoughts regarding Immanuel approach do-it-yourself training can be found in appendix B of the big lion book, or in
the “Where/How Do I Get Training Regarding the Immanuel Approach?” essay on the “Training” page of the Immanuel approach website
(www.immanuelapproach.com),
back to the States—I think you could teach the young people in Uganda to actually use the Immanuel
Approach, so that they could continue to facilitate emotional healing for each other after you leave, as
opposed to just giving them the limited amount of ministry that your team could facilitate during the
short time that you are there.” And then I threw out a bunch of thoughts regarding how one might go
about training a mission team to implement this vision.

When I was finished, they stared at me for a few long moments, and then both responded with, “We’re
going to bring our team to Evanston so that you can train them to do this.” And thus began my work to
develop the series of teaching segments and practice exercises that are now presented in my Immanuel
Approach Basic Training seminars and in the Immanuel Approach Basic Training video series.

III. Big-picture perspective for trainers: Before moving on to discuss practical considerations, I
would like to offer a few big-picture-perspective thoughts for teams trying to teach the Immanuel
Approach during short mission trips and for Immanuel Approach trainers who work with lay person
beginners.

Whenever you provide demonstrations for lay-person beginners, the goal is not to use all of your
knowledge, tools, and skills in order to resolve every possible problem as efficiently as possible, but
rather to present the simplest possible package that will still work at least fairly well at least most of
the time. When I demonstrate the basic principles, tools, and skills used in this series of training
exercises, I openly acknowledge that there will be some situations that are more complicated, and that
will require principles, tools, and skills in addition to those included in the basic exercises. And then I
remind the trainees that this is what the safety net is for.

In fact, when I demonstrate basic principles, tools, and skills in the context of training lay-person
beginners, I try to find at least one person with more complicated issues, and then deliberately
withhold additional skills and tools so that I can model, “This is what it looks like when you encounter
something more complicated, so that the basic tools and skills are not adequate to resolve the problem,
and then you need to use the safety net.” And when I coach practice sessions in this setting, I require
people to practice using the safety net, even if they don’t actually need it. That is, if they aren’t finding
places where they are genuinely stuck, I tell them, “As soon as the recipient gets connected to the
traumatic memory, use the safety net immediately, before she even invites Jesus to be with her in the
painful place.” I want the facilitators to experientially prove to themselves that it’s okay to stop the
healing work, even thought the trauma has not been resolved, and that they are able to use the safety
net in this situation to help the recipient get back to a good place.

When demonstrating basic principles, tools, and skills the goal is not to impress the trainees with how
you can handle every possible problem. (This would initially be very satisfying, but it would also
produce a final reaction of, “Wow. You’re really skillful and amazing. But I could never do that
myself.”) Rather, the goal is to impress the trainees with how simple it can be, and to have their final
reaction be, “I can do that!” Another way to say this is that the more knowledge, skill, clinical
judgement, and therapy tools you include in your demonstrations, the more intimidating and
overwhelming the overall package will feel to the average lay person beginner.

Advanced topics warning: If you’re reading this material for the first time, just to get the overview
regarding the Immanuel approach safety nets, then I would recommend skipping/skimming the next
section (for now) so that these practical details don’t slow you down and hinder you from seeing the
big picture. Come back for these practical details when you’re ready to actually start practicing with
Immanuel approach exercises.

IV. Healing/practice exercises – practical considerations:

 A. Use training exercises together with training videos: The ideal training option is to use the
series of training exercises from the “Exercises for groups and beginners” section of the
“Resources” page of www.immanuelapproach.com together with the Immanuel Approach Basic
Training video series. The explanatory essay accompanying each exercise provides the text from
the theory-explanation section of the corresponding video segment, but I strongly encourage you
to view the videos as well.1 First, the videos include helpful diagrams, pictures, and text slides.
And second, the videos include demonstrations, so that you can see Charlotte and I demonstrate
the theory that has just been explained and the exercise that you will then practice for yourself.

B. Go through the exercises in sequence: It is vitally important that you go through the training
segments and practice exercises according to the sequence presented in the basic training video
series. Firstly, the later exercises build very systematically on the earlier exercises, with all of the
pieces from the earlier exercises coming together to produce the full Immanuel Approach process
for emotional healing presented in the final exercises. And even more important, the earlier
teaching segments and practice exercises set up safety nets which absolutely need to be in place
before doing the trauma work included in the final two exercises.

C. Confidentiality: The other people on your practice team will share personal, sensitive details,
and will have personal, poignant, vulnerable experiences in the context of these exercises. It is
very important that you not talk about other recipients’ personal details or Immanuel encounters
without asking their permission first.

And I really, really want to emphasize this point because it is common for recipients to have
poignant, profound, powerful, beautiful, amazing, inspiring, life-giving encounters with the Lord,
and it is totally understandable that you will want to talk to people about the profound, beautiful
Immanuel encounters that the other recipient(s) on your practice team describe. If the other
recipient(s) on your practice team describe poignant, beautiful encounters with Jesus (and/or share
personal details) that you find especially meaningful and would like to be able to talk about, please
ask their permission first. If you have permission, then talking to others about what you see and
hear just helps to spread the good news. But please, please don’t talk about other recipients’
personal details or Immanuel encounters without asking their permission first.

D. Read through the handout instructions immediately before each exercise: When I do basic
training seminars, right before each exercise we all read through the instructions together. (I read
through the explanation sections of the instructions, out loud, as the participants read along
silently; and we all read the sample-coaching sections out loud together.) This will take a few extra
minutes and feel a bit tedious as you are actually doing it, but it applies well-established brain
science regarding short-term memory and priming memory, and I encourage you to include it.

The research regarding short-term memory shows that information carried in our short-term
memory systems will be very clear and usable immediately after we learn it, but that it can fade
dramatically in the course of hours or even minutes. And we are all familiar with this reality in our
practical, day-to-day lives. For example, whenever I face a complicated, unfamiliar home-repair or
car-repair project, I can feel that it is really important to have the details fresh in my mind, and I
therefore review the youtube instruction video immediately before attempting the repair.

Furthermore, reviewing the instructions before each exercise will also tap into an unconscious
phenomena called priming. The fascinating research regarding priming shows that when we read
over a specific piece of text, unconscious memory traces are laid down in one of our implicit
memory systems. And if we then read that same text again at some point in the future, our
unconscious minds will recognize the passage even if we have no conscious memory of the

1The explanatory essays can be an adequate preparation for the training exercises, for those who truly can’t afford the videos. But the ideal training
package is to watch the corresponding video segment before practicing with each training exercise. Again, it is especially helpful to see Charlotte and I
demonstrate the exact same exercise that you will then be trying for yourself.
 specific content. And even though we are not consciously aware of it, we will read and
comprehend the text more easily.

Again, it will take a few extra minutes and feel a bit tedious, but I encourage you to include this
simple technique throughout your basic training endeavors because the benefits are worth it. My
observation is that some participants find these practice exercises to be surprisingly stressful and
intimidating,2 and reading through the instructions for the very first time as they are actually
trying to use them makes the whole adventure feel significantly more stressful and intimidating.
Thankfully, this simple technique of reading through the instructions immediately before using
them really helps with this – as the participants use the exercise handouts to facilitate each
exercise, they will read and comprehend the instructions more easily – the exercise handouts will
feel more familiar and friendly, and less stressful and intimidating. The bottom line is that this
simple technique will help more participants to have positive, comfortable, satisfying experiences
with the practice exercises

Note: the material we read through together immediately before each exercise does not include the
first page of each exercise handout. The points summarized briefly on the first page of each
handout are points that I explain in more detail in the teaching portions of the videos, and I include
them on the first page of each handout because I want to refresh them, over an over again,
throughout the larger basic-training endeavor. My intention is to make them extra-conveniently
available, as short summary points on the first page, so that people will glance at them as they are
sitting around waiting for each practice exercise to begin. Also, the material we read through
together immediately before each exercise does not include the opening prayer, closing prayer, or
“additional sample coaching” that is sometimes included at the end of the coaching instructions.

E. Divide large groups into small practice teams (Third safety net): Whether you are working
with a large group of three hundred or whether you are practicing in an Immanuel approach study
group of twelve, the first step of the group exercise is to divide the larger group into small practice
teams. This provides a third safety net, or maybe I should say that it provides the team that can
make sure the first safety net gets deployed effectively. If the recipient gets stuck in a negative
place, the others in her practice team can help her return to her initial positive place by coaching
her to describe the initial positive memory, to repeat the deliberate appreciation exercise, and then
to reestablish the initial interactive connection with the Lord.

Dividing the larger group into small practice teams also provides a setting in which the recipient
can report regarding her experience – describing “whatever comes into her awareness” at each step
in the process – and thereby benefit from the ways in which our brains work better in community.3
This significantly increases the effectiveness of the exercise, both increasing good results and
decreasing disappointing results.

F. Ideal size for practice teams: When breaking a larger group into small teams for practicing the
exercises, there are a number of factors that should be taken into consideration:

1. Protection from inappropriate pair bonding: An especially important factor to consider is

the need to protect participants from inappropriate pair bonding. According to Dr. Wilder, if a

2For example, the simple component of recalling a detailed positive memory and deliberately stirring up strong appreciation will be surprisingly unfamiliar
and difficult for some recipients, the component of describing their experiences out loud to others will be surprisingly unfamiliar and difficult for some
recipients, and the component of remembering and connecting with traumatic memories will be intense and difficult for most recipients. And many
facilitators will find it to be stressful and intimidating to coach recipients through unfamiliar, difficult experiences.

3Training segment #3 in the video series, and the associated explanatory essay below, explain the intriguing ways in which God has designed our brains to
function best in community, and especially the importance of each recipient describing “whatever comes into her awareness,” out loud to the facilitator.
(See The Immanuel Approach: To Emotional Healing and to Life, chapter 17, “Describe Whatever Comes Into Your Awareness (Our Brains Work Better
in Community),” for a much more detailed discussion.
 man and woman4 spend time together as a couple, their neurological bonding circuits will
unavoidably move toward pair bonding, and this involuntary, neurological pair bonding
inherently includes a sexual component. This pair bond does not grow because the man and
woman start out wanting to pursue an inappropriate relationship, but rather because that’s what
bonding circuits do when members of the opposite sex spend time together as a couple. And
this pair bonding effect becomes increasingly powerful as the two people spend regular time
together, as might happen with a ministry team that meets together each week for ongoing
learning and practice. Furthermore, Immanuel Approach sessions are often especially bonding
experiences, since the practice team members are often going to deep, vulnerable places
together.

In contrast, when three or more people are together their neurological bonding circuits will
usually try to build family bonds (as opposed to romantic pair bonds). So both the simplest and
the most effective intervention for preventing inappropriate pair bonding is to divide the larger
group into practice circles with three or more participants in each circle.5

2. Time efficiency: Aside from the first consideration, which indicates practice teams of at
least three participants for any situations where inappropriate pair bonding might be a problem,
smaller practice teams provide the important logistical benefit of moving through practice
exercises more quickly.

3. Convenience of gathering: Smaller practice teams also provide the important logistical
benefit of making it easier to gather. For example, if an Immanuel Approach group is
encouraging the lifestyle component of regular healing/practice sessions over time, it is much
easiest for two people to schedule and gather, with steadly increasing logistical difficulty with
increasing size of the practice group.

4. Less vulnerability: Smaller is also generally preferable because most people will feel more
comfortable doing personal healing work in the context of a smaller group.

5. Other considerations: Sometimes other factors need to be considered, such as when four or
five people come to a conference as a team and it seems right for them to practice together.6

In light of these considerations, three is usually the ideal number if inappropriate pair bonding is a
concern, since three is the smallest number that protects against inappropriate pair bonding. And
two is usually the ideal number if inappropriate pair bonding is not a concern. (For example,
pair-bonding would not be a concern if a person’s practice partner is their grandmother, or their
spouse, or their sibling, or if they are practicing over zoom for only a few exercises.)

G. Practice teams should stay the same (if at all possible): When you get to the final two
exercises, if the recipient gets stuck in intense negative emotions and needs rigorous coaching to
help them get back to their positive memories and appreciation, it is very helpful for the other
member(s) of their practice team to know the details of several of their positive memories (from
being with them in the previous exercises where they described these details). So it is actually
fairly important for the teams to stay the same throughout the series of training exercises, if at all

4With gay or lesbian participants, these same concerns regarding pair bonding would of course apply to two men working together or two women working
together, respectively.

5I learned about pair bonding versus family bonding in a private conversation with Dr. Allan Schore. Unfortunately, we are not aware of any published
research regarding these phenomena. (E. James Wilder [Ph.D. psychiologist, director, Shepherd’s House], in discussion with the author. 2008.)

6In some cultures and on some ministry teams, there is a strong preference for doing everything in larger groups. So in some situations the participants will
have a strong preference to work in practice circles of six, eight, or even more. The group exercises will still work with much larger practice teams, but
they will go very slowly and it will take a lot more time for everybody to get a chance to both facilitate and receive. Also, with larger practice circles you
will want to pay special attention to the concern that some participants may not feel comfortable working in front of such a large audience.
possible.

H. Important caveat regarding “describe everything that comes into your awareness”: The
purpose of repeatedly coaching the recipient to “describe everything” is not to push people to
describe details they feel uncomfortable talking about, but rather to help people describe details
that are being withheld because they don’t feel important and/or make sense. Therefore, coaching
the recipient to “describe everything” always needs to be in the context of “to the extent you feel
comfortable doing so.”

I. Additional encouragement with respect to troubleshooting: If your difficulty with perceiving

the Lord’s presence and connecting with the Lord persists, especially across multiple sessions, I
strongly encourage you to get help with Immanuel intervention troubleshooting in the context of
individual sessions with an experienced facilitator. In my experience, recipients who initially have
difficulty will almost always eventually be able to perceive and connect with the Lord if they
persist in working with an experienced troubleshooter.

J. Additional thoughts with respect to choosing a traumatic memory: The instruction handouts
for each of the safety-net exercises and for each of the trauma-healing exercises include a section
on choosing an appropriate traumatic memory to work on. The purpose for these instructions is to
help the recipient find a mild-to-moderate traumatic memory that would not be too complicated
and/or too intense for beginners. I included only the most necessary practical points in the exercise
instructions, to prevent them from becoming too cumbersome, but I would like to offer here a few
additional thoughts.

1. Memories for painful experiences from your recent adult life: In earlier versions of these
exercise instructions, I used to include the following as one of the options for finding
mild/minor traumatic memories: “One good way to find simple, low-intensity traumatic
memories is to look through painful experiences from your recent adult life, and then pick a
minor painful event that still feels unresolved. If you are having trouble finding a recent
painful event that feels unresolved, look for unpleasant experiences in which you did not
perceive the Lord’s presence at the time of the original experience, and for which you still do
not perceive his presence in the memory. Most of these will turn out to be minor unresolved
trauma.”

However, I no longer include this option. What I have observed is that many of these minor
events from our recent adult lives have felt traumatic and unresolved because they have
hooked into underlying, earlier, more important traumatic memories. And this has often turned
out poorly in either of two ways. On the one hand, if the recipient does not go to the
underlying trauma, there is minimal healing shift and the experience is disappointing/
unsatisfying. On the other hand, if the recipient does go to the underlying trauma, you can
unexpectedly end up in major traumatic memories that are too complicated and/or too intense
for beginner practice exercises.

2. Why not just ask the Lord to choose the memory?: Some ask “Why not just ask the Lord to
bring forward the memory He wants to work on?” This is what I do when I facilitate
individual sessions, but my concern in the group setting is that none of us have perfect
perception of the Lord’s guidance. In the context of a group exercise the leader cannot
discern with each participant regarding the accuracy of their perception of the Lord’s guidance,
and the consequences of mistaken discernment are much greater (for example, getting into an
overwhelming traumatic memory in the group setting, without appropriate resources to care for
this). Therefore, in the group setting we are usually more conservative and directive, and
provide guidelines for selecting memories as opposed to having each person simply ask the
Lord what to do/where to go.

3. Do not start with an upsetting symptom and look for the roots: Please do not focus on an
 upsetting symptom and ask, “Lord, take me to the memory where this is coming from.”
Although this approach is often very effective for finding the roots of puzzling, troublesome
psychological symptoms, it may also take you to very intense traumatic memories, it may take
you to traumatic memories that you have never before worked with, and it may even take you
to memories that you have never before been consciously aware of.

4. Do not use memories where you have gotten stuck or that have caused you to
decompensate: Please do not use memories in which you have gotten stuck, memories that
have overwhelmed you, or memories that have caused you to become so upset that you needed
someone else to help you get back to a place where you were okay. As you may have already
noticed, this description of memories that are not appropriate for groups and beginners is
essentially the opposite of the second criteria for safe memories described in the exercise
handouts.

5. Do not use memories that you have never previously talked about: Please do not use
memories that you have never previously talked about. If you have never previously described
the experience to another person, it may be much more important than you feel or perceive. In
many individual sessions that I have facilitated, the recipient has reported, “A memory has just
come to me, but it’s not important—I think it’s just a distraction.” But when I coached him to
describe it anyway, he has been surprised by the intense negative emotions that welled up as he
started to talk about it. And these memories have almost always been for experiences that the
person has never previously talked about. As the reader may recognize, this is an excellent
example of the person’s brain working better in community. But we don’t want participants to
demonstrate this phenomenon by being overwhelmed by unexpectedly intense negative
emotions in the context of group exercises or in practice sessions for beginners.

6. Do not use a memory that has been emotionally disconnected: Please do not use a memory
that you have talked about, but with emotional numbness/disconnection. We don’t want a
major traumatic memory to connect emotionally for the first time in the middle of your
beginner exercise.

7. These precautions are for beginners: The selection criteria included in the safety-net and
trauma-healing exercises, and the precautions just described here, are for people who are just
learning to use the Immanuel Approach process for resolving psychological trauma. If the
people in your group have high capacity and are experienced with the Immanuel approach, and
are using the emotional healing exercises for regular, ongoing healing work as a part of an
Immanuel lifestyle, you can feel free to work with any traumatic memories that you and your
healing/practice team discern to be appropriate. And you can feel free to use the “focus on an
upsetting symptom, and ask the Lord to take you to the underlying memories” approach.

K. Additional thoughts regarding connecting with traumatic memories: Once the recipient
has established an interactive connection with the Lord in the context of her initial positive
memory, the next step in the process, for both the safety-net exercises and for the emotional
healing exercises, is to help the recipient connect with her traumatic memory. For most re
recipients, you can help them to re-enter/reconnect with their memory by coaching them to picture
themselves back inside of the painful situation, and then to talk about the details until they can feel
the negative emotions associated with the original experience. However, some recipients will
report that they often have trouble connecting too intensely with painful memories. If you and/or
the recipient are concerned that she will connect with her traumatic memory too intensely, you can
coach her to describe her memory from an outside observer perspective (as opposed to picturing
herself back inside the painful situation), and/or you can coach her to describe only a few details.
These variations will significantly reduce the intensity of negative emotions.

Also, in groups where many of the participants have survived severe trauma, and in which many of
the participants share similar trauma, if one group member starts talking about the details of a
 painful memory the others can quickly become overwhelmed by intense triggering. In these
situations, the participants can usually reconnect with painful memories very easily. (Usually, all
they need to do is close their eyes and think about the original experience for a moment). And it
will be important for the person leading the overall exercise to specifically coach the participants
to describe their trauma very briefly, and in only the most vague and general terms.7

L. Using the safety net is not failure: To both the facilitator and recipient: don’t fall into the trap
of feeling like a failure if you have to use the safety net. Remember, when you are just beginning
to practice with the Immanuel approach it is actually important and valuable for you to use the
safety net, so that you are sure that it really works.

M. Opening prayer and commands: Whenever I facilitate the Immanuel approach, I start the
session with a carefully-thought-out opening prayer and with specific commands to any spiritual
forces that might interfere with the process.8 And if I am coaching Immanuel approach prayer
partners or a small study/practice group, I usually encourage the facilitators to start the sessions
and practice exercises with my sample opening prayer and commands (or my sample condensed
opening prayer and commands.)9 However, with large group exercises I usually say the opening
prayer and commands myself, silently, before we start the group exercise. This is because most of
the larger groups I have worked with have included participants who had very little teaching or
experience with demonic phenomena, and I was concerned that the prayers and commands dealing
with possible demonic interference might confuse and/or trigger them.

Therefore, if you are leading a group exercise and you happen to know that the participants are
familiar with demonic phenomena, I think it is ideal for each practice team to start the exercise
with my sample opening prayer and commands (or at least something similar). And if you are
leading a group exercise in a situation where you are unsure regarding the participants’ perspective
on possible demonic interference, I encourage you to go through my sample opening prayer and
commands (or something similar) silently, before starting the exercise.

N. Closing prayer (optional, depending on context): Whenever I facilitate the Immanuel

approach I end the session with a carefully-thought-out closing prayer and with specific
commands to any spiritual forces that might be associated with the memories we have been
working with.10 And if I am coaching Immanuel approach prayer partners or a small
study/practice group, I usually encourage the facilitators to close the sessions and practice
exercises with my sample closing prayer and commands.11 However, with large group exercises I
usually say the closing prayer and commands myself, silently, after we finish the group exercise.
This is because most of the larger groups I have worked with have included participants who had
very little teaching or experience with demonic phenomena, and I was concerned that they might
be confused and/or triggered by prayers and commands dealing with demonic spirits that might be
associated with the traumatic memories they have been working with.

7Although we usually instruct participants in group exercises to make sure to use our guidelines for choosing minor traumatic memories, coach people to
use our think that our very specific instructions about choosing minor traumatic memories, in certain situations it will be right to use group exercises to
help participants work with similar severe trauma. In these situations it will be especially important to coach the participants regarding how to avoid
overwhelming each other with traumatic details that can be intensely triggering.

8For description and discussion regarding each point of my opening prayer and initial commands, see Appendix D in the big lion book, or the “Opening
prayers and commands” essay at the bottom of the “Exercises for groups and beginners” section of the “Resources” page of www.immanuelapproach.com.

9Both the sample opening prayer and commands and the sample condensed opening prayer and commands are included at the end of Appendix D in the
big lion book, and as separate documents at the bottom of the “Exercises for groups and beginners” section of the “Resources” page of
www.immanuelapproach.com.

10For description and discussion regarding each point of my closing prayer and commands, see Appendix E in the big lion book, or the “Closing prayers
and commands” essay at the bottom of the “Exercises for groups and beginners” section of the “Resources” page of www.immanuelapproach.com.

11The sample closing prayer and commands is included at the end of Appendix E in the big lion book, and as a separate document at the bottom of the
“Exercises for groups and beginners” section of the “Resources” page of www.immanuelapproach.com.
 Therefore, if you are leading a group exercise and you happen to know that the participants are
familiar with demonic phenomena, I think it is ideal for each practice team to close the exercise
with my sample closing prayer and commands (or at least something similar). And if you are
leading a group exercise in a situation where you are unsure regarding the participants’ perspective
regarding the possibility that demonic spirits might be associated with traumatic memories, I
encourage you to go through my sample closing prayer and commands (or something similar)
silently, at the end of the exercise.

O. Four to six repetitions: Almost everybody will feel a bit insecure and clumsy the first couple
of times they go through any new procedure. This is normal and to be expected. In addition to
providing reassurance for those who are feeling the most insecure, we need to be aware of this
extremely common reality because it is very important to deliberately help people get through it.
Studies of the neurology of learning, and also research focusing on observable behavior with
respect to learning, both show a dramatic tipping point for most people at four to six successful
repetitions. People who go through a new procedure only two or three times will often still feel
insecure enough that they will be reluctant to continue on their own (that is, when they no longer
have a trainer providing supervision and encouragement). However, if trainees persist until they
have gone through the new procedure four to six times, most of the people who initially felt
uncomfortably clumsy and insecure will feel dramatically more comfortable and confident, and
they will be much more likely to continue using the new procedure even without coaching or
supervision.

Therefore, whenever possible we should deliberately plan our training so that participants
successfully get through the full Immanuel Approach process at least four times. The best-case,
ideal scenario is for each facilitator to experience at least four successful journeys through the final
practice exercise (that is, the third variation of the basic Immanuel Approach healing process). But
four-or-more successful journeys through the full process in any form (any of the last three
practice exercises) is a really good start.12

P. Cautions regarding large groups: If you are an emotional healing ministry leader and/or an
Immanuel Approach trainer, and you are thinking about using these exercises in group settings:

• I recommend that you do not try leading large group exercises until you are comfortable with
facilitating the Immanuel approach in individual sessions, and you have been getting
consistently good results.

• I recommend that you begin experimenting with group exercises in settings where you know
the people that will be participating (so that you have a sense regarding the amount of trauma
they carry, the strength of their support systems, and the health of their coping skills), and in
settings where you will be working with smaller groups (twenty-five people or less).

• Finally, when working with large groups (more than 25 participants), it is ideal to have a few
experienced facilitators available to deal with the possibility that a small number of
participants may encounter especially complicated difficulties – complicated difficulties that
can actually hinder them from cooperating with the safety net intervention.13

12If you pay attention, you will notice this phenomena occurring, with respect to the first components of the process, as you go through the sequence of
practice exercises. That is, by the time your group has gotten through the basic safety-net exercise, most participants will have five successful repetitions of
facilitating the process through the initial steps of positive memory recall, deliberate appreciation, and connection with Jesus. And it should be easy to see
that most participants are clearly, tangibly more comfortable with facilitating these initial steps.

13For additional discussion of these intermediate and advanced scenarios, in which the recipient will have difficulty cooperating with the safety net, see the
final sections in the chapter on safety nets in the big lion book and/or the three video training segments addressing intermediate and advanced safety-net
scenarios.
 Q. Helpful handouts: Instruction handouts for each of the practice exercises are available as free
downloads from the “Exercises for Groups and Beginners” section of the Resources page of
www.immanuelapproach.com).

R. One page summaries: Once they have gone through all of the practice exercises, and they
have gone through the third variation of the basic Immanuel Approach healing process several
times and have become comfortable with it, many facilitators find that the one page summaries are
adequate. Also, there are several different versions of the one page summaries (all provided as free
downloads from the bottom of the “Exercises for Groups and Beginners” section). I would
encourage you to experiment with all of the options to find the best fit for your personal style and
preferences.

S. Let us know how it goes: More raw data is helpful as we continue to experiment and learn
about the best ways to do group exercises. If you try Immanuel approach group exercises, please
let us know what happens (e-mails to [email protected]).

V. Summary regarding the “Safety net” intervention (going back to the initial positive memory,
appreciation, and interactive connection with the Lord): When encountering any of the difficulties
below, the recipient can go back to her interactive connection from the beginning of the exercise, and
then get help from Jesus in that positive, safe context. This simple but effective intervention can be a
resource and/or “safety net” in various ways at various points throughout the exercise.

• During the middle of the session: If the recipient connects with a traumatic memory, but then is not
able to perceive the Lord’s presence inside the traumatic memory, even after asking “what’s in the
way?” and troubleshooting;

if the recipient should become stuck at any point in working with the traumatic memory, and
especially if the recipient becomes stuck and has lost her interactive connection with Jesus;

if the facilitator and recipient run into trouble, and feel like they are in over their heads for any
reason;

or if the recipient is able to perceive the Lord’s presence in the traumatic memory, but does not
experience a strong enough connection to be able to receive the help she needs;

– for each of these situations, the facilitator can deploy the safety-net intervention by coaching
the recipient to go back to her positive, safe connection with Jesus from the beginning of the
exercise. And then in the context of this positive, safe, interactive connection the facilitator can
coach her to ask Jesus for help, and to specifically ask Him about the difficulties they
encountered in working with the trauma. Then if time permits, the recipient can go back to the
traumatic memory and apply the new guidance/help she just got from Jesus. This can be
repeated as many times as necessary.

• At the end of the session: If the facilitator and recipient run out of time before the traumatic
memoryhas been fully resolved, the facilitator can deploy the safety-net intervention by coaching
the recipient to go back to her positive, safe connection with Jesus from the beginning of the
exercise. And then, after she has reestablished this positive, safe connection, the facilitator can
coach her to spend time focusing on Jesus and appreciating both the initial positive memory and the
Lord’s goodness until gratitude and peace have fully replaced any lingering negative thoughts and
emotions from the traumatic memory
And, again, the recipient will sometimes return to an initial connection with Jesus in the context of the
positive memory from the beginning of the session, and at other times she will return to an initial
connection in which she perceives Jesus to be right in the room with her in the present. Also, in some
situations the recipient will be able to return directly to her initial positive connection, and in other
situations she will need to repeat the steps of reconnecting with the initial positive memory and
deliberately stirring up appreciation before she is able to re-establish her connection from the beginning
of the session.
 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 25: Let Jesus Drive (with Respect to Non-process Aspects of the Session)
(©Copyright 2012 K.D. Lehman MD, New 12/08/12)
DRAFT

Comments regarding advanced topics: I want to address advanced topics for mental health professionals and
experienced emotional healing ministers who are encountering more complicated situations, but I don’t want to
discourage or overwhelm part time lay ministers and beginners. So if you’re a part time lay minister or
beginner, you’re already convinced regarding the need for the Immanuel approach structure, and you are
already convinced regarding the importance of letting Jesus lead with respect to every non-process aspect of
Immanuel approach sessions, then just skim over everything except the stories. You don’t need the theoretical
discussion regarding the importance of the facilitator providing the structure for the Immanuel approach
process, you don’t need the theoretical arguments for letting Jesus lead with respect to every other aspect of the
session, and you don’t need the caveats regarding exceptions for complicated situations. Just enjoy the stories,
and let them encourage you regarding how effectively Jesus can lead when you constantly coach the recipient
to focus on Him and ask Him for guidance and help. If you encounter a more complicated situation in which the
basic Immanuel approach tools don’t seem to be fully effective, you can just end the session with helping the
person get back to her initial positive memory and interactive connection, and then read more/get a
consultation/refer the person to a more experienced facilitator.

If you are not fully convinced about the importance of the Immanuel approach structure, and you have
thoughts along the lines of “Why do we need any of this – why don’t we just pray, ‘Jesus, please come and
heal me’?” then please read the first part of the discussion with special care.

If you are a mental health professional or experienced emotional healing minister, you already have other
emotional healing tools and techniques which you mix in with the Immanuel approach process, and you
frequently find yourself providing direction with respect to non-process aspects of Immanuel approach sessions,
then please read the second part of the discussion with special care.

I frequently receive questions along the lines of, “When should I take responsibility for leading the session?”
or “How much direction should I provide?,” and I am constantly asking myself these same questions. One of
the most important points with respect to these questions is differentiating between direction with respect to
the Immanuel approach process and direction with respect to non-process aspects of the session (timing,
pacing/intensity, specific content, and the details of the pain processing pathway).

It is important to provide direction with respect to the process: With respect to the Immanuel approach
process, I occasionally hear someone comment, “It’s all about Jesus – I don’t do anything.” This is a very catchy
sound byte, and “It’s all about Jesus” is certainly true from a certain perspective, but this comment always makes
me nervous.

The facilitator provides the overall structure/framework for the Immanuel approach by directing the recipient
through the steps for establishing the initial interactive connection with Jesus, by coaching the person to focus
on Jesus and ask Him for help at any point she needs guidance or other assistance, by repeatedly coaching the
person to describe whatever comes into her awareness, by periodically checking the status of the recipient’s
connection with Jesus, by helping the person re-establish an interactive connection at any point this is lost, by
employing troubleshooting tools when the recipient has difficulty connecting with Jesus, and by leading her
back to the initial positive memory and interactive connection

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

whenever this safety net is needed. If the facilitator doesn’t recognize the importance of providing the
structure for the Immanuel approach by providing direction with respect to the process, then she won’t take
responsibility for providing this structure carefully and competently.

Along the same lines as the “It’s all about Jesus – I don’t do anything” comments, some have asked, “Why do
we have to provide any direction at all, even regarding the process? Why can’t we just invite Jesus to be present,
ask Him for emotional healing, and then let Him do the whole thing?” Actually, I asked this question myself,
especially in light of the fact that this approach occasionally works. I have read a number of case studies in
which the person has made this kind of simple request for emotional healing – sometimes just in her private
prayer time and sometimes in the context of a worship service, but not in an emotional healing session, and not
with anyone providing direction with respect to the Immanuel approach (or any other approach to emotional
healing). And even without any of this emotional healing process or structure, the person had a powerful
encounter with Jesus that looked exactly like the core of a successful Immanuel approach session – the person
perceived Jesus’ tangible presence in some way, He led her to important root memories, she perceived Jesus’
presence in the traumatic memories, He walked her through unfinished processing tasks to accomplish resolution
of the trauma, and then the original emotional problem went away and never came back. I have even heard this
exact same story from several people that I know personally. However, my observation is that this is rare. I have
known hundreds of people who have tried this super simple approach, with nothing more than persistent “Jesus,
please be with me and heal me” prayers, but only a handful have experienced a tangible healing encounter with
1
Jesus that produced lasting fruit.

Furthermore, my assessment from extensive reading, hundreds of conversations with colleagues, 25+ years
of clinical experience, and my personal emotional healing journey is that we have gotten progressively
better results as we have developed approaches to emotional healing that apply increasingly complete
understanding of the underlying psychological and spiritual phenomena. For example, we got better results
than with the “Jesus, just heal me” approach when prayer ministers in the 1950's and 60's helped the
person focus on the presenting problem, specifically asked God to reveal the underlying roots, and then
2
explicitly invited Jesus to come with healing into the traumatic memories that came forward. Positive
results increased another notch in the 1970's and 80's when emotional healing ministries incorporated more
3
understanding with respect to troubleshooting to remove blockages. We saw another increase in positive
results when Dr. Ed Smith developed Theophostic, which incorporated more understanding regarding the
importance of connecting with the emotions in traumatic memories, more understanding with respect to
certain processing tasks (e.g., correctly interpreting the meaning of the experience), and another round of
progress with respect to troubleshooting. And now the Immanuel approach, with new pieces such as
starting with appreciation, establishing an interactive connection with Jesus at the beginning of the session,
and making sure to maintain the interactive connection throughout the session is yielding yet another bump
in positive results.

My observation is that the Immanuel approach is consistently easier and safer to use, consistently easier and
safer to teach, and consistently more effective than any previous approach to emotional healing. It is therefore
important that we provide the structure/framework for the Immanuel approach by being

1
My assessment is that when people use only the super simple “Jesus, please be with me and heal
me” prayer, less than 1% get the kind of healing we see with the Immanuel approach.
2
See, for example, the approach to emotional healing described in chapter 11 (“The Healing of the
Emotions”) in Agnes Sanford, The Healing Light, revised edition (St. Paul, MN: Macalester Park Publishing,
1972), pages 117-126, and in chapter 7 (“The Healing of the Memories”) in Agnes Sanford, The Healing Gifts
of the Spirit (New York: J.B. Lippincott, 1966), pages 109-123.
3
The approach to emotional healing described in chapter 13 (“The Inner Healing of Our Emotional
Problems”) in Francis MacNutt, Healing (Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press, 1974), pages 178-191,
provides a good example.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

adequately directive with respect to the details of the process.

Let Jesus drive with respect to non-process aspects of the session: In contrast to providing a lot of direction
with respect to the Immanuel approach process, I try to let Jesus drive as much as possible with respect to
everything else – I try to let Jesus choose when to address a particular memory or issue, I try to let Jesus guide
with respect to how quickly/intensely we press into a memory/issue, I try to let Jesus choose which traumatic
memories and/or other issues to bring forward, I try to let Jesus answer any questions that come up, and I try to
let Jesus manage the details of working through the different tasks on the pain processing pathway. The most
important reason to let Jesus drive as much possible is that He is the best therapist in the world. The judgment
calls just mentioned, such as when to bring forward memories that are especially traumatic or how intensely to
push into these memories, can be very tough; and making the wrong call can cause the recipient to tumble into
varying degrees of decompensation, sometimes even ending up in the hospital. However, when we are able to let
Jesus drive, He happily carries the responsibility for these tough decisions and always makes the right call.
Furthermore, as limited human facilitators we periodically encounter problems that seem tangled, huge, and
impossibly unsolvable; but when we let Jesus drive, He comes up with amazing, creative interventions that we
never would have thought of (and they work!). When we let Jesus drive, facilitating sessions becomes much less
stressful and the recipient receives the best possible care.

Another really important reason to let Jesus drive is that this keeps the Immanuel approach simple enough and
safe enough that the average lay person can actually learn it and use it. If the facilitator is driving, she will need
very high levels of technical skill and clinical discernment to make the tough judgment calls mentioned above,
to navigate through sophisticated defenses, and to unravel complicated problems. However, a lay person with a
small amount of training, minimal technical skills, and humble clinical discernment can provide the
structure/framework for the Immanuel approach, and then let Jesus drive with respect to the non-process
aspects of the session. If Jesus takes responsibility for all of the complicated, difficult, dangerous stuff, then the
average lay person can quickly learn to safely facilitate emotional healing sessions. And this is HUGELY,
strategically important as we are trying to make emotional healing accessible to every person on the planet.

Earlier I discussed the end of the spectrum where people ask, “Why do we need to provide any direction at all?
It’s all about Jesus – let’s just let Him do everything.” At the other end of the spectrum are people who feel most
comfortable when they are driving, and therefore tend towards grabbing the wheel with respect to all aspects of
the session. My observation is that many mental health professionals and experienced emotional healing
ministers fall into this category. We have spent many years learning the principles and developing skill with the
tools of emotional healing, we feel most secure with the familiar techniques that we have successfully applied in
many prior situations, we have gotten to the point where we get reasonably consistent and robust positive results,
and we feel most comfortable in the driver’s seat when facilitating therapy/ministry sessions.

The first challenge for those of us who already have lots of training and experience with other approaches to
emotional healing is to actually stick with the Immanuel approach process at all. We have no problem with the
“provide direction” piece, but when stressed or unsure, instead of providing the structure for the Immanuel
approach, the direction we provide leads back to whatever techniques and process we were using prior to trying
4
the Immanuel approach. Especially at first, it takes a lot of deliberate effort to stay with the Immanuel
approach process, instead of reverting to previous approaches to emotional healing that feel more familiar
and comfortable.

The next challenge for those of us with lots of training and experience, after staying with the larger
framework of the Immanuel approach, is to let Jesus lead with respect to the non-process aspects of the

4
I have been using the Immanuel approach for so long now that I no longer notice this pattern in my
own practice, but I certainly struggled with this as I was first transitioning from Theophostic-based
emotional healing and EMDR to the Immanuel approach.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

session. My own experience actually provides an excellent (but humbling) illustration. For example, let’s say I
perceive a strategic issue that is clearly affecting the person’s life. To my perspective, it’s just sitting out in plain
5
sight, the person seems to be deliberately ignoring it, and the Lord seems to be letting them just ignore it. Unless
I’m consciously thinking about the importance of letting Jesus drive and therefore deliberately restraining
myself, the next thing I know I’m in the driver’s seat, trying to get the person to deal with what I perceive to
be the elephant in the living room (or at least the donkey in the living room).

Or I spot subtle clues indicating an important unresolved trauma. I’ve spent thousands of hours over many years
sharpening my ability to spot these clues and recognize what they mean, and it’s very satisfying to use these hard
earned skills. Unless I’m consciously thinking about the importance of letting Jesus drive and therefore
deliberately restraining myself, the next thing I know I’m in the driver’s seat, trying to steer the person towards
6
the traumatic memory I know is there.

Or the person is working with a memory and I recognize which unfinished processing tasks are causing the
memory to linger as trauma. I’ve spent thousands of hours learning how to help people take memories
through the different tasks in the processing pathway, and it’s satisfying to use these hard earned skills.
Unless I’m consciously thinking about the importance of letting Jesus drive and therefore deliberately
restraining myself, the next thing I know I’m in the driver’s seat, guiding the person in the work of taking
her memories through the unfinished processing tasks.

Or the person asks a question. Now, I love understanding how things work, I’ve spent twenty-four years in
school, I’ve spent tens of thousands of hours studying the professional literature since finishing my formal
training, I have twenty-five years of clinical experience, I’ve been deliberately pursuing my own growth and
healing for 35+ years, and I’ve spent tens of thousands of hours deliberately pondering all of this data. All of
this interest and work has resulted in having some pretty good answers to many of the questions that come up in
emotional healing sessions, and I really enjoy teaching. On top of all of this, I also have triggered energy that
contributes to the problem. As a child, I was skinny, short, slow, without any discernable artistic or musical
talent, and I had a difficult time getting started academically due to having dyslexia. But I loved science and
math. If I studied hard (and I always did), I usually knew the answers, so when the teacher asked a science or
math question I felt like for once I had something to offer. I was the kid bouncing up and down in his seat,
waving his hand frantically, and pleading earnestly, “Oh, oh, oh, oh! I know! I know! Pick me! Pick me! Pick
me!” Not surprisingly, unless I’m consciously thinking about the importance of letting Jesus drive and therefore
deliberately restraining myself, the next thing I know I’m in the driver’s seat, sharing my really good answer to
the question that has just been asked.

Another part of the humbling truth with respect to myself is that I usually underestimate the Lord’s willingness
7
to provide adequate leadership and help. I also often underestimate the recipient’s ability to receive and
cooperate with the Lord’s guidance. At some deep level, I often feel like the session will move forward
more quickly and produce better results if I do most of the driving. (I want the Lord to ride shotgun – I want
Him to participate as a consultant at strategic points in the session, and I’m more than

5
In many situations, Jesus doesn’t push as hard as I would. In my opinion, He often seems way too
relaxed with respect to letting people wait until they’re ready.
6
Note that even when I know there is an underlying traumatic memory, and I’m steering the person
towards it, I never make suggestions regarding the specific memory content. See Karl Lehman,
“Discerning Truth In Memory,” for discussion regarding why it is important to NOT make suggestions
with respect to specific memory content. (Available as a free download from www.kclehman.)
7
Even though I realize that this erroneous underestimate regarding the Lord’s willingness to provide
adequate guidance and help is triggered implicit memory being transferred onto the Lord, and even
though this is steadily decreasing as I work away at the underlying trauma, it still affects me.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

happy for Him to take the wheel when I get lost – but I still feel most comfortable when I spend the
majority of the trip in the driver’s seat).

Putting all of this together, the bottom line is that I often grab the wheel when I should be coaching the person to
focus on Jesus and ask Him for guidance and help. So I try to constantly, deliberately challenge myself to lean
8
towards letting Jesus do more of the driving. In addition to this logical, left hemisphere discussion, I would
like to provide a couple of stories that will help this point about letting Jesus drive sink deeply into your
emotional, intuitive right hemisphere.

Eileen, “She’s been sitting in Jesus’ lap.” At the end of the session presented in the Eileen: “Immanuel
Interventions” DVD, Eileen was in a three-year-old memory in which she was sitting in Jesus’ lap and
listening to His heart beat as He spoke words of reassurance and blessing. At this point in the session it was
obvious that Eileen had received some powerful, beautiful healing work, but it was also clear to me that there
was a lot more that needed to be done, especially regarding trauma related to her mother. I didn’t say this out
loud, but I was thinking, “If we had more time, I would coach Eileen to press into this remaining trauma.” As I
was having this thought, and also thinking about how I might encourage Eileen to pursue this healing work in
some other setting, she made a spontaneous comment along the lines of “Jesus is saying that for right now He
wants me to just stay in His lap and enjoy being with Him, and then at some time in the future we need to do
more healing work about my mother.” I thought, “Wow. That’s interesting. Jesus is obviously aware of the
healing work that still needs to be done, but He also seems very clear that right now is not the time to do it.”
So I let it go and closed the session.

Another part of this story is that in addition to her participation in one of our mentoring groups, Eileen would
also come in for an occasional individual session. She did a lot of Immanuel healing work in personal prayer
times with just herself and Jesus, but occasionally she would get really triggered, be unable to resolve the
problem on her own, and then come in for a consultation session for help with getting unstuck. This happened
every two to three months, and with each session we would start by helping her to establish an interactive
connection with Jesus, ask Him to show us where to go and what to do for the rest of the session, and then just
follow His lead. This seemed to be working very well so I wasn’t worrying about setting the agenda, and I had
forgotten all about the comments from the end of the mentoring group session.

And then, in a session about a year-and-a-half after the healing work presented in the training DVD, Eileen
established a good connection with Jesus, asked for guidance, and reported, “Jesus says that now it’s time to
do the healing work about my mother.” Somehow the matter-of-fact way she stated this, and then looked at me
with calm patience (as if she was waiting for me to take the next obvious, logical step), gave me the
impression that she expected me to know exactly what she was talking about. It felt as if she were referring to
something that had happened to both of us just a few minutes earlier, and that I should know what she meant
by “...the healing work about my Mom.” I had no idea what she was talking about, and I’m sure I looked as
clueless as I felt, because she eventually explained, “You know – the little girl – she’s been sitting on His lap,
building capacity, learning to trust Him, and just enjoying being with Him – and He says that now it’s time to
go and work on the painful memories.” I’m still totally lost. “Okay,...uhm,...ahh,...I’m not sure I’m exactly
clear about which little girl and which memories we’re referring to – I think somehow I missed something.” So
she explained further, “You know, the three-year-old child part from the memory in the kitchen, where my
Mom was doing dishes and I was trying to get her attention, but she was so depressed that she was just starring
blankly out the window. And Jesus told the little girl that He wanted her to just sit in His lap for a while, but
sometime later we would need to do more healing work about my mother.”

8
I realize that I provide a particularly dramatic example, but I have noticed that there are quite a few
others that share many of these same issues, and have similar struggles with grabbing the wheel when
Jesus should be driving.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The lightbulb finally went on for me, “Oh! You mean from the session a couple of years ago – the session
on the DVD? You’re saying that the little girl child part from that session has been sitting on Jesus’ lap all
this time? She’s been sitting on Jesus’ lap for the last couple years, building trust and capacity, and now
Jesus is saying that it’s time to work on the traumatic memories regarding your mother He was referring to
at the end of the session?” “Exactly!” says Eileen. “She’s been with Jesus all this time, and Jesus says she’s
ready to do the healing work now.”

Oh, wow. Amazing. I had never seen this one before, but in light of the dramatic fruit in Eileen’s life after the
earlier session (and also in light of the other things I had been seeing the Lord do in Immanuel sessions), it all
9
seemed quite possible. So making direct eye contact, I spoke directly to the three year old child part and
asked if she would be willing to cooperate with whatever Jesus wanted to do regarding the painful
memories with her mother. She promptly said “Yes,” and within minutes Jesus had taken her to some
very intense memories in which she had been terrified that her mother would die. After this initial
intervention to help her get started, all I did was coach her to focus on Jesus and ask Him for help at every
point in the healing work, and the memories were resolved in less than twenty minutes. As we finished
working through the memories, I remember thinking that this was some of the smoothest, easiest work I
had ever done, when working with such traumatic early childhood experiences, and I especially noted that
Eileen did not have any problems with disconnection or inadequate capacity.

As I pondered this session, it became increasingly clear that Jesus is an excellent therapist, with a very high
level of skill and excellent clinical judgment. He had made a very good clinical judgment call at the end of the
initial session in directing us to wait before trying to work with the traumatic mother memories, He had
obviously been very skilled in building trust and capacity with the child part as she spent 18 months sitting in
His lap, He obviously made the right call in saying that she was now ready to work on this material, and He
did a beautiful, gentle, extremely effective job of leading us through the healing work when Eileen finally did
go to the memories. Furthermore, I am convinced that this healing work would have been much more difficult
if I had tried to get Eileen to go to these memories prematurely. I’m sure we would have encountered
complicated problems with inadequate capacity, and it would have been slower, messier, and much more
painful. In addition to the theoretical reasons for letting Jesus lead, this kind of practical experience has taught
me to deliberately lean towards letting Jesus drive as much as possible (regarding non-process aspects of the
healing work).

Rita: Let Jesus answer the questions: Another particularly dramatic experience teaching me to let Jesus
drive happened this past spring (2012). I was facilitating a demonstration session in one of our mentoring
10
groups, and about ten minutes into the session the recipient, Rita, asked a question. It was a good question,
asking for both clarification regarding the personal meaning of the memories she was working with and
explanation regarding a theoretical point, and after a few moments of thought I had a really good answer.
Just before opening my mouth to share my ideas, the thought occurred to me, “I wonder what would
happen if I coach her to focus on Jesus and ask Him, instead of just giving the answer myself?” To be
painfully honest, my immediate internal response to this thought was something along the lines of, “Yeah,
that’s a nice idea, but the Lord sometimes seems to take His time with respect to answering questions –
He’s too relaxed, too willing to waste time, and not adequately concerned about making the best use of
11
the session. Furthermore, He often seems to speak so quietly that it takes a bit of work to make sure we
are accurately hearing and understanding His answer. I think we’ll get a usable answer a lot more quickly
if I just take care of it myself.”

9
See “Direct Eye Contact (Technique for Making Contact with Internal Parts),” available as a free
download from www.kclehman.com, for discussion of this simple but powerful tool for working with
internal child parts.
10
Yes, this is the Rita from several of our live session DVDs.
11
In addition to the long pauses, Jesus also seems to talk a lot more slowly than I do.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

But then I had second thoughts, “You know, this is a training group, where trying new stuff and learning is more
important than efficiency. So maybe I’ll coach her to ask Jesus, just to see what happens.” So I did, and sure
enough, there was a long pause – we’re in this strategic training group, with a whole room full of busy people
trying to learn stuff, and Jesus waits for a couple of minutes before answering the question. And then we had to
take some more time for me to coach Rita to verbalize what she thought she was hearing from the Lord. But
when Rita finally described what she perceived as the Lord’s answer, I was amazed to realize that it was exactly
what I would have said. Well, actually, not exactly what I would have said. The Lord’s answer was actually more
precise, more elegant, and more carefully nuanced than what I had been about to offer, and He didn’t repeat
Himself or get distracted by tangential digressions. But the core content was the same. And the Lord seemed to
have a quiet but profound authority clearly beyond what I carry. I’m sure that if I had answered her question Rita
would have listened to me, and she would have seriously considered the probability that my thoughts were valid,
but subtle uncertainties would have lingered around the edges. In contrast, when she heard these same thoughts
from the Lord she immediately had a deep, peaceful sense of confidence that they were true. It was done. No
additional discussion was needed, and we moved on.

And then about fifteen minutes later it happened again. Rita asked a good question, requiring an answer that
would both clarify the personal meaning of the memories she was working with and explain a theoretical point;
after a few moments of thought I had a really good answer; just before opening my mouth to share my ideas, the
thought occurred to me, “I wonder what would happen if I coach her to focus on Jesus and ask Him, instead of
just giving the answer myself?”; I felt the same skeptical assessment that we would probably get a usable answer
much more quickly if I just answered the question myself; and I had the thought, “You know, this is a training
group, where trying new stuff and learning is more important than efficiency. So maybe I’ll coach her to ask
Jesus, just to see what happens.” Once again, I went ahead and did this, there was a long pause before Jesus
answered the question, and then we had to take more time for me to coach Rita to verbalize what she thought she
was hearing from the Lord. Once again, I was amazed to realize that the Lord’s answer was exactly what I would
have said, except clearer, more elegant, more carefully nuanced, without repetitions or digressions, and carrying
His special authority. And once again, when she heard the answer from Jesus she immediately had a deep,
peaceful sense of confidence that it was true. It was done. No discussion was needed, and we moved on.

Ten minutes later Rita asked another question, and after a few moments of thought I had a really good answer,
but this time I then jumped right to, “Okay Lord, I get the point. You want me to coach her to ask You.” So I
coached Rita to focus on Jesus and present her question to Him, but this time I was much more patient through
the long pause as we waited for Jesus to answer and I had more positive expectation as I coached Rita to
verbalize what she thought she was hearing from the Lord. And even though it had just happened twice in the
last 35 minutes, I was still amazed that the Lord’s answer was exactly what I would have said, except clearer,
more elegant, more carefully nuanced, without repetitions or digressions, and carrying His special authority.
Once again, when she heard the answer from Jesus she immediately had a deep, peaceful sense of confidence
that it was true. No additional discussion was needed, and we moved on.

When Rita paused to ask another good question fifteen minutes later, I thought, “Wow. You’re really making a
point here Jesus.” And even though I once again had a good answer that I wanted to share, I went right to
coaching her to focus on Jesus and ask Him. There was the familiar long pause while we waited for Jesus to
answer, I supplied the familiar coaching to help Rita verbalize what she thought she was hearing from the Lord,
and then for the fourth time in less than an hour Jesus said just what I would have said, but better. On one hand,
it was encouraging to see that I was thinking along the same lines as Jesus. It was kind of like being able to
check the answers at the back of the book – “Hey, I’m still on the right track! That’s nice to know.” But it was
also humbling to see Jesus provide yet another answer that was clearer, more elegant, more carefully nuanced,
more concise, and carrying more authority than what I had to offer. And, not surprisingly, when she heard the
answer from Jesus she immediately had a deep, peaceful sense of confidence that it was true. No discussion was
needed, and

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

we moved on.

When Rita paused to ask yet another question ten minutes later, I immediately thought, “Okay Lord, I think we
can all see that You are really trying to make a point here.” As usual, I had some good ideas about what
needed to be said, but by this point in the session it was pretty obvious that I should just jump right to coaching
her to engage directly with Jesus regarding her question. So I did. There was still a long pause while we waited
for Jesus to answer, and I still had to coach Rita to verbalize what she thought she was hearing from the Lord,
but this time I was waiting with eager anticipation to see if He would do it again. Sure enough, for the fifth
time in little more than an hour Jesus brought truth that made the exact same core points I had wanted to make,
but with more clarity, elegance, nuance, and efficiency. And, as always, His answer came with a special
authority, so that Rita immediately had a deep, peaceful sense of confidence that it was true. She was
thoroughly satisfied, no discussion was needed, and we moved on.

By this point in the session I was very impressed with the Lord’s thoroughness and cleverness with respect to
the teaching point He had just made, and I also felt like I had a good sense of where the rest of the session was
going to go. Rita was in the middle of working on an important unresolved issue, and the Lord had just taken
her to what looked like the key root memory. It all looked fairly straight forward – she just needed to work
through a few unfinished processing tasks, the key root trauma would then be resolved, and we would be home
free. To be totally honest, I felt like I could handle the rest of the session by myself. I wasn’t planning on
grabbing the wheel from Jesus, but I felt like I could have taken care of the situation if Jesus had gotten called
away for an emergency.

And then Rita suddenly said something along the lines of, “I can’t do this....This memory is too big – it’s too
much – I don’t know how to handle this....I feel like I’m not able to work through this one – I can’t do it.” We
only had about twenty minutes left before the end of the group, and Rita seemed to be completely stuck. Even
after taking some time to think and listen for guidance, I couldn’t come up with a plan that would quickly deal
with her apparent lack of the capacity and maturity skills needed to work through the traumatic memory that
had somehow suddenly gotten bigger and more complicated. The lesson so far seemed to have been, “Coach
the person to take her questions to Jesus, even when you think you have good answers yourself,” but at this
point I didn’t feel like I had much choice. I had no idea what to do, and was more than happy to apply the
“Coach the person to engage directly with Jesus at every point in the session” Immanuel approach principle.
So I coached Rita to focus on Jesus, ask Him for guidance/help, and then describe whatever came into her
awareness.

After a long pause (Jesus, don’t You realize how little time we have left?), Rita reported that she was now in a
completely different memory. This new memory was clearly much less complicated and less intense, and Rita
seemed ready and willing to work with it, but it also seemed to be completely unrelated to the strategic
traumatic memory in which she had just been stuck. I was actually quite disappointed. I had hoped that the
Lord would have some clever plan for working through the larger memory that seemed to be so key to the
issue we had been working with, instead of just saying, “I can’t help her get through that one either, so let’s
just go find something smaller and easier.” I was a bit puzzled and disappointed, but I figured we might as well
work with what we had, so I kept coaching her to ask Jesus for guidance and help regarding the new memory.

She worked through this new memory quickly and easily, and then with about five minutes left, she popped
out with, “Oh, wow! Now Jesus is taking me back to the other memory, and I’m just realizing that the key
issue in the little memory we just resolved is the exact same as the key issue in the other memory that felt like
it was too big for me.” After pausing for a few moments to think about what she had just said, the rest of us
were all able to see the connection; but none of us had caught this until she had pointed it out. Rita then went
on to explain, “The main reason the bigger memory felt like too much for me was that I didn’t know how to go
about working through the situation – I didn’t feel like I could handle such an intense memory when I had no
idea regarding how to work with it. So Jesus took me to a smaller memory with the same issue, and then
showed me what to do and helped me practice in

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 the less intense memory.” Now that she had a clear battle plan for how to work through the traumatic pieces,
she willingly went with Jesus back to the memory that had previously felt impossibly difficult and intense,
and with His help she was able to resolve it within the remaining five minutes.

We were all in awe. This was one of the most effective, efficient, brilliant, elegant, creative therapy
interventions that any of us had ever seen. Not to mention the fact that the rest of us wouldn’t have even
known about the smaller, simpler parallel memory. Somewhere in the back of my mind, after the fifth round of
Jesus bringing an answer that was essentially the same as what I had I wanted to share, I was starting to feel
pretty pleased with myself. I never would have said it out loud, due to the outrageous presumption, but if I
gotten words for what was starting to feel true it might have been something like, “Well yeah, of course I
know I’ll never be fully as good a therapist as Jesus. I mean, His answers and interventions are always a bit
better than mine, but I’m getting pretty close. I mean – all false humility aside – I think I could take care of
most of this by myself if I really needed to.” Now I was just in awe. “Jesus, You’re the man! I am definitely
the humble student, and You are most assuredly still the master.” I think Jesus wants us to deliberately practice
letting Him drive as much as possible, for all of the reasons described earlier, but it’s especially nice to let
Jesus drive when we’re completely lost.

These two stories are particularly striking, and I think the Lord deliberately orchestrated them to make sure I
clearly understood this teaching point, but I have also had many similar experiences that have conveyed the
same truth (just not quite so dramatically). The steadily growing pile of these experiences in my own practice,
along with a steadily growing pile of similar stories from others who are using the Immanuel approach, has
lead me to increasingly lean towards letting Jesus drive with respect all non-process aspects of Immanuel
approach sessions.

Persist with the Immanuel approach, and let Jesus drive even when it’s bumpy and slow: As just
described, there have been times when I was tempted to just lead the healing work myself, instead of applying
the Immanuel approach process and then letting Jesus drive with respect to everything else. I worried that Jesus
would not provide adequate guidance and help, and I worried that the recipient would not be able to adequately
understand and/or cooperate with the Lord’s guidance and help; but when I deliberately restrained myself, and
coached the person to turn to Jesus instead of trying to do it myself, I was dramatically pleasantly surprised by
the Lord’s competence. This has been tremendously faith-building with respect to the Lord’s character, heart,
and faithfulness, and it especially encourages me regarding the possibilities for widespread lay ministry with
the Immanuel approach to emotional healing.

However, there have also been situations in which the Immanuel approach was truly bumpy, cumbersome, and
slow. For example, when both I and the recipients were just getting started with these new tools, the initial
steps of positive memory recall, deliberate appreciation, and establishing an interactive connection were
particularly slow and cumbersome. It would also slow things down when beginner recipients didn’t yet have
skill with respect to the “describe whatever comes into your awareness” piece. Regarding these bumpy,
cumbersome, slow situations, my assessment is that other tools and techniques have truly been more efficient
than the Immanuel approach. For example, some of my clients have responded particularly well to certain
other interventions, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). When one of these
patients has had trouble with the Immanuel approach, I have switched (at least temporarily) to EMDR, and my
perception is that it was more efficient.

Furthermore, there have been situations in which the recipient’s emotional healing actually did move more
quickly when I provided a lot more direction. For example, when there have been a lot of blockages hindering
the recipient’s perception of the Lord’s presence and she has only been able to receive a small portion of His
guidance and help. In these sessions, I have had to provide more direction to make up for the recipient’s
impaired ability to receive guidance from Jesus.

Nevertheless, I encourage you to be persistent in practicing with the Immanuel approach, even when it is

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

bumpy and cumbersome, and to keep leaning towards letting Jesus drive as much as possible, even when the
recipient is having trouble perceiving His presence and receiving His guidance and help. As discussed in the
“Caveats” section below, there are certain strategic clinical situations in which it is appropriate, and even
necessary, to provide more direction and/or to use other tools and techniques; but in general, I want us to
challenge ourselves to be persistent in practicing with the Immanuel approach, and to deliberately lean towards
letting Jesus do more and more of the driving. First, we will often be pleasantly surprised – as illustrated by the
true stories just described, we will often find the Immanuel approach to be less cumbersome and more effective
12
than we had anticipated.

Second, people will often experience an initial phase of slow, cumbersome inefficiency, as they are first
learning to use the Immanuel approach and as they first experiment with letting Jesus do more of the
driving, but if they persist this will steadily resolve as they gain experience and as the recipient removes
blockages. In my own experience, I initially often had sessions in which the Immanuel approach felt slow
and cumbersome; but now it usually flows smoothly, produces elegant results, and is more efficient than
13
any other technique I have ever used. Athletic endeavors provide a good analogy. When an athlete changes
some aspect of her technique, even if the new technique is clearly the better way to do things, she usually
experiences an initial phase of frustration and her performance actually deteriorates. Temporarily. But then
she begins to improve steadily as she makes the transition and gains expertise with the new form, and in the long
14
run her performance with the new technique surpasses anything she had been able to do in the past.

Finally, using the simplest possible techniques, where we just provide the structure for the Immanuel
approach process and then coach the person to engage directly with Jesus regarding every other aspect of
the session, is strategic with respect to the long term big picture. In order to make a real dent in the trauma
and dysfunction that is pervasive throughout the entire planet, we need to get hundreds of millions of lay
people incorporating the Immanuel approach into their daily lives – as part of their personal healing and
growth, and as part of caring for their families and friends. My hope is that using (and simultaneously
modeling) the simplest Immanuel approach techniques, in every possible appropriate setting, can be part of this
larger vision. With the process and interventions being so simple and safe, recipients and observers will often
15
learn the Immanuel approach easily and naturally as they participate in sessions. We have already been
16
observing this on a regular basis. Because the most basic form of

12
I know I’m repeating this point, but it’s really, really important. That is, I’m saying it over and over
again to make sure that you get it. Just in case it didn’t really sink in, I’m making the point repeatedly.
13
Rita’s session, described above, is a perfect example of smooth, elegant, and effective.
14
Note that this pattern is most pronounced with mental health professionals and experienced
emotional healing ministers (like myself). We have spent many years learning the principles and
developing skill with other emotional healing tools, and we have gotten to the point where we get
reasonably consistent and robust positive results with these other tools. Initially, when we try to switch
from these other tools to the Immanuel approach we feel frustrated, clumsy, and less effective. The
temptation to return to the old familiar techniques, with consistent moderately good results, is intense.
However, if we persist with the new tools we begin to get increasingly good results with the Immanuel
approach, and we eventually get better results than with any previous techniques.
15
In addition to simply participating in Immanuel approach sessions, I offer brief explanations regarding
the principles involved, and I ask the recipients and observers to do a moderate amount of reading regarding
the Immanuel approach. But the bottom line is that most people doing emotional healing work with me
eventually learn the Immanuel approach to the point that they actually start using it on their own.
16
Part of why it is so important for the facilitator to provide only the structure for the process, and then
lean heavily towards deferring to Jesus regarding every other aspect of the session, is that this is part of
what makes the Immanuel approach so simple and safe for lay people and beginners.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

the Immanuel approach is so simple and safe, the recipients (and also any supporting friends or family they
bring with them) often learn it fairly quickly, and then feel safe enough and confident enough that they
17
actually begin to use it. This does not happen with other techniques, such as EMDR, that require much
more training and skill, and it also does not happen if we mix more complicated tools and techniques in
with the Immanuel approach.

Caveats: As I look for ways to bring the Immanuel approach into every possible setting, and as I
deliberately lean towards letting Jesus do more of the driving, I keep several caveats in mind.

Caveat #1: Some people are not yet able to use the Immanuel approach. The first, most obvious caveat is
that some people are not yet able to use the Immanuel approach – they have blockages that are currently
preventing them from perceiving the Lord’s tangible presence or establishing an interactive connection, and
without these pieces the Immanuel approach process is not possible. With these people, I temporarily use other
approaches, such as EMDR and Theophostic-based emotional healing, with an important part of the work
being to find and resolve the hindrances that prevent them from using the Immanuel approach. And as we find
and resolve traumatic memories (and other issues), I periodically check regarding their ability to perceive and
connect with Jesus. I’m always working towards the Immanuel approach. My goal is for every person to
eventually be able to embrace the Immanuel approach, as their primary way of receiving emotional healing
and also as a lifestyle.

Caveat #2: Additional direction from the facilitator is needed to compensate for a poor connection with
Jesus. As mentioned above, there are situations in which the recipient is able to use the Immanuel approach,
but blockages hinder her connection with Jesus to the point that she is only able to receive a portion of His
guidance and help. In these sessions, the facilitator has to provide more direction to make up for the recipient’s
impaired ability to receive guidance from Jesus. The good news is that Immanuel approach healing will always
result in resolving traumatic memories (and other issues) that hinder the person’s connection with Jesus, and as
this happens her ability to receive the Lord’s guidance and help will steadily improve. Therefore, both the
facilitator and recipient should constantly press towards allowing Jesus to do more of the driving. One of the
most straight-forward ways to do this is to periodically experiment with deliberately stepping outside of your
comfort zone, as I did in the session with Rita. Deliberately withhold guidance and help that you usually
18
provide, coach the person to engage directly with Jesus, and give Him plenty of time in which to work. If the
recipient is not able to obtain the resources you are temporarily withholding through engaging directly
with Jesus, you can easily step back in; however, if you discover that the person is able to receive more
guidance and help than you had thought possible, her Immanuel healing work will take a big step forward.

Caveat #3: Short term strategic clinical considerations. As also described above, there are situations in
which other techniques may be more efficient than the Immanuel approach. And while I strongly encourage
people even in these situations to be moving towards the Immanuel approach as the foundation for long term
plans, there are sometimes short term strategic clinical considerations that require the use of other techniques.

For example, if a person is in crisis because his new job is intensely triggering his Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD), the Immanuel approach is slow and cumbersome in your hands as an

17
In my observation, even techniques that are supposed to be open to lay ministers, such as
Theophostic, Sozo, and various other approaches to emotional healing prayer, include too much
complexity for the average lay person to use. Even in the context of ministry programs specifically
designed to train lay people, we have noticed that many of the lay trainees never actually use these other
approaches because they feel too complicated/intimidating.
18
It is usually best to let the recipient know what you are intending to do, so that she isn’t frightened
and/or confused when you suddenly begin to provide significantly less guidance and help.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 inexperienced facilitator, this person has issues that hinder his ability to connect well with Jesus, you are
experienced and efficient with EMDR, and this person responds particularly well to EMDR, then choosing to
use EMDR for dealing with his immediate crisis could make the difference between whether or not he is able
to keep his job. Or if a person is in crisis because her mother’s unexpected death has precipitated an episode
of intense, suicidal depression, and EMDR is again more efficient than the Immanuel approach for a variety
of reasons, then choosing to use EMDR for this immediate crisis could even save her life by finding and
resolving the roots of her depression before she is able to kill herself. Or if a person is in crisis because his
addictive sexual behavior is destroying his relationship with his wife, and EMDR is more efficient than the
Immanuel approach in the context of your current work with this particular person, then choosing to use
EMDR for this immediate crisis could save his marriage.

I would still encourage you to move towards using the Immanuel approach as the foundation for long term
care in each of these situations; but urgent, strategic, practical concerns require that we use whatever is
currently the most efficient intervention for the short term crises.

Caveat #4: Counterfeit/contaminated guidance. Nobody is able to perceive the Lord’s guidance with 100%
accuracy or follow it with 100% obedience. Even when we are able to establish a good interactive connection
with the Lord, unconscious avoidance, subtle self deception, the complexity of the neurological processes
involved, physical trauma in our fallen biological brains, psychological trauma in our fallen minds, internal
dissociated parts with complex agenda, and deliberate demonic interference can all get in the way of receiving
and following the Lord’s guidance. This is why both the recipient and facilitator need to be constantly
watching for observable, lasting positive changes in the recipient’s life, as one of the most reliable methods for
discerning whether or not the “guidance and help” the person describes is truly from the Lord.

Fortunately, counterfeit and/or contaminated “guidance and help” is usually a minor problem with the
19
Immanuel approach. However, in some situations a combination of dissociated internal parts and/or other
unconscious aspects of the person’s mind and/or demonic spirits will send forward content that the person
mistakenly perceives to be coming from Jesus, and this counterfeit/contaminated “guidance” causes
bigger problems. In some of these cases the counterfeit/contaminated “guidance from Jesus” is directly
toxic. For example, the person might receive “guidance” reassuring him that it’s okay to continue having
an affair with one of his co-workers, as long as he really loves her. Or the person may hear “words from
Jesus” that are angry, condemning, and non-relational. An important part of the facilitator’s role is to
20
watch for this kind of toxic content that the recipient mistakenly perceives as coming from Jesus, and in
these situations the facilitator will have to provide a lot more direction

19
I have been consistently pleasantly surprised by how little this problem has prevented people from
having life-giving interactions with Jesus in the context of Immanuel approach sessions. For additional
discussion of counterfeit and/or contamination with respect to guidance and help that the recipient perceives
to be coming from God, see chapter (**fill in when this chapter is complete.** Currently available in part II,
“Go back to the basics if you feel overwhelmed,” in the “Where/how do I get training regarding the Immanuel
approach?” essay (available as free download from www.immanuelapproach.com), section F, “‘Is it from the
Lord?’ – on discerning the source of Immanuel approach experiences,” of Part III, “The Immanuel Approach,
Additional Practical Considerations,” in the “Brain Science, Psychological Trauma, and the God Who Is with
Us, Part V: The Immanuel Approach, Revisited” essay (available as free download from www.kelehman.com),
“Internal Dissociated Parts Presenting as Jesus” (available as free download from www.kclehman.com), and
“Unresolved Issues in the Therapist/Facilitator: One of the Most Important Hindrances to Emotional Healing”
(available as free download from www.kclehman.com).
20
Having adequate discernment to be able to spot this kind of toxic counterfeit/contaminated “guidance”
is an important qualification for anyone who wants to facilitate Immanuel approach sessions. For example,
a facilitator should be sufficiently familiar with Biblical truth and the heart of God so that

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 until the source of the counterfeit/contaminated “guidance and help” has been identified and resolved.
Thankfully, once the source of counterfeit/contamination has been resolved, the facilitator can go back to
letting Jesus do most of the driving. Again, our observation is that this kind of serious problem with toxic
content is rare, but facilitators working with extreme trauma and other complicated problems will need to be
aware of these phenomenon.

In other cases the counterfeit/contaminated “guidance” is much more subtle, in that it leads to subtle, chronic
avoidance of important issues (as opposed to introducing directly toxic content that is much more obvious).
For example, if a person has internal dissociated parts that are very invested in avoiding certain particularly
painful memories, they may deliberately fabricate thoughts, emotions, and images that the recipient will
21
mistakenly perceive as Jesus’ presence leading away from the strategic memories. In these situations the
facilitator will have to provide a lot more direction until the source of the counterfeit/contaminated
“guidance” has been identified and resolved, and once the source of the counterfeit/contaminated
“guidance” has been resolved, the facilitator can go back to letting Jesus do most of the driving. As with
directly toxic content, our observation is that this kind of serious problem with subtle avoidance is rare,
but facilitators working with extreme trauma and other complicated problems will need to be aware of
22
these phenomenon.

When you do offer guidance and help, be humble and tentative: As just mentioned above, there will be
times when the recipient is having difficulty with receiving guidance and help directly from God, and in these
situations the facilitator will have to provide more direction and assistance. As discussed in chapter four, this
especially becomes necessary when people doing intermediate and advanced Immanuel approach work
encounter seasons during which they have difficulty establishing good connections with the Lord. As discussed
in chapter 20, when we do offer guidance and help as the facilitator it is important to be humble and tentative as
we give our input. For example, if I notice that the session is not flowing smoothly on it’s own, and I have a
thought about something that might be helpful, I will gently say, “I have a thought about something that might be
helpful. If you would like to hear it, let me know when you

she can recognize when supposed “guidance from Jesus” is inconsistent with these two important reference
points. For additional discussion of this aspect of the facilitators role, see chapter (**Fill in when
complete.*** Currently available in the essays referenced in footnote 18.
21
This is not the place for a thorough discussion of this advanced topic, but I will offer a few quick
thoughts: 1) This phenomenon is actually easiest to spot when it is widespread, because the person will
have session after session after session in which they appear to have many positive, pleasant, painless
interactions with Jesus, but they never deal with any difficult issues or memories and there is no
observable fruit in their lives. 2) This phenomena can sometime present in much more subtle ways, and
the best resource for recognizing these more subtle presentations is logging in many hours of Immanuel
approach sessions. As you become more and more familiar with how the Lord works in Immanuel
sessions, you will start to notice subtle clues when counterfeit/contaminated “guidance” shows up. In a
variety of subtle ways, it won’t look and feel like “the real thing.” 3) For extensive discussion regarding
how to recognizing subtle counterfeit/contamination, see chapter (**fill in when complete.** currently
available in the essays referenced in footnotes 18 and 19).
22
This is not the place to provide a thorough discussion of this advanced topic, but I will offer one quick
thought. In many situations where you see an important issue and/or memory that seems to be getting
ignored, you can gently describe what you are observing, and then make the following invitation: “I’m not
sure whether Jesus is deliberately waiting, or whether some kind of avoidance/resistance on your part may
be hindering your ability to get this one on the table, but would you be willing to ask Him about it, and see
what He says?” You may perceive that the person just takes her avoidance to the next level (for example,
generating a counterfeit Jesus that says, “No, it’s fine, we don’t need to look at that.”). However, I have
been pleasantly surprised by how often this simple, gentle intervention helps the person move forward.
And in other situations, the true, genuine Jesus will clearly say, “Yes, this is important, but now is not the
right time,” as He did in the initial session with Eileen.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

come to a good place to pause and I would be happy to share it with you.” And then if/when they ask for my
input, I offer it gently, as a suggestion that they are free to accept or reject.

As also discussed in chapter 20, we should be especially humble and tentative when we perceive that the Lord
is giving us guidance that he wants us to pass on to the recipient. And when the facilitator offers something as
possibly from God, the recipient always makes the final call regarding whether or not to accept the guidance
and/or help as from the Lord.

Final thoughts:

Long term benefits of taking it home. As you are thinking about whether or not to use the Immanuel
approach, and thinking about whether or not to let Jesus do most of the driving, it’s important to remember that
it will be a HUGE long term, lasting benefit for the recipient to eventually be able to use the Immanuel
approach on her own. With most situations in which the Immanuel approach is less efficient in the short term,
the benefit of eventually being able to use the simple Immanuel approach tools on her own, as an ongoing
23
resource that she can take with her, will outweigh the short term loss of efficiency. Even in situations where
the Immanuel approach is initially very bumpy and cumbersome, I encourage you to think about moving
toward using the Immanuel approach more and more over time. At the very least, include occasional
sessions in which you very deliberately use the Immanuel approach (with only the simplest tools and
techniques), explain the underlying principles as you apply the Immanuel approach tools and techniques,
and explicitly name the goal of the recipient eventually being able to have these tools and techniques as a
resource that she can take home with her.

Part time lay ministers and beginners: just focus on the stories and let them encourage you. I made this
point at the beginning, in the “Advanced topics warning” section, and I want to make it again here. I don’t
want the advanced/complex aspects of this discussion to discourage or overwhelm part time lay ministers or
beginners. So if you’re a part time lay minister or beginner, you are already convinced regarding the need for
the Immanuel approach structure/framework, and you are already convinced regarding the importance of
letting Jesus lead with respect to every non-process aspect of Immanuel approach sessions, then just enjoy the
stories and let them encourage you regarding how effectively Jesus can lead when you constantly coach the
recipient to focus on Him and ask Him for guidance and help. If you encounter a more complicated situation in
which the most basic Immanuel approach tools don’t seem to be fully effective, you can just help the person
get back to her initial positive memory and interactive connection from the beginning of the session, and then
afterwards you can take time to study more of our material and/or get a consultation and/or refer the person to
a more experienced facilitator.

23
In this discussion, the cost/benefit analysis is referring to the cost of the healing process slowing
temporarily as you transition from other approaches to the Immanuel approach, with the Immanuel
approach being bumpy and cumbersome at first. This cost/benefit discussion is not referring to situations
with urgent, strategic clinical concerns, such as the cases with PTSD, depression, and addictive sexual behavior
crises described in the “Caveat #3" section above.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 26: Intermediate/Advanced Troubleshooting
(©Copyright 2013 K. D. Lehman MD, new 1/23/2014)
DRAFT

In chapters twelve and thirteen I described troubleshooting tools and Immanuel interventions that are so
basic, simple, and easy that the average layperson can learn to use them quickly, and so safe that they can
be used in the context of group exercises. When we encounter difficulties, we should of course start with
these basic, simple tools and interventions that are especially easy and safe. However, as described in
chapters four and twenty-two, we sometimes encounter more complicated blockages that require more
advanced troubleshooting tools and Immanuel interventions. In this chapter I would like to present a brief
introduction to intermediate/advanced Immanuel approach troubleshooting and Immanuel interventions, to
give the reader a feel for the kinds of blockages that can be identified and resolved with
1
intermediate/advanced tools and interventions.

Advanced topics warning: Some are intimidated by the complexity of the blockages, resources, and
interventions that I discuss in this chapter. If you are going through this book for the first time, just to get an
overview of the Immanuel approach, one option is to simply skip this material for now and then come back
for it when you have become comfortable with the basic Immanuel approach tools and process and want to
begin helping recipients with intermediate and advanced blockages. However, if you decide to look at this
material now please don’t let it scare you away. If you find yourself feeling intimidated or overwhelmed by
the discussion of more complex blockages and more advanced trouble-shooting, I strongly encourage you to
skim (or skip) the rest of the chapter, and to at least experiment with the basic tools and process. Please
don’t decide that the Immanuel approach is too difficult until you have at least tried the basic Immanuel
approach exercises just described in chapter twenty four (and make sure to try these exercises with a
facilitator or practice partner, so that you can take advantage of the ways in which your brain works better
in community).

I. Intermediate/advanced Immanuel approach troubleshooting: As mentioned in chapter four, with

additional study and practice people who are more serious about emotional healing can become effective in
dealing with more complicated problems.

Facilitators who are more serious about emotional healing can learn about additional trouble shooting tools
and Immanuel interventions, and they can gain more knowledge about the ones they are already using. For
example, they can learn about variations for coaching the recipient to describe whatever is coming into her
awareness and they can learn about variations for coaching the recipient to engage directly with Jesus.
They can learn about self-protection vows that can

1
I am working to put together a series of essays that will provide a much more detailed discussion of
intermediate and advanced Immanuel approach troubleshooting and Immanuel interventions, but for the
purposes of this book I want to give the reader at least an introductory overview of intermediate and
advanced tools and interventions.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 2
hinder the healing process, and about how to recognize and systematically dismantle them. They can learn
more about guardian lie fears that can block the healing process, and about how to uncover them and
3
neutralize them. They can learn about the direct eye contact technique for working with internal parts. And
they can learn about how deliberate attunement can help the recipient stay connected, augment the
4 5
recipient’s capacity, and augment the recipient’s maturity skills.

In addition to gaining knowledge, facilitators who are more serious about emotional healing can also gain
more skill. First of all, as facilitators put in more time practicing they become more comfortable, confident,
and smooth with respect to the whole process. When beginners facilitate their first few sessions they usually
feel clumsy and awkward, and they often focus a lot of their attention on their notes as they worry that they
might forget something or that they might not “do it right.” Fortunately, most facilitators become more
6
comfortable and confident fairly quickly with regular practice, and as they become more comfortable with
the basics they become more effective simply by being more fully present to the recipient. Furthermore, as
they become more comfortable, more confident, and more present to the recipient they are more able to
notice subtle clues, and they can begin to develop a second level of skills.

Learning to drive provides a good analogy for the way in which we need to master the basics before
learning second level skills. I learned to drive in Chicago in fairly heavy traffic, and when I first got on the
road I was totally focused on just the basics – stuff like obeying the speed limit, changing lanes without
hitting other cars, not running through stop signs, using the clutch to shift gears correctly, and not hitting
pedestrians in the cross walk when I was making turns through crowded intersections. However, with
continued practice I eventually mastered these basic skills, and when these skills became automatic to the
point that I hardly even thought about them any more I started to develop a second level of driving skills
and habits. For example, I learned to watch for people who were signaling to turn left, so that I could move
into the right lane and slide around them instead of ending up stuck behind them while they were waiting
for an opening to make their turn. And when I was driving on the highway I learned to watch for exit ramp
congestion a mile down the road so that I could easily move into the passing lane before things

2
For information regarding how to recognize and dismantle self-protection vows, see Karl D.
Lehman, “Vows: ‘Clutter’ that Can Hinder Emotional Healing,” last modified 12/14/2013,
http:www.kclehman.com, and Karl D. Lehman, “Self-protection Vows Worksheet,” last modified
12/12/2013, http:/www.kclehman.com.
3
For information regarding this simple, powerful technique, see Karl D. Lehman, “Direct Eye
Contact (Technique for Making Contact with Internal Parts),” last modified 12/12/2013,
http:/www.kclehman.com.
4
For a brief refresher regarding capacity, review the section on capacity from chapter three. For a much
more detailed discussion of capacity as it relates to emotional healing, see either the essay or DVD set
titled Immanuel, Emotional Healing, and Capacity.
5
For information about attunement and how it can be a resource for emotional healing, see Karl D.
Lehman, “Brain Science, Psychological Trauma, and the God Who Is with Us ~ Part II,” last modified
February 4, 2011, http://www.kclehman.com, and Karl D. Lehman, Outsmarting Yourself, (Libertyville, IL:
This Joy! Books, 2011).
6
If you have facilitated more than ten sessions and still consistently feel anxious, awkward, and
clumsy, I would encourage you to receive a session for yourself, specifically focusing on triggers that
might be getting stirred up when you facilitate.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

got crowded. Furthermore, I had additional capacity available to be emotionally present and carry on
conversations with anybody that might be riding with me. (This was definitely not the case during my early
practice drives in crowded Chicago traffic.)

Learning to use variations for coaching the recipient to describe whatever is coming into her awareness
provides a good example of second level Immanuel approach skills. The super basic, “Describe whatever
comes into your awareness, regardless of whether it makes sense, feels important, or is nicely packaged” is
a good start, and many sessions will go well from beginning to end with nothing more than this simple
sentence whenever coaching with respect to “describe everything” is needed. However, after facilitators
have become fully comfortable with the basics they can learn variations that can be very helpful in certain
situations. For example, sometimes I go through several rounds of coaching the recipient with the basic
“describe whatever...” sentence, but she repeatedly reports “I’m not getting anything,” even though I can
observe subtle thoughts and emotions going across her face. I realize that she’s ignoring subtle clues as
7
she’s waiting (and waiting and waiting) for something more dramatic to happen, so I provide some
additional coaching along the lines of,

“I’m noticing thoughts and emotions going across your face, and I’m wondering if there might be subtle
clues that you’re missing. When I’m receiving, I sometimes catch myself focusing just on the center, or
front, of my internal mental awareness, and ignoring subtle thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, or
fragments of memories that are just barely perceptible on the periphery. If you’re willing, I’d like you to
deliberately check for anything on the periphery of your internal mental awareness, even if it’s faint,
subtle, and doesn’t feel important and/or make sense.”

And then the recipient will usually acknowledge that yes, there have been some things lingering on the
periphery of her awareness, but she insists that they are “faint,” “vague,” and “just unimportant
distractions.” When I finally coax her to describe them out loud, we are able to recognize them as
important clues and then the whole process starts to move forward again.

Or I go through several rounds of coaching the recipient with the basic “describe whatever...” sentence,
but then I notice that she’s becoming increasingly anxious and embarrassed as she alternates between
8
long pauses and changing the subject. At this point I will provide some additional coaching, along the
lines of:

“I’m noticing that you’re having difficulty responding, and that maybe you’re getting a bit anxious and
embarrassed. I’m just wondering if content might be coming forward that you’re uncomfortable
sharing? If I’m way off target just let me know – I’m sure I’ll survive – but if this is what’s happening
then there are several things that might be helpful. One possibility is that you can just talk directly to
Jesus, silently, without telling me any of the details. Another option is that I can help you find a way to
talk about it in general terms. As long as I can understand the general ideas we’re working with, I don’t
need to know any of the details –

7
Note that I am able to notice the subtle facial expressions that indicate thoughts and emotions because
the basic Immanuel approach process and tools have become second nature, and I therefore have plenty of
mental capacity available for observing the recipient and listening for the Lord’s guidance.
8
Again, I’m able to notice these clues because the basic Immanuel approach process and tools have
become second nature, and I therefore have plenty of mental capacity available for observing the recipient
and listening for the Lord’s guidance.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 sometimes people find that this feels much less vulnerable or embarrassing, and then they’re
able to move forward. The last option is that we can just stop here, and go back to the positive
memory and connection with Jesus from the beginning of the session. But if I’m guessing
correctly, and this is what’s happening, if you’re willing I’d like to try one of the other two
options.”

After this explanation and invitation the recipient usually gives just the slightest nod, and says (very
quietly), “Yes. Yes, that’s what’s happening.” Thankfully, the recipient is almost always able to work with
9
me to implement one of the first two options, and then the whole process starts moving forward again.

Learning to use variations for coaching the recipient to engage directly with Jesus provides another example
of second level Immanuel approach skills. The super basic, “Ask Jesus for guidance,” and “Ask Jesus for
help” are a good start, and many sessions will go well from beginning to end with nothing more than these
two simple phrases whenever coaching to engage directly with Jesus is needed. However, after facilitators
have become fully comfortable with the basics they can learn variations that can be very helpful in certain
situations. For example, sometimes I coach the recipient to just focus on Jesus and to observe his behavior
as a source of subtle (or sometimes not so subtle) guidance and encouragement. Sometimes I coach the
recipient to ask Jesus for specific feedback (“Tell him that you’re afraid he’s angry with you, and ask him if
it’s true”). Sometimes I coach the recipient to observe Jesus’ face as part of asking for specific feedback
(“Look at Jesus’ face – does he look angry?,” “Does he look frightened?,” “Does Jesus look like he’s upset
or disgusted with you?,” or “Does Jesus look overwhelmed, or worried that he might not be able to handle
the situation?”). Sometimes I coach the recipient to ask Jesus for very specific guidance, such as “What
choices do I need to make to take the next step forward?” or “How can I best cooperate with what you’re
doing?” Sometimes I coach the recipient to ask Jesus for very specific assistance, such as “Please help me
dismantle this disconnection defense that is preventing me from feeling your love,” or “Please give me
more strength, grace, and capacity.” And sometimes I employ a fair amount of intermediate/advanced skill
in helping the recipient to find the right words for what’s in her heart and then helping her to share them
directly with Jesus.

In addition to gaining additional knowledge and skill, facilitators who are more serious about emotional
healing can learn to recognize when they are triggered and then use specific interventions for getting
10
their relational circuits back on line. And they can also get their own

9
Several quick comments. One is that the process sometimes will eventually move forward if the
facilitator just keeps gently coaching with the super basic one sentence invitation. Eventually the recipient
decides to describe the faint, vague content in the periphery of her awareness, or she decides to report that
she is having trouble because the content coming forward is too embarrassing. But the intermediate
coaching variations described here can help things move forward more quickly and easily. Also, if the
facilitator is only equipped with the basic tools and they aren’t working, she can always just coach the
recipient to go back to the safety net initial positive memory and connection. In some cases the recipient
will be able to identify and resolve the problem by talking to Jesus in the context of the initial safe, positive
setting; and if she isn’t, then they can just stop the session and the recipient will still be okay, back in a
positive, safe place with Jesus.
10
For additional discussion and resources regarding how to recognize when you’re triggered into
non-relational mode, and then how to get your relational circuits back on line, see Karl D. Lehman,
Outsmarting Yourself, (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2011), especially chapters 12, 15 through 21 (pages
101-108, 115-204).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

healing so that they can work with increasingly intense/difficult aspects of sessions without getting
11
triggered. (Both of these interventions increase their ability to stay emotionally present and retain good
discernment, even when working with more intense trauma). Facilitators that are more serious can
deliberately build their capacity, further increasing their ability to stay emotionally present when working
with more intense trauma. Facilitators that are more serious can strengthen their faith, so that they are more
12
able to persist even when the process becomes slow and difficult. And facilitators that are more serious
can develop skill in deliberately offering attunement, so that the recipient can stay connected and keep
13
moving forward even when things are difficult and she temporarily loses her connection with Jesus.

II. Intermediate/advanced Immanuel interventions: Remembering from chapters three and thirteen,
Immanuel interventions are specific, focused, systematic interventions with the goal of helping the person
receiving ministry to perceive the Lord’s living presence, and to establish an adequate interactive
connection with him. And since an adequate interactive connection with God is the center of the Immanuel
approach, Immanuel interventions for recipients who are having difficulty with their interactive connection
are an especially important component of Immanuel approach troubleshooting.

As mentioned above, chapter thirteen presents Immanuel interventions that are so basic, simple, and easy
that the average layperson can learn to use them quickly, and so safe that they can be used in the context of
group exercises. When the recipient is having difficulty with her interactive connection with God, we
should of course start with these basic, simple interventions that are especially easy and safe. However, we
sometimes encounter more complicated blockages that require more advanced Immanuel interventions. This
book is not the place for a detailed discussion of intermediate and advanced Immanuel interventions, but I
want to provide just a few examples to give the reader a feel for the kinds of blockages that can be
14
identified and resolved with more advanced interventions.

A. An advanced intervention for blocking fears: Blocking fears are one of the most common problems
that sometimes require more advanced Immanuel interventions. As described in chapter 13, in many
situations in which the person is initially unable to perceive the God’s presence we discover that she’s
actually afraid to let him be present. Instead of inviting God to be with her and asking for help in
perceiving his presence, at some deep, often non-conscious level she is actually sending the exact
opposite message: “Lord, stay away from me! I’m afraid to let you be with me – I don’t want you to be
here with me and I don’t want to be aware of your presence.” And when we are asking that God not
manifest to us as a tangible presence

11
For additional discussion of the importance of facilitators getting their own healing, see Karl D.
Lehman, “Unresolved Issues in the Therapist/Facilitator: One of the Most Important Hindrances to
Emotional Healing,” last modified 12/18/2013, http:/www.kclehman.com.
12
Review chapter 21 if you want to refresh your understanding of how faith enables one to facilitate
Immanuel approach sessions more effectively, and for specific interventions that can increase one’s faith.
13
Again, for information about attunement and how it can be a resource for emotional healing, see
“Brain Science, Psychological Trauma, and the God Who Is with Us ~ Part II” and Outsmarting Yourself.
14
Again, I am working to put together a series of essays (and eventually a separate book) that will
provide a much more detailed discussion of intermediate and advanced Immanuel approach
troubleshooting and Immanuel interventions.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 15
God seems to respect our choice and request.

As also described in chapter 13, blocking fears can often be resolved by very basic interventions, such as
simply helping the person to focus and get words for the blocking fear, helping her to tell Jesus about it,
and then coaching her to ask him for help. And even though these interventions are so simple, the
recipient will often report that the fear becomes less intense (or resolves completely), and then she
becomes willing to allow the Lord to be tangibly present. However, there are some situations in which
these simple, basic interventions do not work, and in these situations we need to employ more advanced
Immanuel interventions. The good news is that these advanced interventions are almost always
(eventually) effective when applied with gentle persistence.

One of the advanced interventions I often use for persistent blocking fears is to work with the recipient to
find a scenario that feels safe, even in spite of the blocking fears that are still present. That is, I negotiate
with the recipient to find specific conditions that somehow get around or neutralize the blocking fears. In
almost every situation we are eventually able to find some set of parameters that feel adequately safe,
and the recipient becomes willing to let Jesus be with her. Once the recipient becomes willing to let Jesus
be present she quickly becomes able to perceive his tangible presence in some way, and once she is able
to perceive his presence she usually quickly discovers that he is safe and good, she is able to establish an
adequate interactive connection, and she is able to receive whatever guidance, assistance, and gifts that
he has for her.

For example, this type of Immanuel intervention with one particular recipient proceeded as
follows:

Dr. K: “This seems like a pretty difficult memory. I think it would be really helpful if you could let
Jesus be present, spend some time just being with him, and then let him help you with the healing
work. Would you be willing to invite him to be with you, and to ask him to help you perceive his
presence?”

Recipient: “No. I don’t want him to come.”

Dr. K: “You don’t want Jesus to come? Why not?”

Recipient: “I don’t want him to see me. I’m ugly.”

Dr. K: “Well, what if we ask him to face the wall so that he can’t see you? Would it be okay
for him to come if he faces the wall so he can’t see you?”

Recipient: “Yeah, that would be okay.”

Dr. K: “So, if he agrees to face the wall and not look at you, you’d be willing to invite him to
be with you and to ask him to help you perceive his presence?”

Recipient: “He’s already here. He’s facing the wall but he’s talking to me. He says...,” and

15
I believe that God is actually still with us, but when we do not want him with us he seems to
respect our desire/request/choice by allowing us to not perceive his presence.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 she goes on to describe original, gentle, and beautifully appropriate comments from Jesus.

Within minutes of allowing Jesus to be present, the recipient decided that he was kind and friendly and
safe, and that it would be okay for him to turn around and come closer. She was able to let him be with
her and to receive from him, and then the rest of the healing process began to move forward again.

I also use a variation of this negotiation intervention with people who are able to perceive the Lord’s
presence, but who are so afraid of him that they won’t let him come close enough to do any good. When
I started experimenting with Immanuel interventions, I assumed that all we had to do was get to the point
at which the person could perceive the Lord’s presence. However, I quickly discovered that there are
some people who can perceive the Lord’s presence but keep him so far away that he can’t really provide
any significant help. These people are usually either pushing him away out of anger or unwilling to let
him come close because of blocking fears, but the good news is that Immanuel interventions are almost
always able to resolve the problem.

Just as with all other blocking fears, these fears can often be resolved by very basic interventions, such as
simply helping the person to focus and get words for the blocking fears and then helping her to tell Jesus
about them and ask him for help. However, as is also true with other blocking fears, I occasionally
encounter persistent fears that require more advanced Immanuel interventions. And in these situations I
use an interesting intervention that is very similar to the one just described for people who are afraid to
even let God be present. I work with the person to figure out a “safe” plan – specific conditions that feel
safe to her – for obtaining more information about Jesus from the Lord himself. In almost every situation
we are eventually able to find some set of parameters that feel adequately safe, so that the recipient
becomes willing to interact directly with Jesus to learn more about his true character and heart. And the
blocking fears resolve as she learns the truth about Jesus – she discovers that he is safe and good, she
allows him to come closer, and she is able to receive whatever guidance, assistance, and gifts that he has
for her.

For example, in one particular session I was working with a person who needed more capacity. I was
pretty sure that she could quickly gain the needed capacity if she would just spend some time in a
positive place with Jesus, but she did not want to try anything that included “being with Jesus.” I was
also pretty sure that her reluctance to be with Jesus would resolve if she would just learn more truth
about his character and heart, and at this point in the session our interactions went something like this:

Dr. K: “Would you be willing to let Jesus be present and just learn more about him – just get to know
him? Not any kind of intimate “be with him stuff,” not dealing with any of the hard, scary, painful
parts of the memory – just let Jesus be present and learn more about him?”

Recipient: “No! No way!”

Dr. K: “Why not?”

Recipient: “He’s too scary.”

Dr. K: “Can you think of any conditions – any way in which it would feel safe to learn more

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 about him?” Recipient: “No. He’s not safe.” Dr. K: “Would you be willing to just look at him? To just

see what he looks like?” Recipient: “I can’t see much – he’s too far away.” Dr. K: “Jesus is already there

with you in the memory? You can see him?” Recipient: “Yeah, he’s here and I can see him, but he’s so

far away I can’t see much.” Dr. K: “Would it be okay for him to come close enough for you to be able to

see him better?” Recipient: “No!” Dr. K: “Even just a little closer?” Recipient: “No!” Dr. K: “Why not?”

Recipient: “If he gets mad he’ll hit me.”

At points like this I pause to ask the Lord for inspiration and creativity, and in this session a very interesting

idea occurred to me immediately after this prayer: Dr. K: “What about using a telescope – then he could

stay far away? You could see him better, but he’d still be too far away to hit you if he gets angry.”

Recipient: “Okay.” (brief pause) “Yeah, I can see him a lot better now.” Dr. K: “You have a telescope?”

Recipient: “Yeah, I’m looking at him through a telescope. I can see him a lot better now, but he’s still too

far away to hit me.” Once she could see Jesus more clearly, I simply encouraged her to observe him: Dr. K:

“So,...what’s he look like? Are his fists balled up, like he’s angry?” Recipient: (Pause) “No...” Dr. K:

“Does his face look mean?” Recipient: (Pause) “No...” Dr. K: “Well, why don’t you just watch him for a

while, and see what happens.” And within minutes, the previously frightened recipient decided that Jesus

had a nice face –

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 that he looked friendly and safe – and that it would be okay for him to come closer. The closer Jesus
came the more she learned about him, and each time she learned more she was willing to let him come
closer. Eventually she was able to allow Jesus to be close enough so that she could receive
encouragement and strength from him, her capacity was further increased just from having him standing
16
beside her, and the healing process began to move forward again.

***Note to draft version readers: The recipient in this story gave me verbal permission to use this
example in our teaching material, but now I can’t find my notes regarding these details. If this was
your session, please contact me ([email protected]) so that we can send you the forms for
written permission that the publisher will request for including this in the final version of the
book.***

B. An advanced intervention for blocking anger: Blocking anger is another common problem that
sometimes requires more advanced Immanuel interventions. In many situations in which the person is
initially unable to perceive God’s presence, we eventually discover that she’s so angry at God that she
does not want to let him be present. I have a godson who helped me as I was developing this material by
providing a particularly clear demonstration of the phenomena. I cared for him during our church services
while his father helped to lead worship as a member of the praise team, and being an active, intelligent,
resourceful six year old boy, he would do things like bring a baseball to church and want to continue
throwing it up in the air and catching it even as he was seated in the worship space and the service was
about to begin. It was therefore often my job to tell him that he was not allowed to do things that he
wanted to do. Sometimes he handled this with surprising grace, but when other things in his life were not
going well he would respond with, “You’re mean! I don’t like you! Leave me alone and don’t talk to
me.” And then he would turn away from me, squeeze his eyes tightly shut, put his hands over his ears, and
refuse to respond to anything I did or said.

As I have been working with the Immanuel approach to help people connect with God, I have discovered
that many of us have places in our hearts where we are reacting to God in much the same way as my
godson was reacting to me. We are so angry at God that we are pushing him away. Instead of inviting
God to be with us and asking for help in perceiving his presence, at some deep, often non-conscious level
we are actually sending the exact opposite message: “Lord, stay away from me! I’m SO angry at you – I
don’t like you, I don’t want you to be here with me, and I don’t want to be aware of your presence.”
And, again, when we are telling God that we do not want him to manifest to us as a tangible presence he
seems to respect our choice and request.

As with most other blockages, these problems can often be resolved by very basic interventions, such as
simply helping the person to focus and get words for the blocking anger, and then helping her to tell Jesus
about her anger and ask him for help. However, as is also true with other blockages, I occasionally
encounter blocking anger that is particularly intense, particularly persistent, and that requires more
advanced Immanuel interventions. In these scenarios I find that I can usually attune to the person in the
place she is angry, validate the pain underneath the anger, and then work with her to come up with an
acceptable plan – specific conditions that feel acceptable to her – for allowing the Lord to be present. And
then after she’s able to perceive the Lord’s presence I help her to engage directly with Jesus regarding her

16
Remember the analogy from chapter three, of a child going down into a dark basement by herself
versus going into the same dark basement while holding her father’s hand.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 26: Intermediate/Advanced... (New 1/23/14) Page 10 of 14 anger and

pain. One of these interventions might look something like the following: Recipient: “Lord, I invite You to
be with me in this place, and I ask You to help me perceive Your presence.” Dr. K: “So, what’s
happening?” Recipient: “I’m still in the memory, but nothing has changed and I can’t sense or see or feel
anything that I perceive to be the Lord’s presence.” Dr. K: “Would you be willing to ask what’s in the
way?” Recipient: “Sure. Lord, what’s in the way of my being able to perceive your presence?” (Pause)
“Nothing’s happening.” Dr. K: “Just describe whatever’s coming into your mind, whether or not it makes
sense.” Recipient: “Well, I just keep getting the word ‘Anger.’” (pause) “And then sometimes the thought
comes, ‘I don’t want him.’” Dr. K: “Huh.” (pause) “I know your adult wants to cooperate with the Lord, but
I wonder what the kid in this memory thinks about the Lord. That is, I know you know what you ought to
think and feel, but if you just listen to what feels true, I wonder what the kid in this memory would say?”
Recipient: (Long pause) “Wow. I don’t know if I should say this.” (Another long pause) “The thoughts
that come to me are, ‘I hate God! He didn’t protect me, He’s an idiot, and I sure as h#%l don’t want him in
here with me.’” Dr. K: “Well, it sounds like there’s some place inside of you – maybe a child part of you
from inside this memory – that’s pretty angry at God. Would you be willing to go inside the memory, and
let the child part of you from inside the memory tell me more about why you’re so angry at God?”
Recipient (speaking from inside the memory): “You want to know why I’m angry at God? I’ll tell you why
I’m angry at God!....” At this point the recipient provides many additional details regarding her anger
towards the Lord and where it comes from, and I focus on attuning to her anger (and especially on attuning
to and validating the pain underneath the anger). Eventually I invite the person to transition to talking
directly to the Lord: Dr. K: “I think your anger and pain make a lot of sense. Would you be willing to
allow the Lord to be with you in this place, and then once you’re able to perceive his presence you

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 can tell him what you’ve just been telling me?”

Recipient: “No! I don’t want him to be with me! He let this happen – he’s stupid and incompetent –
why would I want someone who’s so stupid and incompetent to be with me in this place?”

“And besides, he won’t listen to me. He’ll just blame me for what happened – we’ll just end up
talking about how I’m bad, and why it’s all my fault.”

“And he’s mean – he’ll slap me if I get angry at him.”

Dr. K: “I’m wondering if we might be able to make a deal with the Lord. What if the deal is that you get
to say whatever you want to say, he agrees to listen to you, and he promises that he won’t blame you
or punish you for being angry? If Jesus would agree to those conditions, would you be willing to let
him be with you and to ask him to help you perceive his presence?”

Recipient: (Pause) “Okay.”

“What Dr. Karl said, Lord. I invite You to be with me as long as You’re okay with those
conditions. I’m still angry at you and I still don’t like you, but you can be here with me if You
want to.”

Dr. K: (pause) “So what’s happening now?”

Recipient: “Well, now I can see Jesus.” (Pause)

“He’s just standing there, looking at me.” (Pause)

“He’s not doing anything. He’s not upset. He looks like he’s just listening....”

Dr. K: “So, can you engage directly with Jesus regarding all of this? Can you talk directly to Jesus
about all of the stuff you’ve been telling me?”

Recipient: “Yeah. I think I can do that. So, Jesus, I’m really angry about the way you didn’t protect
me, and I’m angry about....etc.”

***Note again to readers of the draft version: The recipient in this story gave me verbal permission to
use this example in our teaching material, but now I can’t find my notes regarding these details. If
this was your session, please contact me ([email protected]) so that we can send you the forms
for written permission that the publisher will request for including this in the final version of the
book.***

At this point I often have to include an additional intervention to help the person engage with Jesus in a
way that is relational. This may seem strange at first, but it is surprisingly easy for a person to perceive
God’s presence but continue to be totally stuck in non-relational mode. For example, I’ve worked with
people who can get to the place where they’re able to allow God to be tangibly present, but they’re still
so angry that they won’t let him really be with them and they refuse to receive any of the help that he has
to offer. As I repeatedly encountered these scenarios and persistently asked God for guidance, I
eventually came up with the following

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

intervention that seems to be effective in most of these situations. I say something along the lines of, “You
can be as angry as you want to, and you can express your anger in any way you want to (as long as you
don’t throw furniture in my office), but I ask that you express your anger directly to Jesus, and that you
continue to focus on him as you’re expressing your anger.” And then, as they’re expressing their anger, I
periodically check-in to make sure they continue to focus on Jesus and I ask them to observe and report
regarding how he’s responding. As the reader will probably realize, coaching people to keep focusing on
Jesus, and to observe and describe his responses, helps them move from their initial place of being stuck
in non-relational non-productive spewing to a new place of relational interactions that actually help them
move forward.

One of these interventions went something like this:

Dr. K:“You can be as angry as you want to, and you can express your anger in any way you want to,
but I ask that you express your anger directly to Jesus, and that you continue to focus on him as
you’re expressing your anger.”

Recipient: (with lots of intensity) “So, Jesus, why didn’t You do something?! If You’re so big and
wonderful, why didn’t you help my Mom stop drinking? Why didn’t You remind her to come pick
me up after school, instead of letting me stand in the cold for hours?....And where were You when I
needed You the most – when I was so frightened and lonely? You say You were with me, but why
didn’t You let me see You or feel You?....etc.”

Dr. K: “So,...what’s Jesus doing, as you’re saying all this stuff?”

Recipient: (pause) “He’s just standing there, looking at me and listening to what I have to say.”

Dr. K: “Is he upset?”

Recipient: (pause) “No...”

Dr. K: “Is he trying to invalidate your anger?”

Recipient: (pause) “No...”

Dr. K: “Is he making excuses?”

Recipient: (pause) “No...”

Dr. K: “Does he look frightened?”

Recipient: (pause) “No...”

Dr. K: “Is he angry at you for expressing your anger?”

Recipient: (pause) “No... he’s holding my gaze – he’s looking me right in the eyes – but he’s not at all
scared or angry.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 Dr. K: “Well, keep talking to him about your hurt and anger, until you feel like you’re really finished.
And as you’re able, tell me about anything he says or does in response.”

I keep checking/coaching periodically to make sure the recipients continue to focus on Jesus, speak their
anger directly to Jesus, and pay attention to his responses, and eventually they will start to describe more
details with respect to what he is saying and doing. Jesus’ responses have been quite variable, but they
have always been perfect. His responses have always been timed just perfectly. His responses, including
his facial expressions, have always been nuanced just perfectly – with just the right balance of validation,
attunement, compassion, and challenge for each particular situation. His responses have always included
just the right reinforcing information, such as appropriate scriptures, or particularly relevant pieces of
information from the people’s own lives. And he’s never the least bit afraid of people’s anger, or punitive
towards them for being angry.

And then, eventually, I ask, “So..., what do you think? What do you think about how he’s responding?”
And when the person has actually stayed connected to Jesus – when she has actually continued to focus
on him while she was expressing her anger and when she has actually been paying attention to his
responses – she always reports feeling satisfied with Jesus’ responses, she reports a sense of resolution
with respect to her anger, and the healing process begins to move forward again.

I’ve been especially interested to observe that many of these people have already spent a lot of time
venting anger towards God, but that they have never continued to focus on him as they were expressing
their anger nor paid attention to how he was responding to their anger. Many seem to get lost in the
process of venting their anger, and no longer even perceive the Lord’s presence by the time they’re
finished. For example, one woman I worked with reported, “I’m stuck. I can perceive the Lord’s presence
in the memory, but I’m so angry at him that I won’t let him come close.” When I suggested that it might
be helpful for her to express her anger directly to Jesus, she responded with a bit of discouragement: “I’ve
already done a lot of venting anger directly to Jesus – in lots of other memories – but it hasn’t seemed to
do much good.” However, when I asked a few clarifying questions she realized that she had always lost
track of Jesus somewhere in the process. By the time she would get done venting she would no longer
17
perceive his presence. She had never continued to perceive his presence and focus on him all the way
through her angry venting, and she had never paid attention to nor thought about how he was responding.

So I encouraged her to go to back to the memory in which she was so angry at Jesus and to express her
anger directly to Jesus, but this time make sure to look at his face, make sure to keep focusing on him as
she expressed her anger, and make sure to pay attention to his responses. When she did this she was
immediately able to perceive that Jesus was listening to her – hearing and understanding every word she
was saying. And she was also able to see that he was looking at her with profound compassion. As soon
as she looked at his face, and focused on how he was responding to her anger, she was able to perceive
his heart for her, and then also able to hear him and to let him help her. And as soon as she was able to
see his heart, hear him, and let him help her, he began to lead her forward into healing for this traumatic
memory that had been stuck for so long. This five minute intervention of coaching her to

17
“As I’m venting, everything just goes black. By the time I get done venting, the memory [and the
perception of Jesus with me in the memory] is gone.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 continue focusing on Jesus, and to deliberately pay attention to and ponder how he was
responding, resulted in her being able to move forward into healing.

C. Identify and resolve pernicious blockages: Some people will have particularly complex blockages,
with a number of different pieces all tangled together. I call these pernicious blockages. The bad news is
that it takes a lot of time and effort to identify and unravel the different components that contribute to
these tangles. The good news is that Jesus wants us to resolve these blockages even more than we do, he
knows all about them, and he will help us. For a detailed discussion of the pernicious blockage that
hindered my connection with the Lord for many years, including the story of how the Lord helped me to
resolve it, see “Immanuel, An Especially Pernicious Blockage, and the Normal Belief Memory System”
(available both as a DVD teaching set from the “Store” page of www.immanuelapproach.com and as a
free download essay from www.kclehman.com).

Before closing this chapter, I want to remind the reader again that many (even most?) blockages can be
resolved with the basic, simple, easy troubleshooting tools and Immanuel interventions described in
chapters twelve and thirteen. And I also want to remind the reader to not let this advanced material scare
you away. If you felt intimidated or overwhelmed by this discussion of more complex blockages and more
advanced trouble-shooting, I strongly encourage you to just go back to the basics. Please don’t decide that
the Immanuel approach is too difficult until you have at least tried the basic Immanuel approach exercises
just described in chapter twenty four (and make sure to try these exercises with a facilitator or practice
partner, so that you can take advantage of the ways in which your brain works better in community).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 27: India, Human Trafficking, and Immanuel
(©Copyright 2013 K. D. Lehman MD, new 2/4/2014)
DRAFT

In the fall of 2013, myself and a friend of ours, Mark Hattendorf, provided Immanuel approach training for
a team with Bright Hope Ministries that went to India in December. Part of the plan for the trip was to teach
about the Immanuel approach at a large conference, and this turned out pretty well. Mark ended up going
along on the trip, and he was able to give a brief presentation to about a thousand church leaders. Another
part of the plan, associated with this same conference, was to provide Immanuel approach training for
women in church leadership. This also turned out pretty well. The Bright Hope team was told to prepare for
fifty women, but three hundred showed up. This was initially overwhelming, but eventually exciting and
hopeful. In addition to explaining about the Immanuel approach, the ministry team was also able to coach
the women through group exercises, and even in the first group exercise most of the women reported
experiencing connections with Jesus. By the end of the several training sessions many of the women were
successfully facilitating Immanuel approach ministry with each other.

The third part of the plan, which was really at the heart of the vision for the trip, was to provide assistance
to an anti-human trafficking team. This is a team of courageous individuals who risk their lives to rescue
and care for girls who have been sold into the human trafficking system. The men on the rescue squad raid
brothels, sweatshops, and other situations in which girls are being held in slavery. The rescued girls are
taken to a safe house, where they live together with safe house “moms” who help them with day to day
practical needs, provide parental type supervision, and try to create a safe family environment. And there
are also aftercare counselors who provide therapy and pastoral care for the girls’ emotional wounds.

The Bright Hope team facilitated Immanuel sessions for the men on the rescue squad, for the aftercare
counselors, and for the safe house “moms,” and almost all of them had powerful, beautiful encounters with
1
the living presence of Jesus. That was cool. The Bright Hope team was able to provide training for the
rescue squad, for the aftercare counselors, and for the safe house “moms,” and a number of the trainees
seemed to be able to facilitate for each other by the end of the very brief training. That was cool. But what
touched me the most were the stories about the sessions with the girls. These are girls between the ages of
11 and 24, some of whom had been sold into the human trafficking system as early as 5 years of age. A
common story was that the young girl would initially be trained and used as a beggar, and then sold to men
for sex when she was older (but not much older). The women on the ministry team spent a morning with the
girls, just loving on them in practical ways (like painting their nails, singing with them, and giving them lots
of hugs), and then in the afternoon the women on the team facilitated Immanuel approach exercises in small
groups.

The exercises started with positive memories and appreciation, and then the girls were invited to simply
invite Jesus to be with them and ask Jesus to help them perceive his presence. There were a number of
Hindu and Muslim girls in the group, but they also wanted to participate and were willing to try this simple
prayer and invitation. Note that the girls were not told that they had to be Christians in order to participate
and they were not told what to expect. The ministry team

1
Several of them were “completely undone” by their experiences with the living presence of Jesus –
how he came to them and cared for them.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

women simply explained the exercise and then invited the girls to participate if they wished to do so.

And even though the ministry team was familiar with the Immanuel approach, and had seen many of the
people they prayed with connect with Jesus, they were still amazed by the results. Out of about 20 recipients
(15 safe house girls and then some of the staff), all but two had profound, beautiful experiences with Jesus.
One of the most interesting parts of the experience was that many of the girls (including the Hindus and
Muslims) started to describe vivid mental imagery of a man in a white robe who was gentle and kind. And
even though they had spent most of their lives being abused by men who used them as beggars and then
forced them into prostitution, they immediately felt safe with this “man in a white robe.” With tears
streaming down their faces, they described being held, comforted, and encouraged. They reported that this
man in the white robe held them in his lap, hugged them, stroked their faces, told them that he loved them,
reassured them that he was with them in their pain and sadness, told them that they were good and beautiful,
and told them that he had good plans for their lives. And again, amazingly, they all felt safe as he held them,
and felt that his gentle touch as he stroked their faces was safe and good and life-giving. Furthermore, all of
these girls (including the Hindus and Muslims) somehow came to realize that this man in the white robes
was Jesus.
2
Interestingly, Jesus did not take the girls to traumatic memories. He just spent the whole time holding them,
loving them, comforting them, and encouraging them. At first this puzzled Mark and I and the ministry
team, since we knew that all of these girls desperately need healing for their many traumatic experiences,
and we assumed that Jesus would start right out with emotional healing work. But then we realized that
Jesus actually knew what he was doing. Those who know about working with trauma know that the first
thing you do is to establish a safe place of connection and trust, which then serves as the context and
foundation for the healing work. Sometimes this can be established very quickly, especially when the
recipient already knows Jesus and already has a relationship with the facilitator. But as we thought about the
sessions at the safe house we realized that these girls would understandably need some extra time, just being
in a safe place and building trust with this “man in a white robe.” I expect that Jesus will lead them to do
healing work when the time is right, but I’m glad that he had better clinical judgment than the rest of us, so
that he knew to start with an entire session of just loving on these girls.

2
With one exception. The oldest of the girls did recall a traumatic experience, apparently spontaneously,
after she had been laying in Jesus’ lap for a while. Unfortunately, the translator wanted to move on to the
next person so the facilitator only had time to coach the girl to go back to her safe, positive place in Jesus’
lap, and didn’t get any other details regarding the traumatic memory or about what happened once the girl
got back to Jesus. The good news is that the girl was at a joyful, peaceful place by the end of the exercise,
so I’m guessing that Jesus took care of the situation in one way or another.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 28: People Perceive God’s Presence in Many Different Ways
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 5/6/2014)
DRAFT

As I have facilitated tens of thousands of hours of Immanuel approach sessions, I have noticed
that different people can have very different subjective experiences as they perceive and connect
with God’s living, tangible presence. And the same person might even have very different
experiences from one session to the next. I have also observed that most of us have fairly specific
expectations regarding how God might present to us, and these preconceived ideas can get in the
way. My observation is that people often perceive the Lord’s presence in subtle or unexpected
ways, but conclude that the process isn’t working because they don’t recognize what’s
happening.

A helpful analogy is to think of someone who is waiting so intently for an important phone call
that she forgets to check her mail, and thereby misses the letter from the very person she is
waiting to hear from. Or she is waiting for a letter and checking the mailbox so constantly that
she doesn’t notice that this person is actually on the radio, telling her exactly what she needs to
know but in the form of a radio announcement. Or she is so focused on sitting beside the radio
that she forgets to check her e-mail, and doesn’t realize that the message she is so eagerly
anticipating is already waiting patiently in her inbox. Or she is focused so intensely on her laptop,
checking her e-mail every thirty seconds, that she don’t realize that the information she needs is
playing on the television. Or she ignores the knock at the front door because she is staring so
intently at the TV in the living room, and thereby leaves the delivery many carrying the message
she is waiting for standing on her front porch. Or she is waiting for a clear, loud message from
one of the people standing in the same room with her, and so doesn’t notice the faint sound of the
person calling to her from a distance.

The main purpose of this chapter is to help people avoid missing God’s tangible, personal
presence because they are so focused on preconceived, expected possibilities that they don’t
recognize him as he presents to them in ways they are not expecting. And the way I am going to
do this is to provide a bunch of true-story examples, so that you can get a right hemisphere,
experiential, intuitive feel for the kind of variety you can expect to encounter.

I. Examples from my own experience:

My own experience is a good place to start. For many, many years my only experiences of
connection with God were two very subtle forms of guidance. The first is that thoughts providing
some form of helpful information would come into my awareness, these thoughts had a very
subtle but recognizably distinct feeling, and I learned to recognize these thoughts as from God
because they always turned out to be true, fruitful, and life-giving. My experience with
“discovering” the Immanuel approach provides a good example. As described in chapter three, I
got to a place of profound, humble powerlessness in the context of working with several
particularly complicated patients, I asked God for guidance regarding how to move forward, the
simple but brilliant Immanuel approach breakthrough thought came quietly but very clearly into
my mind, this thought definitely had the (subtle but recognizable) quality and feel of thoughts

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 2 of 15

that come to me from God, and it turned out to be wonderfully true, fruitful, and life-giving.1

The second very subtle form of guidance-God connection is that I would get a subjective sense of
direction regarding certain courses of action – in some situations I would get a very subtle but
recognizably distinct sense, “Yes, this is good and right, I should go ahead with this,” and in
other situations I would get a similar but opposite sense, “No, this somehow is not a good plan, I
should not go ahead with this.” And I learned to recognize these subtle senses of direction as
from God because they always turned out to be accurate and valuable. (Whenever I would follow
this leading and go ahead with a possibility that felt right and good, things would turn out
beautifully. And whenever I would ignore one of these “don’t go ahead” warnings, things would
turn out badly.)

However, even though I knew that these thoughts and senses of direction were coming from God,
neither of these forms of subtle guidance ever included a sense of tangible personal presence.
That is, there was no subjective perception that there was a person listening to me and/or
responding to me.

Also, the sense of contingent, interactive, back-and-forth communication was very minimal. For
example, often these thoughts and/or senses of direction would just come spontaneously. I knew
they were from God, they were very helpful, and I greatly appreciated them, but there was no
sense of interactive, back-and-forth communication. It was more like finding a notice posted
along the side of a trail, letting me know that there were wild strawberries in the nearby meadow,
or a warning notice letting me know that I should be careful not to touch the poison ivy. I would
be grateful for the helpful advice, but it wouldn’t feel like I was having a living, real time
interaction with another person. In other situations I would ask for guidance, and then thoughts
and/or a sense of direction would come in response, like the situation with the Immanuel
approach breakthrough insight. This was at least interactive communication, but it still felt very
limited – like sending an e-mail asking my supervisor for help with a difficult question and then
getting an e-mail response with the answer. It definitely felt like I was getting a contingent
response to the question I had asked, and I was grateful that the reply was prompt and that the
advice was excellent; but it wasn’t like talking to someone standing in front of me, where I could
see and feel the moment-to-moment interactions as the dialogue exchanges went back and forth
repeatedly and as the other person’s facial expressions were quickly, constantly changing in
response to my thoughts and emotions. I was grateful for these quick, simple thoughts and senses
of direction from God, but the interactive aspect of these communications still felt very limited.

Furthermore, these two subtle forms of guidance from God did not include attunement. I was
grateful that God would give me spontaneous help and guidance, even when I hadn’t asked for it.
And I was grateful that he would send back answers when I did ask for help and guidance. But in
these interactions I never had the sense that there was a personal presence, and that this personal
presence was seeing me, hearing me, understanding me, joining me in my emotions, genuinely
caring about me, and glad to be with me.

For me, the next level of connection with God came in the context of Theophostic-based healing.

1
Just in case you’re wanting to review the Immanuel approach breakthrough thought but don’t want
to go back and look for it in chapter three: “I should turn away from focusing on the traumatic memories
– take a ‘time out’ from my repeated attempts to help these people push into their traumatic memories –
and turn to focusing on helping them establish a connection with Jesus and then spend time just being
with Him.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 3 of 15

I would be working with a traumatic memory, I would ask God to come with healing and truth,
new thoughts and insights would come into a painful memory that had been stuck for many
years, and then the toxic, traumatic content would suddenly resolve. The old, familiar negative
distorted thoughts (lies) would suddenly be replaced with the new truth, the old, familiar negative
emotions would suddenly be replaced with shalom, and following these sessions I would observe
clear, dramatic, lasting fruit. This was all wonderful – I was very grateful for the lasting fruit, and
these more intense, more dramatic experiences of God’s healing power were very encouraging
and strengthened my faith. But with respect to relational connection with God, my Theophostic
healing moments were very similar to my experiences with subtle guidance – there was still no
sense of a personal presence, the interactive component was still very minimal, and there was
still no sense that God was actually attuning to me (seeing me, hearing me, understanding me,
joining me in my emotions, genuinely caring about me, and glad to be with me).

Actually there was one Theophostic-based exception, in a session in which I was working on the
memory for my earliest experience of stealing. The memory started with myself as a five or six
year old standing outside the neighborhood convenience store with several of my friends. They
were enthusiastically telling me about how easy it was to steal candy. “Come on!” “You can do
it,” “Watch us,” they encouraged. The oldest and most experienced casually walked into the
store, took a candy bar and started eating it, put other candy in his pockets, and then went to the
cash register to buy one inexpensive item. I was intensely uncomfortable with the whole
situation, but as I balked their encouragements turned into challenges and taunts, “What’s the
matter? Are you scared? Are you a sissy? We do it all the time.” Eventually I walked in and spent
a long time picking out a piece of gum – one of those really long sticks of bubble gum you could
get for five cents back in the 1960's. (It had a red wrapper, and it was cherry flavored if I
remember correctly.)

And then, as I was lingering in front of the cash register counter trying to decide whether or not
to actually walk out with the 5 cents’ worth of soon-to-be-stolen bubble gum, Jesus suddenly
appears right beside me. He was about two feet away, to my right, and just a little behind me –
between the cash register counter and the pastry rack – and he was squatting, with his knees bent
and His elbows on His knees, so that His face was just slightly above the level of my own. He
was all white and opaque, like a cloud, so I couldn’t really make out a lot of details, but I could
tell that He was smiling and that he was looking towards me. All of the visual imagery in this
memory was faint (maybe a one or two on a scale of 1 to 10), and the image of Jesus was also
faint, just like the rest of the memory. However, I also knew, absolutely, that Jesus’ presence in
this memory was true and real, just like I knew that the whole gum-stealing scenario was a true
and real memory from my personal, autobiographical experience.2

In addition to the mental visual image, I also had a tangible, subjective sense of the Lord’s gentle
friendship presence – I could somehow just feel his friendship, relational presence as a person. I
could also somehow sense that Jesus understood me, that he loved me, and that he was glad to be
with me. And even though this awareness of Jesus’ personal, loving, attuning, friendship
presence was gentle and quiet, it was also poignant and profound. Furthermore, as I stood beside
Jesus, seeing His smiling face and feeling His presence, I began to perceive new truth regarding
this memory that had previously always been miserably shameful and confusing. I didn’t hear an

2
As discussed in more detail below, when I recall past events the visual images associated with the
memories are usually faint, dim, and vague – usually a one or two on a scale of zero to ten, as in the
candy store memory.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 4 of 15

audible voice, and it wasn’t even like I could sense Jesus sending his thoughts to me, as if we
were communicating telepathically – I just began to have new, helpful, healing insights regarding
the experience and I somehow knew that these thoughts were coming from Jesus.3

During these same years there was also one other occasion on which I perceived God’s presence
as tangible, experienced God’s presence as personal, engaged in communication with God that
was much more interactive, and sensed that God was attuning to me, but this was not in the
context of Theophostic work. As described in chapter seventeen, I was doing a devotional
exercise during a THRIVE conference, with instructions along the lines of “Invite God to be with
you and speak to you, and then pay attention to any images or thoughts or emotions that come
into your awareness. Write them down, trust that they are from the Lord, and the ponder and
appreciate them.” I had previously had many negative experiences with this kind of exercise, and
so my initial response was to expect another round of frustrated disappointment. Even so, I
obediently followed the instructions. I got a mental image of Jesus’ smiling face, but I could feel
that it was just an imagination image that I was generating for myself as I was asking myself the
question, “So what would it look like if I could see His face?” And I had the thought ‘I’m glad to
be with you,’ but I could feel that it was just a thought that I was generating for myself in answer
to my own question, ‘So what might the Lord say to me?’” Another frustrating, disappointing
experience of not being able to perceive or connect with God’s living presence, just as I had
expected.

And then suddenly I had a second mental image of Jesus’ face, but this image was spontaneous,
unexpected, not initiated by me, much more engaging, and had a smile that was alive. The image
was in shades of brown and it was very faint, but I could still make out enough detail to see that
he was looking at me and to see that his whole face was smiling. The image definitely came with
the awareness of Jesus as a personal presence.

At the moment I perceived this new, spontaneous image of Jesus’ face, the following thoughts
also came into my mind: “Just because you can accurately guess that I’m here and that I’m glad
to be with you doesn’t make it not true – just because you accurately deduce these truths doesn’t
disqualify them!” And the sense I had was that He said this with a smile and a chuckle – He
wasn’t upset with me or rebuking me, but rather was on my side, and laughing with me regarding
my logical error and spiritual fussing. Just as with the one Theophostic session, it wasn’t like
Jesus was talking to me or even thinking to me – the thoughts just came into my mind and I
somehow knew they were from Jesus. And again, even though they were all very subtle and faint,
I also knew with certainty that the image, thoughts, and Jesus’ presence as a person were true and
real.

When I started using the Immanuel approach my experiences of connecting with God went to a
whole new level, the key being that I began to regularly, consistently perceive God’s tangible,
personal, interactive, attuning presence. Whenever I would get together with my prayer partner
to work on my own healing we would use the Immanuel approach tools for connecting with God,
and in almost every session (maybe 80%?) I would perceive God’s tangible presence, experience

3
Note that with some people, this kind of spontaneous experience of God’s tangible, personal,
interactive, attuning presence occurs fairly frequently in the context of Theophostic. But this was not my
experience. For myself, until I started using the components of the Immanuel approach that are designed
to deliberately and systematically facilitate this kind of perception and connection, I experienced this
tangible, personal, interactive, attunement connection with God only on this one occasion. **see
comment for thoughts re include or delete**

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 5 of 15

God to be present as a person, engage in communication with God that was interactive, and have
the sense of receiving attunement from God. Whenever I would get triggered and then work on
healing on my own I would use the Immanuel approach tools for connecting with God, and I
would regularly (maybe 50%?) be able to perceive and connect with God’s tangible, personal,
interactive, attuning presence. In my personal devotional time I would use the Immanuel
approach tools for connecting with God, and I would usually (maybe 70%?) be able to connect
with God’s tangible, personal, interactive, attuning presence. And when I was going through the
average day I would often pause to briefly use the Immanuel approach tools for connecting with
God, and in most (maybe 60%?) of these situations I would become aware of and connect with
God’s tangible, personal, interactive, attuning presence. Furthermore, as I have been faithful and
persistent with ongoing Immanuel approach work over the past ten years, my ability to
consistently perceive and connect with God’s tangible, personal, interactive, attuning presence
has progressively improved (each of these percentages has slowly but steadily increased).

However, even within my Immanuel approach experiences there has been quite a bit of
variability. For example, usually I have perceived an image of just Jesus’ face, but occasionally I
have seen a full length view, as with the experience in which I was talking to him about my
friend Thomas and had an image of Jesus walking beside me. Usually my images of Jesus have
been just in shades of brown, but on very rare occasions (several out of many hundreds) I have
perceive subdued colors. Usually my images of Jesus have come forward in the middle of my
internal mental awareness, where it has been easy for me to notice them, but sometimes they
have hovered around the edges in a way that was easy to miss. Usually my mental images are
subtle and faint (maybe a 1 on a faint-to-vivid scale of 0 to 10), but occasionally they have been
very subtle and faint (maybe a 0.5 on the 0 to 10 scale), occasionally I have just gotten a sense of
Jesus’ presence without any visual image at all, and occasionally the visual images have been just
a bit more vivid (maybe a 2 on the 0 to 10 scale).

In fact, all aspects of my connections with God have been quite variable with respect to clarity
and intensity. The clarity and intensity of the thoughts that come to me from the Lord have varied
greatly, from being very faint and subtle (maybe a 0.5 on a 0 to 10 scale) to being clear and
strong (maybe a 5 on a 0 to 10 scale). The strength of the sense that the thoughts are coming to
me from Jesus has varied greatly. Sometimes they have been very subtle (maybe a 0.5 or 1), and
even with the Immanuel approach I have still never heard an audible voice, or even had the sense
that Jesus was talking to me in the internal imagery. But the sense that the thoughts are coming to
me directly from Jesus has sometimes been quite clear and strong (maybe even a 7 or 8). The
clarity and intensity of the sense that God is with me as a person has varied greatly, from being
faint subtle (maybe a 1 or 2) to being much clearer and stronger (maybe a 5 or a 6). And the
strength of the sense that God is attuning to me has varied greatly, from being subtle (maybe a 1
or 2) to being much clearer and stronger (maybe a 6 or 7).

The interactive aspect of my experiences of connecting with God has also varied along a wide
spectrum. On one end are experiences in which I asked a question and it felt like I got just one
thought from the Lord, but this one thought felt like a contingent, interactive response to my
question. On the other end of the spectrum are experiences like my interaction with Jesus
regarding my friend, Thomas. As described in chapter eight, this connection with God felt like an
extended contingent interaction with a close friend, with a number of thoughts going back and
forth between Jesus and myself, and also with constant, subtle nonverbal interactive
communication – subtle facial expressions and body language messages from each of us that
said to the other, “yes, I’m still aware of you walking beside me, I’m still glad to be with you,
and I’m noticing and understanding your thoughts and emotions.”
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 6 of 15

As the reader can see, I have experienced quite a bit of variety with respect to every aspect of my
connections with God, and especially with respect to the clarity and intensity of each component.
It is especially important to be aware of how subtle and faint God’s presence can sometimes be,
and to be diligent with describing everything that comes into your awareness so that you don’t
miss these. Regarding my own experience, I know that I would have missed many of the
particularly subtle and faint manifestations of the Lord’s presence if I had not been working with
a facilitator and disciplining myself to describe everything.

As a small addendum note regarding my personal experience: I continue to experience the more
subtle forms of connection with God that I described from before the time when I began to use
the Immanuel approach – I still receive thoughts that just come into my mind, but that have that
subtle, distinct feeling that is associated with guidance from God, and I still receive subtle senses
of direction regarding possible courses of action. But now, with Immanuel approach principles
and tools, I also regularly experience connections with God that include the perception of God’s
tangible presence, that include the sense of God’s presence as a person, that include much clearer
contingent, interactive communication, and that include the subjective experience of receiving
attunement (it feels true that God sees me, hears me, understands me, joins me in my emotions,
cares about me, and is glad to be with me).4

II. Examples from other’s experiences:

One important, practical observation I have made as I have listened to hundreds of other’s
describe their experiences is that some people begin their Immanuel approach journey with just
thoughts like the ones I described above from my pre-Immanuel approach experience – thoughts
that they have learned to recognize as being from God.5 Even with the Immanuel approach tools,
they initially get just these simple, subtle thoughts – no subjective feeling that the thoughts are
coming from God, no mental imagery or other tangible manifestation that they recognize as
representing God, no perception of God’s presence as a person, no subjective sense of interactive
communication, and no feeling that God is attuning to them. Just thoughts that they have learned
to recognize as being from God by careful observation and discernment over time.

To be perfectly honest, the small percentage of people who have this very subtle initial Immanuel
approach experience are usually disappointed. However, there are several pieces of good news
that go along with this picture. The first is that these people perceive thoughts from God much
more frequently and much more consistently when they use the Immanuel approach tools.6 The
second is that these thoughts are important because they can provide guidance for moving

4
Healing moments in which I am working on a traumatic memory and healing truth just comes and
replaces the old familiar lies, without any tangible, personal, interactive, attuning connection, are actually
now quite rare, since my Immanuel approach healing sessions begin with establishing a tangible,
personal, interactive, attuning connection with Jesus, and this connection continues as a background
throughout the session. Now, in Immanuel approach sessions, I am almost always experiencing this kind
of connection with Jesus at the moments when I experience healing.
5
For recipients who have not yet had this experience, part of their Immanuel approach work will be
to learn to recognize these thoughts that are from God (with the help of describing everything out loud
and then discerning with the facilitator).
6
This is especially true when they are working with a facilitator or participating in a group exercise,
so that they gain the benefits of describing their mental content, out loud, to another person. With these
ideal conditions, most recipients receive thoughts from God in pretty much every session.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 7 of 15

forward. When the recipient asks questions like, “What’s in the way of my perceiving You more
clearly, God? What’s in the way of connecting with You more strongly?” the answers often come
as the subtle thoughts that they have learned to recognize as from God. And the third piece of
good news is that these people usually move forward. If they consistently, persistently work with
the Immanuel approach, and especially with Immanuel approach troubleshooting to find and
remove blockages, they eventually begin to have increasingly rich experiences of connecting with
God.7

Another observation I have made is that many people initially have connections with God that
include some combination of mental imagery that they recognize as representing God, other
sensory perceptions that they recognize as representing God, thoughts that feel like that they are
coming from God, the perception of God’s presence as a person, the subjective sense of
interactive communication, and the feeling that God is attuning to them, but not all of them
together. And again, if they deliberately, persistently troubleshoot as part of repeated Immanuel
approach sessions and an ongoing Immanuel lifestyle, their experiences of connecting with God
will grow steadily clearer, stronger, and richer. Most people eventually get to the place where
their experiences of connecting with God usually do include all (or at least most) of these pieces.

I would like to particularly comment on mental visual imagery and other sensory manifestations,
since so many people ask about these details.

Many recipients do experience classic visual imagery that they immediately, easily recognize as
representing God. Such as perceiving an image of Jesus’ face that they can feel is not just coming
from their own minds. And many recipients experience other sensory perceptions that they
immediately, easily recognize as representing God. For example, one woman had an image of
herself leaning against Jesus’ chest, and then she noticed a tactile (touch) sensation that she
immediately recognized as Jesus’ soft shirt rubbing against her cheek. And she noticed an
olfactory (smell) sensation that she immediately recognized as Jesus’ personal fragrance. Another
woman had an image of Jesus sitting in front of her, with his chair so close to hers that their
knees were touching, and then she noticed a tactile sensation that she immediately recognized as
Jesus’ knees pressing against hers. The session with Ian provides yet another example. As just
described in chapter 23, when Ian had an image of Jesus in his childhood memory with his arm
across Ian’s shoulders, Ian noticed a tactile (touch) sensation that he immediately recognized as
the weight of Jesus’ arm on his shoulders.

However, some people, especially initially, get visual imagery and other tangible manifestations
that they do not easily recognize as representing God. For example, Stan (one of the men in our
Thursday mentoring group) has consistently experienced unusual visual imagery and physical
sensations during his Immanuel sessions. His visual imagery has usually just been different
colors swirling together, “like one of those lava lamps from the 1970s,” and with respect to
physical sensations he has usually described a feeling of warmth in his abdomen, chest, arms, and
hands. But he has not experienced any direct subjective sense that these images and physical
sensations represent God’s presence. The only way he knows that these images and sensations
are manifestations of God’s presence is that careful observation and discernment over the course
of years has consistently indicated that they correspond to God’s presence, guidance, and healing
work. For example, the lava lamp imagery and the sensations of warmth always occur in

7
In my experience, these people almost always eventually perceive God’s presence to be personal
and attuning, and experience a connection with God that is contingent and interactive.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 8 of 15

response to his asking Jesus to minister to him, he has always had a clear sense that he was
receiving healing during the time that he was perceiving the colors and the warmth, and he has
always noticed lasting positive changes after these experiences.

Gail, an artist from Kansas, provides another example of sensory perceptions that were not
initially, easily recognizable as representing God. The first three to four times she tried the
Immanuel approach the only sensory perceptions she received were visual images of colors. “I
see deep purple” (several minutes pause). “Now it’s just blank” (several minutes pause). “Now I
see a lighter shade of purple” (several minutes pause). “Now it’s blank again” (several minutes
pause). “Now I’m seeing red” (several minutes pause). “Now I’m seeing yellow.” For the entire
session. She also experienced a profound feeling of peace and safety that began shortly after the
opening prayer, persisted throughout the entire ministry time, and even continued for several
hours after the ministry time. And she had a vague, subtle awareness that God was somehow
present in the peace and safety. But with respect to sensory perceptions, all she got was a series
of colors.

Eventually, several months later, she experienced visual imagery that was more easily
recognizable as representing God’s presence. For the first thirty or forty minutes she saw colors,
just as she had in the earlier sessions, but then a memory came suddenly and spontaneously into
her mind. She remembered a beautiful New Mexico sunset that she had enjoyed with a friend
many years earlier – a sunset so spectacular the she and her friend had actually pulled over to the
side of the highway so that they could enjoy it more fully. And it just happened to include the
colors she had been seeing. After savoring the memory of this spectacular sunset another memory
came spontaneously into her mind – a memory of driving on highway 40 in the deep darkness of
the high-desert night, and then coming over the rise outside of Albuquerque to the suddenly see
the lights of the city spread out across the valley in dazzling beauty.

Finally, she got an image of herself being nestled in a pair of huge hands, and she had the sense
that this was a message from God, “I am caring for you and protecting you.” But, again, in the
first three to four sessions her only sensory perceptions were visual images of colors, with no
easily recognizable connection to God’s presence.

And sometimes people have experiences that are half way in between. For example, one of our
friends recently participated in an Immanuel approach group exercise, and when she asked,
“God, help me to be aware of Your presence. What do You want to show me?” unexpected,
spontaneous mental images and thoughts came into her awareness. She saw the gears of a
machine interlocking and interacting with each other, she saw oil coating the different parts of
the machine so that they could work together harmoniously instead of grinding together with
friction and damage, and she somehow became aware of the truth that the different parts of the
machine represented herself and other members of her family. She also somehow knew that God
was the oil in the machine, and that God was showing her how his living presence could be the
“oil” lubricating her relationships with her family, so that they could interact smoothly and
harmoniously in ways that would be joyful and life-giving, instead of clashing and grinding
against each other in ways that would be painful and harmful.

As she was still savoring and pondering these images and thoughts, another set of perceptions
began to flow into her awareness. She had the sense that Jesus was standing behind her, and

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 9 of 15

gently, carefully pouring anointing oil onto her head.8 She had a visual image of the oil flowing
down over the back of her head, the back of her neck, and the back of her shoulders. She could
actually feel the warm, smooth oil flowing over her head, neck, and shoulders in a way that was
wonderfully comforting and soothing. And she was somehow aware of the truth that God’s
purpose was to comfort, affirm, and encourage her with this anointing oil. However, just as with
the first part of this experience, she did not see an image of Jesus, hear his voice, feel his touch,
or experience any other sensory perception that we would more quickly, easily perceive as
representing his presence.

Our friend had a strong subjective sense of God’s personal presence through both parts of this
experience. And she knew that these visual images, tactile sensations, and thoughts were coming
to her from God. But she did not get imagery or any other sensory perception that directly
represented the Lord’s presence.

III. The intensity and clarity of visual imagery: In my own experience one of the pieces I have
been acutely aware of is the presence or absence of visual images, and when I do get images I
am very aware of the quality, intensity, and clarity of the images. This has also been the case with
almost every person I have ever spoken with regarding their Immanuel approach experiences of
connecting with God. Furthermore, people have asked a wide variety of questions about the
visual image aspect of the Immanuel approach. Fortunately, I have recently stumbled on case
study and research information that provides a helpful observation regarding this aspect of our
God connection experiences.

The short summary is that clarity and intensity of mental visual imagery varies from one person
to the next in much the same way as musical ability, artistic ability, athletic ability, or even
height. We each inherit a certain amount of natural ability with respect to the clarity and intensity
of our visual images, and the amount of this natural ability varies widely throughout the
population. A short excerpt from Oliver Sacks’ book, The Mind’s Eye, provides a particularly
clear example of this wide range in natural ability:

“I first became conscious of great variations in the power of visual imagery and visual memory
when I was fourteen or so. My mother was a surgeon and comparative anatomist, and I had
brought her a lizard’s skeleton from school. She gazed at this intently for a minute, turning it
round in her hands, then put it down and without looking at it again did a number of drawings
of it, rotating it mentally by thirty degrees each time, so that she produced a series, the last
drawing exactly the same as the first. I could not imagine how she had done this. When she
said that she could see the skeleton in her mind just as clearly and vividly as if she were
looking at it, and that she simply rotated the image through a twelfth of a circle each time, I felt
bewildered, and very stupid. I could hardly see anything with my mind’s eye–at most, faint,
evanescent images over which I had no control.”9

8
“He was being very careful, so that it would be an entirely positive experience – it was just the right
amount, and none got onto my face or into my eyes.”
9
Oliver Sacks, The Mind’s Eye (New York: Random House, 2010) page 288. Prior to reading Dr.
Sacks’ discussion in The Mind’s Eye (pages 287-314) and then tracking down related research, I had not
realized that the variability with respect to intensity and clarity of visual imagery was so wide and so
regular, and I had not known that it had been so carefully and thoroughly documented. For a brief,
understandable summary of the psychological and neurological research documenting this wide and

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 10 of 15

With respect to the Immanuel approach, the relevant point from all of this is that those of us who
have images that are subtle, faint, and vague may simply have brains that are wired for mental
imagery towards the subtle, faint, and vague end of the spectrum. This may be a disappointment,
but it’s important to understand that it has nothing to do with effort, determination, character,
obedience to the Lord, purity of heart, or spiritual maturity. Just like my being born with sports
related ability that is towards the lower end of the spectrum – this is a disappointment for me, but
it has nothing to do with my effort, determination, character, obedience to the Lord, purity of
heart, or spiritual maturity.

A related important observation is that many people start with God-related images that are very
subtle, faint, and vague, but then these images become increasingly vivid, clear, and strong as the
person finds and removes blockages.10 And an obvious question is, “How can I tell whether the
images associated with God’s presence are subtle, faint, and vague because that’s just the way
my brain is built, or whether there are blockages that I should be working to identify and
resolve?” I would like to offer two thoughts in response to this question. The first is that many
people with connections that are good in every other way report that the clarity, vividness, and
strength of their God-related images tend to match the clarity, vividness, and strength of the rest
of the images in their memories. A tentative implication I would like to offer is that if your God-
related images are more subtle, faint, and vague than your other mental imagery, expect that this
will change for the better as you work away at blockages.

The second thought I would like to offer is that we all have blockages that hinder our hearts from
fully connecting to God, and we should all be faithfully working to find and remove these
blockages – whether or not they affect the vividness, clarity, and strength of our God-related
images. If you clear away blockages and your God-related images get clearer, stronger, and more
vivid, great! But even if you clear away blockages and the clarity, strength, and vividness of your
images do not change, I’m confident that every other aspect of your connections with God will
steadily improve.

IV. Could this Really be from God?: Another aspect of Immanuel approach variety has to do
with the fact that God sometimes chooses to manifest himself through visual images that are not
only surprising, but sometimes even unorthodox. On the simple end of the spectrum, most people
usually describe visual images that are pretty straightforward. For example, they report seeing a
Jewish looking man in his mid thirties that they immediately recognize as Jesus. And, not
surprisingly, people don’t have confusion or uncertainty with these images. However, in some
sessions when I coach the recipient to describe whatever is coming into her awareness, after an
uncomfortable pause I get a response along the lines of, “I’m getting an image, but I’m not sure if
it could really be from God,” or “I see something, but I must be making this one up,” or “I’m
getting something – I’m seeing images – but I don’t know if it’s okay for me to see Jesus like
this,” or “I think maybe I’m just crazy – I have an image, but it’s crazy – I think this one must be

regular variability, see Wikipedia entries for “Mental Image” and “Vividness of Visual Imagery
Questionnaire.”
10
I realize that “God-related image” is cumbersome, and I also realize that the overwhelmingly most
common God-related image is some form of seeing Jesus; but I deliberately use this cumbersome phrase
because I want us to keep reminding ourselves that some people have non-Jesus images that are still
associated with God’s presence and that still contribute powerfully to their experiences of connecting
with God. (Like the images of anointing oil described above.)

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 11 of 15

coming from my own mind.”

In most of these sessions (when I finally got the recipient to describes the details), it has turned
out that the images were, indeed, from God, but the recipient was tempted to reject them because
they were so far outside of the box with respect to how she thought God might present himself.
For example, in some sessions Jesus has presented himself as a lion. This lion has always been
magnificent, beautiful, powerful as well as gentle, loving, wise, appropriate, attuning, joyful,
helpful, and healing. And once the recipient gets over her initial confusion and uncertainty she
always somehow knows that this lion is, indeed, Jesus. Furthermore, it usually eventually makes
sense. For example, recipients who have been sexually abused by men have sometimes been very
fearful about allowing an adult male Jesus to come into their childhood memories. And once
these people have gotten used to the idea of Jesus being a lion, they have realized that the lion
Jesus was the Lord’s gentle, creative plan for working around their fear of men. Even so, some
people still have a lot of trouble with the idea of God presenting himself as an animal.

In other sessions Jesus has come into the person’s mental imagery as a child (he has usually been
between the ages of six and ten). This child has always been gentle, loving, wise, appropriate,
attuning, joyful, helpful, and healing. And once the recipient gets over her initial confusion and
uncertainty, she always somehow knows that this child is, indeed, Jesus. Furthermore, just as
with Jesus as a lion, the whole scenario usually eventually makes sense. For example, recipients
who have been physically, verbally, or emotionally abused by grownups have sometimes been
very fearful about allowing Jesus to come into their childhood memories as an adult. Or they may
be uncomfortable with grownups in their child memories for other reasons, such as negative
experiences with adults routinely dismissing or misunderstanding them. And once these people
have gotten used to the idea of Jesus being a child, they have realized that the child Jesus was the
Lord’s gentle, creative plan for working around their fear and/or discomfort with grownups.

In one session Jesus even came into the person’s mental imagery as a newborn baby. The
recipient was working inside a memory of being a very young infant herself, and in the memory
she felt vulnerable, painfully disconnected from those around her, overwhelmed by the whole
situation, and incredibly helpless, since she didn’t yet have voluntary muscle control for her arms
and legs. Her care-givers weren’t giving her the emotional connection that she needed, but she
was so little that she couldn’t go anywhere or do anything about it. As Charlotte and I tried to
help her work with this memory, it initially felt impossible to her that anybody could truly
understand her or be with her in this place. And when I suggested that she let Jesus be with her in
this memory her initial response was to feel that Jesus’ presence would just make things more
overwhelming – another grownup trying to “help” would just make things worse.

Fortunately she was able to let us coach her to lift the whole situation up to the Lord, and she was
able to ask him for help regarding her fear that allowing his presence would just make things
worse. As soon as she did this she saw another baby in her memory – another newborn, just like
herself, laying in her crib right next to her. She somehow knew that this other baby was Jesus,
and as he lay on his side, looking quietly into her eyes, her immediate, spontaneous response was
to realize that this was a good plan: “The way he came to me was exactly at the level I could
handle, and what he gave me was exactly what I needed.” As she described the experience
further, it was obvious that even as a baby Jesus’ presence was powerfully healing. Even as a
baby, without saying a word and without doing anything other than look quietly into her eyes,
Jesus was loving, attuning, joyful, and intensely life-giving:

“He came to me just as I was....He was totally with me, even in my pain – he was as small as
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 12 of 15

me, as vulnerable as me, as helpless as me – he was with me in all of this, sharing, knowing,
and totally understanding my experience....I realized, ‘He’s been a baby. He’s actually been
here, as a baby. He knows about this – He knows what this is – He knows what this is like, to
be so little and vulnerable and helpless.’...He didn’t use any words, but as he was looking into
my eyes I could feel him communicating directly with my spirit....I could feel good things
coming into my spirit as he just kept looking into my eyes.”

Furthermore, just as with the other two examples, the whole scenario made complete sense.
Coming to her as a baby was the Lord’s gentle, creative, brilliant, effective plan to care for the
minimal capacity, intense vulnerability, and overwhelm that might otherwise have gotten in the
way. Even so, some people might be uncomfortable with the risen, victorious Jesus presenting as
a tiny helpless baby.

Yet another example of God presenting in unusual ways has occurred in sessions with people
who are working with claustrophobic memories. I have facilitated a number of sessions for
people who were working on memories of being locked in closets (or a variety of other
claustrophobic situations), and in each of these situations the people have immediately responded
with fearful resistance when I suggested that they invite Jesus to be with them in the memories.
Each of these people have reacted with some variation of, “There’s no way I want anybody else
in here with me – I can hardly move or breathe as it is!”

So we asked God for guidance and help, and the thought immediately came to me that we could
ask Jesus to be very small. When I suggested this, all of the recipients responded that he would
have to be very, very small – like one to two inches tall – and most of them felt a little awkward
about asking Jesus to be so tiny. Nevertheless, I was eventually able to convince them to at least
try inviting Jesus (with the explicit stipulation that he would be very, very small), and in every
one of these situations the person promptly got a spontaneous image of Jesus in the memory with
them.

He was usually about the size of a small mouse, but he was still joyful, attuning, wise,
unconditionally loving, powerfully life-giving, and fully able to help them work through the
traumatic memory to complete healing. And, once again, the whole scenario made total sense.
Being really small was obviously God’s gentle, creative plan for getting around the whole
claustrophobia problem. Even so, some people were initially a bit uncomfortable with such an
itsy, bitsy, teensy, weensy Jesus.

Again, the point here is that God can sometimes manifest with imagery that is unexpected or
even unorthodox, and I want to encourage you to not dismiss images just because they are
outside of your expectations. Go ahead and describe whatever comes into your awareness, even if
it seems out side of the box, and discern together with your facilitator. You may be surprised by
how flexible, creative, and unpredictable the Lord can be.

**Note to draft version readers: I would like to include a few more stories of people who have
experienced God’s presence in unusual/unorthodox ways. If you have a good story, and
especially specific experiences that would provide variety in addition to what has already been
presented, please e-mail me ([email protected]).

V. Spectacular, dramatic experiences: Actually, this material does not really fit in this chapter,
since no one has problems with missing these. If there’s a marching band on your front porch
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 13 of 15

playing a message for you, it doesn’t matter whether your listening for the phone or watching the
TV – you become aware of their presence pretty easily, it’s pretty easy to figure out what they’re
saying, and it’s also pretty easy to figure out that it’s important. But I thought I would throw in a
couple of examples of spectacular, dramatic experiences of perceiving and connecting with God
just for fun.

Subheading “Michael and Immanuel”11

One of the most dramatic God encounters I have witnessed occurred during a session I was
facilitating for one of our clients. During the first seventy-five minutes of the session Michael
had remembered a number of painful experiences, and at the end of this series of memories he
had a beautiful healing encounter with Jesus. His encounter with Jesus had been quiet, but the
healing work seemed very real and significant, and Michael and I were both encouraged. With
about fifteen minutes remaining, I suggested, “Why don’t we ask the Lord if there’s anything else
he has for you today?” Michael thought this was a good idea, so he went ahead with this simple
request and then sat quietly as he waited for God to respond.

Up to this point the session had been pretty routine. A few moments of intense emotions as
Michael connected with the pain in each traumatic memory, and a few tears here and there, but a
reasonably good connection with Jesus, adequate guidance, good healing, and full resolution by
the end of the session. A nice, satisfying, beautiful but very routine experience of helping
someone work with Jesus to receive healing. A good days work, but nothing to write home about.
And then Michael started to cry.

Actually, he burst out sobbing, and he continued to sob, uncontrollably, with incredible intensity,
for a long, long time. He had his face buried in his hands so I couldn’t get any sense of the
expression on his face, and I remember thinking, “This is either really good or really bad.” After
maybe five minutes (which seems like a very long time when someone is sobbing,
uncontrollably, with incredible intensity), he started trying to say something, but he was sobbing
so hard he couldn’t get enough breath to speak. After ten minutes (for real – ten minutes on the
clock), his sobbing finally subsided and he was able to tell me what had happened.

Michael reported that he suddenly had a mental image of Jesus that was so clear, intense, and
detailed that it was almost as if he were seeing Jesus, in the flesh, with his eyes open. At first, for
a moment, Jesus was just standing in front of him. Then Jesus leaned forward until his face was
about twelve inches from Michael’s, he reached out and took Michael’s face in his hands,
looking intently into Michael’s eyes he said “Michael, I love you!” with slow, deliberate
emphasis, and with these words Michael felt incredible, overwhelming love flowing to him from
Jesus. (This was the point at which Michael burst into uncontrollable sobbing.)

Not surprisingly, this encounter changed Michael’s life. Among other things, it instantly
transformed him from a nominal Christian who attended church only on Christmas and Easter
into an enthusiastic believer who immediately set about learning how to engage with the Lord’s
living presence as a routine part of everyday life.

Subheading: “John and Jesus”

11
This session actually occurred before we were using the Immanuel approach in it’s current form
(note the long block of going through painful memories before finally receiving healing from Jesus at the
end). However, it still provides a good example of a dramatic perception and connection with God’s
tangible, living, attuning, interactive presence.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 14 of 15

My friend and colleague, John Curlin, describes another dramatic Immanuel encounter. Several
years ago he had been struggling with a familiar anxiety regarding, “Am I doing enough? Am I
being a good steward? Am I using well the talent and time that God has given me?” etc. During
the time he was struggling with this anxious insecurity, he invited the Lord to be with him during
his personal quiet time one morning and then suddenly had a vivid, intense, detailed visual image
of Jesus’ face, right in front of him. Jesus was less than a foot away, looking directly into his
eyes, and Jesus spoke so clearly into his mind that it was almost as if he were hearing the Lord’s
audible voice.

Jesus spoke a few simple words along the lines of, “There’s nothing you need to do to earn my
love – it’s already been taken care of, and I am just so thrilled to be with you!” and John could
somehow feel the Lord’s incredibly intense love for him as he spoke these words. John could
also feel the passionate intensity with which Jesus enjoyed being with him, and when he
described the experience to me several days later, he commented that “it almost seemed crazy,”
and that “it was hard to fully comprehend or absorb.” John reported that he “felt totally
overwhelmed (in a good way),” that he “felt like he was in another world,” and that he wept
intensely as Jesus was speaking to him.

Subheading: “Multimedia experiences”

As described in some of the examples above, people sometimes have multimedia experiences.
Like Ian feeling the tangible pressure of Jesus’ arm across his shoulders, along with the
corresponding visual image. Or the woman who felt the softness of Jesus’ shirt against her cheek
and smelled his personal fragrance, along with the corresponding visual image of leaning against
his chest. Many people have described perceiving the clear physical sensation of Jesus’ hand
holding theirs. And occasionally recipients will have particularly dramatic multimedia
experiences, with vivid, intense, detailed visual imagery, thoughts from Jesus that are so clear
and strong that they almost feel like hearing his audible voice, sensations of physical touch,
sensations of tingling and warmth all over their bodies, smelling a beautiful fragrance associated
with Jesus’ presence, and then also profound subjective perceptions of God’s overwhelming,
unconditional love.

Again, the stories in this section are very cool and very encouraging, and I just threw them in for
fun. We don’t really need to discuss the details for the purposes of this chapter, since recipients
tend not to miss these huge, dramatic, vivid, intense, powerful, multimedia encounters with God.

VI. God has a sense of humor with respect to how he connects with us:

Several years ago we got an e-mail about a fun and funny session in which Jesus used sign
language to communicate with the recipient (Jesus’ explanation for why He was doing this was
really funny). But now I can’t find contact information for this person. So if this is your story
please contact me (first, I want to know if it’s okay to use the story, and if yes, then I would
love to get more details). Or, if you know the person who belongs to this story and have contact
information, please let me know so I can communicate with her directly.

VII. Practical thoughts:

Our brains work better in community: I have already talked about this one in a number of
places earlier in the book, but I want to mention it again because it is so important. God truly
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 28 (New 5/6/14) Page 15 of 15

has designed our brains to work best in community, and we will consistently experience
increased clarity, increased intensity, increased detail, increased perception of importance, and
increased richness when we work with a group or facilitator so that we can describe, out loud to
another person, the content that comes into our mental awareness. This is especially relevant
for encounters with God that are unusual and/or unexpected and/or very subtle, like many of
the examples described in this chapter. I have had a number of experiences in which I would
have missed subtle, unusual, unexpected connections with God if I had not described
everything that was coming into my awareness, and I have facilitated many sessions in which
the recipients would have missed subtle, unusual, and unexpected encounters with God if I had
not persistently coached them to describe everything.

Clearer, stronger perceptions and connections with more time (longer sessions): An
interesting pattern I have just recently noticed is that encounters with God tend to become
increasingly clear, strong, and rich as recipients persist for longer periods of time within a
single session. For example, when I do my own Immanuel approach work I usually have
sessions that go for an hour an a half, and in most cases every aspect of my perception and
connection increases slowly but steadily as I move farther and farther into these long sessions.
During the first half hour, my perceptions of Jesus’ presence and connections with God tend to
be particularly subtle, faint, and vague. As I continue between thirty and sixty minutes, it feels
like my perceptions and connections warm up and gain momentum. (They are still subtle, faint,
and vague, but they are less subtle faint and vague.) And I routinely experience the strongest,
clearest, richest, most intense perceptions of Jesus’ presence and connections with God towards
the end of 90 minute sessions. (Even at the end of ninety minutes, my perceptions and
connections are still usually subtle, faint, and vague; but my God encounters tend to be the
least subtle, faint, and vague towards the end of these long sessions.)12

Variation with respect to initial interactive connection: As described in chapter eight, one
very common variation with respect to perceiving and connecting with God has to do with the
initial connection at the beginning of Immanuel sessions. Everybody starts with recalling a
positive memory and deliberately stirring up gratitude, in order to make sure their relational
circuits are strongly on; but after the positive memory recall and appreciation some people
perceive God’s living presence and establish the initial interactive connection in the context of
the initial positive memory, whereas others perceive God and establish the initial connection in
the context of their surroundings in the present.

Actually, now I usually coach recipients to establish connections in both places (as long as
there is adequate time available). After the positive memory recall and appreciation I first direct
the recipient to focus on the positive memory, and invite the Lord to be with her and help her to
perceive his presence in that context. And then I do the same for the context of the session in
the present. What I have been observing is that most recipients are easily able to establish
connection in both contexts, and then as the session progresses the Lord initiates returning to
the two different connections for different purposes. Also, the two connections provide a
double safety net.

12
I should mention an important caveat with respect to capacity. When recipients become fatigued,
or begin to reach the limits of their capacities in other ways, the connection with God will often start to
deteriorate. Therefore, the ideal is to continue for as long as the strength and quality of the connection
continue to grow, and then to bring the session to a close when the recipient feels like she is getting to the
end of her capacity and the connection starts to deteriorate.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 29: Expect Steady Progress
(©Copyright 2014 K.D. Lehman MD, new 6/24/2014)
DRAFT

My goal for this chapter is to encourage you with the expectation of steady progress as you
persist with regular Immanuel approach work. I have briefly mentioned this pattern of
predictable, steady progress at many places earlier in the book, but at this point I would like to
present this encouragement much more explicitly and thoroughly.1

People’s ability to perceive God’s presence and connect with God usually progresses steadily as
they deliberately troubleshoot to remove blockages, as they continue their healing work (which
indirectly removes blockages by resolving trauma that contributes to blockages), and as they
learn more about God’s character and heart by spending time with Jesus. As they continue to
remove blockages and to build faith, they become able to perceive God’s tangible presence and
connect with God more easily and more quickly, they perceive God’s presence and connect with
God more frequently and more predictably, they perceive God’s tangible presence with more
clarity, strength, and richness, they experience God’s presence as increasingly personal, and they
experience connections with God that are increasingly interactive and attuning.

Encounter in the Candy Store Memory: My own experience once again provides a good
example. As described in chapter 28, for many years my experiences of God’s presence consisted
entirely of subtle, faint, and vague thoughts from God, occasional senses of direction that were
subtle, faint, and vague, and healing experiences that did not include any perception of God as a
tangible presence or any sense of connection with God as a personal presence.2 And then came
my experience with the candy store memory – the first time in my life that I perceived Jesus as a
tangible, personal presence. I don’t think it was a coincidence that this spontaneous perception
and connection occurred after several years of resolving trauma (trauma that had been
contributing to blockages), and at the end of a long session in which a number of very specific
blockages had been identified and removed.3

Pernicious Blockage Breakthrough: Resolution of what I refer to as my pernicious blockage

was the next step in my journey of steadily increasing perception and connection.4 This

1
And I especially want to offer this encouragement to people who’s perceptions of God and
connections with God are currently very subtle, faint, and vague.
2
In my earliest memories (memories of events at the age of maybe three years old), I had already
decided to follow Jesus. So my estimate is that I had been a Christian for almost forty years at the time of
the candy store memory experience in 2001.
3
For a detailed description of this session, and also additional thoughts regarding how persistently
removing blockages over the course of several years finally opened the way for me to perceive Jesus’
tangible, personal presence, see Karl Lehman, “Emotional Healing and Personal Spiritual Growth: A
Case Study and Discussion,” available as a free download from www.kclehman.com.
4
For this example I am actually only describing part of my pernicious blockage. The full pernicious
tangle also included infant maturity and a sense of external locus of control from my two-year-old
traumatic memories, all tangled in with the traumatic content described here. For the more complete
discussion of my pernicious blockage, see Karl Lehman, “Immanuel, An Especially Pernicious Blockage,

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 29 (New 6/24/14) Page 2 of 10

pernicious blockage started when I was two years old. Mom had mononucleosis during her
pregnancy with my younger sister. Between the pregnancy and the mono, she got to the point
where she couldn’t even get out of bed—Dad had to carry her across the hallway to the
bathroom. She was certainly too ill to care for my four-year-old brother and myself, so we were
sent to stay with friends in another city for three weeks while she was recovering. To put this in
perspective: a two-year-old will experience a three-week separation from his parents in much the
same way as he will experience his parents dying suddenly—they disappear suddenly, and stay
away longer than any possible two-year-old ability to understand or cope with their absence.
Furthermore, a two-year-old perceives his parents to be omnipotent—he believes nothing
happens unless they allow it, and that nothing could make them do anything they don ’t want to
do. This means he will believe he ’s separated from his parents because they want to be away
from him, and he will believe that they can hear his calls and could come if they wanted to, but
that they are choosing to ignore his cries for help.

An important part of trauma is that we come up with distorted interpretations regarding the
meaning of the experience; and by the end of these three weeks of separation I had come up with
many distorted interpretations, such as: “I’ve been abandoned and I’m on my own,” “It’s
hopeless and I’m powerless—they aren’t coming, and nothing I can do will make them come,” “I
can’t trust their hearts toward me because there’s no possible justification for allowing this to
happen,” and “They won’t help me when I’m overwhelmed and need their help.” Along with
these distorted, erroneous beliefs came a miserable morass of associated emotions—loneliness,
rejection, hopelessness, powerlessness, feeling overwhelmed, and confusion. And I was also very
angry that they had left me, that they were allowing me to suffer so intensely, and that they
wouldn’t come when I called for them.

In the years that followed, this toxic content would often get activated and transferred onto the
Lord. Any time I would become stuck in a situation that felt overwhelming, and call out to the
Lord for help, but then not be able to perceive his presence or assistance, my interactions with the
Lord in the present would match my interactions with my parents in the original memory closely
enough to activate the beliefs and emotions from the two-year-old separation. The beliefs and
emotions from the two-year-old separation trauma would then come forward as implicit memory
and get transferred onto the Lord—it would feel intensely true that I couldn’t trust God’s heart
toward me because he chooses to allow things for which there is no possible justification; it
would feel intensely true that he’s not with me now, and won’t come even though I call and call
for him; and it would feel intensely true that he won’t do anything when I’m overwhelmed and
need his help. The loneliness, rejection, hopelessness, powerlessness, overwhelm, confusion, and
anger would come forward as well, and since all of this would come forward as “invisible”
implicit memory accompanied by “explanations” that were always focused on the triggers in the
present, I would have no awareness or insight regarding “Oh, these thoughts and emotions are
coming from traumatic childhood memories.” Instead, I would perceive that the thoughts and
emotions were about the Lord, and that they were true, valid, and reasonable in the present.5

For example, our car got flooded so that the main wiring harness and the main circuit board for

and the Normal Belief Memory System,” available as a DVD set and/or a free download essay from
www.kclehman.com.
5
**?Should I include a footnote regarding “invisible” implicit memory, the Verbal Logical
Explainer (VLE), and confabulated explanations that always focus on the triggers in the present?
Or will the reader adequately understand the story without an explanatory footnote?**

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 29 (New 6/24/14) Page 3 of 10

all the computerized electronics were under water for several weeks while we were away on an
extended business/vacation trip. Not surprisingly, when we returned from our trip we found that
the car wouldn’t start. When we had it towed to the dealer their head mechanic said we would
have to have the entire electrical system replaced, and that it would cost seven thousand dollars!
So we asked for a second opinion from the non-dealer mechanic who usually cared for our
car—a very bright guy with thirty-five years of experience and a fully equipped garage at his
disposal. He said that he had never had good results trying to repair this particular scenario in the
VW Passat, and told us that he wouldn’t touch it!

Oh. Wow. Not what we wanted to hear.

So I decided to try to fix it myself, and spent the next two weeks feeling constantly overwhelmed
by the size and complexity of the project. I repeatedly asked the Lord for help as I struggled with
this daunting scenario, but other old memory stuff was constantly getting triggered and getting in
the way, and I was not yet using our current Immanuel approach tools for establishing a
connection with the Lord. So I was never able to perceive God’s presence, I usually felt like I
was not getting enough assistance, and each time this would happen the unresolved toxic content
from my two-year-old trauma would come forward as “invisible” implicit memory: it would feel
intensely true that the Lord was not with me and that he wouldn’t come even if I called and
called, it would feel intensely true that he wouldn’t do anything even though I was overwhelmed
and needed his help, it would feel intensely true that I couldn’t trust his heart toward me because
he chooses to allow things for which there’s no possible justification, and I would feel intensely
powerless, discouraged, betrayed, abandoned, and angry. Furthermore, because of the way in
which implicit memory works, it would feel intensely true that my pain and anger were really
about the situation in the present, and especially about the Lord failing to respond to my calls for
help.

In addition to all of this toxic content getting stirred up and transferred onto the Lord, there was
another part of my pernicious blockage that I wasn’t even aware of yet. I will provide more
details in a minute, but the really short summary is that in the context of the two-year-old
separation trauma I had made choices to push Jesus away, and these choices were still hindering
me from perceiving his presence or receiving his help.

The real truth was that the Lord was with me, standing beside me, and offering to help; but with
all of these blockages in the way I was unable to perceive or receive this truth. So instead of
feeling hope, recognizing my thoughts and emotions as traumatic content coming forward as
implicit memory, and then turning to the Lord for healing, I would perceive the distorted
conclusions to be true, I would perceive the implicit memory negative emotions to be valid in the
present, and I would focus my energy and attention on the triggers – I would focus on trying to
fix the immediate practical problem in the present (in this example, the car ’s failure to start), and
I would fight with the Lord, first trying make him manifest more clearly and provide more help,
and then complaining with hopelessness and bitterness when nothing would change.

The good news is that this especially miserable incident with the car lead to a breakthrough
regarding my two-year-old separation trauma memories, enabling me to finally get healing for
the toxic content that had so often gotten transferred onto the Lord and to finally recognize and
reverse the choices to push the Lord away. Part of the breakthrough was that this whole ordeal
with the car occurred as Charlotte and I were finishing with the first wave of developing our
Immanuel teachings; and as part of developing this material I had become profoundly convinced
that if we could not perceive the Lord ’s presence it was because there was something in the way,
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 29 (New 6/24/14) Page 4 of 10

and that the Lord always wanted to help us resolve these blockages. Another part of the
breakthrough was that I had new information and insight regarding this particular triggered
content and the time of separation from my parents. (I had never had any conscious memory of
these events, since they occurred when I was so young; but shortly before the ordeal with the
flooded car I learned about this history from conversations with my older brother and parents,
and I was finally recognizing the connections between the two-year-old separation trauma and
this particular toxic content that would get transferred onto the Lord). So even though it felt
intensely true that these painful thoughts and emotions towards the Lord were valid, the opposing
truth in my adult mind was even more powerful – even though the triggered thoughts and
emotions felt so intensely true with respect to the Lord, my conviction that they were actually
implicit memory from this unresolved trauma was even more powerful.

Therefore, as I sat in the car surrounded by tools, wires, and disassembled parts of the electrical
system, I chose to surrender my bitter accusations that God was perversely withholding the help I
needed, I chose to acknowledge that there must be something on my side that was in the way, and
I chose to ask for help. I was still so angry that I could barely keep from screaming and swearing
at the Lord, but I managed to choke out a prayer. (It is a testimony to God’s mercy and grace that
he honored my true heart, even though it was mixed in with a lot of triggered confusion and
anger.) My “humble,” “submitted,” “open-hearted” (sarcasm intended) prayer was something
along the lines of:

Lord, I am so angry that you ’re not manifesting in some way that I can perceive and that you’re
not providing more tangible help; and it feels intensely, excruciatingly true that this is all your
fault, and that you should apologize and then fix the problem; but I know you ’re here with me,
I know there must be something in the way, and I am so tired of being stuck in this triggered
place of blaming you. Oh, man, it infuriates me to say this! Grrrrrrr! (brief pause to fume
silently). Okay: What am I doing that ’s hindering me from perceiving your presence? What
choice do I need to make to take the next step forward?

The moment these words were out of my mouth I felt like I was inside the two-year-old
separation memories, I had a spontaneous mental image of Jesus standing right beside me, I
could feel his personal presence, and I had the sense that he was saying, “Karl, your mom isn ’t
going to come back for a long time—let me comfort you.” Furthermore, I realized that the
response I had made at the time of the original trauma, and that I had stubbornly held onto for
forty years, was something along the lines of: “The only plans I ’m interested in are ones that
include you producing my mother right now. I can’t believe you ’re even talking to me about
some other plan. If you don’t have Mom with you, then just get away from me—go jump off a
cliff, and I hope there are rocks at the bottom!”

Not surprisingly, telling the Lord to jump off a cliff had kind of gotten in the way of my being
able to sense his presence or receive his help. However, thanks to a number of new factors,
including the ones just mentioned, I was finally able to surrender my anger and my demand that
the Lord make things different, and I reversed the choices to refuse his help and push him away.
As soon as I chose to welcome Jesus instead of push him away I was able to connect with him
inside the two-year-old memories, and being able to feel his comfort and receive his assistance
inside the memories immediately lead to healing for some of the most important aspects of the
separation trauma. From that point forward it no longer felt like God was refusing to be with me
or help me as I continued to struggle with the car, and over the next several days (with some
strategic guidance from God) I was able to completely restore the electrical system for a total cost
of $125. Furthermore, since this experience I have noticed that the (now healed) two-year-old
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 29 (New 6/24/14) Page 5 of 10

“traumatic memories” no longer hinder my ability to connect with Jesus when I struggle with
something difficult, ask for help, but then do not initially perceive his presence.6

Since this is a long and complicated example, let me summarize regarding the points I would like
to highlight. First, in more than forty years of Christian discipleship this was only the third time I
had been able to perceive Jesus’ tangible, personal presence, and this happened spontaneously
and immediately after I removed a major blockage by choosing to surrender my bitter accusations
that God was perversely withholding the help I needed, by choosing to acknowledge that there
must be something on my side that was in the way, and by choosing to ask for help. Second, I
was able to connect with Jesus and feel his comforting presence inside the two year old
memories as soon as I removed another major blockage by choosing to welcome him instead of
pushing him away. Third, since the healing work at the end of the experience I no longer notice
the two-year-old separation memories getting triggered forward and hindering me from
connecting with the Lord.7

And I think there is yet another piece. I think that removing this whole pernicious blockage
tangle opened the door for better results with Immanuel approach tools. The data point
suggesting this conclusion is that shortly after resolving these blockages, I was able to use the
Immanuel approach principles and tools to quickly go from perceiving and connecting with
God’s tangible, personal presence three times in over forty years to enjoying this experience
usually two to three times each week. We’ll never know for sure, since I didn’t start
experimenting with the Immanuel approach tools in my own life until after this experience, but
it’s hard to imagine that it wasn’t helpful to resolve this pernicious tangle of bitterness, despair,
intense negative thoughts toward God, and explicit anti-Immanuel choices.8

Note: I realize that my encounter with Jesus in the candy store and my experience with resolving
my pernicious blockage were not actually a part of my journey of steady progress with the
Immanuel approach, since they occurred before I was using Immanuel approach tools in my own
life. However, I have chosen to include them anyway since they are such good examples of how
both troubleshooting specifically focused on removing blockages as well as resolving trauma that
contributes to blockages result in progress with respect to perceiving God’s presence and
establishing good connections. Furthermore, intermediate and advance Immanuel approach
troubleshooting will routinely include working with the kinds of issues and memory-anchored
blockages that are a part of both of these stories, so these examples could easily be a part of
somebody’s Immanuel approach journey.9

6
For full disclosure regarding this story, another part of the breakthrough was that I was miserably
triggered to this toxic content most of the time for two weeks, and the intensity and persistence of this
pain helped me realize that I was ready to try something new.
7
Actually, I still occasionally notice lingering splinters of traumatic content getting triggered
forward, but the frequency and intensity are greatly reduced and the overall interference with my ability
to connect with Jesus is much less.
8
From a scientific perspective, this point would be much stronger if I had initially tried the Immanuel
approach tools before resolving my pernicious blockage tangle, experienced less dramatic results with
this initial attempt, and then observed much better results after resolving the pernicious blockage tangle.
9
One additional thought I would offer is that I think I would have made much more progress during
the years in which these two stories took place if I had been applying Immanuel approach principles and
tools, in complimentary combination with the troubleshooting and healing that were a part of these

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 29 (New 6/24/14) Page 6 of 10

?Subheading, like “My ongoing Immanuel Approach journey”?

My ongoing experience with the Immanuel approach provides another example.

As I have been faithful and persistent with ongoing Immanuel approach work over the past ten
years, my ability to consistently perceive and connect with God’s tangible, personal, interactive,
attuning presence has progressively improved. When I first started using the Immanuel approach
I would perceive God’s tangible presence, experience God to be present as a person, engage in
communication with God that was interactive, and have the sense of receiving attunement from
God maybe 80% of the time when I would use Immanuel approach tools in the context of
working with my prayer partner. I would become aware of and connect with God’s tangible,
personal, interactive, attuning presence maybe 70% of the time when I would use Immanuel
approach tools for connecting with God in my personal devotional time. I would connect with
God’s tangible, personal, interactive, attuning presence maybe 60% of the time when I would
pause to briefly use Immanuel approach tools for connecting with God in the course of the
average day. And I would be able to perceive and connect with God’s tangible, personal,
interactive, attuning presence maybe 50% of the time when I would use Immanuel approach tools
in the context of getting triggered and then trying to get healing on my own.

On the one hand, you might think that this would have been good enough. After all, in
comparison to perceiving God’s tangible, personal presence only three times in more than forty
years, this was wonderful! None the less, it has gotten even better. As I have been faithful and
persistent with ongoing Immanuel approach work over the past ten years, my ability to
consistently perceive and connect with God’s tangible, personal, interactive, attuning presence
has progressively improved. Now I perceive and connect with God even more often and more
easily. when I use Immanuel approach tools in the context of working with my prayer partner, I
pretty much always (essentially 100%) perceive and connect with God’s tangible, personal,
interactive, attuning presence; when I use Immanuel approach tools for connecting with God in
my personal devotional time, I almost always (maybe 95%) connect with God’s tangible,
personal, interactive, attuning presence; when I pause to briefly use Immanuel approach tools for
connecting with God in the course of the average day, I almost always (90 to 95%) become aware
of and connect with God’s tangible, personal, interactive, attuning presence, and I usually (maybe
75%) connect with God’s tangible, personal, interactive, attuning presence when get triggered
and use Immanuel approach tools to try to get healing on my own.

Furthermore, as I have continued to troubleshoot for blockages, as I have regularly received

Immanuel approach healing, as I have grown in skill with respect to the Immanuel approach
principles and tools, as my faith has increased, and as I have spent more and more time with
Jesus, I have become able to perceive and connect with God more and more clearly, more and
more intensely, and more and more richly. My visual images have slowly but steadily become
more clear and more intense. My sense of God’s presence as a person has slowly but steadily
become clearer and stronger. The perception that my communication with God is interactive has
slowly but steadily increased. And my feeling that God is attuning to me has grown slowly but
steadily stronger.

I still experience quite a bit of variability, from one day to the next and between one experience
and the next, but over the past ten years the average baseline for every aspect of my ability to

experiences.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 29 (New 6/24/14) Page 7 of 10

perceive God’s presence and connect with God has steadily improved. Also, my perceptions of
God’s presence are still usually subtle, faint, and vague, but now they are just less subtle, less
faint, and less vague. For example, the strength and clarity of my visual images will now often be
a two (on a scale of zero to ten), instead of a one-half or a one, the sense that the connection is
interactive will now often be a two or three instead of a one or two, the perception that God is
with me as a person is now often a three or four instead of a one or two, and the feeling that God
is attuning to me is now usually somewhere between three and five instead of a one or two.

Steady Progress for Stan: Stan, the man from our Thursday mentoring group who gets “lava
lamp” visual imagery and feels warmth in his body, provides yet another example of how
people’s ability to perceive God’s presence and to connect with God usually grows as they persist
with regular Immanuel approach work. Prior to using Immanuel approach tools, Stan had
experiences of perceiving God’s presence and connecting with God, but these were rare and
unpredictable. In contrast, as Stan has steadily identified and resolved blockages in Immanuel
sessions over the years his experiences of God’s presence have become increasingly predictable
and regular. Now he pretty much perceives God’s presence and receives thoughts from God any
time he uses the Immanuel approach tools.10 Furthermore, his experiences of connecting with
God have become increasingly interactive, he has become more and more able to feel God
offering attunement, and he has felt increasingly secure in his connection with God. In one of
Stan’s most recent sessions he had a sense of God’s presence as a person for the first time, and
specifically had the sense that God was smiling at him.

From Shades of Grey to Technicolor: Peter, a friend of ours from the Chicago area, describes a
simple but beautiful example of progress with respect to perceiving and connecting with God.

He had been working on the same painful school memory for a number of sessions, but
something seemed to be stuck. In each session the Lord would take him back to the same
memory of sitting in second grade. He had been in second grade for a couple of weeks, and then
one day, in the middle of class, a teacher came into the room, took him by the hand, and walked
him to a first grade classroom. Nobody warned him before it happened. Nobody talked about it
after it happened. And he remembers sitting in the first grade classroom, red faced, shocked, and
humiliated. “None of the other kids would talk to me. I remember just sitting there, alone, with
my face red and feeling intense shame.” At this point in each session he would perceive Jesus,
standing in the corner by the door, but something was obviously stuck because nothing moved
forward past this point and nothing seemed to resolve. This continued for a number of sessions,
and all through these sessions everything in his mental imagery came only in shades of grey.

Peter doesn’t remember the details regarding the blockages that were hindering the process, nor
the details regarding how they were resolved; but after a number of Immanuel approach sessions
of persistent troubleshooting, Peter was suddenly able to experience the Lord’s presence in a
much more interactive way. “Instead of just standing in the corner by the door, Jesus came over
to my desk, stood beside me, and put his arm around me. That was the first big breakthrough.”

Then, in the next session, Jesus came and stood right in front of Peter. “I was standing on the
desk seat, so we were looking eye to eye, and that’s when the technicolor came on. All of a
sudden, Jesus and I were in color – everything else was still in shades of grey, but Jesus and I

10
And this includes one-on-one sessions with a facilitator, group exercises, and using the Immanuel
approach on his own.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 29 (New 6/24/14) Page 8 of 10

were in clear, bright, technicolor.” For a little while Peter just stood on his desk seat, looking at
Jesus as Jesus looked quietly back at him, and then Jesus started combing Peter’s hair so that it
looked just like his. First Jesus combed Peter’s hair so that their styles exactly matched, and as he
kept combing Peter’s hair the coloring also changed to exactly match Jesus’ hair. (Peter reports
that after Jesus finished, they both had hair with a really classy blue-grey tint, and that they had
silver-white highlights on the sides that produced a totally cool accent effect.) Jesus also
sprinkled something on Peter so that Peter shared the exact same personal fragrance as Jesus.

Although it was all non-verbal, Jesus was clearly communicating. To everybody else in the room:
“Peter and I, we go together – we’re on the same team – we’re friends.” (As Peter commented
regarding the hair, “If people see us, they’re gonna know immediately that we go together –
nobody else has hair like that.”) And directly to Peter: “I’m glad to be with you, and I’m glad to
be associated with you” (the exact opposite of what the other kids were communicating). After
Jesus’ gentle, creative, encouraging, colorful interactions with Peter, the confusion, shock, and
humiliation were totally gone. “After that session, this worst school memory of my life became
my best school memory. Since that session I go to this memory as my good memory starting
place.”

Again, after multiple sessions of persistent trouble shooting, Peter was suddenly able to
experience Jesus as a much more interactive presence, his visual image of Jesus went from
shades of grey to technicolor, and he became aware of Jesus’ personal fragrance. Furthermore,
these upgrades have continued. Now, whenever Peter goes back to this memory he continues to
experience Jesus as interactive, he continues to perceive Jesus in bright, clear, “technicolor,” and
he continues to perceive Jesus’ personal fragrance.

Many More Examples: As I have already mentioned at several points earlier in the book, I have
facilitated for many people who have become increasingly easy to work with over time.
(Actually, this pattern of steady progress with persistent Immanuel approach work has been true
for almost everybody I have ever worked with.)

At the beginning of their Immanuel approach journeys, these people had a wide variety of
blockages – conscious negative associations with God, traumatic content being unconsciously
transferred onto the Lord, low capacity, infant maturity coming forward as part of the traumatic
memories, demonic interference, dissociated parts carrying very specific memory-anchored
blockages, bitterness, self-pity, and complex tangles of various blockages mixed together. When
I would first start working with the people with complex blockage tangles, it would often take
thirty to forty-five minutes (and sometimes more than an hour) of advanced Immanuel
intervention troubleshooting just to establish the initial connection with Jesus, and every step of
the healing work would be slow and difficult and bumpy. However, Immanuel sessions have
gotten progressively easier over time as these people have regularly, persistently engaged with
God to resolve their blockages, and as they have regularly, persistently spent time with God
building capacity and trust.

For example, a number of these recipients had been betrayed and abused by men, and so had
intense, memory-anchored fears about allowing Jesus to be present. These people especially had
child places in their hearts that were afraid that Jesus would betray and abuse them just as most
of the other important men in their lives had betrayed and abused them. However, this fearful
resistance has progressively subsided as they persistently worked to resolve the underlying
traumatic memories. Furthermore, each time we would finally get to the place at which the
recipient would allow Jesus into one of her man-trauma memories, she would immediately
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 29 (New 6/24/14) Page 9 of 10

realize that Jesus was separate and different from the perpetrator – Jesus was a man, just like the
perpetrator, but she could immediately see and feel that Jesus was good, safe, and on her side. As
these positive experiences with Jesus accumulated, the transference of man-trauma onto Jesus
has collapsed even though there were many memories of being abused by men that were not yet
resolved.

Authority trauma provides another example. A number of these recipients had been traumatized
by authority figures who blamed and punished them whenever anything went wrong. Their
traumatic experiences always included something going wrong, so these people had intense,
memory-anchored fears about allowing God into any of these memories. These recipients
especially had child places in their hearts that were afraid that Jesus would blame and punish
them just as most of the other important authority figures in their lives had blamed and punished
them. However, this fearful resistance has progressively subsided as they persistently worked to
resolve the underlying traumatic memories. Furthermore, each time we would finally get to the
place at which the recipient would allow Jesus into one of her authority trauma memories, she
would immediately realize that Jesus was separate and different from the perpetrator – Jesus
definitely had authority, just like the perpetrator, but she could immediately see and feel that
Jesus was good, safe, and on her side. As these positive experiences with Jesus accumulated, the
transference of authority-trauma onto Jesus has collapsed even though there were many
memories of being blamed and punished by authority figures that were not yet resolved.

Being ridiculed for faith provides yet another example. Several people I have worked with were
traumatized by their parents and other family members for having religious beliefs, and
especially for talking about their faith experiences. So these people had intense, memory-
anchored fears about perceiving God’s tangible presence, about establishing an interactive
connection with God, and especially about describing these experiences. These recipients
especially had child places in their hearts that were afraid of being despised and ridiculed for
experiencing God’s presence, and that were especially afraid of being despise and ridiculed for
talking about perceiving and connecting with God. However, this fearful resistance to the whole
Immanuel approach process has progressively subsided as they persistently worked to resolve the
underlying traumatic memories. Furthermore, each time the recipient would finally be able to
spend time with Jesus, her desire to spend more time with Jesus would grow, her loyalty to Jesus
would grow, and her courage and capacity would grow. As these positive experiences with Jesus
accumulated, the recipient would begin to respond with, “I will spend time with the Lord, and
talk about it, regardless of the consequences!” even though there were still many despised-and-
ridiculed-for-her-faith memories that were not yet resolved.

Now, after many hours of persistent Immanuel approach work, these people almost always
connect with God quickly and easily at the beginning of each session, and the healing work
almost always flows smoothly and easily. Furthermore, most of these recipients have also been
experiencing increasingly easy, frequent, and rich connections with God outside of sessions. For
example, one of the women in our Friday mentoring group, who initially had great difficulty with
perceiving or connecting even in sessions, now reports, “Every morning, when I wake up, one of
the first things I become aware of is Jesus next to me. I have an image of His face, right beside
me, and I sense His presence. Even before I get out of bed I am aware of Jesus’ loving, friendship
presence with me.”

**Note to draft version readers: I would like to include a few more stories of people who have
experienced steady progress as they have been persistent with Immanuel approach work over
time. If you have a good story, and especially specific experiences that would provide variety in
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 29 (New 6/24/14) Page 10 of 10

addition to what has already been presented (or slightly more detailed versions of the very brief
examples at the end of the chapter), please e-mail me ([email protected]).

Summary:
Again, I want to encourage you with the expectation of steady progress as you persist with
regular Immanuel approach work. Your ability to perceive God’s presence and connect with God
should progress steadily as you deliberately troubleshoot to remove blockages, as you indirectly
remove blockages by resolving trauma that contributes to blockages, and as you learn more about
God’s character and heart by spending time with Jesus. As you continue to remove blockages and
to build faith, I expect that you will become able to perceive God’s tangible presence and connect
with God more easily and more quickly, that you will perceive God’s presence and connect with
God more frequently and more predictably, that you will perceive God’s tangible presence with
more clarity, strength, and richness, that you will experience God’s presence as increasingly
personal, and that you will experience connections with God that are increasingly interactive and
attuning.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 30: Rita, Attachment Trauma, and Immanuel
(©Copyright 2012 K.D. Lehman MD, new 5/25/2012)
DRAFT

Many people have asked whether the Immanuel approach is effective in working with attachment
trauma. In short, our perception is that the Immanuel approach is the most effective intervention
we are aware of for every form of attachment trauma we are aware of. Beginning sessions with
appreciation and a positive connection with Jesus provides a very gentle start, and also gives the
person a safe place to come back to. Allowing Jesus to lead the process takes care of many
difficult judgment calls with respect to timing. Jesus can help the person build capacity at the
points they don’t initially have enough. And, finally, in the context of a person’s childhood
memories, the living presence of Jesus can actually fill the “holes” left by type A, or absence
wound trauma.1

I would like to make some additional comments about loss of primary attachment figures during
infancy (for example, the person loses her birth parents through adoption, or one or more of her
primary care givers dies or leaves). Most therapists agree that this is one of the most severe
attachment traumas a person can experience. In fact, almost all mental health professionals
studying attachment trauma believe that it is impossible to heal this particular wound. The
widespread belief is that it can be managed and moderated, but never healed; and this belief is
based on the observation that infants will not accept substitutes with respect to their primary
attachment figures. If an infant is in significant distress and wants her mother, nothing else and
nobody else will do. She can be temporarily distracted and/or soothed by babysitters, relatives,
pets, toys, and candy, but she will not be fully satisfied with anything/anybody other than her
mother. And if an infant is separated from her mother for an extended period, she can again be
temporarily distracted and/or soothed by babysitters, relatives, pets, toys, and candy; but
eventually she will experience increasingly intense distress, with corresponding increasingly
severe attachment trauma. Furthermore, it appears that people who have lost a primary care giver
in infancy will have an essentially parallel experience when trying to resolve these traumatic
memories. In the context of being inside the infant memories, the person will once again have the
intensely compelling perception that the only truly adequate solution is for her care giver to
return. Unfortunately, it is impossible to change history so that the person did not lose her mother
(or other primary care giver), and all therapeutic interventions are experienced as painfully
disappointing substitutes.

I would like to address this point with a story that could be titled, “Enter: Jesus, the one
exception.” This story takes place in the context of one of our mentoring groups, in which I was
facilitating a session for Rita, who was working on an early childhood memory of her primary
care giver (grandma) leaving. Our story begins with Rita inside a memory in which she is 18
months old. Grandma has been gone for way too long, Rita is feeling intense attachment pain,
and she is staring at the doorway that had framed her last view of Grandma, as she had waved
goodbye. At this point I coached Rita to make a heart invitation for Jesus to be with her in this
place, and to ask Jesus to help her perceive His presence.

As soon as we finished this prayer, Rita exclaimed, “Oh! I see Jesus now! He’s in the doorway,

1
Type A trauma, also known as absence wound trauma, is trauma caused by the absence of good
things that the person should have received.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 30 (New 5/25/12) Page 2 of 3

standing in exactly the same place where I last saw Grandma.” The rest of us in the group sat
quietly as Rita focused on Jesus, asked Him for help, and received His comfort. Rita’s facial
expression changed progressively from the initial distress of intense attachment pain to a quiet
smile, and after several minutes she announces, “I’m done. All the pain is resolved.”

Now, during the several weeks prior to this session I had been learning about attachment trauma
from Dr. Wilder, and he had been explaining (repeatedly, in detail) the information I summarized
above. Having just learned about how it is impossible to fully resolve this kind of trauma due to
the infants inability to accept any substitutes for her primary attachment figures, I thought I
would take advantage of such a nice opportunity to teach the group about these important
principles. So I responded to Rita’s announcement with something along the lines of, “It’s
wonderful that you feel so much better, now that you can perceive Jesus in the memory with you,
but what about the lingering attachment pain regarding your grandmother leaving?” Rita
promptly replied with, “There isn’t any lingering attachment pain. It’s gone. I feel fine, now that
I’m with Jesus.” I patiently explained to Rita and the group what Dr. Wilder had explained to me,
ending with, “So, since we know that this kind of trauma can never be fully resolved, there must
be lingering attachment pain somewhere. I think it will be a valuable learning example for all of
us to see how the person can receive dramatic comfort from Jesus being with her in the pain,
even though the pain is not fully resolved.”

At this point I turned to Rita, and asked her to scan carefully through the memory, please to find
the lingering attachment pain so that we could all have our learning experience. We all sit quietly
as Rita takes time to thoroughly scan through the memory, but when she opens her eyes she once
again announces that there isn’t any lingering pain. Rita and I go back and forth several times,
with me insisting that the memory can’t be fully healed – that there must be lingering attachment
pain somewhere, and with Rita insisting that there is no lingering pain or distress of any kind,
now that Jesus is with her in the memory. Finally, after another pause to scan through the
memory, Rita opens her eyes and comments, “Jesus says to tell you that He’s not a substitute,
and that’s why He can accomplish complete healing, even for this kind of early, primary
attachment figure trauma.” It was pretty obvious that I had no idea what she was talking about, so
she continued with additional clarification, “Jesus is showing me that all of Grandma’s love and
goodness – everything good in Grandma that I had bonded to – all of these things had been
coming from Him all along. Jesus is showing me an image in which he’s standing behind my
grandma, and I can see all of the love and goodness coming from Him, passing through
Grandma, and then coming to me – all of these good things had come to me through grandma,
but Jesus had always been the ultimate source.” Finally, she finished with, “So when Jesus fills
the place where Grandma used to be, it’s not like I’m accepting a substitute at all. I’m getting the
exact same love and goodness I had been getting from Grandma, except that now it’s even
stronger and purer, since it’s coming directly from Jesus, without passing through an imperfect
human filter.”2

2
Many months later, in a subsequent mentoring group meeting in which we were discussing the
Lord’s healing work regarding her infancy attachment trauma, Rita filled in some additional fun details
that she had forgotten to mention at the time of the original session. She said that when Jesus first
appeared in the memory, he was standing in exactly the same place that Grandma had been standing
when she had said goodbye, and that He was in the exact same body position that Grandma had been in
as she was saying goodbye. Furthermore, Jesus had continued to deliberately remind Rita of her of
Grandma throughout his interactions with her in the memory, perfectly imitating Grandma’s posture,
body language, and even speech mannerisms. “In every possible way, Jesus was showing me that He had
been present to me in and through my Grandma.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and. . .), Chapter 30 (New 5/25/12) Page 3 of 3

After pausing to sit in amazed silence for a while (probably with my mouth hanging open), I
blurted out something like, “Oh my goodness! This all makes complete sense! Jesus is the one
exception!” Several weeks later, during one of our regular phone consultations, I described Rita’s
session to Dr. Wilder and finished my narrative with, “So what do you think?” After a long
pause, during which he was probably experiencing a stunned amazement very similar to my
response during the group, he said, “Wow! I think you’re right. I think we’ve found the one
exception.”

Since the session just described, I have facilitated a number of similar sessions in which Jesus
has healed attachment wounds from the loss of a primary care giver in infancy.

An additional important point here is that the person (in the context of being inside the infant
memories) must allow the Lord to comfort them, and allow the Lord to heal them by standing in
the place of the lost care giver. Occasionally, as in Rita’s case, the person will quickly, gladly
accept Jesus in the place of the primary attachment figure that has been lost. However, the much
more common scenario is for the person to respond with something along the lines of, “I don’t
want Jesus, I want my Mom!” I have found that the most challenging, strategic task for the
Immanuel approach facilitator in these sessions has been to help the person get over this initial
painful bump, and then chose to allow the Lord to comfort them, and to allow the Lord to heal
them by standing in the place of the lost care giver. This was certainly the case for me, with
respect to my attachment trauma of being separated from my mother for a month at two years of
age. When I perceived Jesus’ presence in this memory, offering to comfort and care for me, my
initial response was essentially, “I will be tremendously grateful if you actually bring my Mom,
but I have no interest in accepting Your comfort and presence in her place.” In order to receive
comfort and healing from the Lord, I had to accept the painful reality that my mother did not
come back for a loooooong time, I had to surrender my angry, stubborn insistence on focusing all
my attention on finding a way to make Mom come now, and I had to chose to allow Jesus to
comfort me and be with me in her place.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 31: Counterfeit or Contaminated Interactive Connections (subtitle:
Basics for Beginners)
(©Copyright 2014 K.D. Lehman MD, New 9/9/14)
DRAFT

When I talk to people about the Immanuel approach, many express concern that our own minds
might be making up content that we mistake for God’s presence and guidance. People also worry
that demonic spirits might lead us astray by producing counterfeit experiences that we mistake
for interactive connection with the Lord. And people often express concern that even if we do
establish a genuine interactive connection with God, it could still be vulnerable to partial
contamination by various sources of error, confusion, or deception.

The first thing I want to say in response to these concerns is that I have been persistently
pleasantly surprised by how often the Immanuel approach works smoothly and easily, with the
recipient experiencing an interactive connection with God that is free from any major counterfeit
or contamination. This is what I have observed in the strong majority of sessions. (Maybe 85%?
Maybe even 95%?) Furthermore, my observation is that when we do encounter serious
counterfeit or contamination, the problem is usually fairly easy to expose and resolve.

Occasionally, recipients will get images and other content that is supposedly from God but that is
actually just coming from their own minds. For example, some people become anxious if they
don’t get anything that feels like it is clearly from God, and so their unconscious minds try to
“help” by fabricating the kind of images and thoughts that they think might be produced by an
interactive connection with the Lord. Or the healing work might be getting too close to certain
traumatic memories that the recipient is especially trying to avoid, and so her unconscious mind
cleverly produces a counterfeit Jesus that says something along the lines of, “You’ve worked on
this issue long enough and it’s time to move on now. Let’s spend some time just enjoying
positive memories together.”

Occasionally recipients will get images and other content that is supposedly from God but that is
actually coming from demonic spirits who are, of course, just trying to cause trouble. For
example, the recipient might perceive a counterfeit “Jesus” who reassures her that it’s okay to
continue having an affair with one of her co-workers, “as long as you really love him.” Or when
the recipient asks, “God, what do You want me to know about this?” she might immediately hear
words that she assumes to be coming from Jesus, but the “words from Jesus” are condemning
and non-relational. Or the recipient might see a counterfeit Jesus who tells her something like,
“It’s okay for you to be angry – you have a right to be angry.” Which may seem right and feel
really good initially, and I have even seen the true Lord Jesus say these exact words. But the true
Jesus will always eventually lead the recipient on to healing and forgiveness, after starting with
acknowledging the wrongness of what was done to her, validating her initial angry response, and
attuning to her pain. In contrast, further clarification will reveal that the false Jesus is just
encouraging her to remain stuck in bitterness.

And occasionally recipients will get content that actually is from God, but that is seriously
contaminated by a combination of distorted content from their own minds and distorted content
from demonic spirits. For example, some of my clients have particularly intense traumatic
memories that they are especially invested in avoiding. These clients are often able to start
sessions with perceiving Jesus’ presence and establishing a good interactive connection, but as

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 31: Counterfeit and Contaminated.... (New 9/9/14) Page 2 of 17

they spend time in the totally loving, safe, joyful presence of Jesus they sometimes feel like their
defenses are starting to soften, and then they become frightened that the forbidden memories will
start to leak out. At this point some part of the person’s unconscious mind often decides to
disrupt the process by causing the images of Jesus to become scary and/or confusing, and this
disruption is especially effective when the person allows demonic spirits to “help” with the task
of corrupting the connection with Jesus.

However, my assessment after facilitating, observing, and receiving many thousands of hours of
Immanuel approach sessions is that these major problems with counterfeit and/or contamination
are surprisingly rare, and that they are usually easy to deal with. People who have never tried
the Immanuel approach frequently ask about problems with serious counterfeit and/or
contamination. And people who are just starting with the Immanuel approach often worry about
major counterfeit and/or contamination. (In fact, these were some of my biggest questions and
concerns when I first started working with emotional healing prayer that included a component of
experiencing God’s living presence and receiving guidance from God.) But people who actually
use the Immanuel approach usually become less and less anxious about these uncommon
problems in proportion to their increasing experience. Again, in my own experience, over the
course of many thousands of sessions I have been consistently surprised by how often the
Immanuel approach works smoothly and easily, without any serious counterfeit or contamination,
and I have been further encouraged by how easy it has usually been to deal with the counterfeit
and contamination that we do encounter.

The second thing I want to say is that everybody has trouble with minor counterfeit and/or
contamination. Nobody is able to perceive the Lord’s presence or guidance with perfect, 100%
accuracy. Even when we are able to establish a strong, clear interactive connection with the Lord,
unconscious avoidance, subtle self deception, the complexity of the neurological processes
involved, physical trauma in our fallen biological brains, psychological trauma in our fallen
minds, internal dissociated parts with complex agenda, and deliberate demonic interference can
all get in the way of perceiving the Lord’s presence and guidance with 100% accuracy. This is
why we need to remain humble with respect to any content we receive in the context of
Immanuel approach sessions – we should always consider the possibility that the details of our
perceptions of God’s presence and the details of content we perceive to be coming from God
could be at least slightly contaminated by deliberate counterfeit, and/or unconscious distortion,
and/or simple honest mistakes.

So, my overview summary is as follows: 1) Beginners can be less worried than they might
initially expect regarding serious counterfeit and contamination. Another way to say this is, don’t
let fear about deception, confusion, or error stop you from getting started with the Immanuel
approach. 2) Facilitators and recipients should always be humbly, non-anxiously aware of the
possibility that minor counterfeit and/or contamination could be slipping into the interactive
connection. Another way to say this is, don’t present your Immanuel approach experiences to the
rest of the world as if they are 100% infallible divine revelation. And 3) Anyone facilitating
Immanuel approach work on a regular basis should be prepared for the occasional session in
which counterfeit and contamination are significant issues. This is uncommon but it does
happen. And, fortunately, there are principles and tools that are consistently effective for
exposing and resolving these problems.

Basic tests for verifying the genuine and exposing counterfeit/contamination: As I embark
on the discussion of specific tests for either verifying genuine connection with God or exposing
counterfeit and contamination, I would like to say again (and again, and again) that beginners
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 31: Counterfeit and Contaminated.... (New 9/9/14) Page 3 of 17

should not let fear about deception, confusion, or error hinder them from getting started with the
Immanuel approach. First, as mentioned above, significant problems with counterfeit or
contaminated interactive connections are surprisingly uncommon. And second, if you do
encounter significant counterfeit or contamination as a beginning facilitator, all you need to do is
1) use one of the basic tests described below to recognize that there is a problem, 2) troubleshoot
to the best of your ability as a beginner,1 and 3) if you are not able to find and resolve the source
of the problem, just close the session by helping the recipient get back to the safety net positive
memory and interactive connection from the beginning of the session.2 Then, after the session
has been closed, you can either refer the person to a facilitator with more knowledge and
experience or you can take your own game to the next level by studying our advanced material
and/or obtaining a consultation.

Basic test number one: is it consistent with scripture? Truths presented in scripture
provide many reference points that can either reassure us that the recipient’s experiences are
really from God or alert us to the presence of counterfeit and contamination. God will not do
anything in an Immanuel session that contradicts the truths he has given us in scripture.

Reference points provided by biblical truths are an especially valuable resource for those who
have spent a lot of time studying the Bible. For those who know the Bible well enough to be
aware of both the foundational principles presented across the whole body of scripture and
who can also remember many specific verses, scriptural truth provides a huge, wide, deep,
constant background of reference points. For example, when people experience God’s
presence and truth in Immanuel sessions that I am facilitating, multiple verses usually come
quickly to my mind, confirming and supporting the content that the recipient describes. And
when people report questionable content, I often spontaneously think of specific verses that
reinforce my intuitive caution that something is amiss.

However, we have a wonderful problem: many people now experimenting with the
Immanuel approach are new believers who are just getting acquainted with the Bible, or even
non-Christians with essentially no exposure to the Bible. For these people, who may not
know the difference between the old testament and the new testament, who may not know the
names of the four gospels, and whose most significant exposure to Biblical characters might
be movies like The DeVinci Code, looking at a huge, complicated, unfamiliar book and
asking, “Are the details of this session consistent with scripture?” might not seem very
helpful.

Fortunately, the most important, huge, overarching reference point throughout the whole
body of scripture can be summarized quickly and easily, even for non-Christian beginners
who are just discovering the Bible. LOVE. With respect to love, Jesus says,

1
In many situations, even just the basic troubleshooting described in chapters twelve and thirteen
will quickly reveal and resolve the source of counterfeit and contamination. For example, just coaching
the recipient to ask simple questions, such as, “Lord, what’s in the way of my being able to perceive your
true presence? What do You want me to know about this counterfeit?” and “How can I cooperate with
Your plan to resolve this problem” will often expose and resolve the source of counterfeit or
contamination.
2
If you are concerned that the initial connection with God may also be counterfeit or
contaminated, then help the recipient get back to a calm, safe place by coaching her to think about a non-
God positive memory and helping her to deliberately stir up appreciation.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 31: Counterfeit and Contaminated.... (New 9/9/14) Page 4 of 17

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets
are based on these two commandments.” (Lk 22:37-40)

With respect to love, the apostle Paul says,

“If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn’t love others, I would
only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift
of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about
everything, but didn’t love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so
that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to
anybody. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could
boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does
not demand it’s own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been
wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love
never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every
circumstance.
Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special
knowledge will all disappear....There are three things that will endure–faith, hope, and
love–and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:1-13).

And the apostle John says,

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who
loves is born of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know
God–for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into
the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that
we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one
has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been
brought to full expression through us....God is love, and all who live in love live in God,
and God lives in them.” (1 John 4:7-12,16).

Just these three references make it pretty clear that love is not only hugely important, but at
the very center of God’s character and heart. Therefore, even if you are a total neophyte with
respect to the Bible, you can still use the “Is it consistent with scripture” test. Just start with
the “love” test: if the recipient describes a presence that is not loving, you can be sure that
they are not interacting with the presence of God, and if the recipient describes thoughts or
other content that are not loving, you can be sure that these thoughts and content are not
coming from God. I strongly encourage newcomers to dive into the Bible,3 but it will take
some time to gain confidence with a more sophisticated version of “Is it consistent with
scripture?” In the mean time, “Is the recipient interacting with a presence who is loving?”
and, “Is the recipient receiving content that is loving?” will cover a lot of ground.

3
I recommend beginning with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the fast-moving narratives of the
life of Jesus at the beginning of the New Testament.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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Basic test number two: “Check the fruit.” The second basic test for beginners is to watch
for observable change, either positive or negative. Or, as some people say, “Check the fruit.”

Immediate fruit: If the recipient is experiencing the presence of God, she will usually
report and display gratitude, peace, and joy, even just at the beginning of the session with
the initial interactive connection. And there will be a positive change that is pretty easy to
observe if the recipient is not feeling so good when she first comes in. For example, if she
begins the session feeling lonely and disconnected, when she establishes the initial
interactive connection with the living presence of God she will report feeling connected,
understood, and loved instead of feeling alone, and you will observe a change as she goes
from being visibly unhappy/sad to being visibly content and joyful.

Positive change is particularly easy to notice when the recipient works with God to heal
traumatic memories. For example, if the Lord takes the person to a painful experience
that included intense anxiety, the person will feel intense anxiety as she talks about and
connects with the memory. She will report the she is feeling anxious and she will also
display anxiety that the facilitator can easily observe. And then the anxiety will resolve as
she experiences God’s presence with her, inside the memory, and works with the Lord to
take care of any unfinished processing tasks. She will report that her subjective
experience of anxiety has been replaced by peace, and the facilitator will be able to
observe sudden and dramatic calming.

Or if the Lord takes the person to a traumatic experience that included intense guilt and
shame, the person will feel painfully unpleasant guilt and shame as she talks about and
connects with the memory. She will report the she is feeling guilty, shameful, and dirty,
and she will also display guilt and shame that the facilitator can easily observe. And then
the negative emotions will resolve as she experiences God’s presence with her, inside the
memory, and works with the Lord to resolve the toxic content. She will report that her
subjective experience of feeling guilty, dirty, and shameful has been replaced by feeling
forgiven and clean, and the facilitator will be able to observe sudden and dramatic
resolution of visible shame and discomfort.

Or if the Lord takes the person to a painful experience that included bitterness and anger,
the person will feel bitterness and anger as she talks about and connects with the memory.
She will report the she is feeling bitter and angry and she will also display bitterness and
anger that the facilitator can easily observe. And then the bitterness and anger will resolve
as she experiences God’s presence with her, inside the memory, and works with the Lord
to take care of any unfinished processing tasks. She will report that her subjective
experience of feeling bitter and angry has been replaced by feeling forgiveness and
compassion, and the facilitator will be able to observe the transformation from visible
bitterness and anger to visible kindness and peace.

The good news is that the presence of these kinds of immediate observable positive
changes almost always confirms that the recipient’s perceptions of God’s presence and
interactions with God are basically genuine,4 and the absence of these kinds of observable

4
I say “basically genuine” because observable fruit does not rule out minor counterfeit and/or
contamination. Whenever the recipient displays genuine fruit, you know that the core of the interactive
connection must have been genuine since the fruit confirms that the recipient experienced real healing.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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positive changes almost always signals that there is a serious problem with counterfeit
and/or contamination. There are rare exceptions, but more good news is that these rare
exceptions can always eventually be identified by watching for lasting, accumulating
positive changes over time.

In contrast to short-term positive changes, negative emotions immediately associated with

supposed interactive God connections are always a valuable warning. The short summary
for beginners goes like this: “If the recipient thinks they are perceiving God’s presence
and/or thinks they are receiving content from God, but the presence and/or content makes
them feel anxious, disappointed, condemned, or any other variation of “Bad,” then the
presence they are perceiving is not God’s presence and the content they are receiving is
not from God. If a presence makes you feel bad then it’s not God, and if content makes
you feel bad then it’s not from God – whenever you see this picture, you know you have
serious counterfeit and/or contamination.5

Lasting, long-term fruit that accumulates over time: One of the most reassuring points
with respect to the possibility of counterfeit or contamination is that even rare, subtle,
sophisticated counterfeit and/or contamination will eventually be exposed by the absence
of lasting, long-term fruit. When you do observe lasting, long-term fruit steadily
accumulating over time you can be increasingly confident that the recipient is
experiencing genuine interactive connections with the living presence of God, and when
you do not see lasting, long-term fruit accumulating over time you can be increasingly
confident that significant counterfeit and/or contamination must be present.6

There are two very specific reference points that you can easily, deliberately,
systematically observe over time and that provide an 100% accurate gold-standard
indication regarding whether or not the recipient’s interactive connections with God are
basically genuine.7 The first reference point is whether or not specific issues in specific
memories remain resolved. For example, if the true Jesus takes the recipient to a memory

But it’s still possible that there may have been small pieces of minor counterfeit and/or contamination.
5
There is actually a rare exception (discussed in the advanced section below), but in the vast
majority of cases, if a presence makes you feel bad then it’s not God and if content makes you feel bad
then it’s not from God. Furthermore, beginners don’t even need to worry about this rare exception. If the
recipient feels bad as a result of interacting with a presence that is supposed to be God, just troubleshoot
to the best of your ability regarding possible counterfeit and/or contamination. If your troubleshooting
doesn’t identify and resolve the problem, just end the session by helping the person get back to the safety
net positive memory and appreciation. Then, after the session has been safely concluded, learn more by
studying our advanced material, obtain consultation, or make a referral.
6
Even if the counterfeit and/or contamination are so subtle and sophisticated that you can’t see
them directly, you can be sure that they are present if you do not see any lasting fruit, and then you can
either study our advanced material, obtain consultation, or refer the person to a more experienced
facilitator.
7
I say “basically genuine” because these lasting, long-term fruit reference points do not rule out
minor counterfeit and/or contamination. For any session that produces long-term verifiable fruit, you
know that the core of the interactive connection must have been genuine since the fruit confirms that the
recipient experienced real healing. But it’s still possible that there may have been small pieces of minor
counterfeit and/or contamination.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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of being molested and then works with her to resolve the shame in the memory, she can
go back to that memory at any point in the future and the shame will still be gone.8 There
may be other issues lingering in the memory. (For example, if there is a fear component
in the recipient’s memory of being molested and this piece was not addressed in the
earlier session, then it will still be there.) But if a recipient has a genuine interactive
connection with Jesus and he works with her to resolve a specific issue in a specific
memory, then at any point in the future she can go back to that memory and verify that
the specific issue in question is still resolved.

The second very specific reference point is whether or not the recipient experiences
lasting, long-term, observable improvement with respect to triggered reactions. For
example, let’s say the recipient has had a longstanding exaggerated fearful response to
driving in the rain, but then Jesus leads her to a childhood memory in which her family
had a frightening accident in just the kind of driving conditions that have always triggered
her. Furthermore, let’s say that she and Jesus work through the memory to the point that
the fear component is completely resolved. If she truly perceived the presence of Jesus
and if her interactions with him were genuine, then her longstanding triggered fear when
driving in the rain will go away and stay away. A month later, six months later, and five
years later she will observe that she no longer experiences the old triggered fear when she
drives in the rain.

Or let’s say that the recipient has had a longstanding exaggerated angry response to
people not showing up on time, but then, over the course of a series of sessions, Jesus
leads her to a number of different childhood memories in which her parents were
painfully late for birthday parties, piano recitals, and other special events. Furthermore,
let’s say that she and Jesus work through each of these painful memories to the point that
both the pain and the associated anger at her parents are completely resolved. If she was
truly perceiving the presence of Jesus in each of these sessions and if her interactions with
him were genuine, then her longstanding exaggerated anger in response to people being
late will slowly but steadily resolve. It will become less intense each time another
tardiness-trauma memory is identified and resolved, and it will eventually resolve
completely as she and Jesus finish working through the whole network of memories in
which she was hurt by her parents being late. Furthermore, the stepwise improvements
will remain from month to month, and once the issue has been fully resolve it will remain
resolved. Four months later, a year later, and three years later she will observe that she no
longer experiences the old triggered anger when someone doesn’t show up on time.9

In fact, I find lasting, accumulating fruit with respect to specific memories and specific
triggers to be so valuable in confirming genuine interactions with God that I think this
benefit alone is reason enough for all of us to include traumatic memory work as a regular
part of our Immanuel approach lifestyles. In addition to all of the other benefits associated
with healing, watching for the lasting, accumulating fruit that should always come with

8
Actually, there are usually some splinters remaining after an initial major healing, but the core
of the specific issue in the specific memory will remain resolved.
9
If you are working with an issue that is anchored in hundreds (or even thousands) of memories
scattered throughout the persons entire childhood, the improvement will be very slow as you work
through the large pile of trauma. However, you will still observe steadily accumulating, lasting
improvement over time.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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true trauma resolution is the easiest, most reliable way to make sure that we are not being
fooled by subtle counterfeit or contamination.

Summary regarding how to use the basic tests for beginners:

Conflicts with scripture: If the recipient describes a presence that is not consistent with the
God presented in scripture, you can assume that the interactive connection is counterfeit (or
at least seriously contaminated). And if the recipient reports content that is supposedly
coming from God but that is not consistent with the truths presented in scripture, you can
assume that the content is counterfeit (or at least seriously contaminated).10 When you
encounter conflicts with scripture, troubleshoot to the best of your ability as a beginner. (In
many situations, even just the basic troubleshooting described in chapters twelve and thirteen
will quickly reveal and resolve the source of counterfeit and contamination.) If you can’t find
and resolve the source of counterfeit and/or contamination, then just help the recipient get
back to the safety net positive memory, appreciation, and initial connection. And then, once
the session has been safely closed, study our advanced material, obtain consultation, or refer
the person to a facilitator with more knowledge and experience.

Short term, immediate fruit (observations during the session, by the end of the session): If the
recipient reports and displays observable positive change, she is almost always experiencing
basically genuine interactive connections. Great! Keep doing what you’re doing. The way you
are facilitating is good enough. The recipient is almost certainly experiencing a genuine
interactive connection with the Lord, and she is almost certainly receiving genuine healing.
(On rare occasions there will be a very subtle, sophisticated counterfeit interactive
connection, and this subtle counterfeit will produce apparent short term fruit that initially
looks good but that is actually fake. The good news is that there is no immediate harm
associated with this scenario,11 and more good news is that you can always eventually catch
these subtle counterfeits if you watch for lasting, accumulating, long-term fruit. So the
bottom line is the same: keep doing what you’re doing, and watch for long-term, lasting,
accumulating fruit.)

In contrast, if the recipient appears to be perceiving God’s presence and interacting with God
but you do not observe short term positive changes, then the process is definitely not
working. If the person just doesn’t display any positive changes, then either the apparent
interactive connection is counterfeit or the recipient is perceiving the genuine presence of
God but blockages prevent the recipient from emotionally connecting with the Lord.12 When

10
The one caveat I would like to include is that we should always consider the small possibility
that we are misinterpreting the meaning of scripture. The Bible is a big and complicated book, and many
earnest believers have made errors in interpreting it’s meaning. Again for Bible beginners: remember that
God is loving.
11
A long-term problem will develop if the facilitator does not catch the lack of lasting,
accumulating, long-term fruit. Eventually, the recipient will falsely conclude that the Immanuel approach
isn’t really that valuable, since the fake short term fruit will mysteriously melt away without leaving any
lasting benefit. However, the beginning facilitator can prevent this problem by noticing the lack of
lasting, accumulating fruit, and then addressing the source of the subtle counterfeit by learning more,
obtaining consultation, or making a referral.
12
Even if the person is truly perceiving and interacting with God, if she is not able to feel the
Lord’s presence and is not able to connect emotionally, she will not be able to receive significant healing

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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you encounter this pattern, just troubleshoot to the best of your ability as a beginner. (Again,
in many situations even just basic troubleshooting will quickly reveal and resolve the source
of counterfeit and contamination.) If you can’t find and resolve the source of counterfeit
and/or contamination and/or blockage, just help the recipient get back to the safety net
positive memory, appreciation, and initial connection. And then, once the session has been
safely closed, study our advanced material, obtain consultation, or refer the person to a
facilitator with more knowledge and experience.

And with respect to actual negative changes, if the recipient thinks they are perceiving God’s
presence and/or thinks they are receiving content from God but the presence and/or content
makes them feel bad instead of good, then the presence they are perceiving is not God’s
presence and the content they are receiving is not from God.13 Again, just troubleshoot to the
best of your ability as a beginner, and if you can’t find and resolve the source of counterfeit
and/or contamination and/or blockage just help the recipient get back to the safety net
positive memory, appreciation, and initial connection. Then, once the session has been safely
closed, study our advanced material, obtain consultation, or refer the person to a facilitator
with more knowledge and experience.

Long term fruit (ongoing observations over weeks, months, and years): If you observe lasting,
long-term fruit accumulating over time, then you know that the recipient is having adequate
interactive connections with the genuine presence of God. This confirmation of authenticity
is good enough for you to continue and to feel good about what you are doing. Lasting,
accumulating fruit doesn’t guarantee that every interactive connection in every single session
is 100% genuine or that 100% of the content received from the Lord is perfectly accurate.14
But it does confirm that what you’re doing is good enough. Keep going, it will only get
better. (Your skill and discernment will keep getting better as you accumulate more
experience, and the recipient’s interactive connection with the Lord will keep getting better as
she keeps resolving traumatic memories and other issues.)

In contrast, if you do not observe lasting, accumulating fruit, then the process is definitely not
working. Either the apparent interactive connection is counterfeit, or the recipient is
perceiving the genuine presence of God but blockages prevent the recipient from emotionally

or benefit. This uncommon phenomena is discussed in more detail below, in the section discussing
advanced counterfeit and contamination.
13
As mention above, there is a rare exception (discussed in chapter thirty-three). But in the vast
majority of cases, if a presence makes you feel bad then it’s not God and if content makes you feel bad
then it’s not from God. And, again, beginners don’t even need to worry about this rare exception. If the
recipient feels bad as a result of interacting with a presence that is supposed to be God, you can be 100%
sure that something is not working the way it’s supposed to. Just troubleshoot to the best of your ability
regarding possible counterfeit and/or contamination. If your troubleshooting doesn’t identify and resolve
the problem, just end the session by helping the person get back to the safety net positive memory and
appreciation. Then, after the session has been safely concluded, learn more by studying our advanced
material, obtain consultation, or make a referral.
14
As mentioned earlier, this is never the case any way, since none of us are able to perceive
God’s presence with 100% fidelity or receive content from the Lord with perfect accuracy.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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connecting with the Lord.15 When you become aware of the lack of lasting, accumulating
fruit, troubleshoot to the best of your ability as a beginner. (Once again, in many situations
even just basic troubleshooting will quickly reveal and resolve the source of counterfeit and
contamination.) If you find and resolve the counterfeit and/or blockage, great! Keep working
and keep watching. If you have, indeed, found and fixed the problem then you will start to
see lasting fruit begin to accumulate. However, if you are not able to identify and resolve the
counterfeit and/or blockage, simply take the person back to the positive memory appreciation
safety net. And then, after the session has been safely closed, study our advanced material
and/or obtain consultation and/or refer the person to a more experienced facilitator. (The
good news is that this kind of subtle counterfeit and/or blockage does not cause any
immediate harm, so you don’t need to worry about just closing the session and then taking
time to get additional help.)16

I want to end this discussion of basic tests for beginners by repeating my earlier
encouragement: you should not let fear about deception, confusion, or error hinder you from
getting started with the Immanuel approach. As you can see, these basic tests for beginners
are easy to remember because they are so simple and they make so much sense. They are also
pretty easy to use and very reliable. In most situations, you will quickly and easily get a sense
that your are basically on the right track, that the interactive connections are basically
genuine, and that you are providing good enough Immanuel approach facilitation. And when
you do encounter counterfeit or contamination, basic troubleshooting will often identify and
resolve the problem. Furthermore, on the rare occasion that these basic tests indicate that
there is something more complicated going on, you can just end the session by helping the
recipient get back to the safety net initial positive memory, appreciation, and connection with
Jesus. And then, after the session has been safely concluded, study our advanced material,
obtain consultation, or refer the person to a facilitator with more knowledge and experience.

Content that is unexpected, surprising, and even beyond us: Many recipients experience
interactions with God that are unexpected and surprising, and this provides additional
reassurance, especially with respect to the concern that the content might just be coming from the
recipient’s own mind or as a result of suggestion from the facilitator. Hand puppets provide a
good analogy. When you are playing with hand puppets, you can pretend to have a conversation
with one of the puppets but you are never surprised by anything that your hand puppet says or
does. And this is, of course, because everything the hand puppet is supposedly thinking and
saying is actually just coming from your own mind. Likewise, if a supposed interaction with God
is actually just coming from the recipient and/or facilitator, they will not be surprised by
unexpected developments. In contrast, if the recipient is truly interacting with the living presence
of God, the Lord will regularly come up with stuff that neither the recipient nor facilitator are
expecting. Furthermore, sometimes the Lord does things and reveals things that are not just
unexpected and surprising, but also beyond anything that we could humanely come up with, and
this provides even more reassurance.

15
Again, even if the person is truly perceiving and interacting with God, if she is not able to feel
the Lord’s presence and is not able to connect emotionally, she will not be able to receive significant
healing or benefit.
16
The long term concern is that the person will become discouraged and mistakenly conclude that
the Immanuel approach doesn’t work.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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For example, in the work with Rita that I described in the chapter about letting Jesus drive,17 both
Rita and I were totally surprised by the brilliant little maneuver that Jesus pulled off at the end of
the session. Taking Rita to a smaller memory with the same issue, practicing the plan for
resolving the issue in that safe, easy context, and then coming back to resolve the more intense
memory that had previously seemed impossible. And all this in maybe fifteen minutes. Wow. We
were not just surprised – we were in awe. This last piece of the session was not just unexpected,
it was one of the most effective, efficient, brilliant, elegant, creative therapy interventions that
either of us had ever seen. We knew that the guidance regarding this intervention had not come
from either of us, both because it had surprised us and because it was beyond us. Therefore, we
could be particularly confident that it had truly come from Jesus.18

My own healing journey provides a few more examples. In the candy store memory described
earlier,19 I was totally surprised when Jesus suddenly appeared next to me. I had already had
hundreds of previous emotional healing sessions without ever perceiving God’s personal
presence in any tangible way, and I had come to accept that I simply didn’t get visual images of
Jesus in my memories. As I was going through the session, the possibility of seeing Jesus in the
memory had not even occurred to me. So I was totally surprised when he suddenly appeared next
to me.

My interactions with Jesus regarding my friend, Thomas,20 provide another example. When Jesus
responded to my comment about Thomas being with him in heaven, the quickness and energy
with which he turned his face towards me, and the intensity of his smile, were all so striking that
they actually startled me slightly. And my interactions with Jesus at the THRIVE seminar
provide yet another example.21 I can still remember what I was thinking and feeling as I was
complaining at the end of the little devotional exercise – I was fully expecting to conclude the
exercise by being stuck in the familiar place of disappointment and frustration. I can assure you
that I was not expecting to suddenly get a mental image of Jesus’ face, have a sense of him
chuckling good-naturedly, and then have the clear thought come into my mind, “Just because you
can accurately guess that I’m here and that I’m glad to be with you doesn’t make it not true – just
because you accurately deduce these truths doesn’t disqualify them!” I did not see that coming.

Each of these Immanuel interactions included a piece that totally surprised me – that I wasn’t
looking for or expecting, and that I would never have predicted if you had stopped the session
immediately previous and asked me what I thought would come next.

An Immanuel story from a successful business man in South Carolina provides several more
good examples. The biggest dream in Ben’s life had been his marriage to Courtney, and when
she had had an affair, and then filed for divorce and left him to be with this other man, ben
decided that it was too vulnerable and too painful to have dreams. So he decided to just stop

17
Pages six through nine of chapter twenty-five.
18
Note that this guidance from the Lord had already passed the tests of Biblical consistency and
good fruit. The observation that it surprised us and that it was beyond us provides additional “bonus”
reassurance that it was not just coming from Rita’s own mind or as a response to suggestion from me.
19
See page three of chapter twenty-eight.
20
Page seven of chapter two
21
Page four of chapter twenty-eight

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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dreaming. He also decided to withdraw from Courtney as another way to protect himself from the
otherwise unbearable pain. He figured that if he stopped caring about her then it wouldn’t hurt so
much. Unfortunately (and ironically), even though she had been the one to leave him, his
emotional withdrawal triggered intense rejection pain from her childhood, and she responded
with persistent, flaming animosity towards Ben.22 She did everything she could to make his life
miserable, and even though they had to interact regularly in order to co-parent their five young
children, they had not had a single civil conversation in the eight years since the divorce.

Fortunately, Ben is in a men’s bible study group with a friend of ours who knows about the
Immanuel approach, and one day as they were talking about Ben’s decision to give up dreaming,
John suggested that Ben try asking Jesus about the whole issue in the context of an Immanuel
session. Initially Ben wasn’t too keen on the idea. First of all, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to
talk to Jesus about his decision to not have dreams. And second, he didn’t think the Immanuel
approach would work with him – he was a cognitive, logical, left-brain, analytical, “fact-based”
person, and he had never had the kind of emotional, experiential encounters with God that John
and the other men described from their Immanuel sessions. But he eventually agreed to try it
anyway (with some coaxing from John), and he was moderately amazed by the results. He had an
intense, vivid, poignant, beautiful, healing, interactive Jesus encounter unlike anything he had
ever experienced before.23

It took him a while to process this dramatically surprising, intense first experience, but eventually
he realized, “Hey, I would like to do that again – I would like to see Jesus like that again, and I
would like to talk to Jesus like that again.” So he and John found a time for another session, and
within minutes of starting the session Ben was once again having a vivid, profound encounter
with the living presence of Jesus. “Wow! Amazing! I can’t believe it – it’s happening again!”
After enjoying several poignant, beautiful, initial interactions totally initiated by Jesus, Ben
asked, “So, Lord, what do you want to talk about today?” And then came the real surprise: in this
cheerful, happy tone of voice, Jesus popped out with, “Let’s talk about how much we both love
Courtney!”

“Whoa!!! What did you just say?!”

“Surprised” would actually be quite inadequate for describing his reaction to this unexpected
development. A combination of “shocked,” “outraged,” “dumbfounded,” “completely taken off
guard” and “offended” would be a lot closer to the truth. “What do you mean, you want to talk
about how much we love Courtney? That’s not even on the table!”

His love for Courtney was locked in a box and hidden in a closet, where it could no longer cause
him any pain. He didn’t want to think about loving Courtney, he didn’t want to talk about loving
Courtney, and he certainly didn’t want to feel loving Courtney. But the Lord seemed pretty set on
the idea, so eventually, begrudging, in a bit of a daze, he responded with, “Well, if it’s so
important to you, you can go first.”

22
As described below, this is something that Jesus revealed to Ben in one of his Immanuel
sessions, and Courtney has actually acknowledged this dynamic in a conversation with Ben from just a
few weeks ago.
23
The details from this first Immanuel session actually provide some pretty good examples of
“unexpected, surprising, and beyond us,” but I skip ahead to Ben’s second session because it provides
even better examples.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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And then came the next big surprise. The moment Ben finished this thought, vivid, intense
memories began flooding into his mind. And he wasn’t just remembering these experiences, he
was reliving them, in vivid, intense, multi-sensory, technicolor detail. Furthermore, for this first
set of memories during which it was Jesus’ turn, he re-experienced the events as Jesus
remembered them, from Jesus’ outside observer perspective. It was as if he actually was Jesus,
sitting in their living room and sharing Christmas morning with himself, Courtney, and their
children. He could see himself and Courtney – Courtney was leaning against him as they both sat
on the floor next to the Christmas tree, and they were laughing together as they watched the kids
open their presents. He could see the lights twinkling, he could distinctly hear each of the kids’
voices, he could hear the fire crackling, he could smell the pine fragrance of the tree, and he
could feel the intense satisfaction and joy that Jesus had experience in sharing Christmas
morning with he and his family.

And then he was outside, observing through Jesus’ eyes as he and his family were camping
together. They were all sitting around the fire at dusk, a little dirty but relaxed and comfortable in
their camp chairs. One child was whittling on a limb, another was poking a stick into the coals,
and the youngest was on his mother’s lap. Everybody was having fun and Courtney was laughing
again.

And then he was at a playground, watching through Jesus’ eyes as they were all having fun
together. “The kids were on the climbing toys, and Courtney was actually chasing them through
the climbing toys, like we used to do when they were little.” He could see them scrambling
wildly and hear them squealing and giggling as they frantically tried to evade their “monster”
mommy.

And then he was back home, in their backyard pool, once again remembering/reliving the
experience from Jesus’ perspective. “Everybody was having a great time. The kids were
swimming, and jumping, and splashing. I was laughing, and my oldest boy, Samuel, was
hollering as I tossed him into the water. Courtney was in the shallow end, holding the baby – the
youngest of our children – and we were all happy.”

Eventually the flow of memories slowed, and Jesus said, “Okay, now it’s your turn.” But Ben
still couldn’t find any of his own positive memories with Courtney, so he responded with,
“Remind me, Lord.” And as soon as he had said this, a new flood of memories began, with the
same vivid, multi-sensory, technicolor, re-experiencing intensity. However, in contrast to earlier
in the session when it had been “Jesus’ turn,” with these memories for which Jesus was just
“reminding” him of his own experiences, Ben remembered/re-experienced the events from the
first person perspective of being inside himself.

He remembered (relived) falling in love with Courtney as a college student at their church youth
camp. His group had arrived late, and as he got out of the van he could see her running across the
field, so excited to see him. And once again he was dazzled by her amazing smile. He
remembered (relived) how proud and triumphant they had both felt as they finished installing the
blue tile they had chosen to go around the fireplace in the old farmhouse that was their first
home. He remembered (relived) sitting across from her at the kitchen table, hearing her laugh and
thinking that her rainbow ski sweater was both crazy and wonderful. And he remembered
(relived) many other fun, special, beautiful things they had enjoyed together during their
courtship, during their newlywed days, and through the many years of their long marriage.

One after another after another after another, Jesus took him to joyful, positive memories of his
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 31: Counterfeit and Contaminated.... (New 9/9/14) Page 14 of 17

relationship with Courtney from before the conflict, from before the breakdown of the marriage.
“And I could feel the Lord’s joy in being with us, I could feel his love for Courtney. And I was
filled with Jesus’ joy and love for Courtney. It was like drinking out of a fire hose.” When the
flow of memories finally stopped, “It was like Jesus said, ‘See. We do love Courtney.’” And it
was true. Walking with Jesus through all of these vivid, poignant, beautiful experiences that he
had shared with Courtney had totally shifted his thoughts and feelings towards her. Ben had spent
eight years trying to believe that she was not valuable or important, trying to not care about her,
and trying to not love her; but this amazing memory review with Jesus had reminded him of why
she was valuable and important, had restored his care for her, and had even restored his love for
her.

And then came yet another surprise. “After all this, Jesus says, ‘You owe Courtney an apology’
And I’m like, ‘Whoa! Wait a minute! I thought she was the one who left me?!’” And Jesus
responded with, “Yes Ben, that’s true, but when she left and you decided to stop loving her, she
felt the rejection that her father had given her growing up. And when you decided that she was no
longer important, she saw her father ignoring her when she would misbehave. And it deeply
wounded her.”

“As I listened to these thoughts from Jesus, this wave of realization washed over me. All of a
sudden I realized that all the crazy stuff she had been doing for these last eight years – all the
stuff that felt like she was trying to ruin our lives – she was just reacting to her dad. I had thought
that she was just wicked, but Jesus showed me that all of her attempts to disrupt my life had
actually just been frantic, thrashing attempts to deal with the pain from her childhood.” When he
was finished with this piece, in addition to all of the other new thoughts and feelings, Ben had
clear understanding and deep compassion regarding all of Courtney’s hurtful behavior.

Furthermore, it seems that the changes in Ben’s thoughts and emotions were so palpable that they
produced a dramatic change in Courtney, even before she had any conscious understanding
regarding what had happened. For example, shortly after this Immanuel session, Ben’s oldest
son, Samuel, graduated from college, and instead of deliberately excluding him, Courtney invited
Ben to the after-graduation party that she had planned for Samuel. Ben was surprised to be
invited, and he was absolutely astonished to get through the evening without any angry or toxic
behavior from Courtney. In fact, he couldn’t even feel any tension between he and Courtney. And
then the next day she invited him to join she and the children for lunch. “We went to Cracker
Barrel, we got a big table, and we sat around that table like a family. We passed food around to
share, we laughed, we carried on, and we told stories. I was dumbfounded – it was surreal – I
couldn’t get my mind around the fact that this was happening.”

And finally, several weeks ago, Ben got together with Courtney to make the apology Jesus had
encouraged him to make. He explained how he had decided to withdraw from her as part of
trying to protect himself, he shared with her the insights Jesus had revealed to him about how she
might have experience his emotional withdrawal, and he apologized for hurting her. After a long
pause, she quietly acknowledged that, yes, she had experienced Ben’s withdrawal exactly as
Jesus had explained. “And then, with tears in her eyes, she said something I never thought I
would hear. She said she was sorry for everything that had happened. That she had been in a bad
place, and that she really grieved over the choices she had made.”

And remember, prior to the last couple of months they had not had a single civil conversation in
eight years, and it had usually felt like Courtney was doing everything in her power to destroy his
life.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 31: Counterfeit and Contaminated.... (New 9/9/14) Page 15 of 17

Returning to the point I’m trying to make with respect to “unexpected, surprising, and beyond
us,” Ben knew that this experience had not just come from his own imagination, since several of
the key thoughts from Jesus and also the amazing memory review had not just surprised, but
shocked and astonished him. Furthermore, he knew that he could not have manufactured the
amazing memory review experience on his own. Therefore, he could be particularly confident
that his perceived interaction with Jesus was indeed genuine.24

Before closing this section, I would like to mention one more phenomenon that is more subtle
but still encouraging. On a fairly regular basis, the recipients in Immanuel sessions will report
suddenly getting breakthrough thoughts or insights, and then make spontaneous comments along
the lines of “I’ve never had that thought before in my life,” and “I would never have come up
with that in a million years.” Furthermore, the surprising new thoughts, insights, or shifts in
understanding feel true (as opposed to just feeling like interesting theoretical speculation), and
they immediately lead to significant steps forward in the recipients’ healing journeys.

Finally, I would like to close this “Unexpected, surprising, and beyond-us” section by explaining
why this fun source of encouragement is not recommended as one of the basic tests for
beginners. Actually, it’s really quite simple: God’s presence and God’s work are not always
unexpected, surprising, or beyond us. For example, sometimes God does stuff that flows so
naturally from the rest of the session, that feels so right, and that makes so much sense that it’s
not surprising. And sometimes God does stuff that you’ve seen him do before. For example, let’s
say I’m working with a sexual abuse survivor who still feels intense shame, and believes that
she’s bad and dirty because she “participated” and because it felt pleasurable. I help her get to the
point where she can allow Jesus to be with her and then ask him for help. After a brief pause she
starts crying quietly, and then eventually reports, “Jesus is holding me and he isn’t disgusted with
me or angry with me. He says that it’s not my fault, that I was just a child.” However, I’m not
surprised because I’ve already seen some version of this scenario many hundreds of times. It’s
still beautiful, and there is still dramatic, lasting fruit, but it no longer surprises me. And
sometimes, instead of providing amazing, “beyond us” interventions, God does simple, straight-
forward stuff that any good therapist could do (like just offering attunement).

Therefore, we don’t want to use unexpected, surprising, and “beyond us” as requirements for
authenticity because they would wrongly disqualify many genuine God experiences. That is, we
don’t want to erroneously disqualify many genuine God experiences just because they are
unassuming, because they are familiar, or because they simply make so much sense that they
don’t surprise us. Even so, a regular stream of “That’s not what I expected,” “I totally didn’t see
that coming,” “I never would have come up with that in a million years,” and “I’ve never had that
thought before in my life” type surprises are still encouraging. And the occasional “That one was
beyond me – I could never have done that on my own” is especially encouraging.

Furthermore, these are ideal bonus encouragements for beginning facilitators because there’s
nothing the facilitator needs to learn or know or do in order to make them work. It’s just fun and
encouraging to notice unexpected, surprising, and beyond-us content that provides additional
reassurance that the recipient is truly interacting with the living presence of God.

24
Note again that his interaction with Jesus had already passed the tests of Biblical consistency
and good fruit. The observation that it surprised him and that it was beyond him provides additional
“bonus” reassurance that it was not just coming from his own mind.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 31: Counterfeit and Contaminated.... (New 9/9/14) Page 16 of 17

Occasional miraculous, “impossible” confirmation: As just described above, we frequently

see God do things in Immanuel sessions that are unexpected and surprising. And we occasionally
see God do things that are moderately amazing. However, in a handful of sessions the Lord does
things that take miraculous and “impossible” to the next level. I am including these data points
especially for those who do not yet have first hand experience with the living presence of God in
Immanuel sessions, and who are still struggling with intense, persistent doubt and skepticism.
(“How can we know that people are truly talking to God? How can we be sure that all of this
isn’t just an elaborate deception from sophisticated demonic spirits and/or deep unconscious
processes?”)

In one of these miraculous sessions, the recipient became stuck in confusion and bitterness
regarding his father’s failure to give him the nurture and encouragement that he needed. And then
he had the most amazing experience. He reported that Jesus was walking with him through the
life of his paternal grandfather. “Jesus is showing me my grandfather, coming to this country
from Italy on a boat, as an orphan, at nine years old.” Pause. “Jesus is showing me what my
grandfather had to do to survive, as a nine-year-old, on his own, on the streets of
Chicago....Wow....That was tough.” Pause. “And now Jesus is showing me how my grandparents
married and started a family as teenagers, and how they did the best that they could as
desperately poor immigrants, both of whom had been orphaned at an early age.”

Then he described how Jesus was walking with him through the life of his father. “Jesus is
showing me my father as a child, and how my grandfather would get drunk and beat him up.”
Pause. “Jesus is showing me how my grandparents did the best that they could, but they were so
wounded, there was so much they never got from their parents, and there was so much they just
didn’t have to give my father.” Pause. “And now Jesus is showing me my father trying to parent
me.” Pause. “Jesus is showing me how he did the best that he could, and that he really did love
me, but that there was so much that he never got from his parents, and then just didn’t have to
give me.”

By the time the recipient got to the end of this amazing encounter with Jesus, his confusion and
bitterness had been replaced by a profound understanding and compassion towards his father, he
gladly and easily forgave his father, and his healing journey started to move forward again.
Furthermore, he had not previously known many of the family history details that Jesus revealed
to him, and every detail that he was able to check turned out to be accurate.25

A story from our friend and colleague, doctor John Curlin, provides another example of
miraculous and “impossible.” John was facilitating Immanuel sessions in a poor village in
Guatemala, and one of the women who wanted ministry came in on crutches. When John asked
her what had happened, she explained that she had gone to a free government clinic for a hip
replacement. Unfortunately, the medical team had accidentally cut a large nerve during the
surgery to replace her hip. She had a new hip on her right side, but she still couldn’t use the leg
because now all of the muscles previously supplied by the severed nerve were completely
paralyzed. Being a physician, John could see for himself that her explanation was accurate –
many of the muscles in her right leg had the total flaccid limpness that uniquely comes with
complete loss of nerve stimulation, and all of the affected muscles were muscles that are supplied
by one of the large nerves going through the hip area.

25
I have seen several cases like this, and whenever corroborating information has become
available, it has turned out that the “impossible”/miraculous details revealed by Jesus have been accurate.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 31: Counterfeit and Contaminated.... (New 9/9/14) Page 17 of 17

As sad as it was to hear about her crippled leg, this wasn’t the reason she had come for an
Immanuel session, and so after briefly offering his condolences regarding her leg, John moved on
to address her emotional healing issues. Happily, the session went well. She was able to connect
with Jesus, she received powerful healing, and within an hour or so she was greatly encouraged
and ready to leave. However, as John was offering a few final thoughts he noticed that her
“paralyzed” muscles were now moving. He stared at her leg intently for a few moments, to make
sure that he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing, and then informed her that Jesus
had apparently healed her leg along with her traumatic memories.

Ironically, he had to argue with her for ten to fifteen minutes to get her to believe him. He wanted
her to try walking without her crutches, but she kept insisting that she couldn’t use her leg
because of the nerve that had been cut. Finally, after John repeatedly explained that she could
simply look at her leg and notice that the previously paralyzed muscles were now moving again,
she began to cautiously test the “crippled” leg. And she eventually walked out carrying her
crutches instead of leaning on them.

As you can see from these examples, there are some things that happen during Immanuel
sessions that would be VERY hard to explain, outside of a true, real, genuine interaction with the
living presence of God.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 32: Counterfeit or Contaminated Interactive Connections (subtitle:
Intermediate principles, tests, and tools)
(©Copyright 2014 K.D. Lehman MD, New 11/15/14, Revised 1/16/15)
DRAFT
______________________________________________________________________________
**Advanced topics warning box: If you are just beginning to learn about the Immanuel
approach and you are reading through this book for the first time, I encourage you to skip (or
skim) this chapter for now. At this point in your learning journey, slowing down to study these
more advanced principles and tools will hinder you from getting the more important overview
understanding of how all the pieces fit together. Come back to this material after you have been
through the whole book at least once, you feel that you have a good understanding of the basic
principles and tools, you have accumulated some experience with the exercises for groups and
beginners, and you are beginning to occasionally encounter more complicated situations that
require additional understanding and tools for discerning and resolving counterfeit and
contamination. Also, when you have experience with actual sessions, this teaching material will
be much easier to understand and remember. It will help give you words for what you are already
seeing in your sessions, and it will be much easier to remember because you will have
experiential reference points to help you organize the material as you put it into your own mental
toolbox. In contrast, if you don’t yet have your own experiential reference points to help you
organize, understand, and remember this material, you may end up feeling a bit overwhelmed. I
don’t want this intermediate material to intimidate you from actually getting started with the
basic exercises. Advanced topics warning box**

As just described in the previous chapter, I have been consistently pleasantly surprised by how
often the Immanuel approach works smoothly and easily, with the recipient experiencing an
interactive connection with God that is free from any major counterfeit or contamination. Many
beginner sessions flow smoothly to the point of healing (or some other poignant positive
experience), with the issue of counterfeit or contamination never even coming up. Nothing from
the session even raises the question of whether it’s consistent with scripture, and significant fruit
is so obvious and easy to observe by the end of the session that we hardly even think to ask, “Is
this real, or could it all just be a big fake?” Lasting, long term fruit also often accumulates so
obviously that it just provides more reassurance, as opposed to raising questions about
counterfeit or contamination. Furthermore, when beginners do encounter problems with
counterfeit or contamination, I continue to be encouraged by how often they are able to get good
results with just the basic tests (“Is this consistent with scripture?” and “Is there observable
positive change during the session?”), and with just the basic troubleshooting tools for
identifying and resolving the source of the problem.

This is all wonderful, and it’s one of the many reasons I’m so excited about the Immanuel
approach. However, people who use the Immanuel approach regularly will benefit from learning
additional principles, tests, and tools. Additional principles and tests for detection will give you
deeper, stronger confidence that your discernment is accurate. This will increase your faith for
good things when you discern that the recipient’s connection with God is genuine, and it will
increase your persistence in troubleshooting when you discern that there is counterfeit or
contamination. And additional principles and tools for identifying and resolving the underlying
problem will increase your ability to find and resolve the source of counterfeit and
contamination.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14) Page 2 of 51

I also want to explicitly name that the facilitator needs to provide more discernment and direction
for sessions in which the recipient is dealing with significant counterfeit and/or contamination.
As I have emphasized at many points throughout this book, the primary focus with the Immanuel
approach should always be the connection between Jesus and the recipient. However, as I have
described especially in chapters four and twenty, there are situations in which God will provide
more guidance for the session through the facilitator. And sessions in which the recipient is
having trouble with significant counterfeit and/or contamination are some of the most important
situations for which the Lord will provide more discernment and direction through the facilitator.

I. More difficult discernment challenges: As described in the previous chapter, for many
(most?) beginner sessions, “Is it consistent with scripture?” and “Is there observable positive
change during the session?” will provide adequate tests for discerning between the genuine and
the counterfeit or contaminated. In these easy beginner sessions, the recipients have clear, strong
interactive connections that are easily recognized as genuine, and the eventual healing is also
easily recognized as genuine because it produces clear, dramatic, immediate fruit.1 However, if
you work with the Immanuel approach on a regular basis you will eventually encounter more
difficult discernment challenges, and in these situations you will find the additional interventions,
tools, and reference points described below to be very helpful.

A. “Accidental” counterfeits with recipients who have not yet had any experience with the
genuine: One of these more difficult discernment challenges comes with recipients who have
not yet had any experience with the genuine, neither in the years before their first Immanuel
approach session nor during the initial minutes of trying to establish an interactive connection
at the beginning of their first session.

As the recipient goes three to five minutes into the step of trying to establish an interactive
connection, but she has not yet perceived God’s presence in any tangible way nor
experienced a genuine interactive connection, she often becomes increasingly uncomfortable.
Maybe she’s trying to please the facilitator, and worries that she’s doing something wrong.
Maybe she’s anxious that the Immanuel approach won’t work for her, and that she will be
disappointed. And maybe the issue on the table is uncomfortable, so she just wants to resolve
it as soon as possible to make the pain go away.

Since she does not yet have a real perception or connection, her own mind starts trying to fill
in the uncomfortable empty space where a genuine interactive connection with God should
be. For example, insights come into her mind as she slips into the familiar habit of analyzing
the issue in her own attempt to figure it out. Memories come into her mind as she tries to
figure out what kind of traumatic roots might be causing the problem. Comforting thoughts
come into her mind as she unconsciously slides into the familiar coping tool of positive self-
talk. Truth statements challenging distorted beliefs come into her mind as she unconsciously
slides into the familiar coping tool of self-cognitive therapy. Scripture verses come into her
mind as she unconsciously slides into the familiar coping tool of using bible verses to
challenge lies and help with managing painful emotions. She might even get images of Jesus

1
Again, there is a rare exception in which a counterfeit Immanuel encounter can appear to
produce dramatic short-term fruit. This scenario is caused by dissociated internal parts creating very
sophisticated counterfeits, and as mentioned in chapter thirty-one (main text and footnote #11, page
eight), this scenario causes no immediate harm, it is eventually detected by noticing that the recipient is
not experiencing the expected long-term fruit accumulating over time, and it can be resolved by apply our
advanced material, and/or obtaining consultation, and/or referral to an advanced facilitator.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14) Page 3 of 51

coming into her mind as she tries to guess what an Immanuel encounter might look like, and
she might get thoughts/words addressed to herself, first person, coming into her mind as she
tries to guess what Jesus might say.2

In this context, especially not yet having experience with the genuine, the recipient will
sometimes conclude that all of this content from her own mind is actually from the Lord.
That is, she unintentionally produces “counterfeit” content that she accidentally mistakes for
the real thing, and she is particularly vulnerable to this mistake because she does not yet
know what a real Immanuel encounter looks like.3

With respect to counterfeit or contamination, the first tasks for the facilitator in this scenario
are to 1) recognize for yourself that the recipient is not yet actually perceiving God’s presence
or experiencing a genuine interactive connection, and then to 2) help the recipient recognize
that all of her self-generated, accidental counterfeit content is not actually the real thing. And
for these two tasks, the discernment tool that most facilitators start with is watching for the
additional reference points discussed below (pages nineteen to thirty-two).4

When I facilitate, I am always watching for reference points that I can observe for myself,
without having to interrupt the flow of the session to ask questions.5 For example, when the
recipient’s own mind is using guesses and imagination to try to fill in for the absence of a real
connection, it is fairly common for her to report getting a fairly clear, detailed mental image
of Jesus. However, even though she is supposedly perceiving Jesus’ presence with her, she
will not report or display any significant benefits.6 In contrast, if a person gets a mental
image of Jesus as part of a genuine Immanuel encounter, she will describe and display clear,

2
The first parts of my experiences with the THRIVE conference exercises (described on page ten
of chapter seventeen and page four of chapter twenty-eight ) provide good examples of these last two
phenomena.
3
Recipients who have very subtle Immanuel encounters and who are insecure with respect to the
whole process can continue to struggle with this problem for a number of sessions. Fortunately, they
eventually become less anxious and feel less need to fill in with their own mental content as the steadily
growing pile of lasting fruit convinces them that their subtle experiences are, indeed, real and genuine.
4
Once you have developed the implicit memory intuitive discernment component described
below, it will almost always be the first resource you will turn to and it will almost always provide the
first warning that there is a problem in any given situation. However, the implicit memory intuitive
component requires a lot more time and experience to develop. Therefore, as a facilitator is first learning
and practicing with intermediate principles and tools, she will almost always start with learning to watch
for the reference points described in this chapter.
5
Actually, I now rely heavily on the implicit memory intuitive sense of knowing (described
below), and so I no longer focus much attention on watching for reference point clues as long as the
session is going smoothly. However, if my intuitive warning system tells me that something’s just not
right, I immediately begin to watch very carefully for reference point clues.
6
Some people have learned to comfort themselves with positive images that they have learned to
generate with their own imaginations, and these recipients will get some benefit from their imaginary
images. But it will look and feel as if they are just trying to comfort themselves, and the positive effects
will be mediocre and temporary. Others will just feel disappointed and/or frustrated because they think
their imaginary images actually are a real Immanuel encounter, and they can tell that it is not bringing
any new or significant benefits. (“I was hoping for a lot more than this.”)

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14) Page 4 of 51

tangible benefits.7 For example, even if she is just getting started and has not yet gotten to
traumatic memories, she will start to feel and talk and act as if she now has a trusted
companion with her on the journey – she will make comments indicating that she is feeling
comforted and encouraged instead of anxious and alone, and you will be able to observe that
she starts to smile instead of looking anxious and unhappy. And if she has already gotten to
traumatic memories, you will observe even more dramatic benefits when she begins to
perceive Jesus’ presence with her.8

When reference point clues like these alert me to the probability that there is a problem, I
wait for brief pauses or resting points in the work and then ask a couple of quick questions to
get more information. Such as, “When you focus on the image of Jesus, does it feel alive, like
a living person? or does it feel more like a still picture – like a photograph or a painting?”
And, “When you focus on the thought you just reported a minute ago, ‘It’s not my fault, I was
just a child,’ does it feel sort of helpful, like when you speak truth to yourself as part of the
cognitive therapy exercises from your sexual abuse support group, or does it actually feel
true, and is it actually resolving the shame that always used to be in that memory?”

If these questions provide further indication that there is a problem, then I take time to help
the recipient go through the additional reference points more carefully. I describe to the
recipient (as gently as possible) the clues I have already noticed, and explain that these clues
usually indicate that the person’s own mind may be trying to “help” by filling in the anxious
vacuum where a genuine Immanuel connection would usually be. I explain that I would like
to check some additional reference points to make sure that my discernment is accurate, and I
explain that it will actually be good news if I’m right, since she can expect a tremendous
upgrade when we clear away the clutter coming from her own mind and then troubleshoot to
help her experience a real Immanuel encounter. After these brief introductory explanations, I
coach the recipient to focus very specifically and carefully on each of the additional reference
points described below. We look at each of the reference points together, and I explain what I
am observing and thinking as we go.9

7
As mentioned in chapter thirty-one (main text and footnote #12, page nine), sometimes the
recipient will truly be perceiving God’s presence, but some kind of blockage is preventing her from
receiving most of the potential benefit that she might otherwise experience. In this situation, she will not
have the subjective sense of benefit from the Lord’s presence with her. Again, this phenomena is
discussed in more detail in “Real God connection, but minimal benefit” below, and in the section with
the same title in chapter thirty-three.
8
An important part of most trauma is feeling alone in the painful experience, and the healing for
this piece of any trauma usually flows spontaneously as soon as the person experiences God’s presence
with her in the painful experience. Even when working with complicated trauma that includes other
components that are not yet resolved, the recipient will almost always describe at least some piece of
healing and display a visible wave of relief at the moment she perceives the Lord to be with her in the
trauma.
9
Note that with some recipients, this process can be very easy. As soon as you mention your
initial observations, and your thought that the content she has been describing might be just coming from
her own mind, she will immediately acknowledge that you are right, and that she can feel herself
scrambling to try to help the process work by generating the material she has been describing. She will be
greatly relieved that you think she is not yet experiencing a real Immanuel encounter, and she will be
thrilled for you to help her clear away the clutter and then troubleshoot to establish a genuine Immanuel
connection. With these easy sessions, you can use a greatly abbreviated discernment process that just

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14) Page 5 of 51

When the supposed Immanuel encounter content is indeed just coming from the recipient’s
own mind, you will notice that apparent help from the Lord initially looks good and sounds
nice, but never actually enables the process to move forward. For example, if the person
doesn’t want to look at specific memories because she is afraid of the emotions she might
feel, and then you coach her to express her fear directly to the Lord and ask for help, she
might describe reassuring thoughts coming into her mind and she might report feeling
slightly encouraged, but the decrease in her fear and the increase in her courage will not be
significant, and she will not be able to actually move forward.

When the supposed Immanuel encounter content is indeed just coming from the recipient’s
own mind, she might get images of Jesus, but when you help her to focus on them carefully
she will often realize that they are still and lifeless, like a photograph or painting. For
example, I have had a number of people who eventually realized that the “Jesus” they were
seeing was actually just a memory of the picture from the cover of the children’s Bible they
had as a kid, or a memory of the picture of Jesus that used to hang over the couch in the
living room of their childhood home. Occasionally the person’s Jesus imagery will be
moving, but when she focuses more carefully she will realize that the moving Jesus imagery
is just memory from a movie clip. And occasionally the recipient will get Jesus imagery that
moves and that initially appears to be interactive, but if you coach the recipient to specifically
check for this point, she will realize that she somehow seems to know exactly what “Jesus” is
going to say and do. And then if she focuses even more carefully, she will be able to sense
that her own mind is actually running the Jesus hand puppet (so to speak).

Furthermore, if the recipient is getting Jesus imagery but it is just coming from her own
mind, she will not start to feel and talk and act like she now has a loving, safe, helpful
companion with her on the journey. It will not feel true that Jesus is with her, that he is
listening to her, that he understands her, and that he loves her. (That is, she will not feel like
she is receiving attunement from Jesus). And she will not report or display any other
significant benefits from the supposed perception of Jesus’ living presence with her.

When the supposed Immanuel encounter content is indeed just coming from the recipient’s
own mind, it will not feel new and different, but rather will feel like she is just trying to help
herself with the same old coping tools that she is used to using. And if she focuses carefully
on this specific point, the recipient will realize that the content is not coming into her mind
unexpectedly and spontaneously. Rather, she will be able to sense her own mind searching
for and then finding (or proactively generating/constructing) the analysis insights, problem
solving ideas, self-help thoughts, scripture verses, comforting images, memories, and other
content that comes forwards as she tries to resolve the problem with her own efforts.

And when the supposed Immanuel encounter content is indeed just coming from the
recipient’s own mind, the fruit from supposed healing will be meager and temporary as
opposed to dramatic and permanent, since the issues and traumatic memories being addressed
have not actually gotten truly, permanently resolved. Instead of looking and feeling like the
issues and memories are truly and permanently resolved, it will look and feel like the

includes the first two steps. However, some recipients will be much more attached to the coping tools
that they have used for many years, and they will need a lot more convincing and encouragement to be
able to lay them down. The full process of helping the person to carefully go through each of the
additional reference points is presented as a resource for these more difficult scenarios.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14) Page 6 of 51

recipient is still just trying to use her own coping tools to manage the negative thoughts and
emotions, and it will seem like she is just trying to use her own analysis and problem solving
to figure out a solution. For example:

The recipient may be able to identify important issues, such as vows and lingering
bitterness, as she uses her own mind to analyze the problem being addressed, and she may
do a lot of verbal processing with respect to these issues, but the issues will not actually
get truly and permanently resolved.

Important traumatic memories may come forward as the recipient tries to figure out the
source of the problem being addressed, and she may do a lot of verbal processing with
respect to the unresolved content in these memories, but this toxic content does not
actually get truly, permanently resolved. For example, distorted thoughts (lies) will not
get replaced with truth that actually feels true. Rather, it will seem like the recipient is
telling herself truth that she cognitively knows that she ought to believe, and it will seem
like she is trying to believe it, but it won’t actually feel true. And even though she
cognitively knows that the distorted thoughts are lies, and she is trying to not believe
them, the lies will feel true.

Furthermore, the negative emotions associated with these issues and traumas will not be
fully resolved. They may be slightly (or even moderately) decreased as the recipient uses
all of her coping tools to manage them, but they will not be fully and permanently
replaced with peace and joy. The recipient will not describe a sudden sense of release,
you will not be able to observe a visible wave of relief on her face and in her body, and
the release and relief that are not there will not be followed by a combination of peace
and joy.

Finally, when the recipient thinks about the overall experience – from the supposed initial
Immanuel connection, through the supposed interactions with Jesus along the way, and
finishing with the supposed final resolution/healing, she will feel some combination of
disappointment and frustration as opposed to feeling deeply grateful and fully satisfied with
the whole package.10

In the best case scenario, the implicit memory, intuitive “knowing the genuine” piece
(described below) would also already be in place. In this ideal scenario, you have an implicit
memory, intuitive knowing regarding what it looks like and feels like for a recipient to be
experiencing a genuine Immanuel encounter. So when the recipient begins to unintentionally
produce “counterfeit” content and then accidentally mistake it for the real thing, you will
quickly sense an intuitive warning that something’s just not right. This implicit memory
intuitive warning will prompt you to think more carefully about possible problems, and to be
especially observant regarding reference point clues. With this sense that something’s just not
right, you will also be more ready to ask the quick questions to provide a couple of extra
reference points, you will not wait as long to take a time out for the more careful evaluation
of the rest of the additional reference points, and you will be more confident in your final
assessment that the supposed Immanuel encounter is, indeed, just content from the person’s
own mind.

10
In some of these situations the recipient will also experience confusion, discouragement, and
anxiety, in addition to disappointment and frustration.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14) Page 7 of 51

After both confirming for myself and then also helping the recipient to recognize that her
self-generated, accidental counterfeit clutter is not actually the real thing, before engaging in
any troubleshooting for blockages, I first coach the recipient to repeat the initial Immanuel
invitation and request.11 And then we scan again for content that actually is coming from the
Lord, but that had been missed because it was very subtle and thereby had gotten lost
amongst all of the clutter from her own mind. Also, as we scan for genuine God content, I
watch especially carefully for any content that I perceive to be coming from the recipient’s
own mind, I point this out to her as soon as I notice it, and then I help her to set it aside and
return to listening and watching for content that just comes into her awareness
spontaneously.12

Using the tools and clues described immediately below for picking up especially subtle
Immanuel encounters, we often discover that the recipient is already getting some thoughts,
memories, and other content that is genuinely from the Lord. She just needed help to
recognize and remove the accidental counterfeit clutter, and then some more help to
recognize the especially subtle genuine God-content.

When we don’t find any genuine God-content, even with keeping accidental counterfeit
clutter out of the way and repeating the Immanuel invitation and request, I help the recipient
troubleshoot to find and remove blockages. And then, as we progressively remove blockages,
I help her to recognize the genuine presence of God and genuine content from God when it
actually does show up.

Note: Occasionally you will encounter recipients who, for a variety of reasons, are invested in
believing that their own positive self-talk, scripture quoting, cognitive therapy, etc is actually
from the Lord. They will therefore also be invested in believing that it is working. You can
see that they are not actually getting true, complete healing, but they will be trying to believe
that their own efforts (that they believe are actually from the Lord) are resolving the problem.
In these situations, they can sometimes eventually recognize and acknowledge this whole
tangle if you can gently, carefully, persistently coach them to get words for what actually
feels true as opposed to what they want to be true, what they are trying to make feel true. And
then, after they let go of their self-help, Immanuel-counterfeit tangle, you can help them work
toward the huge upgrade of a genuine interactive connection with the real presence of God. If
this intervention is not effective, close the session by helping them get back to the positive
memory appreciation safety net, and then read more about this issue in our advanced material
and/or obtain consultation and/or refer the person to an advanced facilitator.

B. Mistaking genuine God-content for her own mind because the genuine is so subtle:
Another discernment challenge that can be more difficult is when the recipient is getting
genuine content from God, but it is so subtle that she accidentally dismisses it. “I’m getting
stuff, but I think it’s just coming from own mind.”

11
In case anyone needs a quick reminder, the Immanuel connection invitation and request is some
form of, “Lord, I invite/welcome you to be here with me. Please help me to perceive your presence and to
establish a connection.”
12
I usually have to do this repeatedly, since most recipients in this scenario will keep slipping
back into old habits. Also, recognizing their own mental content, setting it aside, and then returning to
listening and watching is a skill that recipients can learn, and they will participate in the Immanuel
approach more and more easily as they learn this skill.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14) Page 8 of 51

In my current experience with the Immanuel approach, the most subtle Immanuel connection
is when the recipient is not yet able to perceive God as a tangible, personal presence, and the
Lord is providing much of his guidance by reminding the recipient of content she already
knows, and that could easily just be coming from her own mind. For example, reminding her
of scripture verses that she already knows, bringing to mind an insight that she has already
had at times in the past, and bringing forward memories that were already available to her
conscious awareness. Also, in this most subtle of all Immanuel connections, there is no
subjective sense that any of God’s guidance or help is coming from “outside” of the
recipient’s own mind. (Even when the Lord gives her insights, guidance, or other thoughts
that are totally new, they still do not come with a subjective sense that they are coming from
somewhere outside of her own mind.13) Furthermore, since the recipient does not yet perceive
God as a personal, tangible presence, she will not yet have the sense that there is a helpful,
loving companion with her on the journey and she will not yet feel like she is receiving
attunement from the Lord.14

Nevertheless, it is still possible to recognize these very subtle genuine Immanuel connections.

First, be especially careful and persistent with respect to coaching the recipient to describe
everything that comes into her awareness, regardless of whether or not it makes sense or feels
important. This has already been discussed at great length in chapter seventeen, but I am
mentioning it again here because it is particularly important in helping the recipient to
recognize super subtle Immanuel connections. Especially when the interactive connection is
so subtle, much important guidance and help will not be recognizable as from the Lord until
the recipient describes it out loud.

It is also helpful to coach the recipient to “just stay with it” when she seems to be getting a
flow of thoughts, memories, insights, etc, but the source of the content is unclear. As
described below, the source of the content usually becomes more clear, one way or the other,
if the person stays with the same flow for ten to twenty minutes.

The third discernment resource is to watch for additional reference points.

As mentioned above, when I facilitate I am always watching for reference points that I can
observe for myself, without having to interrupt the flow of the session to ask questions. Early
in the session, before there is any fruit from traumatic memories getting healed or other issues
being resolved, the most important reference point to watch for is whether apparent guidance
and help from the Lord is actually helpful. No matter how faint or subtle the Immanuel
connection might be, when the recipient has a genuine connection and you ask the Lord for
guidance and help, stuck points resolve and the session moves forward. For example, the
session seems to be stuck, we ask for guidance, and then the recipient is somehow able to
recognize and get words for her guardian lie fear: “If I allow myself to connect with my
emotions in this memory, I will start crying and never be able to stop.” I coach her to name

13
There are subtle subjective differences that the person can eventually learn to recognize, as
described earlier (chapter seventeen, pages 18&19, and chapter twenty-eight, page 1), but she will not
have the subjective sense of the content coming from “outside” of her own mind.
14
My early experiences of guidance from the Lord and my earliest experiences of emotional
healing described in chapter twenty-eight (pages 1-3), would be a good example of this kind of most
subtle Immanuel connection.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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this fear directly to the Lord (in faith, since she can’t yet perceive his presence as a person),
and ask for help with it. And then, over the next minute or two, the fear somehow seems to
lessen, her courage and capacity somehow increase, she is able to connect with the memory,
and the session moves forward.

Even when the Immanuel connection is super subtle and God is guiding by reminding the
recipient of content she already knows, the content from the Lord will still be observably
helpful. For example, the next step in the session is not clear, we ask for guidance, an insight
then comes into the recipient’s mind, and the insight is a thought that she has had before.
However, even though the insight is not a totally new thought, somehow she recognizes it’s
meaning, implications, and importance in a new way that enables the session to move
forward.15

Or the underlying source of the problem is not clear, we ask for guidance regarding root
memories, and then the person remembers an experience that she has always been
consciously aware of, but somehow she recognizes it’s importance in a new way, she can feel
that it is connected to the issue we are working on for the first time in her life, and this new
awareness and emotional connection enables the session to move forward. Or the Lord
brings a scripture into the person’s mind, and even though it is a verse that she already
knows, and that could easily just be coming from her own mind, it will somehow feel alive
and helpful in a way that is new and different from her usual experience with quoting verses
to herself, and it will help the session move forward. Or the Lord reminds the recipient of
various memories, verses, insights, and other thoughts that are all old and familiar, but
somehow they fit together in a way that is new and different, the new configuration provides
benefits that are new and different, and these new and different benefits enable the session to
move forward.

Furthermore, if I pause to help the recipient focus very carefully on these specific questions,
she will be able to recognize and acknowledge that the memories, scripture verses, insights,
and other thoughts from the Lord feel subjectively true, significant, and helpful in some way
that is new and different. And she will be able to recognize and acknowledge that the content
from God comes into her mind spontaneously, as opposed to feeling that she finds it with her
own searching or that she puts it together with her own proactive construction.

As long as these reference points indicate a subtle but genuine Immanuel connection, I help
the recipient to keep going – we keep asking for guidance and help, I coach her to keep
describing whatever comes into her awareness, and I help her to keep cooperating with
whatever guidance we receive from the Lord.16 And eventually, even with super subtle
Immanuel connections, issues will start to get resolved and/or traumatic memories will start
to get healed. This often begins to happen in as little as twenty to thirty minutes, and the good
news with respect to resolution and/or healing is that the indicators of genuine
resolution/healing are much more definitive and much easier to recognize than the indicators

15
My experience with sensing that God has a good reason for waiting to release physical healing
for me (chapter eighteen, page 12) provides a good example. The Lord brought forward a thought that I
had already had at times in the past, but in this Immanuel session (with the Lord bringing it forward), it
felt different and produced striking benefit.
16
Also, if she worries that the subtle God-content may just be coming from her own mind, I
reassure her with the additional-reference-point evidence that indicates a genuine connection.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 10 of 51

of a genuine but very subtle connection.

Even when the interactive connection is super subtle, when the blockages are out of the way
and all of the pieces are in place, the Lord will facilitate resolution/healing that produces
perfect fruit. For many issues and many traumas, the specific issues being addressed will be
fully resolved, the specific traumas being addressed will be fully resolved, the specific lies
being addressed will be replaced with new truths, and the new truths will feel true. The
negative emotions associated with these issues, traumas, and lies will be fully resolved, the
recipient will describe a sudden sense of release (often dramatic), and you will be able to
observe visible relief on her face and in her body (again, often dramatic). And even though
the content-from-God leading up to the resolution/healing was so subtle, the recipient will
have a clear subjective sense that the resolution/healing is real, true, and genuine. Finally,
release and relief will be followed by some combination of peace and joy, and the recipient
will be deeply grateful and fully satisfied with the whole package.17

When the recipient gets to resolution/healing and you verify these indicators of genuine fruit,
you will have definitive confirmation that your discernment was correct and that the
interactive connection was indeed genuine.

In the best case scenario, the implicit memory, intuitive “knowing the genuine” piece
(described below) would also already be in place. In this scenario, you have an implicit
memory, intuitive knowing regarding what it looks like and feels like to work with a recipient
who has a super subtle interactive connection. In this ideal scenario, when the connection is
genuine you will have an intuitive sense, “Yes, this is from the Lord.” And this intuitive
reassurance is especially helpful during the early part of the session (before any issues or
traumas start to get resolved). When this intuitive sense agrees with the other reference points
indicating a genuine connection, you will feel more confident in coaching the recipient to

17
For the many issues and traumas that are reasonably simple, the specific issues being
addressed, the specific traumas being addressed, the specific lies being addressed, and the painful
emotions associated with these issues, traumas, and lies will all be fully, permanently resolved with a
single round of Immanuel resolution and healing. However, some issues and traumas are more
complicated. When an issue and/or trauma is rooted in a network of many different painful memories,
and when these memories are tangled together with bitterness, vows, other defenses, and demonic
infection, these complicated issues and traumas will usually resolve gradually over the course of many
sessions. Never-the-less, even with these complicated issues and traumas, the resolution/healing in each
Immanuel session will produce a definite, tangible, significant, permanent step forward with respect to
the specific issues and traumas being addressed – some piece of the root-system will be truly,
permanently resolved. The recipient will be able to feel the specific issues and traumas lose power. She
will be able to feel a clear, tangible, significant decrease in the strength of the lies being addressed. She
will experience a dramatic decrease in the associated negative emotions. And just as with simple issues
and traumas, she will describe a sudden sense of release, you will be able to observe visible relief on her
face and in her body, she will have a clear subjective sense that the resolution/healing is real, true, and
genuine, release and relief will be followed by some combination of peace and joy, and she will be
deeply grateful and fully satisfied with the whole package. (See discussion of reference points 14, 15, and
16, pages twenty-five to thirty-two below, for additional discussion of the significant, tangible,
permanent healing fruit that can be expected with a single round of Immanuel resolution/healing, even
with a subtle interactive connection and complicated issues and traumas.)

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 11 of 51

keep going.18

C. The journey to healing is long and the interactive connection is subtle: Sometimes there
will be a significant block of time during which the recipient is working with God towards a
piece of healing, but they’re not there yet – the interactive connection is genuine, but the
journey to healing is just long.19 And during this long journey to healing there will not be
observable fruit with respect to issues and/or trauma being resolved, so you can’t really use
healing fruit as reassurance that the interactive connection and guidance from the Lord are
genuine. With respect to counterfeit or contamination, the task for the facilitator is to keep
watching for reference points that reassure you that the interactive connection is indeed
genuine, and then encourage the recipient to keep going.

One piece of good news is that the lack of healing fruit during the long journey will not be a
problem in many sessions because the interactive connection will still be quite clear and
strong, even though there are blockages that are still preventing final resolution/healing. For
example, nobody will be worrying about counterfeit or contamination if quiet tears are
running down the recipient’s cheeks and she is reporting things like, “Jesus is walking right
beside me....I think we’re going to the memory of my dad leaving, but Jesus is reassuring me
that he will be with me as we walk through it together....I’m scared of feeling the pain, but at
the same time I feel safe with Jesus’ presence and guidance.” The challenge comes when the
journey on the way to healing is long and the interactive connection is subtle. With a long
journey and a subtle interactive connection, the facilitator and recipient can sometimes begin
to wonder whether they are indeed working with a genuine God-connection or whether they
are just following content from the recipient’s own mind.20 “Are we sure we’re still on the
right trail?”

With a long journey and a subtle interactive connection, the easier challenge is when the
Immanuel connection is only moderately subtle – when the recipient’s perception of the
Lord’s presence and the interactive connection are subtle and faint, but she still perceives
Jesus’ presence with her as a person. With these moderately subtle Immanuel connections,
all that is needed is for the facilitator to coach the person to focus very specifically and
carefully on the additional reference points mentioned in the next paragraph.

Even though her perceptions of Jesus’ personal presence and help are faint and subtle, you
can confidently identify a genuine connection if you coach her to focus very specifically and
carefully on reference points six, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve from the discussion
below. She will report that Jesus’ presence feels real. (Her perception of Jesus’ presence will
sometimes be very faint, but in some subtle, curious way it will still feel real.) She will report

18
Again, the whole “implicit memory intuitive knowing” component of discernment will be
discussed in much more detail below.
19
This journey time, between when the recipient begins to work with the Lord and when you see
fruit from resolution/healing, can be as long as an hour or two within a single long session, or even many
hours across multiple sessions.
20
I’m not worried about deliberate counterfeit from internal parts and/or demonic spirits because
when they create counterfeits they try to produce convincing interactive connections as opposed to subtle
interactive connections. In this section, where subtle Immanuel connections are part of the challenge, the
concern is with confusion between subtle genuine connection and subtle accidental content from the
person’s own mind. Discernment regarding impressive, deliberate counterfeits is discussed below.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 12 of 51

that it feels true that Jesus is with her, that he is hearing her, that he understands her, and that
he loves her. (This sense of Jesus attuning to her will also sometimes be very faint, but it will
still feel true). She will report that interacting with Jesus feels like getting help from a
companion, as opposed to just talking to herself or trying to figure it out on her own. She will
report that help from the Lord feels truly helpful. And she will report that guidance and other
help from the Lord feels new, that if feels true, and that it feels different from trying to help
herself with the familiar coping tools she is used to using. Furthermore, perceptions of Jesus,
guidance from Jesus, memories and scripture from Jesus, and other interactions with Jesus
will come into her mind spontaneously, as opposed to analysis insights, problem solving
ideas, self help thoughts, memories, scriptures, comforting images, and other content that she
can feel herself generating with her own mental effort, finding with her own search process,
or building with her own proactive imagination.

With a long journey to healing and a subtle interactive connection, the particularly difficult
discernment challenge is when the Immanuel connection is really subtle – when the recipient
does not perceive Jesus’ presence with her as a person, and the interactive connection
consists entirely of thoughts, memories, insights, scriptures, and other content that comes
from God into the recipient’s mind, with only very subtle indicators that this God-content is
actually from the Lord. With a really subtle interactive connection, as the length of the
journey increases without healing fruit to provide more definitive confirmation, both the
facilitator and recipient will understandably become increasingly concerned about the
possibility of counterfeit or contamination.

When this happens in sessions I’m facilitating, the first thing I do is to be especially careful
and persistent in coaching the recipient to describe everything that comes into her awareness,
regardless of whether or not it makes sense or feels important. Again, when the interactive
connection is so subtle, much important guidance and help will not be recognizable as from
the Lord until the recipient describes it out loud. It is also helpful to coach the recipient to
“just stay with it” when she seems to be getting a flow of thoughts, memories, insights, etc,
but the source of the content is unclear. As described in more detail below, the source of the
content usually becomes more clear, one way or the other, if the person stays with the same
flow for ten to twenty minutes.

As mention in the previous section, the third discernment resource is to watch for additional
reference points. I always start with watching for reference point clues that I can observe for
myself, such as whether or not supposed help from the Lord proves to be truly helpful. For
example, if the recipient is struggling with lack of capacity and then I coach her to ask God
for help with this, does she then report feeling stronger and more courageous? And, even
more importantly, does she demonstrate increased ability to stay connected to the intense
painful emotions that she had previously been unable to handle (enabling the healing process
to actually move forward)?

The next thing I do with checking for additional reference points is to wait for brief pauses or
resting points in the work, and then ask a couple of quick questions to get a little more
information. For example, “Do these encouraging thoughts feel true, or do they feel like
positive self-talk from your own mind, that you want to believe but that don’t actually change
anything?” and “Do these insights feel like they’re coming into your mind spontaneously and
unexpectedly, or do they feel like analysis from your own mind as you try to figure things out
on your own?” And if watching for observable reference points and asking occasional quick

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 13 of 51

questions provides reassurance,21 then we just keep going – we keep asking the Lord for
guidance and help, I keep coaching the recipient to describe whatever comes into her
awareness, I help her to cooperate with whatever guidance we get from the Lord, and I keep
watching for observable reference points and asking occasional quick questions to provide
ongoing reassurance.

In contrast, if observable reference points and occasional quick questions do not provide
adequate reassurance, then I will pause and coach the recipient to focus very specifically and
carefully on reference points ten, eleven, and twelve from the discussion below.22 If the
Immanuel encounter is indeed genuine, even though the interactive connection is very faint
and subtle she will still be able to recognize that apparent help from the Lord has truly been
helpful, and my own observations will support this. For example, if the recipient says she
can’t go forward because she believes that the details of the emerging traumatic memory will
be too much for her, and then I coach her to express her fear directly to the Lord and ask for
help, she will report a sense of reassurance and a dramatic decrease in her guardian lie fear,
and I will also observe a dramatic decrease in her visible anxiety and she will be able to
actually move forward. If the Immanuel encounter is indeed genuine, the recipient will also
report that guidance and other help from the Lord feels true, and that it somehow feels new
and different from trying to help herself with the familiar coping tools she is used to using.
And she will acknowledge that the guidance and other help from God comes into her mind
spontaneously, as opposed to the analysis, problem solving, self help thoughts, scripture,
memories, comforting images, and other content that she can feel herself generating, finding,
or constructing with her own mind.

In the best case scenario, the implicit memory, intuitive “knowing the genuine” piece
(described below) would also already be in place. In this scenario, you have an implicit
memory, intuitive knowing regarding what it looks like and feels like for a recipient to work
with a very subtle interactive connection during a long journey on the way to healing. In this
ideal scenario, when the interactive connection is genuine you will have an intuitive sense,
“Yes, this is from the Lord,” and this intuitive reassurance will reinforce your discernment
from ongoing observations and occasional brief check in questions. You will feel more
confident in reassuring the recipient and coaching her to keep going. And when the journey is
particularly long and the Immanuel connection is particularly subtle, so that you feel the need
to pause for more careful evaluation, this intuitive sense will reinforce your discernment from
the additional reference points. You will again feel more confident in reassuring the recipient
and coaching her to keep going.

Finally, you will eventually either get to resolution/healing or you will notice a slowly
growing pile of clues that indicate problems.

With resolution/healing, the good news is that the indicators of resolution/healing being

21
Sometimes I will also have a sense of reassurance from the Lord, and/or an implicit memory,
intuitive sense of reassurance (discussed below), and these will of course provide additional
encouragement to keep going.
22
If the journey is growing to many hours over multiple sessions, I will get into the rhythm of
pausing once or twice each session for this more careful check, to make sure that we are still on the right
trail with a genuine Immanuel connection as opposed to following a counterfeit or contaminated
connection into the bushes.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 14 of 51

genuine are much more definitive and much easier to recognize than the indicators of very
subtle connections being genuine. Even when the interactive connection is very subtle during
the journey, when all of the blockages are finally out of the way and all of the pieces are
finally in place, the Lord will facilitate resolution and healing that produces perfect fruit. The
specific issues being addressed will be fully resolved, the specific trauma being addressed
will be fully resolved, the specific lies being addressed will be replaced with new truths, and
the new truths will feel true. The negative emotions associated with these issues, trauma, and
lies will be fully resolved, the recipient will describe a sudden sense of release (often
dramatic), you will be able to observe visible relief on her face and in her body (again, often
dramatic), and she will have a clear subjective sense that the resolution/healing is real, true,
and genuine. Finally, release and relief will be followed by some combination of peace and
joy, and the recipient will be deeply grateful and fully satisfied with the whole package.23

When the recipient gets to healing and you verify these indicators of genuine fruit, you will
have definitive confirmation that your discernment was correct and that the interactive
connection was indeed genuine. And, as will be described below, the whole experience will
then add to your implicit memory, intuitive knowledge with respect to “this is what it looks
like and feels like to get through a long journey to healing with a very subtle Immanuel
connection.”24

Note: If you keep watching for reassurance that the interactive connection is genuine, but
instead of encouraging reference points you notice a steadily growing pile of clues that
indicate problems, then you need to change gears.25 Instead of helping the recipient to see and
remember the reassuring indicators that she is on the right trail and just needs to keep going,
you will want to gently describe the clues you are noticing that indicate problems, and then
work with her to carefully go through all of the reference points. And if this careful review
confirms that her interactive connection is counterfeit instead of genuine, then go through the

23
As mentioned above, for the many issues and traumas that are reasonably simple, the specific
issues being addressed, the specific traumas being addressed, the specific lies being addressed, and the
painful emotions associated with these issues, traumas, and lies will all be fully, permanently resolved
with a single round of Immanuel resolution/healing. And even with complicated issues and traumas, each
round of Immanuel resolution/healing will produce a definite, clear, real, tangible, permanent step
forward with respect to the specific issues and traumas being addressed – the recipient will be able to feel
the specific issues and traumas lose power, she will be able to feel a clear, tangible decrease in the
strength of the lies being addressed, and she will experience a dramatic decrease in the associated
negative emotions. And just as with simple issues and traumas, she will describe a sudden sense of
release, you will be able to observe visible relief on her face and in her body, she will have a clear
subjective sense that the resolution/healing is real, true, and genuine, release and relief will be followed
by some combination of peace and joy, and she will be deeply grateful and fully satisfied with the whole
package. (See pages twenty-four to thirty-two below for additional discussion of the clear, tangible,
permanent healing fruit that can be expected with each round of Immanuel resolution/healing, even with
complicated issues and traumas.)
24
Again, the whole “implicit memory, intuitive knowing” component of discernment will be
discussed in much more detail below.
25
Sometimes you will also have a growing sense of spiritual discernment caution from the Lord,
and/or a growing implicit memory intuitive sense of caution, and these will of course provide additional
indicators that you need to change gears from reassurance to confirmation of counterfeit and then
troubleshooting.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 15 of 51

corrective interventions described at the end of the section on accidental counterfeits, page 7,
above.26

D. Demonic counterfeits: One might think that demonic counterfeits would be a big area of
difficult discernment challenges, since demons are intelligent and have lots of experience
with deliberate deception. However, we’ve actually been pleasantly surprised by how little
trouble we have with demonic counterfeits. First of all, we hardly ever see demonic
counterfeits any more. We’re not sure why – whether it’s because we consistently use the
opening prayer at beginning of each session, or for some other reason – but we almost never
see demonic spirits even attempting to counterfeit Jesus, and this has been true for more than
five years now.

Second, when demonic spirits do attempt to counterfeit Jesus, they often present with images
that are weird/disturbing, and they often say and/or do things that are weird/disturbing. For
example, the counterfeit image might have eyes that glow red and the counterfeit Jesus might
invite the person to participate in inappropriate sexual behavior. Therefore, if the recipient
will actually describe everything that is coming into her awareness, demonic counterfeit is
usually pretty easy to spot. (This is yet another reason to be diligent in coaching the recipient
to “describe everything.” The weird/disturbing images, words, and behaviors are easy to spot
if the recipient reports them; however, the recipient will sometimes withhold this information
because she is afraid and/or embarrassed to share such weird/disturbing content. And
withholding these clues will make it much more difficult to spot the demonic counterfeit.)

Furthermore, demonic counterfeits are not very good at being gentle, careful, safe,
encouraging, compassionate, attuning, forgiving, merciful, patient, life-giving, etc, and they
especially have trouble being truly loving. They don’t provide guidance or help that actually
helps the session move forward. They often quickly become critical and condemning. They
often quickly use fear-based motivation. They often give advice that is contrary to scripture.
And they don’t produce good fruit. With most demonic counterfeits, you won’t need anything
more than the basic tools described in chapter thirty-one.

And if you encounter one of the rare demonic counterfeits that is more careful and
sophisticated, so that it does not disqualify itself with obvious blunders during the healing
journey, watching for additional criteria with respect to resolution/healing fruit will always
expose it. You will see neither full resolution nor clear, unambiguous, significant steps

26
A very brief summary of the corrective interventions from the accidental counterfeits section:
1) Help the recipient to recognize that her self-generated, accidental counterfeit clutter is not actually the
real thing. 2) Coach the recipient to repeat the initial Immanuel invitation and request. 3) Scan again for
content that actually is coming from the Lord, but that had gotten lost amongst all of the clutter from her
own mind. 4) Watch especially carefully for any content that you perceive to be coming from the
recipient’s own mind, point this out to her as soon as you notice it, and then help her to set it aside and
return to listening and watching for content that just comes into her awareness spontaneously. 5) For the
scenarios in which you do not find any genuine God-content, even with keeping accidental counterfeit
clutter out of the way and repeating the Immanuel invitation and request, help the recipient troubleshoot
to find and remove blockages. And then, as you progressively remove blockages, help her to recognize
the genuine presence of God and genuine content from God when it actually does show up. 6) As always,
if you are not able to resolve the problem, help the recipient get back to her safety net positive place, and
then look at our advanced material, and/or obtain consultation, and/or refer the person to a facilitator
with more knowledge and experience.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 16 of 51

forward with respect to the issues and traumas being addressed. You will see neither full
resolution nor significant weakening of the lies being addressed. You will see neither full
resolution nor dramatic decrease in the painful emotions associated with the issues, traumas,
and lies being addressed.27 The recipient will not have a clear subjective sense that she has
received real, true, genuine resolution/healing. She will not report a sense of release and you
will not observe a visible wave of relief. The release and relief that are not present will not be
followed by some combination of peace and joy. And, finally, the recipient will feel some
combination of disappointment and frustration instead of feeling deeply grateful and fully
satisfied with the whole package.28

Finally, as the recipient gains experience with genuine Immanuel encounters, she will quickly
spot demonic imposters because they feel so different from the real Jesus. (Even the careful,
sophisticated demonic counterfeits still have a subjective feeling that is very different from
the real Jesus.)

E. Accidental counterfeits from dissociated internal parts: Sometimes dissociated internal

parts can produce “accidental” counterfeits in much the same way as the person’s normal
adult consciousness can produce accidental counterfeits. Many people with dissociated
internal parts have some parts that have learned to be helpful, and when the person
encounters any difficult situation that upsets her, these parts come forward with all of the
resources they have developed. They might offer insights as they do their best to analyze the
situation. They might offer practical thoughts as they try to help with problem solving. They
usually offer truth statements challenging distorted beliefs. They often offer comforting
comments. And they might remind the recipient of scriptures that challenge distorted beliefs
or that are helpful in other ways.29

With some recipients, these helpful internal parts have been working for many years, and
jump into action automatically whenever the person encounters difficult situations. When
distorted thoughts and negative emotions are stirred up in an emotional healing ministry
session these parts naturally come forward with all of their usual helpful resources, just as
they have always done. They are usually not trying to impersonate Jesus in any deceptive or
malicious way, but are simply doing the job they have always done. Unfortunately, in the
context of the Immanuel approach, with the facilitator and recipient inviting Jesus to come
with guidance and help, the person will usually perceive the various kinds of helpful content
to be coming from Jesus.

27
Again, with simple issues and traumas, a genuine Immanuel encounter will produce full
resolution of the issues, traumas, lies, and painful emotions. And even with complex issues and traumas
anchored in many different painful memories, a genuine Immanuel encounter will produce clear,
unambiguous, significant progress with respect to the issues, traumas, and lies being addressed, and the
recipient will experience dramatic decrease with respect to negative emotions.
28
Again, in some of these situations the recipient will also experience confusion, discouragement,
and anxiety, in addition to disappointment and frustration.
29
On rare occasions, internal dissociated parts might even bring forward minor, low intensity
traumatic memories. They are usually more interested in hiding traumatic memories, but they might
occasionally bring forward memories if they perceive the memories to be minor, low intensity, and not
strategically linked to anything important. Also, internal parts do not produce images of Jesus with this
accidental counterfeit phenomena, in which they are just jumping in with their usual help, and
accidentally causing the recipient to think she is interacting with Jesus.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 17 of 51

First of all, since the dissociated parts are separate from the person’s normal adult
consciousness, the content they bring will feel like it’s coming from “somewhere else,” and
the recipient will perceive it to be unexpected and spontaneous (as opposed to feeling like it’s
just coming for her normal adult consciousness).30

Second, these parts have usually had the benefit of observing the recipient’s adult self
participating in years of therapy and/or ministry, and they have also often observed others
receiving genuine healing from Jesus. So these parts often come up with classic
therapy/emotional healing type stuff, such as speaking classic therapy/emotional healing
truths. (“It’s not your fault – you were just a child,” “Even if they rejected you, I have always
loved you and wanted you,” “You don’t ever have to feel lonely because I am always with
you,” and other classics.)

Third, internal parts can be genuinely gentle, caring, encouraging, etc, and many of them can
even do a decent job of offering attunement and being loving. So they can present a
subjective presence that feels a lot more like the real Jesus, and the recipient can have both
the positive sense of having a companion with her on the journey and the comforting sense
that she is receiving attunement.

Fourth, many dissociated internal parts belong to recipients who are experienced Christians,
and these parts have usually been invisibly observing the person’s life for years, which
includes quietly paying attention through many hours of Bible study. These parts therefore
usually know the Bible, and can often offer their insights, practical solutions, cognitive
therapy truths, comforting thoughts, and Bible verses for a long time without revealing
themselves by doing or saying anything that is inconsistent with scripture.

The key to detecting these accidental counterfeits that initially appear so convincing is that
they produce totally disappointing results with respect to resolution and healing. The
recipient may experience some moderate, temporary benefits from the sense of having a
companion with her on the journey, from the sense of receiving attunement, and from the
insights, cognitive therapy truths, comforting thoughts, and Bible verses that the internal parts
are providing, but the recipient’s internal parts can never have any more resources than her
own mind can provide, and therefore won’t be able to help her with true resolution and
healing.31 Furthermore, they are usually invested in keeping traumatic memories hidden and
disconnected, as opposed to wanting to help the person find and feel the trauma that needs to
be resolved.

During the journey towards healing, the dissociated parts are moderately helpful with respect

30
Note that this internal subjective experience will be more intense and convincing for people
with internal parts that are more clearly separate, and also for people who do not yet know they have
internal dissociated parts.
31
The unresolved issues and traumas are there in the first place because the recipient has blind
spots, inadequate capacity, inadequate maturity skills, and other blockages that have prevented her from
being able to resolve the issues and traumatic memories. And her dissociated internal parts will be
limited by the same blind spots, lack of capacity, lack of maturity skills, and other blockages. So these
internal parts may be able to provide comfort and help her cope more effectively, but they won’t have
any new resources with which to help her get unstuck.*Question to self: include at end of paragraph
instead of footnote?

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 18 of 51

to immediate distress, but they never actually help the session move forward. They are not
able to provide the kind of capacity augmentation that requires a genuine outside source, they
cannot resolve guardian lie fears or other hindrances that are in the way of moving forward,
they don’t help the recipient find traumatic memories that have not yet been identified (in
fact, they usually lead away from important memories), and they don’t enable recipients to
connect with traumatic memories that are already present in conscious awareness but still
protected by disconnection defenses. Again, they don’t provide any guidance or help that
truly moves the session forward with respect to permanent resolution of issues or healing of
trauma.

And when the session gets to the place where permanent resolution/healing is supposed to
occur, internal parts cannot do the job. That is, if the recipient has memories that are already
in conscious awareness and that are already emotionally connected, internal parts will not be
able to help her finish processing tasks and accomplish permanent resolution and healing.
They will say things that sound like good emotional healing ministry, but the recipient will
not actually experience any actual resolution or healing.

Just as with the other counterfeits presented so far, the recipient will often want their to be
dramatic progress, and she might even be trying to believe there is dramatic progress and
trying to fabricate dramatic progress, but in reality you will not see either full resolution or
clear, unambiguous, significant steps forward with respect to the issues and traumas being
addressed. You will not see either full resolution or significant weakening of the lies being
addressed. You will not see either full resolution or dramatic decrease in the painful emotions
associated with the issues, traumas, and lies being addressed. The recipient will not report a
sense of release and you will not observe a visible wave of relief. The release and relief that
are not present will not be followed by some combination of peace and joy. And the recipient
will feel some combination of disappointment and frustration instead of feeling deeply
grateful and fully satisfied with the whole package.32

Finally, whether you are still working with the recipient to get all of the pieces in place or
whether she is at the point in the session at which she should be experiencing resolution and
healing, when internal parts are offering content that is accidentally mistaken for an
Immanuel encounter you never see “I would never have thought of that in a million years”
breakthrough insights and you never see “totally beyond us” miraculous interventions that
would require the genuine presence of God.

When I suspect that dissociated internal parts are bringing forward helpful content that is
accidentally being mistaken for an Immanuel encounter, the first thing I do is to gently and
relationally explain about this phenomena. (Of course I adjust my explanations depending on
how much the person already knows about internal parts. For example, if the person knows
nothing about internal parts, I go much more slowly, and take a lot more time to carefully

32
As already mentioned in chapter thirty-one, there are rare dissociated parts counterfeits that can
temporarily produce the illusion of true resolution and healing. However, the temporary dramatic
benefits at the center of this fake resolution and healing always fade over time, and so even these
sophisticated counterfeits are eventually exposed if you keep watching for whether or not there is lasting,
long-term fruit accumulating over time. These rare sophisticated counterfeits are discussed in more detail
in chapter thirty-three.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 19 of 51

introduce the whole idea of dissociation and internal parts.)33 And then I describe the
observations that lead me to think that this might be happening in this particular situation.
For example, “Sometimes parts of a person’s mind learn how to help her by speaking truth or
offering other helpful thoughts when she is upset. And sometimes in an Immanuel session
these parts just jump into their old familiar job, without even thinking about it, and the person
mistakenly thinks that their thoughts and other helpful content are coming from Jesus. I think
this might be happening here because it seems like we have been getting help from Jesus, but
the issues and traumatic memories don’t seem to be getting permanently resolved. Usually,
when I see this pattern, it’s because parts inside are trying to help, and we are mistaking them
for Jesus so we initially think Jesus is speaking and working, but then we don’t see
permanent resolution because they’re not able to produce the kind of true, deep healing that
the real presence of Jesus brings.”

After explaining the phenomena and describing the clues I’m seeing that make me think it’s
happening in this particular session, I use the direct eye contact technique and ask to speak
directly to the parts that are involved. For example, “I would like to invite any parts that
know about this to come forward and talk with me. I’m not upset with you – I just want to
help you let the real Jesus be present and speak for Himself.” And finally, after establishing a
connection with the internal parts, I work with them to help them cooperate with a genuine
Immanuel encounter.34

I have been pleasantly surprised by the results.35 In almost every situation, the internal parts
involved come forward and acknowledge what they have been doing. In these situations in
which they have just been “helping” out of habit, the problem can usually be solved by
simply asking them if they would be willing to stand to the side and let the real Jesus show
up, so that he can fix the problem completely and permanently. Sometimes these parts will
forget, and jump back into old behaviors, but they will respond quickly to a simple, gentle
reminder. If their behavior is entrenched because of guardian lies, then the guardian lies (and
often anchoring memories) will have to be addressed before they are willing/able to let go of
the old behavior.

33
If you suspect that dissociated internal parts are bringing forward helpful content that is
accidentally being mistaken for an Immanuel encounter, but you do not yet have much experience with
talking about these phenomena, one option for the explanation piece is to have the recipient read this
material and then discuss it with them. Also, after discussing the essay, you and the recipient might even
agree on a specific plan. For example, you might agree that you will be watching for parts presenting as
Jesus, that you will point out clues when you notice them, and that you will then try the direct eye contact
technique and engage directly with the internal parts as described below.
34
See “Direct Eye Contact Technique for Making Contact with Internal Parts,” and the last part
of the essay, “Internal Dissociated Parts Presenting as Jesus,” respectively, for a detailed description of
the direct eye contact technique and for additional discussion of how to use this technique in interacting
with parts that are producing accidental counterfeit Immanuel encounters. Both of these essays are
available as free downloads from www.kclehman.com.
35
When I am peaceful, calm, and relational (not frustrated or judgmental or triggered in any way),
I am amazed at how willing internal parts are to come forward and talk to me about what they are doing.
However, if I am triggered in some way, and especially if I am frustrated and/or judgmental, then internal
parts tend to be guarded and uncooperative, often “stonewalling” me by not even acknowledging that
they are there.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 20 of 51

F. Dissociated internal parts and deliberate counterfeits: Sometimes dissociated internal

parts will deliberately produce counterfeit Immanuel encounters,36 and these counterfeits can
sometimes initially be very convincing.

First of all, these counterfeits look good. The internal parts want you to believe that the
counterfeit is really Jesus, so they are rarely subtle, faint, or vague. These counterfeits
therefore almost always include fairly vivid, detailed Jesus imagery, and these images are
usually also living, interactive, and contingent. Furthermore, since the dissociated parts are
separate from the person’s normal adult consciousness, the counterfeit Jesus’ words and
actions will feel like they are coming from “somewhere else,” the recipient will perceive
them to be unexpected and spontaneous (as opposed to feeling like she’s interacting with her
own hand puppet), and they will feel new and different from her usual coping tools.

Second, just as with dissociated parts and accidental counterfeits, these parts have usually had
the benefit of observing the recipient’s adult self participating in years of therapy and/or
ministry, and they have also often observed others receiving genuine healing from Jesus. So
these counterfeit Jesuses often say and do classic therapy/emotional healing type stuff. For
example, offering insights, quoting scripture that seems relevant, touching the person in ways
that are appropriate and comforting, and speaking classic therapy/emotional healing truths.

Third, just as mentioned above regarding dissociated parts and accidental counterfeits, these
parts can be genuinely gentle, caring, encouraging, etc, and many of them can even do a
decent job of offering attunement and being loving. So they can present a subjective presence
that feels a lot more like the real Jesus, and the recipient can have both the positive sense of
having a companion with her on the journey and the comforting sense that she is receiving
attunement.

Fourth, as mentioned above regarding accidental counterfeits, many dissociated internal parts
belong to recipients who are experienced Christians. These parts have usually been invisibly
observing the person’s life for years, and this has usually included quietly paying attention
through many hours of Bible study. These parts therefore usually know the Bible, and can
often maintain a counterfeit Jesus for a long time without revealing themselves by doing or
saying anything that is inconsistent with scripture.

Furthermore, with some recipients the dissociative parts have already been producing these
deliberate counterfeits in many other settings before the person comes for her first Immanuel
session. For example, the dissociated parts may have produced counterfeit Jesus experiences
in the context of other emotional healing ministry settings, personal devotions, charismatic
conferences, or even in the context of the person calling out to the Lord for help during times
of intense distress. And when the dissociated parts have been producing counterfeit Jesus
experiences in many different settings over the course of years, the person has often become

36
Internal dissociated parts produce deliberate counterfeits for a variety of reasons. For example,
they might be worried that the real Jesus won’t show up and that the recipient will be painfully
disappointed. So they “help” by trying to jump in for Jesus. Or they may be trying to avoid certain
underlying issues and/or memories that are especially painful, so they produce a counterfeit Jesus who
leads the session in every possible direction other than towards the forbidden issues and/or memories. Or,
if the person is already working with conscious awareness of painful memories, they produce a
counterfeit Jesus who leads the session away from interventions that would dismantle the defenses that
are preventing the person from actually feeling the pain in the memories.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 21 of 51

convinced that these experiences are actually from the Lord, she has often come to believe
that they represent the real presence of Jesus, and she has often become very attached to
them.

However, even though these deliberate counterfeits can initially be very convincing, they can
still be reliably distinguished from genuine interactive connections with Jesus. Just as with
dissociated parts and accidental counterfeits, the key to detecting these deliberate counterfeits
is that they produce totally disappointing results with respect to resolution and healing. The
recipient may experience some moderate, temporary benefits from the sense of having a
companion with her on the journey, from the sense of receiving attunement, and from the
insights, cognitive therapy truths, comforting thoughts, and Bible verses that the internal parts
are providing through the counterfeit Jesus; but even these skillful, deliberate counterfeits can
never have any more resources than the recipient’s own mind can provide, and therefore
won’t be able to help her with true resolution and healing.37 Furthermore, the internal parts
behind the counterfeit Jesus are usually invested in keeping traumatic memories hidden and
disconnected, as opposed to wanting to help the person find and feel the trauma that needs to
be resolved.

During the journey towards healing, these deliberate counterfeits say and do things that look
good and sound good, and they are moderately helpful with respect to immediate distress, but
they never actually help the session move forward. They are not able to provide the kind of
capacity augmentation that requires a genuine outside source, they cannot resolve guardian lie
fears or other hindrances that are in the way of moving forward, they don’t help the recipient
find traumatic memories that have not yet been identified (in fact, they usually lead away
from important memories), and they don’t enable recipients to connect with traumatic
memories that are already present in conscious awareness but still protected by disconnection
defenses. Again, they don’t provide any guidance or help that truly moves the session forward
with respect to permanent resolution of issues or healing of trauma.

And when the session gets to the place where permanent resolution/healing is supposed to
occur, these skillfully constructed counterfeit Jesuses cannot do the job. That is, if the
recipient has memories that are already in conscious awareness and that are already
emotionally connected, one of these deliberate counterfeits will not be able to help her finish
processing tasks and accomplish permanent resolution and healing. The counterfeit Jesus will
look good, and he will say and do things that sound and look like good emotional healing
ministry, but the recipient will not experience any actual resolution or healing.

Just as with the other counterfeits that have been discussed so far, the recipient will often
want their to be dramatic progress, and she might even be trying to believe there is dramatic
progress and trying to fabricate dramatic progress, but in reality you will not see either full
resolution or clear, unambiguous, significant steps forward with respect to the issues and
traumas being addressed. You will not see either full resolution or significant weakening of
the lies being addressed. You will not see either full resolution or dramatic decrease in the

37
Again, the unresolved issues and traumas are there in the first place because the recipient has
blind spots, inadequate capacity, inadequate maturity skills, and other blockages that have prevented her
from being able to resolve the issues and traumatic memories. And the internal parts behind the
counterfeit will be limited by the same blind spots, lack of capacity, lack of maturity skills, and other
blockages. So the counterfeit Jesus will not have any new resources with which to help the recipient get
unstuck.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 22 of 51

painful emotions associated with the issues, traumas, and lies being addressed. The recipient
will not report a sense of release and you will not observe a visible wave of relief. The release
and relief that are not present will not be followed by some combination of peace and joy.
And the recipient will feel some combination of disappointment and frustration instead of
feeling deeply grateful and fully satisfied with the whole package.38

Finally, whether you are still working with the recipient to get all of the pieces in place or
whether she is at the point in the session at which she should be experiencing resolution and
healing, you will never see one of these deliberate counterfeits providing “I would never have
thought of that in a million years” breakthrough insights and you will never see one of these
deliberate counterfeits producing “totally beyond us” miraculous interventions that would
require the genuine presence of God.

Fortunately, when dissociated internal parts deliberately present a counterfeit Jesus, they
often make detection easier by trying to compensate for their lack of true power by producing
statements of truth, visual imagery, and other “interventions” that are especially dramatic.
The counterfeit Jesus will come with dramatic visual imagery, dramatic statements of
reassurance, and other dramatic interventions that clearly imply, “We’ve taken care of the
hindrances, the pieces needed for healing are all in place, and now we’re wrapping this up
with final resolution and healing.” But the fruit is inadequate and inferior. In contrast, when
the real Jesus says and does things that even quietly imply, “Now we’re wrapping this up
with resolution and healing,” you can count on a significant step forward with respect to the
person’s healing and growth, and you can count on fruit that is clear, strong, and deeply
satisfying. So if the person reports an apparent Jesus who is saying and doing things
consistent with “Now we’re wrapping this one up,” but the observed benefits are
disappointing, unsatisfying, or mediocre in any way, you can be pretty confident that you
have internal parts presenting a counterfeit Jesus.

Also, if a person has had parts presenting as Jesus in the past I will be especially aware of this
possibility as I continue to work with her.

The biggest risks with these impressive looking deliberate counterfeits are, 1) you can be so
impressed with their appearance that you forget to check carefully for fruit, and 2) you feel
insecure regarding your discernment because the counterfeits look so impressive. However,
you can confidently identify these initially convincing counterfeits if you are aware of the
possibility that they might be present and if you carefully use additional reference points to
check the fruit.

Just as with sessions in which internal parts are accidentally being mistaken for Jesus, when I
suspect that dissociated internal parts are deliberately presenting themselves as Jesus, the first
thing I do is to gently and relationally explain about this phenomena.39 And then I describe

38
Again, there are rare dissociated parts counterfeits that can temporarily produce the illusion of
true resolution and healing, but even these sophisticated counterfeits are eventually exposed if you keep
watching for whether or not there is lasting, long-term fruit accumulating over time. As mentioned above,
these rare sophisticated counterfeits are discussed in more detail in chapter thirty-three.
39
And again, I adjust my explanations depending on how much the person already knows about
internal parts. Also, if you suspect that one of your clients may have internal parts that are deliberately
presenting as Jesus, but you do not yet have much experience with talking about these phenomena, one

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 23 of 51

the observations that lead me to believe that it’s occurring in this particular situation. For
example, “Sometimes parts of a person’s mind try to help or protect the person by speaking
for Jesus, or even by pretending to be Jesus. I think this might be happening here because it
seems like Jesus has been speaking and working, but the issues and traumatic memories don’t
seem to be getting permanently resolved. Usually, when I see this pattern, it’s because parts
inside are trying to help by speaking for Jesus or presenting themselves as Jesus, so it looks
and sounds like Jesus is speaking and working, but we don’t see permanent resolution
because they’re not able to produce the kind of true, deep healing that the genuine presence of
Jesus brings.”

(Note: with the recipients who have already encountered these counterfeits in other settings,
and who have come to believe that they are from God and represent the real presence of
Jesus, you will need to care for an additional difficulty. These recipients often become
frightened and confused as they start to realize that these supposed Jesus experiences may
actually be counterfeits from internal parts instead of valid encounters with the real presence
of Jesus. “Oh, no! What does this mean? Does this mean that all of my experiences of God’s
presence have been fake? Do I really know Jesus, or is my whole Christian faith just a big
mistake? Can I still believe in God? How do I know what to believe? How do I know what to
trust?...etc.” In these situations I reassure the recipient that we will be able to discern truth
together, I reassure her that her faith life will actually get better, since the real presence of
Jesus will be even better than what she gets when her internal parts try to take his place, and I
coach her to speak her fears directly to the Lord and ask him for help.)

After explaining the phenomena and describing the clues I’m seeing that make me think it’s
happening in this particular session (and also caring for fears and confusion, with those for
whom this is necessary), I use the direct eye contact technique and ask to speak directly to the
parts that are involved. For example, “I would like to invite any parts that know about this to
come forward and talk with me. I’m not upset with you – I just want to help you let the real
Jesus be present and speak for Himself. So if you can talk to me, we can figure out why you
felt the need to present yourselves as Jesus, what you need to be okay, and how we can do
this whole Immanuel thing in a way that feels safe for you.” And finally, after establishing a
connection with the internal parts, I work with them to help them cooperate with a genuine
Immanuel encounter.40

Just as with sessions in which internal parts are accidentally being mistaken for Jesus, I have
been pleasantly surprised by the results when I use this simple, direct technique with parts
that are deliberately presenting themselves as Jesus. In almost every situation, the internal
parts involved come forward and acknowledge what they have been doing, and then work

option for the explanation piece is to have the recipient read this essay and then discuss it with them. And
just as with accidental counterfeits, after discussing the material you and the recipient might even agree
that you will be watching for parts presenting as Jesus, that you will point out clues when you notice
them, and that you will then try the direct eye contact technique and engage directly with the internal
parts as described here.
40
See “Direct Eye Contact Technique for Making Contact with Internal Parts,” and the last part
of the essay, “Internal Dissociated Parts Presenting as Jesus,” respectively, for a detailed description of
the direct eye contact technique and for additional discussion of how to use this technique in interacting
with parts that are deliberately presenting themselves as Jesus. Again, both of these essays are available
as free downloads from www.kclehman.com.)

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 24 of 51

with Jesus and me to find a way for them to cooperate with genuine Immanuel encounters.
(And, again, if their behavior is entrenched because of guardian lies, then the guardian lies
(and often anchoring memories) will have to be addressed before they are willing/able to let
go of the old behavior.)

II. Thoughts regarding possible overwhelm: As the material for this chapter kept
expanding...and expanding...and expanding, I found myself beginning to worry that the reader
might start feeling a bit overwhelmed by this large pile of additional tools, interventions, and
reference points. So I would like to offer some additional thoughts that will hopefully help with
possible overwhelm.

First, if you are a beginner you shouldn’t be here. As already mentioned in the warning box at the
beginning of the chapter, if you don’t yet have experience with actual sessions, you won’t have
your own experiential reference points to help you organize, understand, and remember this
material, and it will therefore feel much more complicated and overwhelming. So, again, I
strongly encourage you to skip this for now and come back when you have mastered the basic
material and gained some experience with actual Immanuel approach sessions. At the very least,
please just skim this material, and focus especially on the true stories and examples. Also, if you
start to feel overwhelmed, and begin to think anything along the lines of, “Maybe I shouldn’t get
into this Immanuel approach thing after all – it’s a lot more complicated and difficult that I
thought,” please, please, please do not continue with the intermediate and advanced material at
this time. Go back and get re-inspired by the true story chapters, go back to the super basic
exercises and remind yourself regarding how simple they are, and find a trainer who can provide
coaching and supervision to help you start experimenting with the exercises for groups and
beginners. And then, after you prove to yourself that the Immanuel approach really is simple and
easy, and after you become comfortable with the basic principles and tools, come back and look
at this intermediate material.

If you have already mastered the basic material, you do have experience with actual sessions, and
you truly are ready to begin learning intermediate principles and tools, I want to remind you that
you won’t even need any of these additional tools, interventions, or reference points for most
basic sessions. Also, for many intermediate sessions, you will be fine with a small handful of the
additional reference points (pick the three to five that you like best), and two or three of the
additional tools and interventions. Furthermore, if you continue to move into more challenging
Immanuel approach work, you can reassure yourself by remembering that the full toolbox
includes a much larger pile of reference points, tools, and interventions. (And you can go back
and get them when you actually need them.)

And here’s another encouraging thought with respect to perspective. Instead of feeling
overwhelmed by this huge pile of material, think of it this way: “We don’t need to worry about
counterfeit or contamination being impossible to detect – there are so many tools, interventions,
and reference points for verifying the genuine that we can hardly even remember them all!” I
would much rather have a LARGE pile of potential resources that we can eventually learn to use
if we need them than to have a small pile that we can master quickly, but that may not be able to
handle the really difficult situations.

Finally, it’s important to remember that it’s okay to say “this one is too much for me.” If you are
overwhelmed by this discussion of possible problems with counterfeit or contamination,

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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remember that some emotional healing sessions are very simple and straight forward, and that it
is okay to stay with emotional healing work appropriate to your level of experience, training,
maturity, discernment, etc. If you are working with someone and you realize you don’t know how
to handle the problems you are encountering, it’s okay to say “this one is too much for me,” and
then either obtain consultation, refer the person to a more advanced facilitator, or agree to
postpone work with that particular person until you feel adequately prepared. Again, it is
perfectly okay to say “I’m just starting to work with intermediate and advanced material, so I
need to stay with emotional healing work that is more straight forward.” You can even do this
with respect to different issues in the same person. For example, if you encounter a particular
issue that is beyond your current level of skill, you can simply acknowledge this, find a more
manageable target, and then either obtain consultation, refer the recipient to a more advanced
facilitator to address the complex issue, or agree to postpone work on that particular target until
you feel adequately prepared.

I would greatly prefer that you start working with intermediate material, even though you only
feel comfortable working with easier intermediate challenges, than that you never start because
you are too intimidated by the possibility of encountering problems that are too difficult.

III. Additional Reference Points: In chapter thirty-one, I presented three reference points for
discerning between genuine and counterfeit interactive connections: 1) Consistency with
scripture, 2) Really significant41 observable positive change by the end of the session, and 3)
Lasting, long-term fruit that accumulates over time. I also mentioned two additional reference
points that can provide bonus reassurance: 4) Content that is sometimes surprising and
unexpected, and 5) Content that is sometimes “beyond us,” or even miraculous. And these five
reference points provide wonderfully adequate discernment and reassurance for basic sessions.
However, as illustrated by the difficult discernment challenges just discussed above, additional
reference points can sometimes be very helpful in identifying counterfeit Immanuel encounters.
In this section I discuss difficult discernment from the perspective of each of the eleven
additional reference points.

A. Additional reference points for the initial connection and journey towards healing: The
last four of these eleven additional reference points (reference points thirteen through sixteen)
apply only to resolution and healing, so the facilitator should focus on just the first seven
additional reference points (reference points six through twelve) as the recipient is
establishing her initial interactive connection and as she is journeying towards healing.

6) Jesus’ personal presence feels real, true, and genuine: With genuine Immanuel
encounters that include the perception of Jesus’ presence as a person,42 even when this
perception is very faint and subtle, if the recipient focuses carefully on this specific
question she will realize that her perception of Jesus’ personal presence feels real, true,
and genuine. The subjective sense of Jesus’ personal presence feels real, and it feels true
that he is with her. In contrast, when a counterfeit is accidentally being produced by the
person’s own mind, the recipient will not feel like she is having a real, true, or genuine

41
Again, not just the mild to moderate improvement that a recipient might experience in response
to counterfeits using interventions for coping/managing (for example, challenging lies with cognitive
therapy truth, offering comfort and encouragement, quoting reassuring scripture verses, etc).
42
As noted above, the most subtle genuine interactive connections do not include the perception
of God as a personal presence.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 26 of 51

experience of Jesus’ presence. Usually the recipient will have at least some sense that she
may be manufacturing the supposed Jesus with her own mind, and she will quickly
acknowledge this when asked specifically about this point. (Occasionally the recipient
will not have this much self awareness, but even in these situations she will still be clear
that the supposed Jesus does not feel real, true, and genuine.)

Note that this reference point is not helpful for differentiating between the genuine Jesus
and demonic or dissociated parts counterfeits, since both of these sources usually produce
a counterfeit Jesus that presents as a personal presence, and this counterfeit personal
presence usually feels quite real. (My guess is that this subjective feeling of the
counterfeit being “real” is produced by the counterfeit Jesus coming from outside of the
person’s usual adult conscious awareness.)

7) Jesus images are living, interactive, contingent, and beneficial: With genuine
Immanuel encounters that include Jesus imagery,43 even when this imagery is very faint
and subtle, if you coach the recipient to observe carefully she will be able to recognize
that her Jesus imagery is living, interactive, and contingent. For example, in my own
experience with Immanuel encounters, I usually get a very faint, subtle image of Jesus’
face as part of my interactive connections. His usual expression is a quiet smile, and
sometimes this quiet smile goes on for a while and I wonder if I’m just remembering a
“freeze frame” still image from a previous Immanuel encounter. But then I notice a
flicker of a grin, and I realize that I had just thought or done something that was just a bit
humorous. Or I notice his expression briefly turn serious, and I realize that I had briefly
turned my attention towards something that was painful. When I really do have a genuine,
living connection, and I pay attention with this reference point in mind, I always
eventually notice that Jesus’ face is living and interactive, and that his responses to my
thoughts and feelings are perfectly contingent.

Furthermore, when the recipient gets Jesus imagery as part of a genuine interactive
connection, it will always come with some kind of tangible benefit. For example, visual
imagery will contribute to the sense that Jesus is really with her, and will thereby also
contribute to the comfort and encouragement of knowing that she has a companion with
her on the journey. And if the recipient focuses on this point very specifically, she will be
able to perceive this aspect of benefit from the imagery. Also, as mentioned above (page
four, footnote #8), if the recipient is already working inside a traumatic memory, just
seeing Jesus and realizing that he is with her in the trauma will often produce the first
piece of healing.

Yet another aspect of benefits from genuine visual imagery is that Jesus often uses visual
imagery details as part of caring for the recipient. For example, if the recipient has been
traumatized by inappropriate touch from adult men, Jesus might put her at ease by
appearing as a young child. Or if the recipient is afraid of physical violence from men,
Jesus might put her at easy by appearing to be very small and standing at a safe distance.
Or if the recipient is afraid that Jesus is angry with her and judging her, he might reassure
her letting her see his face, and inviting her to notice that his expression is one of
profound compassion (as opposed to anger, contempt, or disgust).

43
As noted above, the most subtle genuine interactive connections do not include Jesus imagery.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 27 of 51

In contrast, when the recipient gets Jesus imagery as part of an accidental counterfeit that
is being produced by her own mind, the image is often just a still, lifeless picture, such as
the memory of a Jesus poster from a childhood Sunday school class. Or the image may
initially seem to be alive, but then turns out to be just the memory of a clip from a movie
about Jesus. Or the image may be alive, interactive, and contingent, but when the
recipient focuses on it with this specific question in mind, she will realize that she can
somehow anticipate exactly what “Jesus” is going to say and do, and then will realize that
she is just interacting with her own Jesus hand puppet. And these self-generated images,
coming from her own mind as she tries to fill in the uncomfortable empty space where a
real interactive connection should be, won’t produce encouragement, comfort, healing, or
any of the other benefits that usually come with genuine Jesus visual imagery.44

Note that this reference point will not identify deliberate counterfeits from dissociated
parts, nor expose the rare demonic counterfeit that is sophisticated enough to avoid
disqualifying itself by presenting with images that are weird/disturbing. Both of these
counterfeits will be living, interactive, and contingent, and they also include the
subjective perception of coming from outside the recipient’s normal adult consciousness
(and thereby produce the encouragement that comes from the recipient feeling like she
has a companion with her on the journey).

8) Recipient feels like she is interacting with a companion (vs just talking to herself,
trying to figure it out on her own): With genuine Immanuel encounters that include a
sense of God’s presence as a person (with or without Jesus imagery),45 the recipient will
feel like she has a companion with her on the journey. Even without asking about this
reference point, you will often be able to observe that the recipient starts to talk and act as
if she now has a trusted companion with her on the journey. For example, she will start
interacting directly with Jesus, as if he is a living friend, walking beside her, she will
make comments indicating that she is feeling comforted and encouraged instead of
anxious and alone, and instead of displaying whatever negative emotions she experiences
when she focuses on the problem, she will often smile when she is focusing on and
interacting with Jesus. And if you do ask the recipient to deliberately look at this
reference point, she will confirm that it feels like she truly has a companion with her on
the journey, and that it feels like she is getting help from a friend as opposed to just
talking to herself or trying to figure it out on her own. (They are sometimes very subtle,
but if she looks carefully she will recognize that she does have these perceptions, and that
they feel true.)

In contrast, if the supposed interactive connection is just accidental counterfeit coming

from the recipient’s own mind, it will definitely not include a sense of the Lord’s
presence as a person. The recipient will not start to feel and talk and act like she now has

44
Again, some people have learned to comfort themselves with positive images that they have
learned to generate with their own imaginations, and these recipients will get some benefit from their
imaginary images. But it will look and feel as if they are just trying to comfort themselves, and the
positive effects will be mediocre and temporary. Other recipients will just feel disappointed and/or
frustrated because they think their imaginary images actually are a real Immanuel encounter, and they can
tell that it is not bringing any new or significant benefits. (“I was hoping for a lot more than this.”)
45
As noted above, the most subtle genuine interactive connections don’t include the perception of
God as a personal presence.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 28 of 51

a loving, safe, helpful companion with her on the journey. And if you help her to carefully
look at this specific reference point, she will realize that she is just talking to herself, and
using her old, familiar coping tools to try to figure out the problem on her own.

Note that this reference point will not identify deliberate counterfeits from dissociated
parts or counterfeits from demonic spirits. As mentioned above, both of these sources
produce counterfeits that are living, interactive, and contingent, and they also include the
subjective perception of coming from outside the recipient’s normal adult consciousness,
so the recipient will still have the subjective perception of having somebody else with her
on the journey.

9) It feels true that the recipient is receiving attunement: Jesus understands

attunement, he knows how important it is, and he is always offering it to us. So in every
genuine interactive connection except the most super subtle,46 the recipient will feel
attunement from Jesus. If you coach her to focus carefully on this reference point, the
recipient will realize that it feels true that Jesus hears her, that he understands her, that he
cares about her, and that he is somehow with her in her pain.

In contrast, when the supposed interactive connection is just being produced by the
person’s own mind, she will not feel like she is receiving attunement – she will not feel
like somebody else is hearing her, understanding her, caring about her, and somehow with
her in her pain. Instead, she will feel like she’s just talking to herself. And she will feel
like she’s just engaging in familiar analysis, problem solving, self-cognitive therapy, and
other forms of self-soothing, coping, and managing.

This reference point is also good for exposing demonic counterfeits, since demons aren’t
very good at attunement. (I have never seen a demonic counterfeit actually offer
attunement.) However, it is not helpful for identifying deliberate counterfeits produced by
dissociated parts, since internal parts’ counterfeits can sometimes be fairly good at
offering attunement.

10) Guidance and help feel truly helpful, are observably helpful: When the recipient is
experiencing a genuine interactive connection, guidance and help from the Lord feel truly
helpful to the recipient, and the facilitator can observe that they actually enable the
session to move forward.

For example, we ask Jesus for guidance and help, he reveals the guardian lie fear that is in
the way, we ask him for more help, the recipient can feel the guardian lie fear lose power,
and then the session actually moves forward. Or we ask God for guidance and help, he
reveals the underlying traumatic memory that we’re trying to find but it’s emotionally
disconnected, we ask him for more help, he enables the recipient to connect to the
memory, and then the session moves forward. Or we ask the Lord for guidance and help,
he brings insights that connect pieces of the puzzle that the person has never put together

46
The most subtle form of perceiving God’s personal presence is feeling attunement from the
Lord – recipients will sense this first indicator of God’s presence as a person even before they have
imagery or any other subjective indicator of God’s personal presence. Even so, the most super subtle
interactive connections do not include even this most subtle form of perceiving God’s presence as a
person.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 29 of 51

before, and these new insights and connections help the session move forward. Or we ask
Jesus for guidance and help, he helps the recipient realize that she is stuck because she
does not have adequate capacity, we ask for more help, he spends time with her helping
her increase her capacity, and then the session moves forward. Or we ask Jesus for
guidance and help, he reveals..., we ask for more help, he provides..., and then the session
moves forward....etc.

In contrast, when the supposed interactive connection is just accidental counterfeit being
produced by the person’s own mind, she might feel some encouragement and comfort
from the scriptures she is quoting to herself, from her positive self-talk, and from her self-
cognitive therapy. And she might even come up with analytical insights that seem
profound and practical problem-solving ideas that seem useful. But the session will not
actually move forward with respect to true, permanent resolution and healing.
Furthermore, this reference point is also helpful with identifying dissociated parts and
exposing demonic spirits. With dissociated parts and demonic spirits, the counterfeit
Jesus will say and do things that look good and sound good – the recipient might even
spend hours with nice images of a “Jesus” who quotes scripture to her and says and does
lots of other stuff that sounds and looks like good therapy/ministry – but the session will
not move forward with respect to true, permanent resolution of issues and healing of
trauma.

11) Guidance, help, and other content feel new and different (vs feeling like familiar
analysis, coping, and managing): We all have a set of coping tools that we have been
using for years and that are familiar to us. For example, positive self talk, calming self
talk, self cognitive therapy, quoting scripture to ourselves, trying to analyze the issues on
our own, and trying to find practical, problem-solving ideas on our own. And these tools
aren’t necessarily bad. In fact, they can often be quite valuable in certain situations. It is
good to have skills and tools that we can apply as part of dealing with difficult scenarios.
But in the context of an Immanuel session, trying to use our own coping skills and tools
will usually get in the way of being able to perceive the Lord’s presence and receive his
guidance and help. And, as described above in the first difficult discernment scenario, the
first step in setting our own coping skills and tools aside is recognizing the difference
between our own mental content and content that is coming from God.

So here is yet another reference point: Receiving guidance and other help from Jesus in
the context of a genuine Immanuel encounter will feel subjectively new and different from
the experience of trying to help ourselves with our old, familiar skills and coping tools.

Even when the interactive connection is quiet and subtle, guidance and help from the
Lord will still feel new and different from the recipient’s familiar attempts to manage or
cope with her own resources. And even when God brings forward thoughts, insights,
scriptures, images, and memories that the recipient already knows, they will come
forward in ways that are new and different. They will make sense, feel true, and feel
relevant in ways that are new and different. They will connect emotionally in ways that
are new and different. The different pieces will fit together in ways that are new and
different. (For example, the recipient will be able to recognize and feel the connections
between the different pieces in ways that are new and different.) And the final benefit will
be new and different.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 30 of 51

In contrast, when the supposed interactive connection is just accidental counterfeit

coming from the recipient’s own mind, the specific content and the overall experience
will not feel new and different. Instead, it will seem like she is just using her usual
assortment of coping tools (with some self-generated images of Jesus usually thrown in
for good measure, since most recipients figure that an optimal Immanuel encounter
should include Jesus imagery).

Note that this reference point will not identify deliberate counterfeits from dissociated
parts or expose counterfeits from demonic spirits. As mentioned above, both of these
sources produce counterfeits that are living, interactive, and contingent, and they also
include the subjective perception of coming from outside the recipient’s normal adult
consciousness. And both of these factors can produce the subjective perception that both
the specific content and the overall experience are new and different.

Furthermore, in situations in which internal parts have been helping with symptom
management for many years, their familiar interventions obviously won’t feel new and
different. They may feel like they are coming from outside of the person’s normal adult
consciousness, but they won’t feel new and different.47 And in these situations, content
from the Lord may sometimes initially feel so similar to content from internal parts that
the Lord’s content won’t have the subjective “new and different” feel either. So the
bottom line is that this reference point is once again not helpful in differentiating between
internal parts and genuine God interactions, since in some scenarios they can both not feel
new or different.

12) Content comes spontaneously, unexpectedly (vs being found by searching or

constructed with imagination): When the recipient is experiencing a genuine Immanuel
encounter, perceptions of Jesus, guidance from Jesus, help from Jesus, and other
interactions with Jesus will flow into her mind spontaneously. The recipient will not have
the sense that she somehow knows what’s coming before it happens, but it will rather feel
unexpected and spontaneous.48 We observe and receive the content that comes into our
minds from God – we observe it, we get words for it, and we describe it out loud; but we
don’t find it with our own searching, we don’t figure it out with our own analysis, and we
don’t build it with our own imagination.

In contrast, when the supposed interactive connection is just being produced by the

47
The “accidental” dissociated parts counterfeits described above provide a good example. They
have usually been jumping in to help for years, and just keep doing this same thing in the context of the
Immanuel approach. And when the recipient had the familiar experience of her internal parts bringing
helpful content, it does not feel “new and different.”
48
Note that in discussing this reference point, “unexpected” does not refer to the subjective
experience described as part of “surprising and expected” in chapter thirty-one. (For example, “I’ve never
had that thought before in my life, and I would never have come up with that in a million years.”) Rather,
“unexpected” in this discussion simply refers to the subjective experience of not having any sense ahead
of time regarding the content that subsequently flows spontaneously into your awareness. When it shows
up, the content can sometimes be something quite familiar, like a scripture verse that you have thought of
many times in the past. The point here is that when mental content (such as a scripture verse) comes from
the Lord, you do not have the sense ahead of time that you are searching for it, figuring it out, or
constructing it with your own mind.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 31 of 51

person’s own mind, it does not feel like content is coming into her mind spontaneously or
unexpectedly. If you help her to deliberately focus on these questions, she will realize that
the insights coming into her awareness do not feel spontaneous or unexpected because
she can feel herself engaging in her usually analysis process before the insights come
forward. She will realize that the helpful practical ideas coming into her mind do not feel
spontaneous or unexpected because she can feel herself engaging in her usual problem
solving thinking before the ideas come forward. She will realize that the Bible verses
coming into her awareness do not feel spontaneous or unexpected because she can feel
herself engaging in her usual scripture search process before they come forward. She will
realize that the encouraging and comforting thoughts coming into her mind do not feel
spontaneous or unexpected because she can feel herself slipping into familiar positive
self-talk as they come forward. And she will realize that the lie-challenging-truths that
come into her awareness do not feel spontaneous or unexpected because she can feel
herself slipping into familiar self-cognitive therapy as they come forward.

Finally, if you help her to deliberately focus on these questions, she will realize that any
images of Jesus coming into her awareness do not feel spontaneous or unexpected
because she can feel herself proactively constructing them with her own imagination. And
if she is describing a Jesus that initially appears to be alive and interactive, she will
realize that his words and actions do not feel spontaneous or unexpected because she
somehow knows what he is going to say and do before it happens. And if she focuses on
this point especially carefully and has good self-awareness, she will usually be able to
sense herself actually running the Jesus “hand puppet.”

Note that this reference point will not identify deliberate counterfeits from dissociated
parts or expose counterfeits from demonic spirits. As mentioned above, both of these
sources produce counterfeits that are living, interactive, and contingent, and they also
include the subjective perception of coming from outside the recipient’s normal adult
consciousness. And both of these factors can produce the subjective perception that
content from the counterfeit interactive connection is flowing into the recipient’s mind
spontaneously and unexpectedly.

B. Additional reference points for resolution/healing: As soon as the recipient starts to

experience resolution of specific issues and/or healing for specific pieces of trauma, the
facilitator should change focus from reference points six through twelve to reference points
thirteen through sixteen. (The first seven additional reference points actually can be applied
to resolution/healing, but thirteen through sixteen are so much more definitive and easier to
see that I essentially change my focus to these last four additional reference points as soon as
the recipient starts to see resolution/healing.)

13) Resolution/healing feels real, true, and genuine: When the recipient is
experiencing a genuine Immanuel encounter, resolution/healing for specific issues and
trauma will feel real, true, and genuine. Even when the interactive connection is so faint
and subtle that there is not a sense of personal presence, the resolution of specific issues,
the healing of specific traumatic memories, and the resulting positive changes (fruit) will
still feel real, true, and genuine.

In contrast, when the supposed interactive connection is just accidental counterfeit

coming from the person’s own mind, it will feel like the recipient is just trying to figure

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 32 of 51

things out on her own and just trying to use her familiar coping tools to manage
symptoms. In most sessions with accidental counterfeits, the person will do a lot of
analyzing, problem solving, and symptom managing, but there will not even be the
appearance of actually resolving issues or healing trauma. And if the person’s own mind
does somehow manage to produce the appearance of actual resolution/healing, the
apparent resolution and healing will not feel real, true, and genuine. Even in the cases in
which the recipient is trying to convince herself that she is experiencing good fruit, if you
help her to look at this question carefully she will realize that the mediocre improvements
from symptom management do not actually feel like fruit from real, true, genuine,
permanent, and significant healing.

With counterfeits from dissociated parts or demonic spirits, the counterfeit Jesus will go
round and round saying and doing things that sound good and look good, but just as with
accidental counterfeits from the person’s own mind, in most of these sessions the person
will never get to anything that even looks like actual resolution/healing. And if there does
appear to be actual resolution of issues or healing of trauma, it will not feel real, true, and
genuine. And just as with accidental counterfeits, even in the cases in which the recipient
is trying to convince herself that she is experiencing good fruit, if you help her to look at
this question carefully, she will realize that the mediocre benefits from the counterfeit
Jesus’ comfort and encouragement do not actually feel like fruit from real, true, genuine,
permanent and significant healing.

14) Dramatic, full resolution/healing, or at least a permanent, significant step

forward (vs mediocre, temporary improvement from coping and managing): First of
all, I want to start the discussion of this reference point with a quick description of the
wide spectrum with respect to the amount of trauma that can be causing a given issue,
trigger, or painful emotion. At one end of this spectrum, we have issues, triggers, lies, and
painful emotions that are anchored in a single, fairly straight-forward traumatic memory.
In the middle of this spectrum, we have issues, triggers, lies, and painful emotions that are
anchored in a handful of memories, and some of these traumas might have several
separate traumatic pieces in a single memory. And at the far end of this spectrum, we
have thematic issues, triggers, lies, and painful emotions that are anchored in hundreds
(or even thousands) of memories that are often spread throughout the person’s entire
childhood. Furthermore, at the far end of the spectrum many of the traumatic memories
carry several separate traumatic pieces, and the large pile of traumatic memories is
usually tangled together with bitterness, vows, other defenses, and demonic infection.

It should not surprise the reader to discover that the trajectory for healing and change is
different for issues, triggers, lies, and painful emotions at different points on this
spectrum.49

Issues, triggers, lies, and painful emotions anchored in a single memory: It should also
not come as a surprise to hear that we see the most rapid, dramatic resolution, healing,
and fruit at the simple, single memory end of the spectrum. At this end of the spectrum it
is often possible to fully, permanently resolve the traumatic memory, and the associated

49
And you should really not be surprised, since this point has already been mentioned in chapter
thirty-one, and also in several footnotes earlier in this chapter.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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issues, triggers, lies, and painful emotions, with a single round of Immanuel healing.50
With a genuine Immanuel encounter, even when the interactive connection is so faint and
subtle that it’s hard to detect, when all of the pieces are in place and all of the blockages
are out of the way the healing and resolution will still be complete and permanent.

The previously unfinished processing tasks will be fully completed, and all toxic content
in the memory will be fully, permanently resolved. The issues associated with the trauma,
such as lingering bitterness, will be fully, permanently resolved. The triggers associated
with the trauma will be fully, permanently resolved. The lies associated with the trauma
will be fully, permanently resolved. And the negative emotions caused by the traumatic
memory and it’s associated issues, triggers, and lies will be fully, permanently resolved.
All of these pieces will not be just temporarily managed. They will not be just slightly
improved. They will be fully, totally, permanently resolved.

Furthermore, you can test the fruit, to some degree, even at the end of this single session.
As discussed in chapter thirty-one, the ultimate, gold standard with respect to fruit is to
verify that the overall memory, specific issues, and specific lies remain resolved over
time, and to especially watch for the absence of negative reactions in situations that used
to trigger the person. But you can usually do some initial testing right in the session.

For example, In most situations, previous to the healing the person would have felt upset
if she talked about the details of the trauma (or even thought about them); but if the
memory has truly been healed, she should now be able to focus on it, think about it, and
talk about it – even the previously most upsetting details – and it won’t bother her any
more. We can do the same thing with specific issues, such as shame or persistent
bitterness. For example, if God helps the recipient work through a trauma that has carried
shame and bitterness, then previous to the healing she would have felt shame and
bitterness whenever she connected with the memory; but if the memory has truly been
resolved, she should now be able to focus on it, think about it, and talk about it – even the
parts that stirred up shame and bitterness most intensely in the past – and she will no
longer feel any shame or bitterness.

You can also use thought experiments to test specific triggers. This isn’t as fully rigorous
as waiting for the person to encounter triggers in real life, but in many situations, previous
to the healing the person would have felt upset if she just imagined encountering certain
triggering situations; but, if the memory has truly been resolved, she should now be able
to think about, talk about, and imagine these triggers in detail without feeling any
reaction.

Lies are particularly good indicators for verifying healing, because if the anchoring
memory has truly been resolved, lies that have persistently felt true for many years (in
spite of all efforts to eradicate them) will suddenly and totally evaporate. They will feel
totally false. Even if the recipient tries to get herself to believe them – even if she focuses
on and talks about the parts of the traumatic memory that were previously most upsetting,
and the parts that were previously the most intensely connected to the lies – the lies will

50
Actually, there are usually a few small splinters that need to be taken care of in follow up
sessions, but the core of the trauma and the core of the associated issues, triggers, lies, and painful
emotions are often fully, permanently resolved in a single round of healing.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 34 of 51

no longer feel true. And the opposite truth now will feel true. Furthermore, with respect to
the new truth, it’s not just that she knows, theoretically, that it’s true. It’s not just that she
knows that she ought to believe it. It’s not just that she wants to believe it. It’s not just
that’s she’s trying to believe it – exhorting herself to believe it, ordering herself to believe
it, reminding herself to believe it, and trying to somehow make it feel true. It’s not just
that she realizes that it’s Biblical, and thereby knows in faith that it’s true. It’s not even
that she’s claiming it, speaking it, and choosing to act on it (even though it still doesn’t
feel true). With a genuine Immanuel encounter producing real healing, the recipient will
have a spontaneous, involuntary, intuitive, effortless, gut feeling, “Yes, this is true!”

Issues, triggers, lies, and painful emotions anchored in a small network of memories:
With issues, triggers, lies, and painful emotions that are anchored in a small network of
different memories, we see healing and change that takes place in a series of large steps.
When the recipient is experiencing a genuine Immanuel encounter, the Lord usually helps
her work through at least one specific traumatic memory in each Immanuel session. As
each memory is resolved, she will experience a dramatic step forward – specific issues
anchored in the memory network will lose a big chunk of their strength, reactions to
triggers that activate the memory network will become much less intense, and lies
anchored in the memory network will feel much less true. And she will experience full,
permanent resolution of these issues, triggers, and lies when the last memory in the
network is resolved. Furthermore, you can still test the fruit as just describe above, except
that you will be watching for a large step forward with each memory that is resolved, as
opposed to full resolution. (And, as you probably already realize, you will see full,
permanent resolution when the last memory in the network is resolved.)

If you are attending with particular care, you may have noticed that the last paragraph did
not mention improvement with respect to the overall traumatic memory or improvement
with respect to the negative emotions. That’s because the overall memory and the
negative emotions provide even better indicators of a genuine Immanuel encounter and
real healing. Since the individual, specific memory being work with in each session is
usually fully resolved, when you test the fruit at the end of the session the recipient can
usually focus on and talk about that specific memory with minimal distress.51 After
healing, when she focuses on and connects to that specific memory, instead of feeling
upset by the toxic content that had previously been carried in the memory she will
see/sense Jesus’ presence with her in the experience and feel a sense of resolution. And
even though the issues, triggered reactions, and lies being addressed are still anchored in
the remaining memories, almost all of the negative emotion in a given session comes from
the traumatic memory that is actually open and activated. Therefore, when God helps the
person work through this specific traumatic memory, almost all of the negative emotions
in this particular session will resolve.

Thematic issues, triggers, lies, and painful emotions that are anchored in MANY
memories: With issues, triggers, lies, and painful emotions that are anchored in a large
network of many, many different memories, we see healing and change that usually takes

51
The recipient will often still feel subtle lingering distress, since there are still other memories in
the network are not yet resolved. Even though these other memories are mostly dormant, working on the
target memory, and on the issues, triggers, and lies that are still anchored in these other memories,
usually causes some subtle activation of these related traumas.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 35 of 51

place over many months and in a series of many small steps. When the recipient is
experiencing a genuine Immanuel encounter, the Lord usually helps her work through at
least one specific traumatic memory (or at least one of the traumatic pieces carried in a
complex memory) in each Immanuel session. And as each memory (or traumatic piece) is
resolved, the recipient will experience a significant, permanent step forward with respect
to healing and personal growth – specific issues anchored in the memory network will
lose a little of their strength, reactions to triggers that activate the memory network will
become a little less intense, and lies anchored in the memory network will feel a little less
true. These steps tend to be small, but they are still permanent and significant.

One of the keys for recognizing these small but permanent steps forward is that they feel
subjectively different from the symptom management one gets with any of the counterfeit
interactive connections. With respect to accidental counterfeits from the person’s own
mind, recipients are often familiar with the picture of getting stirred up, and then just
using their own coping tools to manage their triggered reactions and to calm the (still
unresolved) traumatic content so that it can eventually get pushed back down into the
realm of dormant traumas that are not causing any immediate problems. And recipients
who are familiar with this experience will usually be able to feel the difference between
an accidental counterfeit just producing this same old pattern and a piece of true healing
producing a new, permanent step forward. The first feels like coping, calming, and
managing, whereas the second feels like something actually moving forward.

This same difference in subjective experience can also identify counterfeits from
dissociated parts and demonic spirits. As already described, these counterfeits usually
seem more impressive and more helpful than counterfeits that are just being produced by
the person’s own mind. However, even though these counterfeits seem more impressive
as they cope and calm and manage, palliative interventions that just manage symptoms
still feel subjectively different from true healing that produces a new, permanent step
forward. Coping, calming, and managing still feel different from something actually
moving forward.

A second key for recognizing these small but permanent steps forward is to help the
recipient notice changes quickly after they occur, and from the perspective of being inside
the specific memory being resolved. Once the resolved memory file has been closed, and
the person has had some time to calm down and return to baseline, the perceived changes
with respect to the specific issues and lies that were addressed will be very small (since
they are still anchored in the many traumatic memories in the network that are not yet
resolved). However, right at the moment that each memory (or traumatic memory piece)
is resolved, from the perspective of being inside the memory that is being worked with,
the decrease in strength of the issues and lies being addressed will feel much more
dramatic.

Furthermore, just as described above for small networks of traumatic memories, there
will be especially dramatic changes with respect to the overall memory and with respect
to the negative emotions that the person feels as she is working inside the memory. Since
the individual, specific memory being work with in each session is usually fully resolved,
you can test this piece of fruit at the end of the session even when there is still a huge pile
of relate traumatic memories that are not yet resolved. Again, after the specific target
memory has been resolved, when the recipient focuses on and connects to this specific
memory, instead of feeling upset by the toxic content that had previously been carried in
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 36 of 51

the memory she will see/sense Jesus’ presence with her in the experience and feel a sense
of resolution. And even though the issues, triggered reactions, and lies being addressed
are still anchored in many remaining memories, almost all of the negative emotion in a
given session comes from the traumatic memory that is actually open and activated.
Therefore, when God helps the person work through this specific traumatic memory,
almost all of the negative emotions in this particular session will resolve.52

Parallel scenarios with counterfeit interactive connections: In contrast to the three

scenarios just described (from genuine Immanuel encounters with issues at the simple end
of the spectrum, from genuine Immanuel encounters with issues at the middle of the
spectrum, and from genuine Immanuel encounters with issues at the complex end of the
spectrum), we see a very different picture when the recipient is working with counterfeit
interactive connections.

With accidental counterfeits coming from the recipient’s own mind, she will get only
mediocre, temporary improvement. She might be able to use her own analysis to identify
important issues, such as vows or lingering bitterness, but her cognitive insights and
verbal processing will not actually resolve the issues. (For example, if you coach her to
test the fruit by focusing on and talking about the details that have previously made her
angry, the bitterness will quickly come back with it’s original, full intensity.) She might
be able to find underlying memories with her own analysis and searching, but again, her
cognitive insights and verbal processing will not actually resolve any of the toxic content
carried in the trauma. (For example, if you coach her to test the fruit by focusing on and
talking about the details that have previously been painful, she will quickly discover that
the memory is just as upsetting as it ever was.) And she may be able to manage the
negative emotions with positive self talk, deep breathing, truth statements, and other
coping tools, but there won’t be any permanent resolution or improvement. (For example,
if you coach her to focus on the issues and memory details that have previously been
upsetting, the negative emotions will quickly come back with full, original intensity.)

And, as mentioned above, lies provide an especially clear contrast. The recipient might be
able to identify important lies, and then challenge them with scripture verses and self-
cognitive therapy, but this won’t produce any new, permanent improvement or resolution.
She may want to stop believing the lies, she may know she’s supposed to stop believing
the lies, she may realize that the lies are not consistent with the Bible, she may be telling
herself to stop believing the lies, and she may be trying to stop believing the lies, but if
you coach her to focus on and talk about the memory details to which the lies are
anchored, she will realize that the lies still feel just as true as they ever did, and that the
truths that ought to replacing the lies do not feel any truer than they ever have.

With counterfeits from dissociated parts or demonic spirits, the recipient will get
mediocre, temporary benefit from the sense of a companion, from encouraging words,
from comforting images, and from any other coping tools that the counterfeits use to
manage the negative emotions. But if you coach her to deliberately test the fruit, she will

52
When just a piece of a complex traumatic memory is resolved, there will still be a dramatic
decrease in the distress the recipient experiences when she focuses on and talks about this specific piece,
and there will still be a dramatic decrease in her negative emotions at the point that this piece is resolved,
but there will be more lingering distress because the unresolved content that remains in the memory is so
close to the content she has just been working with.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 37 of 51

realize that bitterness, vows, and other issues are not permanently resolved or even
permanently improved, she will realize that the memories are still just as upsetting, she
will realize that the negative emotions quickly come back with the their original intensity,
she will realize that the lies still feel just as true, and she will realize that the truths do not
feel any truer than they ever have.

None of the counterfeits can even come close to producing the new, dramatic, complete,
permanent resolution that genuine Immanuel encounters accomplish with respect to the
specific content carried in specific traumatic memories that get fully resolved.53

15) Sudden sense of release, visible wave of relief, combination of peace and joy:
Whenever a genuine Immanuel encounter produces resolution/healing, at the moment a
specific issue in a traumatic memory is resolved, at the moment a specific lie in a
traumatic memory is resolved, at the moment any piece of a complex traumatic memory
is resolved, and at the moment an entire trauma is fully resolved, the recipient will
experience a sudden (and often dramatic) sense of release, and the facilitator will observe
a sudden (and often dramatic) wave of relief.

For example, if being alone in the pain is part of the trauma, you will see release and
relief with respect to this piece of the pain as soon as the person feels Jesus’ presence
with her in the traumatic memory. Or if the recipient believes she is dirty and bad because
she felt pleasure when she was being molested, you will see release and relief from this
lie-based shame when she receives truth along the lines of, “It’s not your fault. You were
just a child, and your body has been designed to respond that way, even though you did
not want to participate.” Or if truth-based guilt is part of the trauma, you will see release
and relief from this specific painful emotion as soon as the person receives the Lord’s
forgiveness. Or if fear is part of the trauma, you will see release and relief from this piece
of the pain as soon as the person receives truth along the lines of, “It’s over – you’re not
there any more,” and then suddenly realizes (from inside the memory) that she is no
longer in danger.

Before the moment of resolution the person will be describing a subjective experience of
distress, she will be displaying emotional pain on her face, and this pain will also be
visible throughout the rest of her body. But then at the moment of resolution she will
report a subjective sense of release, the negative emotions on her face will suddenly
resolve, and her whole body will suddenly relax. Furthermore, when a specific traumatic
memory is fully resolved, not only will the recipient experience a sudden release and the
facilitator observe a wave of relief, but this release and relief will also be followed by a
resting place where the recipient will both describe and display some combination of
peace and joy.

53
As will be discussed in more detail in chapter thirty-three, there are rare, sophisticated
dissociated parts counterfeits that can cause the traumatic memories and negative emotions to
temporarily disconnect, thereby producing temporary dramatic improvement and the appearance of
permanent, true resolution. But aside from this rare exception, sudden dramatic improvement is an
accurate indicator of resolution/healing from a genuine Immanuel encounter. (This reference point is
accurate in the vast majority of sessions – I would say maybe 95% to 98%.) Also, remember that these
rare sophisticated counterfeits produce no immediate harm and that they will eventually be exposed by
watching for the accumulation of lasting fruit over time.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 38 of 51

In contrast, accidental counterfeits, dissociated parts counterfeits, and demonic

counterfeits will only produce gradual (and mediocre) improvement as they apply various
coping and managing tools. None of these counterfeits will produce a sudden sense of
release, a sudden, visible wave of relief, or a resting place where the recipient is feeling a
combination of peace and joy.54

16) Gratitude and satisfaction (vs disappointment and/or frustration): When a

genuine Immanuel encounter produces resolution/healing, the recipient will feel grateful
for and satisfied with the whole experience, and especially grateful for and satisfied with
the fruit. Even when the interactive connection is super subtle, when the blockages are
finally out of the way and all of the pieces are in place, the Lord will facilitate
resolution/healing that is perfect, and the recipient will be deeply grateful and fully
satisfied with the whole package.55

In contrast, when recipients work with counterfeit interactive connections, instead of

feeling gratitude and satisfaction at the end of the session, they consistently feel some
combination of disappointment and frustration (and sometimes also anxiety,
discouragement, and confusion).

Disappointment and frustration are usually easiest to spot with accidental counterfeits
coming from the person’s own mind. Even when the recipient is using coping tools with
great skill and seeing moderate improvement in the immediate symptoms, she will still
realize that she’s not getting anything new or different from the many times she has used
these same coping tools in the past. She will feel some combination of disappointment
and frustration, and she will usually have spontaneous thoughts along the lines of “I was
hoping for more. After hearing all of the stories, I was expecting more – I thought Jesus
would have more than this.” Disappointment and frustration can be more subtle with
counterfeits from demonic spirits and dissociated parts, since they usually present with an
appearance that is more impressive; but even though they say and do stuff that sounds and
looks good, the final results are still always somehow disappointing.56

54
Again, there are rare, sophisticated dissociated parts counterfeits that can cause the traumatic
memories and negative emotions to temporarily disconnect, thereby producing temporary dramatic
improvement and the appearance of permanent, true resolution. Once the recipient starts to experience
real healing she can usually learn to tell the difference between disconnection and true resolution; but
when a recipient is just getting started it can be easy to mistake the dramatic relief from disconnection for
true Immanuel encounter healing. Also, remember that these rare sophisticated counterfeits produce no
immediate harm and that they will always eventually be exposed by watching for the accumulation of
lasting fruit over time. See chapter thirty-three for additional discussion.
55
When the healing work and positive changes are dramatic, the recipient will feel profound
gratitude and have an intense sense of being fully satisfied. However, in some sessions, the interactive
connection is very subtle, the healing work during the journey towards healing is subtle, and the issues
resolved are minor so that the positive changes are not so dramatic (still clear, significant, permanent
steps forward, but just not so dramatic). In these sessions the recipient will have a quiet sense of gratitude
and satisfaction – she will still gratitude and satisfaction, but it will just be more quiet and subtle.
56
Even when rare sophisticated counterfeits cause (temporary) dramatic improvement by
disconnecting the traumatic memories and negative emotions, the recipient often feels oddly unsatisfied
and surprisingly little gratitude. This is especially the case if the recipient has already experience some
genuine Immanuel encounters and knows what true healing feels like. See chapter thirty-three for

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 39 of 51

This disappointment and/or frustration at the end of the session is most difficult to catch
when the recipient is trying to convince herself that she had a real encounter with Jesus
and that she is satisfied with the fruit. However, if I’m paying attention I will notice a
tone or a look or a word that indicates disappointment and/or frustration instead of
gratitude and satisfaction – somehow the recipient looks and sounds as if she knows she
ought to be fully satisfied and grateful, and she’s trying to be satisfied and grateful, but
she’s actually disappointed and/or frustrated. And then when I help her to deliberately
focus on this point (clarifying that it’s important for her to discern what actually feels
true, as opposed to what she wants to be true or what she thinks ought to be true), she is
able to recognize that she is feeling some combination of disappointment and
frustration.57

Caveat – sometimes God’s just not finished yet: In most sessions with genuine Immanuel
encounters, by the time we get to resolution/healing there is already a substantial pile of
clues indicating a genuine interactive connection, and I’m just checking gratitude and
satisfaction as the final reference point to confirm my discernment and to encourage the
recipient. And in most sessions with counterfeit Immanuel encounters, there is already a
substantial pile of clues indicating counterfeit, and I’m just checking gratitude and
satisfaction as the final reference point to definitively expose the problem. However,
occasionally I will have a session in which we get to resolution/healing and the situation
is still unclear. In these sessions, if it seems like the resolution/healing work might be
finished but then we realize that the recipient is feeling anything other than grateful and
fully satisfied, the first thing I do is check to make sure we’re not just missing
something.58

I coach the recipient to engage directly with God regarding the question. (For example,
“God, I’m not yet feeling fully satisfied, so either this isn’t really you or we’re missing
something. If this is really you, then please show us what else we need to do. And if I’ve
been working with a counterfeit interactive connection, then please show me what’s in
the way of perceiving your true presence.”) And then we watch to see what happens. If
the recipient is interacting with the genuine presence of God, the Lord will reveal more
pieces that need to be addressed, and then as these pieces are resolved the recipient will
feel deeply, fully satisfied with the final results. In contrast, if nothing else comes forward
and the recipient continues to feel disappointed, frustrated, and unsatisfied, then we
assume we are working with a counterfeit until proven otherwise.

C) Summary of reference points for identifying genuine interactive connections:

Basic reference points (from chapter thirty-one):

additional discussion.
57
And, as mentioned above, anxiety and/or confusion and/or discouragement may sometimes be
mixed in as well.
58
Also, if we are already confident that the recipient has a genuine interactive connection, and it
seems like the resolution/healing work is finished but then we realize that she is feeling anything other
than grateful and fully satisfied, we work to find missing pieces with great persistence because I am
absolutely confident that the recipient will always feel fully satisfied with the Lord’s work when he is
truly finished with a piece of genuine healing and resolution.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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1) Content from God is consistent with scripture.

2) Really significant observable positive change occurs by the end of the session.
3) Lasting, long-term fruit accumulates over time.
4) Content from God is sometimes surprising and unexpected.
5) Content from God is sometimes “beyond us,” or even miraculous.

Additional reference points for the initial connection and journey towards healing:
6) Jesus’ personal presence feels real, true, and genuine.
7) Jesus images are living, interactive, contingent, and beneficial.
8) The recipient has the sense of a companion with her on the journey (as opposed to
feeling like she’s just talking to herself, trying to figure it out on her own).
9) It feels true that the recipient is receiving attunement.
10) Guidance and help from God feel truly helpful, and are observably helpful.
11) Guidance, help, and other content from God feels new and different (as opposed to
feeling like familiar analysis, coping, and managing).
12) Content from God comes into the recipient’s mind spontaneously and unexpectedly
(as opposed to being generated by her own analysis, found by her own searching, or
constructed by her own imagination).

Additional reference points for resolution/healing:

13) Resolution/healing feels real, true, and genuine.
14) The recipient receives dramatic, full resolution, or at least significant, new, permanent
steps forward (as opposed to mediocre, temporary improvement from coping and
managing).
15) The recipient experiences sudden release, the facilitator observes wave of relief, and
the recipient reports and displays peace and joy.
16) The recipient is grateful and fully satisfied (as opposed to disappointed and/or
frustrated, and sometimes also discouraged, anxious, and confused).

IV. Spot counterfeit and contamination by knowing the genuine: Most of us have heard the
story about how the government trains federal agents to recognize counterfeit money: they don’t
spend time studying the many ways counterfeit money can look, but rather spend hours and hours
looking at genuine money. The idea is that they will embed every detail of genuine money so
deeply in their unconscious implicit memories that they will have an immediate, intuitive,
“something just isn’t right” response when they encounter counterfeit money. And once they
have been warned by their initial implicit memory intuitive reaction, they can confirm their
intuitive reaction by systematically analyzing the fake bills with the cognitive information in their
conscious explicit memories.

A similar approach has become one of the primary components of my current method for
detecting counterfeit or contamination in Immanuel sessions.59 As I have become increasingly
familiar with God’s character and heart, with the ways God works, with the kinds of things God
says and does, and with the results that usually follow from certain interventions on God’s part –
as I have become increasingly familiar with what it feels like to work with the genuine presence

59
The four primary components of my current method for detecting counterfeit and
contamination are: 1) watching for anything that contradicts scripture, 2) watching for observable fruit,
3) this component of developing an intuitive feel for the genuine, and 4) additional reference points (as
discussed above), but only for clarification in particularly difficult situations.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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of God – I have become increasingly able to notice that “something just doesn’t feel right” when
a recipient is interacting with a supposed God presence that is counterfeit or contaminated.

This approach is obviously less valuable for those who don’t yet have a strong, accurate intuitive
feel for the genuine (for example, beginners who have not yet had much experience with the
Lord’s living presence, or people who still have many unresolved wounds that get transferred
onto the Lord and impair their perception of His heart and character). However, I strongly
encourage you to develop this approach as one of the primary components in your long-term
plan.60

Practically speaking, the first piece of developing this approach is to deliberately pursue personal,
experiential learning with respect to what it looks like and feels like to perceive and interact with
God’s living presence. Spend time with Immanuel through the course of each day and in your
personal quiet time, participate in Immanuel sessions as a recipient, facilitate Immanuel sessions
for others, observe other people facilitating and receiving, pay attention to any other situations in
which you experience God’s living presence in your own life, and pay attention to any other
situations in which you see God working in other people’s lives. Whenever you encounter
anything that purports to include the living presence of God, observe these apparent Immanuel
encounters as carefully as possible and then also watch over time to see if lasting fruit confirms
that the experiences were truly from the Lord. And then, when observation over time confirms
the authenticity of an experience, think back to the original encounter and take note of what it
looked and felt like when you (and/or others) were interacting with the true, living presence of
God, what it looked like and felt like when you (and/or others) were accurately receiving the
Lord’s guidance, and what it looked like and felt like when you (and/or others) experienced
genuine resolution of issues and healing for traumatic memories.

In contrast, when observation over time indicates that the interactive connection was counterfeit
or contaminated, then think back to the original experience and take note of what it looked and
felt like when you (and/or others) were interacting with a supposed god-presence that was
actually counterfeit or contaminated, what it looked like and felt like when you (and/or others)
were mislead by “guidance” that was counterfeit or contaminated, and what it looked like and felt
like when you (and/or others) experienced counterfeit resolution/healing.

On a very practical note, our live session DVDs provide an easily accessible source of “this is
what it looks like and feels like when a person is perceiving and interacting with the genuine
presence of God.” Furthermore, one of the special values of these live session DVDs is that we
already have careful followup verifying lasting fruit. Therefore, as you watch the session you
already know that the recipients were experiencing genuine interactive God-connections, and that
they were accurately receiving the Lord’s guidance. This is much more effective for learning than
to wait until ongoing observation verifies the authenticity of the Immanuel encounter, and then
trying to think back to the session to remember what a genuine interactive connection looked like
and felt like. Similarly, if you have the opportunity to observe an experienced facilitator, you can
benefit from their already mature discernment. Based on their previous experience, by the end of

60
For your long-term plan (which takes time to develop because it requires a lot of personal
experience and also getting rid of your own trauma that gets transferred onto the Lord), I would
encourage you to try the same four primary components that I use: 1) watching for anything that
contradicts scripture, 2) watching for observable fruit, 3) this component of developing an intuitive feel
for the genuine, and 4) additional reference points (as discussed above), but only for clarification in
particularly difficult situations.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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the session they will have a pretty good feel for whether or not the Immanuel encounter was
genuine. It’s still (always) good to confirm this initial discernment by watching for lasting fruit,
but the initial discernment of an experienced facilitator is usually accurate, and this provides
another particularly good opportunity for becoming familiar with genuine interactions with the
Lord.

The second piece of developing this approach to discerning between the genuine and the
counterfeit or contaminated is to find and resolve traumatic memories that particularly distort
your perception of God’s character and heart. As discussed at length in Outsmarting Yourself and
in two of our website essays,61 toxic content from unresolved trauma is often transferred onto
God, and resolving this toxic content will dramatically improve your ability to accurately
perceive the Lord’s character and heart.

Over time, deliberately accumulating this kind of personal experience knowledge of God’s living
presence, in combination with diligently finding and resolving traumatic memories that distort
your perception of God’s character and heart, will result in an increasingly strong and accurate
intuitive “knowing” with respect to who God is and how he works.

At this point I thought it would be helpful to provide a couple of very specific examples, so that
the reader can get a clearer picture of what it looks like to actually use this approach to
identifying counterfeit and contamination.

“Something just doesn’t feel right” with respect to character and heart: A counterfeit Jesus
will often say and do things that are not consistent with the Lord’s character and heart.62 In
these situations my first response is an intuitive “something just doesn’t feel right,” and then
when I recognize the intuitive warning and pause to analyze the details, I can identify specific
things the supposed Jesus is saying and/or doing that are not consistent with what I know to
be true about the Lord’s character and heart.

For example, in the many thousands of hours of emotional healing sessions I have received,
facilitated, and observed, I have often seen Jesus display sadness and I have occasionally seen
him display anger; but I have never seen Jesus display confusion, frustration, fatigue,
helplessness, self pity, discouragement, anxiety, fear, impatience, offense, harshness, or
sarcasm. He just doesn’t do these. So if I am facilitating a session and the person describes
“Jesus” as making comments that contain even a hint of harshness and sarcasm, I
immediately feel my “something’s not right” intuitive warning. And then my suspicion of

61
See chapter five, “Trauma, Implicit Memory, VLE Confabulations, and Our Relationship with
the Lord” in Karl Lehman, Outsmarting Yourself: Catching Your Past Invading the Present and What to
Do about It second edition (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2014), pages 51-66, “Unresolved Issues in
the Therapist/Facilitator: One of the Most Important Hindrances to Emotional Healing,” and “Immanuel,
An Especially Pernicious Blockage, and the Normal Belief Memory System.” (Outsmarting Yourself is
available from the “Store” page of www.outsmartingyourself.com, and both of the essays are available as
free downloads from www.kclehman.com.)
62
Note that this will happen with much greater frequency in situations that are especially
complicated and intense. When the recipient is working with the real Jesus, Jesus will always remain
perfectly compassionate, patient, balanced, relational, etc no matter how difficult things get. However, if
she is working with a counterfeit Jesus the underlying source (demonic spirit, internal part, etc) will have
increasing difficulty as the situation becomes increasing complex and intense.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 43 of 51

counterfeit is confirmed when a few moments of analysis identifies, “Ah, yes. That’s what’s
making me uncomfortable. Those comments that were supposedly from Jesus had a little
sarcasm and harshness, and the true Lord Jesus never displays those.”

“Something just doesn’t feel right” with respect to fruit:63 As I have experienced the Lord’s
Immanuel presence in my own healing sessions, as I have observed Him working with my
clients in sessions where I am facilitating, and as I have observed Him working in sessions
where others are facilitating, I have not only gotten an implicit memory intuitive feel for who
Jesus is and for how He works, but also for the kind of fruit one would expect when the real
Jesus comes into a given situation. And when the recipient is interacting with a counterfeit
Jesus, the benefits from the things he says and does are always inferior. In these situations my
first response is “something just doesn’t feel right,” and then when I recognize this intuitive
warning and pause to analyze the details, I can identify specific ways in which the fruit from
the Lord’s supposed presence and interventions is inadequate and inferior.

For example, as described in chapter thirty-one and earlier in this chapter, when all of the
blockages are out of the way and all of the pieces are in place, the true Jesus facilitates
resolution and/or healing that is perfect. The specific issues and traumas being addressed are
fully resolved (or there are at least clear, unambiguous, significant, permanent steps forward),
the specific lies being addressed are replaced with new truths (or at least dramatically
weakened), and the negative emotions associated with these lies and issues are fully resolved
(or at least dramatically decreased). The whole experience feels real and true and genuine.
The recipient describes a sudden sense of release (often dramatic), I can observe visible relief
on her face and in her body (often dramatic), the relief is followed by some combination of
peace and joy, and the recipient is deeply grateful and fully satisfied with the whole package.
(*Possibly add “In contrast” paragraph for counterfeits? See comment*)

So if I am facilitating a session, the recipient describes “Jesus” as saying and doing the kinds
of things that usually go along with complete resolution/healing, but then she seems subtly
disappointed and frustrated instead of grateful and satisfied, she does not report a sudden
sense of release, and I do not observe sudden, visible relief, I immediately feel my
“something’s not right” intuitive warning. My suspicion of counterfeit is strongly reinforced
when a few moments of analysis identifies, “Ah, yes. That’s what’s making me
uncomfortable. I ought to be observing a visible wave of relief, but I’m not. She ought to be
reporting a wave of release, but she’s not. And she ought to be deeply grateful and fully
satisfied, but instead she looks kind of disappointed and frustrated.” And my suspicion of
counterfeit is totally confirmed when focused questions verify that the issues and lies are not
fully resolved (or at least dramatically weakened), that the whole experience does not feel
real, that the negative emotions are not fully resolved (or at least dramatically reduced), and
that the recipient is feeling disappointment, frustration, confusion, and anxiety instead of
peace, joy, gratitude, and satisfaction.

Again, as you build a strong, accurate knowing with respect to the Lord’s authentic presence and
work, you will increasingly have a sense of reassurance when the Immanuel encounter is
genuine, and you will increasingly sense that “something just doesn’t feel right” when some other
source is either producing a counterfeit Immanuel encounter or contaminating an interactive

63
Watching for this “something just doesn’t feel right” with respect to healing efficacy can also
be thought of as an additional aspect of “checking the fruit.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 44 of 51

connection that is at least partially genuine. Then, after your implicit memory intuitive sense
provides either an initial reassurance or an initial warning, you can use cognitive, logical analysis
to identify specific reference points that confirm your initial intuitive discernment.

Furthermore, as you gain more and more experience, this implicit memory intuitive component
of your discernment will become increasingly sensitive and increasingly accurate. Not only will
you easily sense the authenticity of more dramatic genuine Immanuel encounters and easily
detect poor counterfeits, but you will also become able to sense the authenticity of subtle genuine
Immanuel encounters, you will become able to sense the “something just doesn’t feel right”
warning when you encounter impressive looking counterfeits with mediocre fruit, and you will
become able to sense the “something just doesn’t feel right” warning when the recipient thinks
she has a subtle God-connection but she is really just getting self-help content from her own
mind.

Finally, developing this implicit memory intuitive component of Immanuel approach

discernment provides a spectacular fringe benefit. In addition to being a valuable discernment
resource as just described, pursuing this kind of experiential knowing with respect to the living
presence of God will bless your socks off. This has certainly been my experience. I have come to
know the Lord in a whole new way as I have encountered his presence in hundreds of my own
Immanuel sessions, and as I have watched others encounter his presence in the thousands of
sessions that I have facilitated – I have come to know Jesus’ presence, voice, character, and heart
in a whole new way as I have experienced and observed him working with so many different
problems, as I have experienced and observed him responding to so many different situations,
and as I have experienced and observed the gentle, wise, creative, beautiful, surprising, elegant,
helpful, life-giving, effective, amazing interventions he comes up with. This ongoing process of
personally, experientially learning to know the Lord as a tangible, living, friend-presence has
been one of the most profound and precious experiences of my life.

V. Get your own healing, recognize when you are triggered, get your relational circuits
back on line: As mentioned in chapter four, people who use the Immanuel approach regularly
and who want to grow beyond basic knowledge and skills should be persistent with respect to
their own healing so that they will be more resistant to getting triggered when facilitating
difficult sessions. They can also learn to recognize when they are triggered and then use specific
interventions to get their relational circuits back on line. Both of these interventions will increase
their ability to retain good discernment when working with difficult, complicated situations, and
retaining good discernment will obviously help with recognizing that counterfeit or
contamination is present, and then also with identifying and resolving the source of the
problem.64

VI. Content from God vs content revealed by God: Sometimes people can be confused because
they ask for guidance, but then the content that God reveals is upsetting and they mistakenly
think that it must not be from God because it makes them feel bad. The key here is to recognize
the difference between words, thoughts, images, and other content that is actually from God, and
important (but upsetting) content that God reveals, but that is not actually from God.

64
For a greatly expanded discussion of this point, see the essay, “Unresolved Issues in the
Therapist/Facilitator: One of the Most Important Hindrances to Emotional Healing” (available as free
download from www.kclehman.com).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 45 of 51

For example, I was facilitating a session in which the recipient was having trouble perceiving
God. We asked for guidance, and then she got the sense that she couldn’t perceive Jesus because
she was afraid to allow him to be present. “It feels like he’s big and powerful and unpredictable –
I’m afraid of him.” We asked for more guidance, and then she went to an upsetting memory in
which her father was unpredictable and unsafe. And in the memory she had the exact same
thoughts about her father: “He’s big and powerful and unpredictable – I’m afraid of him.” God
lead her to this upsetting memory, and she felt bad when she first connected with the fear in the
memory (before it was resolved), but the toxic content in the memory was not from God. That is,
God was not the source of the traumatic pain in the memory.

Again, we might become uncomfortable when God takes us to traumatic memories or helps us to
see difficult issues in our lives, but this is different than feeling bad because we are perceiving
God’s presence or feeling bad in response to something that is actually coming from God.65

VII. Several more simple interventions to help with short term discernment:

A) Stay with it – it will usually become more clear one way or the other: In some sessions the
recipient seems to be getting a flow of thoughts, images, perceptions, etc, but the interactive
connection is subtle, the content coming forward is faint, the source of the content is unclear,
and the recipient is struggling with anxiety that the content may just be coming from her own
mind. As mentioned above, my observation is that the source of the content usually becomes
much more clear, one way or the other, if the person stays with the same flow for five to
fifteen minutes.66 So one simple intervention is to coach the recipient to “just stay with it.” In
these scenarios, I provide explanation and coaching along the lines of, “It seems like you’re
getting a series of thoughts, images, and perceptions that are kind of flowing from
somewhere. My experience is that the source usually becomes much more clear, one way or
the other, if we just keep going with it for a while. So if you’re willing, I’d like to just stay
with this for another five to fifteen minutes.” And then, as we continue forward, I especially
watch for the additional reference points discussed above.

One of the simplest, most straight forward ways to “just stay with it” is to test drive a specific
piece of guidance. For example, at one point in a session I was facilitating, we asked for
guidance and then the recipient reported, “I’m getting an image of myself standing in my
living room as a child, and the thought comes to me that maybe this is the underlying
memory we’ve been looking for.” Then, after a brief pause, she continued with, “And now
I’m getting the thought that I should just focus on the image and ask God to help me connect
with it emotionally.” This was all very faint and she wasn’t sure that it was really from the

65
In fact, recipients have repeatedly told me that God is so unconditionally loving that it doesn’t
even feel bad when he corrects them. People have described God correcting them regarding serious error
and convicting them regarding serious sin. And in these situations they report feeling sad, they report
feeling convicted, and they report feeling a deep, intense desire to change. But they don’t feel shame,
they don’t feel condemned, they don’t feel hurt, and they don’t feel “bad.” They always agree with God’s
assessment, they always say that it feels right that God is correcting them, they always perceive that God
stays relational even as he corrects them, they always report that the overall experience is life-giving, and
they even describe that in some strange way it actually feels good to receive God’s correction.
66
A five to fifteen minute block of “just staying with it” is by far the most common, but
sometimes the source becomes clear in as little as two to three minutes, and occasionally it can take as
long as twenty minutes.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 46 of 51

Lord, so I suggested, “If you’re willing, I think we should stay with this – go ahead and try it
and see where it goes. If it’s from the Lord, you’ll be able to connect with the image, it will
turn out to be the source memory, and everything will move forward.” So she tried it, and she
was able to connect with emotions, the image did turn out the be the memory we were
looking for, the session did move forward, and we were both reassured that the content she
was receiving was indeed coming from the lord.67

B) Ask God for confirmation regarding genuine and/or more clarity regarding counterfeit:
Along with explanation and coaching regarding, “If we just keep going with this, it will
probably become more clear,” I also make a very simple, explicit prayer request along the
lines of, “If this is really from You, Lord, please confirm it. And if this is not from you, then
help that to become more clear.”

C) Explore why the recipient is so worried about possible counterfeit or contamination:

Occasionally I encounter a recipient who is persistently concerned about possible counterfeit
and/or contamination, but my implicit memory intuition is not sending up any warnings and I
am not seeing any reference point clues that would indicate counterfeit or contamination.
This is not the end of the world (or anything close), but if this anxiety is severe enough it can
slow things down and also make the process more tiring and less pleasant for the recipient.

When I encounter these excessive concerns and decide that they are causing too much
trouble, I share my observations with the recipient and coach her to ask God for guidance.
(For example, “I’m noticing that you keep worrying about whether this is really Jesus, or
whether you’re just being deceived in some way. And I’m also noticing that I’m not sensing a
problem, and that I’m not seeing any clues that would indicate counterfeit or contamination.
Would you be okay with asking God for some help with this? Maybe something like, ‘Lord,
what’s this about? Why am I so worried about being deceived?’”) And then as we work
together to find and resolve the source of her excessive concerns, I especially watch for
specific underlying traumatic memories that might be fueling a triggered component to her
fears. The good news is that we are usually (eventually) able to find and resolve the trauma
that is causing the triggered, excessive worry, and then the Immanuel process is able to flow
more quickly and more smoothly.

D) Slightly more specific prayer and coaching with respect to troubleshooting: When I am
coaching people to practice with the basic exercises, principles, and tools, I try to keep things
extremely simple. In fact, when I am coaching beginning facilitators to practice with the
super basic exercises, I sometimes tell them, “I only want to hear you saying three things
when you’re trouble shooting: ‘Ask Jesus for guidance,’ ‘Ask Jesus for help,’ and ‘Just
describe whatever is coming into your awareness, regardless of whether it makes sense or
feels important.’”68 However, as you become more experienced as a facilitator you can
include more variety in your prayers and in your coaching. So a very simple intermediate
intervention for problems with counterfeit and contamination is to get more specific with
respect to troubleshooting coaching. For example, you can coach the recipient to ask things
like, “God, what’s in the way of my being able to perceive your genuine presence?” or “Lord,

67
As you may remember from chapter 17, my own experience described on page 18 provides
another example of “just staying with it” by test driving a specific piece of guidance.
68
And, of course, if you get stuck for any reason you can coach the recipient to go back to her
safety net positive memory and initial interactive connection.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 47 of 51

what do you want me to know about this counterfeit?” or “God, please show me how to
cooperate with your plan to reveal and resolve the source of this counterfeit problem.”

E) Repeat invitation and request (as many as five to seven times): When thoughts, questions,
positive self talk, bible verses, analysis, attempts to solve the problem with her own
resources, and other content from the person’s own mind keeps getting in the way of a true,
genuine Immanuel connection, I have found that it sometimes helps to simply repeat the
Immanuel invitation and explicit request over and over again.69 (There have been several
sessions in which I did this as many as five to seven times.) The short summary of a lot of
interesting neurology is that the person’s anxiety about the process not working just starts to
get tired, and familiarity also contributes to progressively decreasing anxiety. Furthermore,
repeatedly going through the invitation and request, with a facilitator who is clearly
remaining calm and relational, helps reassurances about the process to sink in and feel more
true. As the part of the person’s unconscious mind that has been trying to “help” by jumping
in with accidental counterfeits starts getting more tired and bored than anxious, genuine
interactive connection and content from God will often start to slip through.

This intervention requires a bit of patience (and faith) on the part of the facilitator, but it’s a
nice intermediate troubleshooting resource because the concept of just repeating the
Immanuel invitation and request is very simple.

F) Humbly offer your observations/discernment regarding specific possible problems: As I

discussed at length in chapter twenty-five, when the recipient has a good interactive
connection it is best for the facilitator to just focus on making sure that the Immanuel
approach structure is in place, and then to stay out of the way and let Jesus drive with respect
to everything else. Also, when a facilitator is just beginning I coach her to keep things very
simple, and to just coach the recipient to keep turning to Jesus whenever there is a problem.
However, when you are doing intermediate or advanced work and the recipient is having
trouble with a counterfeit or contaminated interactive connection, it is very helpful for her to
have increased focus regarding specific possible problems. So if your implicit memory
intuitive system is telling you “something’s not right,” and/or you notice reference point clues
indicating counterfeit or contamination, humbly offer your thoughts and observations.

For example, if you notice that the recipient has a lot of anxiety that the process won’t work,
and then you start to notice reference point clues indicating that her unconscious mind is
jumping in with attempts to “help,” it can be valuable to humbly share your observations.70
Or if your implicit memory intuitive system is telling you “something’s not right,” and you
are noticing clues indicating demonic counterfeit, humbly share your observations and
tentative discernment, and then coach the recipient to ask the Lord for guidance and help
regarding this possibility. Or if you sense intuitive “something’s not right” warnings, and

69
For any readers who need a quick reminder, the Immanuel invitation and explicit request is a
simple prayer along the lines of, “Jesus, I make a heart invitation for you to be here with me. Please help
me to perceive your presence and to have a living, interactive connection with you.”
70
As described above, humbly share your observations regarding clues indicating accidental
counterfeit, and then coach the recipient to carefully look at additional reference points to confirm your
initial discernment. And if your initial discernment is confirmed, then help her to repeat the Immanuel
invitation and request, help her to spot and set aside content from her own mind, and help her to watch
for subtle genuine content from the Lord.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 48 of 51

then you notice clues indicating a dissociated parts counterfeit, humbly share your
observations and tentative discernment, and then coach the recipient to ask the Lord for
guidance and help regarding this possibility.

VIII. Real presence of God, but minimal benefit: In chapter thirty-one and earlier in this
chapter, I explained that when the recipient is interacting with the presence of God, we will
usually see significant, observable, immediate benefits as one of the reference points reassuring
us that the interactive connection is genuine. For example, if part of the toxic power in a trauma
is the person feeling alone in the painful experience, then she will immediately feel much better
as soon as she perceives God’s presence with her in the memory. And I also mentioned that there
are occasional exceptions – scenarios in which the recipient is truly interacting with the real
presence of God, but not experiencing any significant benefits.

Part one – trying to change the original memories and/or fighting with the triggers in the
present: A dynamic that often hinders the Immanuel healing process is the recipient trying to
fix the problem in some way other than accepting that the original painful event did indeed
happen, choosing to stand straight in the pain, and then turning to Jesus and asking for His
help. And one of the most common examples of this dynamic is when the recipient tries to
stop the pain by trying to change the original memories and/or by fighting with the triggers in
the present.

Usually this hindering dynamic is only of mild to moderate intensity, and just gets in the way
of getting started. For example, in my experience with our flooded car, as all of the negative
thoughts and emotions from my 18 month old separation trauma got triggered forward, I
initially fought with the triggers instead of recognizing that old pain was getting stirred up
and turning to Jesus for help. For the first round, I fought with the car. “If this stupid car
would just work, everything would be fine.” For the second round, I fought with God. “If
you, God, would just show up more tangibly, and give me much clearer guidance regarding
how to fix the car, everything would be fine.” And then eventually (finally!), after wasting a
lot of time fighting with the car and with God, I accepted the reality that most of my distress
was actually coming from old trauma, I chose to stand straight in the pain, and then I turned
to the Lord and asked for help in finding and resolving the underlying memories.

However, in some situations this hindering dynamic can be much more intense. I have seen a
number of sessions in which this dynamic prevented the recipient from even perceiving the
Lord’s presence. For example, in one session the recipient was in a near-drowning memory,
and she was totally fixated on the part of the memory where she was holding herself out of
the water by clinging to a rope. She was so desperately focused on her hands gripping the
rope in front of her face that she could not perceive Jesus’ presence, even though he was right
beside her. And she was not able to move forward until I coached her to ask for more help in
being aware of Jesus’ presence, and to deliberately take just a moment to glance around the
rest of the room. She was then able to see Jesus, standing right beside her, and to get healing
as Jesus went with her through the trauma of falling into the water and losing consciousness.

In other situations, the person can be perceiving the Lord’s presence – she can be truly
experiencing God’s genuine presence – but this blockage of focusing her attention on some
other solution prevents her from receiving anything except the most minimal benefit.

The session presented in the Eileen: Immanuel Intervention (Intermediate) DVD and also

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 49 of 51

mentioned in chapter one provides a good example.71 For thirty minutes in the middle of this
session Eileen was perceiving and interacting with God’s genuine presence, but with little
benefit – she had a clear image of Jesus with her in the memory, and she heard him say, “I’ve
loved you from the beginning of time....I was with you when you were born, and I wanted
you,” but his presence seemed to provide minimal benefit and these truths did not resolve the
“I’m not loved, I’m not wanted” lies that she was struggling with.

When I first encountered this phenomena of recipients who claimed to be engaging with
Jesus but were not displaying any significant benefit, I assumed that it must always indicate a
counterfeit Jesus. After all, doesn’t Jesus always speak with complete authority? In the gospel
story where Jesus rebukes the waves and commands the wind to be still, did the wind and the
waves argue, or take time to decide whether or not to obey, or decide to comply only
partially? No. They said, “Yes Sir!” and there was such an immediate and dramatic calm that
the disciples were in awe, and said to one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the
waves obey Him?”72 So I figured that if someone claims she is perceiving Jesus’ presence
and hearing him speak truth, but then doesn’t demonstrate immediate dramatic benefit, she
must be dealing with a counterfeit. And in many situations it eventually became clear that this
was indeed the case. However, there have also been sessions, like this session with Eileen, in
which the true Jesus was indeed present and speaking but something was preventing the
recipient from receiving benefit from the Lord’s presence and words.

What eventually became clear in this session was that Eileen was initially unable to receive
any significant benefit from Jesus’ presence because she was still trying to solve the pain in
the memory by trying to make her mother love her and want her. Even though the memory
was seventy years old and her mother was long dead, when Eileen was working inside the
memory she was still trying to make it turn out differently. For example, as she was working
in the memory, she repeatedly made present tense comments such as, “I need her to want
me,” “I’ve been waiting a long time for her to notice me and want me,” “I want her to want
me,” and “There should be something that I can do to make her want me.” Eileen’s attention
was so focused on her depressed mother standing at the sink, and so focused on trying to get
her mother to love her, that she was almost completely unable to receive benefit from Jesus
sitting at the kitchen table or from the truths he was speaking to her.

The good news is that Eileen did eventually receive profound, permanent, life-changing
healing when she finally let go of trying to make her memory-mother notice her and love her,
and then turned to Jesus and asked him for help.

More good news is that this scenario is fairly easy to spot, as long as you are aware of it. You
will first notice that the recipient describes perceiving God’s presence and interacting with
God in ways that should be powerfully healing, but you won’t observe any significant
benefits. And then as you coach the recipient to describe the details of her thoughts, images,
memories, emotions, physical sensations, it will become clear that she is still intensely
focused on trying to fix the trigger in the present and/or trying to change the original memory
scenario. And once you recognize this problem, the solution is to help the recipient accept the

71
Karl D. Lehman, Eileen: Immanuel Intervention (Intermediate), Live Ministry Series #7
(Evanston, IL: Karl and Charlotte Lehman, 2006), DVD. This live session DVD can be obtained from the
“Store” page of www.immanuelapproach.com.
72
Mark 4:35-41.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 50 of 51

reality of what has already happened, to turn away from other solutions, to stand straight in
the pain, and then to turn to Jesus and ask him for help.

Part two – disconnection to protect from pain also blocks connection with God: Even if the
recipient is truly perceiving and interacting with God, if she is not able to feel the Lord’s
presence and is not able to connect emotionally, she will not be able to receive significant
healing or benefit. Therefore, when a person uses emotional disconnection to protect herself
from pain, this can also block the beneficial effects of God’s presence by preventing her from
feeling his presence or connecting with him. See chapter thirty-three (pages **fill in**) for
additional discussion of this uncommon advanced-level phenomena.

IX. More thoughts regarding long-term fruit:

A) Keep watching for the accumulation of lasting, long-term fruit over time: Remember, if
anything gets past your discernment in an individual session, watching for lasting, long-term
fruit that should accumulate over time provides a pretty much 100% sensitive and accurate
safety net. If you notice that long term fruit is not accumulating as expected, then you know
you have been missing significant counterfeit and/or contamination. If this occurs, the first
step is to be extra careful in watching for counterfeit and contamination in subsequent
sessions. If you then find and resolve the problem, great. If you still can’t detect the problem,
then refer the recipient to a facilitator with more knowledge and experience or take your own
game to the next level by studying our advanced material and/or obtaining consultation.

B) “Fruits of the Spirit”: In chapter thirty-one, I discussed the resolution of specific issues in
specific memories and the resolution of specific triggers as the lasting, long-term fruits that
are the easiest to measure and that provide the most reliable confirmation with respect to
Immanuel interactive connections being genuine. Intermediate and advanced facilitators can
also learn to watch for additional long-term reference points. There are other lasting, long-
term fruits that accumulate over time, but that provide soft/fuzzy reference points because
they are not as focused or as easy to measure as the resolution of specific triggers and issues.
The first of these are the “fruits of the Spirit” described by the apostle Paul. In Galatians 5:22,
Paul identifies love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control as observable fruits that should show up in the lives of people who are being
filled and transformed by the Holy Spirit. It seems reasonable to assume that if a person is
truly interacting with the living presence of God on a regular basis – if a person is having
regular Immanuel experiences and these experiences are genuine – then we should be able to
see these fruits of the Spirit increasingly manifesting themselves in her life.

However, these huge, broad aspects of a persons spiritual growth and maturity provide
soft/fuzzy reference points because they are more difficult to check than specific, focused
triggers and specific, focused issues.73 Furthermore, these huge, broad aspects of a persons
spirituality are complex and could be affected by other changes in the person’s life. For
example, how do you know it’s the time they are spending with God in the context of
Immanuel sessions and not the personal encounter they just experienced at a charismatic
conference? or the new bible study group they have been participating in?

73
The fruits of the spirit are more difficult to check than specific, focused triggers and issues
because they are huge and broad as opposed to focused, because change usually occurs much more
slowly, and because they will not be so tightly linked to the resolution of specific traumatic memories.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 32: Counterfeit...Intermediate (New 11/15/14)Page 51 of 51

Even so, the fruits of the Spirit described by Paul still provide valuable reference points that
help with ongoing discernment. If the person is demonstrating a lasting, steady increase in
these fruits of the Spirit, that is an encouraging indicator that the interactive connections she
describes in her Immanuel sessions are probably genuine. And in contrast, if a person is
having Immanuel sessions every week but does not show any noticeable increase in fruits of
the spirit over the course of six months, you should be increasingly concerned about serious
counterfeit and/or contamination.

C) Other spiritual fruit: Just like the fruits of the Spirit, other aspects of the person’s spiritual
life provide similar soft/fuzzy reference points. If the person is truly spending regular time
interacting with the living presence of Jesus, then you should be able to see long-term,
lasting, steadily increasing growth in every area of her personal spirituality. For example, she
should demonstrate increasing faith in the goodness and trustworthiness of God’s character
and heart, she should experience a decrease in negative, distorted reactions towards the Lord,
she should perceive an increasing awareness of God’s presence and love throughout the
average day, she should report an increasing ability to receive guidance from the Lord, she
should demonstrate tangible progress in areas of persistent sin, and she should experience
steadily increasing appreciation for scripture.74 And if she is supposedly interacting with
Jesus in regular Immanuel sessions but you are not seeing positive changes in her personal
spiritual life, then you should be increasingly concerned about serious counterfeit and/or
contamination.

D) Caveat with respect to spiritual fruit – positive changes will be proportional to dosage: In
medicine, many medications produce benefits that are proportional to the dosage. That is, if
you only take a little bit of the medication you will only get a very small benefit, and if you
take a larger dose of the medication you will experience more benefit. This pattern is
definitely true with respect to how the Immanuel approach produces spiritual fruit. For
example, if you receive only one or two Immanuel sessions each year for acute pain relief
when you are in crisis, you will still get dramatic relief regarding the specific trigger, and any
specific memory content that is resolved will remain resolved; but general, widespread
benefits (such as fruits of the spirit) will usually be minimal. In contrast, if you spend time
interacting with the living presence of Jesus every day in your personal quiet time, and if you
get together with a prayer partner a couple times each month in order to interact with the
living presence of God in the context of a longer facilitated session, then you can expect to
see steadily increasing fruits of the Spirit and steadily increasing fruit in every other aspect of
your personal spiritual life.

74
My own personal spiritual growth provides a good example. I am profoundly grateful to have
experienced steadily increasing blessings in all of these areas of my life as I have been faithful to pursue
regular Immanuel interactive connections over the past ten years.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 33: Counterfeit or Contaminated Interactive Connections (subtitle:
Advanced principles, tests, and tools)
(©Copyright 2015 K.D. Lehman MD, New 2/14/15)
DRAFT

______________________________________________________________________________
**Advanced topics warning box: If you are just beginning to learn about the Immanuel
approach and you are reading through this book for the first time, I encourage you to skip (or
skim) this chapter for now. At this point in your learning journey, slowing down to study these
more advanced principles and tools will hinder you from getting the more important overview
understanding of how all the pieces fit together. Come back to this material after you have been
through the whole book at least once, you feel that you have a good understanding of the basic
principles and tools, you have had a chance to experiment with the exercises for groups and
beginners, you understand and have had a chance to practice with the intermediate principles and
tools, and you want to begin learning about advance principles, tools, and interventions for
discerning and resolving counterfeit and contaminated interactive connections. Also, when you
have experience with advanced phenomena in the context of actual sessions, this teaching
material will be much easier to understand and remember. It will help give you words for what
you are already seeing in your sessions, and it will be much easier to remember because you will
have experiential reference points to help you organize the material as you put it into your own
mental toolbox. In contrast, if you don’t yet have experiential reference points to help you
organize, understand, and remember this material, you may end up feeling a bit overwhelmed. I
don’t want this advanced material to intimidate you from actually getting started with the basic
exercises. Advanced topics warning box**

This book is not the place for a thorough discussion of advanced phenomena, principles, and
tools, but I would like to provide a few of the most common examples, to give the reader an idea
of the kind of counterfeit and/or contamination phenomena she might encounter as she moves
into advanced Immanuel approach work, and to briefly describe a few of the principles and tools
for identifying and resolving these problems.

The larger message I especially want to communicate is that you should NEVER conclude, “I
guess God just isn’t with us today,” and/or “I guess God just doesn’t want to connect with the
recipient today,” and/or “I guess the Immanuel approach just doesn’t work for this situation,” and
then just give up. The truth is that God is ALWAYS present with you, that God ALWAYS wants to
connect with the recipient, that God ALWAYS wants to help her move forward with respect to
healing and spiritual growth, and that you should never give up. If it seems that the Immanuel
approach process is not working and you are encountering strange phenomena that you do not
recognize or understand, assume that you are encountering advanced blockages and/or advance
counterfeit or contamination, and then ask God for guidance and help regarding the next step
forward. The Lord will then either provide you with his own, customized guidance for the
situation in front of you, or he will remind you to look at more of our advanced material (see
www.kclehman.com and www.immanuelapproach.com), and/or to obtain consultation, and/or to
refer the recipient to a facilitator with more knowledge and experience.

I. Real presence of God, but minimal benefit: In chapters thirty-one and thirty-two, I explained
that when the recipient is interacting with the presence of God, we will usually see significant,
observable, immediate benefits as one of the reference points reassuring us that the interactive

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 2 of 21

connection is genuine. And I also mentioned that there are occasional exceptions – scenarios in
which the recipient is truly interacting with the real presence of God, but not experiencing any
significant benefits. In chapter thirty-two I discussed the intermediate-level phenomena of how
trying to change the original memories and/or fighting with the triggers in the present can block
the recipient from receiving benefit, even though she is truly interacting with God’s genuine
presence. In this section I will discuss the advanced-level phenomena of how emotional
disconnection to protect from pain can block benefits by preventing connection with God.

Part one – trying to change the original memories and/or fighting with the triggers in the
present: See chapter thirty-two (pages 42-44, update page numbers for final draft), for
discussion of this phenomena.

Part two – disconnection to protect from pain also blocks connection with God: Most of the
benefits of perceiving the Lord’s presence come with being able to feel his presence – being
able to feel his friendship, being able to feel his compassion, being able to feel his
forgiveness, being able to feel his encouragement, being able to feel his attunement, being
able to feel the authority of the truth he speaks, etc. And, unfortunately, when a person uses
emotional disconnection to protect herself from pain, these defenses that are intended to
prevent her from being overwhelmed by unbearable pain can also prevent her from feeling
God’s presence and prevent her from connecting with him. So even if the recipient is truly
perceiving and interacting with the genuine presence of God, if disconnection defenses are
preventing her from feeling his presence and connecting with him, she will not be able to
receive significant healing or benefit.

When I first encountered this phenomena it stumped me for a while. One of my clients and I
were working with a memory in which a big part of her pain was feeling abandoned and
alone in the traumatic experience, and when I coached her to make the Immanuel invitation
and request she was immediately able to perceive Jesus’ presence, standing right beside her
in the memory. Furthermore, she reported that he reassured her with something along the
lines of, “I was with you when this happened, I am with you now, and I will always be with
you.” One might expect that she would immediately feel a lot better, and that these
encouraging words, along with Jesus’ tangible presence standing right beside her, would at
least resolve her pain associated with feeling abandoned and alone in the trauma. But she did
not describe or display any real benefit.1 And I did not see any evidence that she was trying
to change the original memory or that she was fighting with the triggers in the present, so I
knew that that potential problem was not blocking possible benefits. Therefore, I assumed she
must be interacting with a counterfeit Jesus.

However, troubleshooting to expose and resolve counterfeits came up with nothing: prayers
and commands to expose demonic counterfeits revealed nothing, the eye contact technique
discussed below for identifying counterfeits from dissociated parts came up with nothing, and
when I described my observations regarding the absence of benefits, shared my concern that
Jesus might be a counterfeit, and asked the recipient to focus on Jesus and ask God for

1
She could hear Jesus speaking to her, but cognitive understanding of his words, in the absence
of being able to feel his presence, compassion, attunement, or authority produced only very small benefit.
And she could see Jesus standing right beside her, but cognitive understanding of his presence, in the
absence of being able to feel his presence or being emotionally connected to him produced only very
small benefit. *Omit this footnote?

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 3 of 21

guidance regarding the possibility of an accidental counterfeit, she responded with, “I think
this is Jesus, but He’s just not making any difference – I think this really is Jesus, but his
presence isn’t doing me any good.”2

So I went back over everything more carefully, but the picture continue to be confusing. I
could feel my implicit memory intuitive system telling me that something wasn’t right (but I
did not immediately recognize that this was simply due to the lack of the recipient feeling
Jesus’ presence, and the corresponding lack of significant benefits). And when I went through
the reference points, some pointed toward a genuine Jesus whereas others indicated a
counterfeit interactive connection.

For example, pointing toward a genuine Jesus, everything associated with Jesus seemed to be
consistent with scripture, the Jesus images were living, interactive, contingent, and did not
feel like they were just coming from her own mind, the recipient had a sense of someone else
being with her, the thoughts from Jesus seemed wise and truthful, the Jesus images and
thoughts from Jesus felt new and different, and the Jesus images and thoughts from Jesus
came into her mind spontaneously and unexpectedly. On the other hand, pointing toward a
counterfeit interactive connection, the recipient did not feel like she was receiving
attunement, Jesus’ presence, words, and actions did not seem to be producing much benefit,
the recipient did not describe release, I did not observe relief, she did not describe or display
peace and joy, and she did not describe or display gratitude and satisfaction.

Thankfully, as I continued to ask the Lord for guidance and help, the thought eventually came
to me to ask the recipient if she could feel Jesus’ presence with her, and when she responded
with, “No, I can’t feel Jesus with me at all” the pieces finally fell into place. I remembered
that this recipient had a lot of dissociation. I realized that she was working in a painful
memory but was clearly disconnected from the negative emotions in the memory. I realized
that if her disconnection defenses were blocking her from feeling the negative emotions, they
could also be blocking her from feeling Jesus’ presence or connecting with Jesus. I realized
that if her disconnection defenses were blocking her from feeling Jesus’ presence and
blocking her from connecting with him, they would also prevent her from receiving healing
and prevent her from receiving most of the other benefits his presence would otherwise bring
– She could see Jesus standing right beside her, but cognitive understanding of his presence,
in the absence of being able to feel his presence or being emotionally connected to him
produced only very small benefit, and she could hear Jesus speaking to her, but cognitive
understanding of his words, in the absence of being able to feel his presence, compassion,
attunement, or authority produced only very small benefit.

I also realized that my intuitive warning was simply due to the lack of benefits, and due to the
subtle oddness of the way in which the recipient was interacting with Jesus in the absence of
being emotionally connected to him or being able to feel his presence. I realized that all of the
negative reference points could be explained by the emotional disconnection blockage. And I
realized that all of the other reference points indicated a genuine interactive connection.

The good news is now that you know about this phenomena, you should be able to recognize
it fairly easily by noticing these same pieces. You will notice that the recipient is

2
Almost every time I have encountered this scenario, the recipient has made comments similar to
these.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 4 of 21

disconnected from the pain in the traumatic memory she is working with. You will notice that
she describes an interactive connection that seems right in every way, except that she does not
feel Jesus’ presence and does not report or display any significant benefits. As you go through
the reference points for discerning between genuine and counterfeit, you will notice that all of
the negative reference points can be explained by the emotional disconnection blockage, and
that all of the other reference points indicate a genuine interactive connection. If your implicit
memory intuitive system tells you that something feels funny, when you focus on it carefully
you will realize that your intuitive discomfort is due to the lack of benefits, and due to the
subtle oddness of the way in which the recipient interacts with Jesus in the absence of being
emotionally connected to him or being able to feel his presence. And if you try
troubleshooting to expose counterfeits, you will find nothing.

Once you recognize this scenario, the solution is to help the recipient cooperate with Jesus in
dismantling the disconnection defense that is preventing connection. Sometimes this is as
easy as just sharing your observations and conclusions with the recipient, and then inviting
her to choose to release her disconnection defense and to ask the Lord for help in dismantling
it. She will then connect with the pain in the memory, within moments of connecting with the
pain she will also connect with Jesus’ presence in the memory, and then she will start to
describe and display benefits and healing.3

In some situations it’s a little more difficult, and you have to use the eye contact technique
described below to negotiate with internal parts. Help them to engage directly with Jesus as
much as possible during the negotiation process, and then when they get to the point of being
ready to cooperate with the new plan, coach them to choose to release the disconnection
defense and to ask Jesus for help in dismantling it.

And in some situations it’s even more difficult (but still possible). I have worked with several
recipients who would get to the point of choosing to surrender their disconnection and asking
Jesus to dismantle it, but then nothing would happen. So we would use the eye contact
technique, negotiate with internal parts, and then try again, but nothing would happen again.
Interestingly, in every one of these scenarios, at this point in the session the recipient said
something like, “I don’t know how to let go of the disconnection – I’m trying, as best I can,
but I don’t know how to do it.” So I checked with her and the internal parts, to make sure
everyone was still in agreement with the plan, and then coached her to focus on Jesus and just
ask for more help. But once again nothing happened.

The first time I encountered this scenario, at this point in the session I didn’t know what to
do. So I asked Jesus for help and the thought came to just keep trying. So we did. I checked
with the recipient and the internal parts to make sure everyone was still in agreement with the
plan (again), and then I coached her to focus on Jesus and just ask for more help (again). But
nothing happened (again). And then we tried again – I checked with the recipient and the
internal parts to make sure everyone was still in agreement with the plan (again), I coached
her to focus on Jesus and ask for more help (again), and nothing happened (again). And then

3
Recipients are often afraid to let go of their disconnection defenses because they are afraid of
feeling the painful emotions in the trauma. When a recipient expresses this fear, I validate that it is
reasonable, I reassure her that as soon as she feels the pain she will also feel the Lord’s presence and
receive healing, and I coach her to express her fear directly to Jesus and ask for help. And then, when
she’s ready, we ask Jesus to help her dismantle the disconnection, she briefly feels that painful emotions,
and then she connects with Jesus and receives healing.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 5 of 21

we tried again. And we just kept trying.

Finally, somewhere between the fifth and seventh repetition, she suddenly noticed that Jesus
was doing (and/or saying) something surprising, original, creative, and uniquely profound.
Jesus was initiating a new interaction that somehow got through all of her defenses (in a
good way), and she suddenly began to connect with her emotions. She felt the pain in the
memory for a few moments, and then she also felt the Lord’s presence, was able to connect
with him in the memory, and received benefits and healing.

Furthermore, this same simple repetition has worked in many subsequent sessions with this
same recipient, and also with several other similar recipients. In each of these sessions we
encountered the same scenario of a disconnection defense that didn’t move with the first
choice to release and the first request for Jesus’ help. In each of these sessions we repeated
the process over and over again. And in each of these sessions (always between the fifth and
seventh repetitions), Jesus has initiated something new, creative, and effective, and then the
person has been able to connect with her emotions, connect with Jesus, and receive benefits
and healing.

I have no idea why we have needed to repeat the same simple process five to seven times in
each of these sessions. (I mean, why couldn’t Jesus just do his creative, beautiful, profound,
effective intervention thing after the first request?) And I have no idea why or how this
simple repetition works. But I’m grateful that it does work, and these intriguing case studies
provide yet another example of how the Immanuel approach always (eventually) works as we
persist with troubleshooting.

II. Temporary benefits caused by dissociative disconnection from pain: In chapters thirty-
one and thirty-two, I explained that when the recipient is interacting with the presence of God,
she will eventually get to resolution and healing that will be accompanied by sudden (often
dramatic) benefits.4 The recipient will report that negative cognitions (lies) suddenly feel much
less true, she will describe negative emotions suddenly becoming much less intense, she will feel
a subjective sense of release, she will display an observable wave of relief, she will report and
display some combination of peace and joy, and she will feel satisfied and grateful. And I also
explained that these sudden benefits almost always confirm that the recipient’s perceptions of
God’s presence and interactions with God are genuine, but that there are rare exceptions.
Sophisticated counterfeits created by dissociated parts can sometimes produce temporary sudden
(often dramatic) benefits by causing dissociative disconnection from the pain in the memory.

In most of these situations, an experienced facilitator and/or recipient will be able to recognize
the difference between genuine healing and the temporary benefits associated with disconnection.
For example, disconnection will cause negative cognitions (lies) to feel much less true, but it will
feel like the lies have less power because they have suddenly moved far away and/or become
dormant, like when the traumatic memory is not activated and you are thinking about the lies
from your calm adult mind. In contrast, with genuine healing the recipient will feel like she is

4
Actually, the benefits are usually dramatic, but occasionally a recipient will have a session that
is low key – the traumatic memories will be minor, the negative emotions will be low intensity, the
interactions with God will be subtle, the healing process will be quiet and gentle, and the corresponding
benefits from healing will be humble and subtle (as opposed to large and dramatic). The Ian: “I’m Not
Enough” DVD provides a good example of a low key Immanuel session.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 6 of 21

still fully inside the memory, and that the lies are being resolved from inside the memory.
Disconnection will also cause the negative emotions to become much less intense, but it will feel
like the negative emotions have lost power because they have suddenly moved far away or
become numb. In contrast, with genuine healing the recipient will feel like she is still inside the
memory and fully emotionally connected, and that the painful emotions are being resolved from
inside the memory. The recipient will sometimes even comment that she feels numb and that the
pain feels disconnected, but she can somehow sense that the source of the pain has not actually
been resolved.

Furthermore, the recipient will experience relief when her emotional pain suddenly (and often
dramatically) subsides, but this relief usually has an odd disconnected numbness associated with
it, and it is usually strangely unsatisfying. In contrast, the release and relief from true resolution
and healing feel clean, connected, real, and deeply satisfying. Finally, the recipient usually does
not experience a combination of peace and joy in association with the disconnection pain relief,
she will perceive the whole experience to be surprisingly unsatisfying, and she will feel and
display a surprising lack of gratitude. Again, once the facilitator and/or recipient has experience
with genuine resolution and healing, they can usually recognize the difference between genuine
healing and the temporary pain relief from disconnection.

However, facilitators and recipients who have not yet had much experience with genuine healing
might initially mistake the relief from no longer feeling pain for true resolution and healing.
Fortunately, even with inexperienced facilitators and recipients, watching for lasting, long-term
fruit accumulating over time will always (eventually) reveal these disconnection counterfeits. If
you see lasting fruit accumulating over time you can be absolutely sure that at least some of the
recipient’s Immanuel connections are genuine, and if you do not see lasting fruit accumulating
over time you can be absolutely sure that you have a serious problem with counterfeit interactive
connections.

The most challenging scenarios with respect to these counterfeits produced by dissociated parts
are the very rare cases in which the internal parts somehow learn to produce a temporary
euphoria in addition to the temporary disconnection from pain. The euphoria masks the
subjective sense of disconnection, numbness, and distance from the memory, and the
combination of disconnection from pain together with euphoria feel much more like the release
and relief associate with genuine resolution and healing. Furthermore, the combination of pain
relief and euphoria also feel more like the peace and joy associated with genuine healing, and the
euphoria also usually results in at least some sense of satisfaction and gratitude.

The good news is that the reference point of long-term, accumulating fruit will still be effective,
even with these counterfeits that can produce temporary euphoria. Watching for lasting, long
term fruit that should accumulate over time will always (eventually) reveal even these
particularly sophisticated counterfeits.

Practical tips regarding lack of accumulating fruit: If you are not noticing clear, obvious
accumulation of lasting fruit, and are therefore becoming concerned about the possibility of
counterfeit, it is helpful to watch for two very specific clues that confirm the lack of lasting fruit:
1) The recipient will return to a very specific traumatic memory, and in this memory she will
again encounter the exact same toxic content that seemed to have been resolved in an earlier
session. If the true presence of Jesus resolves specific content in a specific memory, it will stay
resolved. Therefore, if “Jesus” appears to resolve toxic content, but then that exact same toxic
content in the exact same traumatic memory returns, you can be confident that the “Jesus” in the
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 7 of 21

earlier session was counterfeit. And 2) You will notice “Jesus” doing the exact same job more
than once. For example, the recipient will encounter very specific guilt about a very specific issue
in a very specific memory, and “Jesus” will appear to speak forgiveness and resolve the guilt. But
then in a subsequent session, “Jesus” will once again address the exact same guilt about the exact
same issue in the exact same memory. If the true Jesus addresses a specific
problem/issue/concern in a specific memory, that problem/issue/concern will stay resolved.
Therefore, if “Jesus” appears to complete a therapeutic task, but then in a subsequent session he
needs to repeat that exact same task regarding the exact same issue in the exact same traumatic
memory, you can be confident that the “Jesus” in the earlier session was counterfeit.

And again, if a person has had parts presenting as Jesus in the past I will be especially aware of
this possibility as I continue to work with her.

Just as with the dissociated parts counterfeits described in chapter thirty-two, when I suspect that
there may be internal parts deliberately presenting one of these sophisticated counterfeits, I gently
and relationally explain this phenomena to the recipient, I describe the observations that have
lead me to think that it might be happening in this particular session, I use the direct eye contact
technique to establish a connection with the internal parts involved, and then I engage directly
with the internal parts to help them cooperate with a genuine Immanuel connection. (See “Direct
Eye Contact Technique for Making Contact with Internal Parts,” and the end of the essay,
“Internal Dissociated Parts Presenting as Jesus,” respectively, for a detailed description of the
direct eye contact technique and for additional discussion of how to use this technique in
interacting with parts that are deliberately producing a counterfeit Jesus.)5

And just as with the dissociated parts counterfeits described in chapter thirty-two, I have been
pleasantly surprised by the results.6 In almost every situation, the internal parts involved come
forward and acknowledge what they have been doing, and then work with Jesus and me to find a
way for them to cooperate with genuine Immanuel encounters. And again, if their behavior is
entrenched because of guardian lies, then the guardian lies (and often anchoring memories) will
have to be addressed before they are willing/able to let go of the old behavior.7

A person I worked with several years ago provides good examples of many of these phenomena
and principles I have described with respect to dissociated internal parts and counterfeit

5
Both of these essays are available as free downloads from www.kclehman.com.
6
Again, when I am peaceful, calm, relational, and not frustrated or judgmental or triggered in any
way, I am amazed at how willing internal parts are to come forward and talk to me about what they are
doing. However, if I am triggered in some way, and especially if I am frustrated and/or judgmental, then
internal parts tend to be guarded and uncooperative (often “stonewalling” me by not even acknowledging
that they are there).
7
On rare occasions, I will encounter a person who displays clear, strong, consistent clues of
internal parts presenting as Jesus, but I get no cooperation, or even acknowledgment in response to my
usual approach. In these situations I assume that there is a very good reason the internal parts involved
aren’t cooperating. I then persistently ask the Lord for guidance, and I apply everything I know about
emotional healing and working with internal dissociated parts as I try to find and resolve guardian lie
fears and as I try to negotiate conditions for a God interactive connection that the internal parts will be
willing to participate in. The good news is that even in these most difficult situations, the internal parts
are almost always eventually able to come forward and work with me to focus and resolve their concerns,
so that they are able to cooperate with genuine Immanuel encounters.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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Immanuel encounters. He had pursued emotional healing continuously for more than 20 years,
and this had included every Christian emotional healing context that I am aware of – prophetic
ministry, charismatic healing meetings, prayer for emotional healing of several varieties,
Christian psychotherapy of several varieties, and Theophostic ministry. But to everybody’s
confusion and frustration, he seemed to experience no lasting improvement with respect to his
emotional issues. And we experienced the same confusion, frustration, and lack of lasting results
as he and I worked together to try the Immanuel approach.

I noticed that something “just didn’t feel right” in his interactions with the supposed Jesus. I
noticed that he didn’t report any lasting positive changes accumulating over time. And eventually
I began to notice that guardian lies that had supposedly been resolved seemed to come back.
Even though he reported perceiving the Lord’s presence, and reported that Jesus addressed
specific guardian lies and seemed to resolve them, the exact same guardian lies in the exact same
context would come back again several weeks or several months later. At first this just stumped
me, because we had searched very carefully for any evidence of demonic interference, and I was
convinced that we were not working with a demonic counterfeit. And then, when I finally
stumbled onto the phenomenon of internal parts presenting as Jesus, I immediately thought of
this person.

When I used the direct eye contact technique and asked about the possibility that internal parts
had been presenting as Jesus, within a minute or two the parts that had been involved
acknowledged that they had been presenting as Jesus. And as I asked more questions I discovered
that these dissociated internal parts had been presenting as Jesus and speaking for Jesus in every
emotional healing setting, including Theophostic ministry, and even in most of his personal
prayer times. In every one of these ministry/therapy settings the people involved had thought this
person was working with Jesus on a regular basis, when in fact the “Jesus” he had been
perceiving and working with had always been a counterfeit produced by internal parts. And, not
surprisingly, this had been completely blocking the emotional healing process.

The good news is that we were able to work with these internal parts and help them get to the
place where they were able to allow the true Jesus to show up. They were initially entrenched in
their behavior of presenting as Jesus due to deep disappointment pain and “He won’t come”
fears, but when we found and resolved the underlying memories they were finally able to
cooperate with genuine Immanuel encounters, and this person was able to finally start moving
forward with real healing.

III. Mental construct Jesus experiences that are a deeply embedded habit learned and
practiced over many years: Sometimes the recipient has learned to use her imagination to
deliberately construct images of Jesus, perceptions of his presence as a person, and an interactive
connection with this imaginary Jesus presence. Sometimes the recipient has been using this
deliberately constructed Jesus experience as a resource for coping with stress and pain, and
sometimes these deliberately constructed interactive connections have been a part of the person’s
regular personal devotional life. There is nothing inherently wrong with either of these. However,
proactively, deliberately constructing imaginary Jesus experiences is not the same as being in
listening/observation mode, and then receiving images and other perceptions that come to you
spontaneously, from outside yourself, and that represent the living, interactive presence of Jesus.

Furthermore, if a person practices this deliberate mental construction repeatedly over many years

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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it can grow into a deeply imbedded habit that can become automatic. The person can also
become less and less consciously aware of the fact that she is proactively building these mental
constructs. If the person gets to the point at which she no longer has any awareness of the true
source of her imaginary Jesus experiences, her mental constructs become an accidental
counterfeit because she mistakes them for the genuine presence of Jesus. And, as illustrated by
Kara’s story below, this can get in the way of genuine Immanuel encounters.

A mentoring group session from several years ago provides a good example of this phenomena. I
was facilitating a session for Kara, who was working with memories from a time in her young
adult life during which she had felt particularly overwhelmed by stress and emotional pain. She
was still living with her parents at the time of these memories, and when she felt particularly
overwhelmed and miserable she would go to her room as a place of refuge, and then sit on her
bed and cry out to the Lord for help.

She went to one of these memories of sitting on her bed, and when we invited the Lord to be with
her in this place and asked him to help her perceive his presence, she quickly had an image of
Jesus sitting on the bed next to her. However, instead of describing dramatic improvement,
displaying relief, and expressing gratitude, she commented, “I can perceive Him next to me, and
it’s better than nothing, but it’s not enough,” “He’s kind, but He’s not helping,” and “He cares,
but He’s not strong enough to make a difference.” She felt a little better knowing that she had a
kind, caring friend with her in her painful, overwhelming situation, but she also felt that Jesus
never gave her what she really needed, and she kept repeating, “It’s not enough.” Even with Jesus
sitting right next to her, she was clearly feeling disappointment and frustration instead of relief,
peace, joy, satisfaction, and gratitude.

It was easy to see that something wasn’t right, but it was not so easy to clarify the source of the
problem. I gently described these clues that told me there must be some kind of problem with her
connection to Jesus, and I shared my thoughts that there must be something preventing her from
receiving from Jesus or that the supposed presence of Jesus must be a counterfeit. And then we
spent forty-five minutes repeatedly asking for guidance and working together to figure out what
was going on. We checked for clues indicating demonic interference or counterfeit, but found
nothing. We checked for internal parts presenting themselves as Jesus, but found nothing. We
looked for emotional disconnection that could be blocking her ability to receive from Jesus, but
found nothing. And I didn’t see her focusing her attention away from Jesus in an attempt to fight
with the triggers or in an effort to make the original memory change.

Eventually I invited her to pray something along the lines of, “Jesus, if this familiar image and
sense of your presence is not really you, could you please help me to perceive your true
presence.” However, she was very uncomfortable about going ahead with this next step, and as I
asked questions to try to focus and understand her discomfort, she eventually explained that this
same image of Jesus and this same sense of Jesus’ presence was something she had been
experiencing for years. This same image of Jesus and this same sense of Jesus’ presence had
been a regular source of comfort over many years, and also a part of her personal devotional
times. She had become convinced that this image of Jesus and sense of his presence were from
God, she had come to believe that they represented the real presence of Jesus, and she had
understandably become very attached to them.

It is also understandable that she found it very confusing and frightening to think that this image
of Jesus and sense of Jesus’ presence could be counterfeit. “What does this mean? Does this
mean that I have been deceived all of these years? Does this mean that I don’t really know Jesus?
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
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Does this mean that my relationship with the Lord has all been an illusion? How do I know
what’s real and what’s not? How do I know what to believe?...etc.” And even though I had been
talking to her about the possibility of counterfeit for forty-five minutes, the real consequences of
this possibility didn’t really sink in until I invited her to pray, “Jesus, if this isn’t really you, could
you please help me to perceive your true presence.”

Fortunately, her fear and confusion steadily decreased as I coached her to speak her fears directly
to the Lord and ask him for help. (I also repeatedly reassured her that we could discern truth
together, and reminded her that the situation could only get better – if her familiar image and
sense of Jesus’ presence were genuine, then he would confirm that and help us figure out what
was hindering a better connection, and if her familiar image and sense of Jesus’ presence were
counterfeit, then the real presence of Jesus would definitely be an upgrade.) And eventually she
was able to let me coach her through the “Jesus, if this isn’t really you, could you please help me
to perceive your true presence” prayer.

Within moments of offering this prayer, she reported, “There’s something big behind me, saying,
‘No, I’m really over here.’” And after another brief round of dealing with fears and confusion
with respect to “What does this all mean?!,”8 we were able to settle into a beautiful, fruitful time
of working with the true presence of Jesus. As she described it, “Jesus is standing right behind
me, with his hands on my shoulders, and we’re both looking at the old image of Jesus, sitting on
the bed. And as we’re looking at the old image together, he’s talking to me about it.”

One by one the pieces came forward and fit into place, and the final picture made perfect sense.
During highschool, Kara had read Closer than a Brother,9 and inspired by this little book she
began to long for a similar experience of “practicing the presence of Christ” – of being aware of
the Lord’s tangible presence on a regular basis. Cognitively she knew that Jesus was always with
her, but not knowing how to become subjectively aware of his tangible presence, she decided that
maybe it would help to imagine him sitting next to her on her bed – she thought that building an
image of Jesus sitting next to her, and imagining what it would feel like to have him beside her as
a visible, tangible friend, might help her to connect more with the truth she was holding in faith.
She practiced this regularly, and it worked to some extent – when she focused on her mental
construct and imagined what it would be like to have him there as a visible friend, the truth of his
abiding presence did feel more real.

As she continued to practice this over the years, the mental construct image and the imaginary
sense of Jesus’ tangible presence as a friend came more and more easily. And all of this was
especially comforting during her young adult years during which her life at home was so stressful

8
Even though she had dealt with her fears and confusion enough to be able to truly participate in
the prayer asking the Lord to reveal his true presence (“if my image and sense of Jesus’ presence actually
are counterfeit”), the immediate new perception of Jesus’ genuine presence standing right behind her
obviously confirmed that her previous image and sense of Jesus had indeed been counterfeit. And this
clearly stirred up a few remaining scraps of fear and confusion.
9
David Winter, Closer than a Brother (Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1971). For those
who are not familiar with this wonderful little book, it presents a modern adaptation of Brother
Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God (Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 1976), which
describes the experience of an uneducated layperson in seventeenth century France who was aware of the
living presence of Jesus abiding with him constantly, during times of intensity as well as during the
mundane experiences of every day life – a phenomenon that he called “practicing the presence of Christ.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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and painful. When she was particularly overwhelmed by the stress and pain, she would go to her
room, sit on her bed, and focus on this mental construct of Jesus’ presence. She also learned to
imagine Jesus saying and doing whatever she thought would be most helpful, and this was
particularly comforting in times of acute distress. As research regarding memory and association
networks would predict, this whole package became more and more automatic and felt more and
more real as she continued to practice it many times over many years.10 And as mentioned above,
she eventually became convinced that this image of Jesus and sense of his presence were from
God, she came to believe that they represented the real presence of Jesus, and she understandably
became very attached to them.

As also mentioned above, this kind of deliberate mental construction is not inherently bad.11 But
Kara’s experience is an example of the truth that an imaginary Jesus can never have more
resources than the recipient’s own mind. Kara could give herself some relief by constructing an
imaginary Jesus that would say and do comforting things, and it certainly helped her to feel less
lonely in her pain, but her imagination could not construct the wisdom, the spiritual authority, the
capacity augmentation, and the healing power of the real presence of Jesus. Kara’s experience
also illustrates the point that when a person comes to believe that her mental construct is actually
Jesus, it can get in the way of being able to perceive the true presence of the Lord.

The good news is that even though Kara was frightened and confused at first, she was eventually
very grateful for the huge upgrade.

Getting back to a more general discussion of accidental counterfeits that have been produced by
regularly generating imaginary Jesus experiences over the course of years: these accidental
counterfeits can initially be very convincing, but they can still be reliably distinguished from
genuine interactive connections because they produce totally disappointing results with respect to
resolution and healing.

These accidental counterfeits will look good and sound good because the person has been very
deliberately constructing the most accurate, biblical, living, interactive, caring, compassionate,
helpful Jesus that she can come up with. To the extent that the long practiced mental constructs
have become automatic and to the extent that the person has lost conscious awareness of their
original source, she will feel that they are spontaneous, she will perceive that they are coming
from somewhere else, and she will feel like she has a companion with her on the journey.12 And

10
Memory research would predict that if you practice building an image and imagining someone
with you, after many repetitions the package will be easily activated, and will come forth involuntarily
and automatically whenever you enter the situations with which it is associated. Furthermore, conscious
awareness of the original source will gradually fade with many repetitions over time, and the constructed
image and imagined sense of a presence will just feel more and more real in the present. *Ideal would be
to include a couple references to specific research, or at least references that would include much
more detailed discussions written for the lay-public, such as Schacter’s books on memory.*
11
Some ministries and spiritual directors teach this kind of deliberate construction of imaginary
content as a way to help one’s personal faith experience feel more tangible and real. This is a complex
discussion, but I would like to at least name the possibility that in light of some of the new Immanuel
approach principles and tools, it may be time to replace these older deliberate imagination exercises with
helping the recipient to experience the actual living presence of Jesus.
12
As opposed to being able to feel that she is just generating the imaginary Jesus with her own
mind – as opposed to feeling like she is just interacting with a Jesus hand puppet that she is constructing

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 12 of 21

to the extent that she has been able to construct a “Jesus” that knows how to offer attunement,
she will feel like she is receiving attunement.

However, even though these accidental counterfeits can look so good and sound so good, they
produce totally disappointing results with respect to true, permanent resolution of issues and
healing of trauma. The recipient may experience some moderate, temporary benefits from the
sense of having a companion with her on the journey, from the sense of receiving attunement,
and from the encouragement, support, and biblical truths that she can give to herself through her
imaginary Jesus, but one of these accidental counterfeits can never have any more resources than
the recipients’ own mind can give him, and he therefore won’t be able to help the recipient with
true resolution and healing.13

During the journey towards healing, one of these accidental counterfeits will say and do things
that look good and sound good, but he will never actually help the session move forward. An
imaginary Jesus can’t provide the kind of capacity augmentation that requires a genuine outside
source, he isn’t able to resolve guardian lie fears or other hindrances that are in the way of
moving forward, he isn’t able to help the recipient find traumatic memories that have not yet
been identified, and he can’t enable her to connect with traumatic memories that are already
present in conscious awareness but still protected by disconnection defenses. Again, an
imaginary Jesus is not able to provide any guidance or help that truly moves the session forward
with respect to resolution/healing.

And when the session gets to the point at which permanent resolution/healing is supposed to
occur, one of these accidental counterfeit Jesuses cannot do the job. That is, if the recipient has
memories that are already in conscious awareness and that are already emotionally connected, an
imaginary Jesus will not be able to help her finish processing tasks and accomplish permanent
resolution and healing. The accidental counterfeit will look good, and he might say and do things
that sound and look like good emotional healing ministry, but the recipient will not experience
any actual resolution or healing.

The recipient might want there to be dramatic progress, and she might even be trying to believe
there is dramatic progress and trying to fabricate dramatic progress,14 but in reality you will not
see either full resolution or clear, unambiguous, significant steps forward with respect to the
issues and traumas being addressed. You will not see either full resolution or significant
weakening of the lies being addressed. You will not see either full resolution or dramatic
decrease in the painful emotions associated with the issues, traumas, and lies being addressed.

with her own imagination. *Question to self: is this footnote necessary?*

13
Again, the unresolved issues and trauma are there in the first place because the recipient has
blind spots, inadequate capacity, inadequate maturity skills, and other blockages that have prevented her
from being able to resolve the issues and traumatic memories. And any imaginary construct she builds
with her own mind will be limited by the same blind spots, lack of capacity, lack of maturity skills, and
other blockages. So she might be able to use an imaginary Jesus to offer herself comfort and help herself
cope, but a construct from her own mind won’t have any new resources with which to help her get
unstuck. *Question to self: include at end of paragraph instead of footnote? See comment*
14
It is interesting that Kara did not try to believe that she was experiencing dramatic progress or
try to fabricate dramatic progress. My perception is that she was already so disappointed and frustrated
with the lack of true resolution of issues and healing of trauma that she didn’t even try to pretend it was
there.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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The recipient will not report a sense of release and you will not observe a visible wave of relief.
The release and relief that are not present will not be followed by some combination of peace and
joy. And the recipient will feel some combination of disappointment and frustration instead of
feeling deeply grateful and fully satisfied with the whole package.

Finally, regardless of whether you are still working with the recipient to get all of the pieces into
place or whether she is at the point in the session at which she should be experiencing resolution
and healing, one of these accidental counterfeit Jesuses will not be able to provide “I would never
have thought of that in a million years” breakthrough insights and he will not be able to produce
“totally beyond us” miraculous interventions that would require the genuine presence of God.

The last step in identifying one of these accidental counterfeits is distinguishing between this
phenomena and a deliberate counterfeit produced by dissociated internal parts. The way this
usually happens for me is that I suspect a counterfeit due to lack of dramatic benefit, and then I
start with attempting to engage with internal parts that might be producing a deliberate
counterfeit;15 however, when I don’t find any evidence of internal parts as the source of the
counterfeit I begin to suspect one of these accidental counterfeits arising from long practiced
deliberate construction of an imaginary Jesus. Another way this sometimes happens for me is that
I begin to suspect a counterfeit due to lack of fruit, and then my suspicion focuses on the
possibility of one of these accidental counterfeits because the recipient says something along the
lines of, “This Jesus encounter is exactly the same as what I have been experiencing for many
years in my personal quiet times,” or “This experience of Jesus’ presence is exactly the same as
what I get when I am at charismatic conferences,” or “These images and interactions with Jesus
are exactly the same as what I have experienced in other emotional healing sessions.”16 And with
the material in this chapter now available, a third way this could happen is that the recipient
could be frustrated by lack of results over the course of a number of sessions, she could read this
material and think, “Hey, maybe that’s what I’m doing,” and then she could bring this to my
attention.

When I do suspect that the recipient has one of these accidental counterfeits, the first thing I do is
to gently and relationally explain about this phenomena,17 and I make sure to point out that she
can expect a major upgrade if my guess is correct and she exchanges her accidental counterfeit
for the true presence of Jesus. If she has not already mentioned this detail, I gather additional
information by asking whether she has experienced the exact same Jesus encounter on previous

15
In my experience, counterfeits that are being deliberately produced by internal parts are much
more common than counterfeits that are accidentally arising from long practiced deliberate construction
of an imaginary Jesus, so I usually start with checking the dissociative parts possibility.
16
I sometimes encounter recipients with internal parts that have been producing similar Jesus
counterfeits in a variety of settings for years prior to the Immanuel session I am facilitating, but when the
recipient says that she has experienced the exact same Jesus encounters in other settings it usually turns
out to be one of these accidental counterfeits.
17
If you suspect one of these repeated imagination accidental counterfeits but you do not yet have
much experience with talking about this phenomena, one option for the explanation piece is to have the
recipient read this material and then discuss it with her. Also, after discussing the essay, you and the
recipient might even agree on a specific plan. For example, you might agree that you will be watching for
this kind of accidental counterfeit, that you will point out clues when you notice them, and that you will
then coach her to pray through the “Jesus, if this isn’t really you, could you please help me to perceive
your true presence” request.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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occasions and in other settings. And if this additional information further supports my initial
assessment, I describe the clues that lead me to believe she is interacting with a counterfeit, and I
describe the clues that lead me to conclude that it’s one of these counterfeits that accidentally
develop over years of repeatedly constructing imaginary experiences with Jesus.

As with Kara, a recipient with one of these accidental counterfeits has become convinced that her
imaginary Jesus experiences are from God, she has come to believe that they represent the real
presence of Jesus, and she has understandably become very attached to them. And the idea that
her long cherished Jesus experiences might be only mental constructs from her own mind can stir
up quite a tangle of fears, confusion, and guardian lies. So I constantly remind the person that if
my guess is correct, she will receive an upgrade as she replaces her counterfeit with the true
presence of Jesus, and I watch for fear, confusion, and guardian likes.

If I see fear, confusion, and guardian lies that are getting in the way, I continue to remind her that
the true presence of Jesus will be an upgrade. One of the biggest fears that every one of these
recipients has expressed is, “How do I know what to believe,” so I point out evidence that not all
of her experiences of God’s presence have been counterfeit and I repeatedly reassure her that we
can discern truth together. I also help her to get words for her fears, confusion, and guardian lies,
and then coach her to express these directly to God. I coach her to ask God for help. And I use
any other tools that seem appropriate in helping her to resolve these hindrances.

After the fears, confusion, and guarding lies have been cared for, I help the recipient to pray
through the “Jesus, if this isn’t really you, could you please help me to perceive your true
presence” request. And I have been pleasantly surprised with the results. With each of the
recipients I have work with so far, they were able connect with the genuine presence of Jesus
once the hindrances had been cleared away and they got to the point of being in full agreement
with the prayer. And then Jesus helped them to sort out any lingering splinters as I coached them
to keep focusing on him and engaging with him directly.

IV. Bible-based scripture-saturated coping systems that become accidental counterfeits:

Another advanced counterfeit phenomenon occurs when the recipient builds and practices a
system of coping strategies and coping tools that are totally permeated with biblical truths and
chocked full of direct quotes from scripture. The person uses the bible as a super resource in
building her system, and the end result is especially effective because it is supercharged with the
authority and effectiveness of scripture. The person also practices these bible-based, scripture
saturated responses in many different settings, to the point that this can become her first response
in every setting in which she encounters stress or negative emotions.

Furthermore, as the person practices these bible-based scripture-quoting responses repeatedly

over many years they can grow into deeply imbedded habits that become increasingly automatic.
As this happens the person becomes less and less consciously aware of the fact that she initially
built these responses with her own mind. If she gets to the point at which she no longer has any
awareness of the true source of her bible-based coping strategies and coping tools,18 she can
become convinced that they are actually coming from God – these coping strategies and coping

18
With many years of constant practice, the recall of biblical principles and specific verses can
become so quick and so automatic that the person no longer perceives any subjective sense of herself
searching for the right verse.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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tools can become an accidental counterfeit because she can mistake them for an interactive
connection with the Lord. And this can get in the way of genuine Immanuel encounters.

When we are working with recipients who have these bible-based, scripture-saturated coping
strategies and coping tools, it is important to remember that the Lord often does speak to us and
guide us by reminding us of biblical truths and specific verses. However, my observation is that
people who build this kind of scripture-saturated coping system often underestimate the degree to
which the biblical principles and specific verses that come to them are merely biblical self-talk,
biblical self-cognitive therapy, and other biblical tools and strategies that they have developed to
manage the difficult situations in life. And my perception is that they also often overestimate the
degree to which the principles and verses that come to them are actually an interactive
connection with the Lord.

It is also important to remember that this kind of bible-based, scripture saturated system is
wonderful in many ways. The person has saturated her mind and heart with the written word, so
that biblical truths and specific verses come forward immediately and automatically when she
needs them. These coping strategies and coping tools include unusually strong variations of self-
cognitive therapy and positive self-talk because the authority and truth of the bible is at the center
of them. And these coping strategies and coping tools help the person manage trauma, triggers,
stress, negative thoughts, and negative emotions so that she can function well in day-to-day life.

But these bible-based, scripture-saturated coping strategies and coping tools are still not the
same thing as an interactive connection with the living presence of Jesus. And if these coping
strategies and coping tools are mistaken for a genuine interactive connection with the living
presence of God, they will hinder the recipient from experiencing a true Immanuel encounter.

As far as recognizing the counterfeit, a facilitator might be temporarily mislead by the content
being so overwhelmingly biblical. “This is straight out of the Bible! Surely it must be from the
Lord.” And the content is contingent, since the person’s mind retrieves principles and verses that
are responses to the questions, issues, thoughts, and emotions that are coming forward during the
session. It also feels like the content comes into the person’s mind spontaneously, since the
process has become so automatic and she has lost conscious awareness of the original source.
Furthermore, the recipient usually experiences moderate immediate benefit with respect to
negative emotions, since these coping strategies and coping tools are very effective for managing
short term distress. However, these recipients do not have a sense of God’s presence as a person,
they do not feel like they are receiving attunement, they do not have Jesus imagery, the supposed
responses from God come much too quickly, and fruit with respect to resolving issues and
healing trauma is profoundly disappointing.

In my experience with this particular accidental counterfeit, the unusually rapid response time
has actually been the clue that has been the most dramatic and easiest to recognize.19 With
genuine interactive connections, there will be rare occasions on which the recipient will be quick

19
As is almost always the case for me now, the intuitive sense that “something just doesn’t feel
right” is actually the first clue alerting me to a problem. And then when I stop to identify the source I
quickly realize that the session feels strange because the usual pauses for the recipient to watch and listen
are missing. I also usually have the “Something just doesn’t feel right” response due to the actual content,
because when the Lord is bringing scripture into the person’s mind the overall effect is much more life-
giving and helpful than when the recipient is bringing biblical insights and specific scriptures forward as
part of her bible-based coping system.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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to report a response from God, but most of the time there is a lot of waiting and listening – most
of the time there is a significant pause between asking the Lord for guidance and help, and then
perceiving some kind of response. In contrast, with these bible-based scripture-saturated coping
strategies and coping tools, the recipient is almost always quick to report a response. And the
overall feel of the session is profoundly different. With a genuine Immanuel encounter, it feels
like the recipient is interacting with another person, and when we ask Jesus for guidance and help
it feels like there is a natural pause as she watches and listens for his responses. But with this
accidental counterfeit, when we ask God for guidance and help it feels like an association
network in the person’s own mind is automatically, unconsciously, and instantaneously
generating a biblical principle and/or specific verse in response.20

Once the absence of usual, natural watching/listening pauses signals the probable presence of
this particular accidental counterfeit, the dramatic lack of benefit with respect to true, permanent
resolution of issues and healing of trauma provides confirmation. The bible-based scripture-
saturated coping strategies and coping tools might be excellent for temporarily managing
negative thoughts and emotions, and they might provide cognitive insights regarding issues, but
they do not move the session forward with respect to guardian lies or any other blockages, they
do not help find underlying memories, and they will not provide healing for any traumatic
memories you do manage to find. In fact, the recipient usually uses these strategies and tools to
quickly manage any negative thoughts and emotions, and this actually gets in the way of finding
and resolving underlying trauma.

Unfortunately, the challenge with these scenarios has not been me being able to recognize the
accidental counterfeit, but rather the recipient being able to acknowledge the counterfeit and
being willing to lay it down, even temporarily, so that she can establish a genuine interactive
connection. As mentioned above, these people eventually become convinced that their bible-
based scripture-saturated coping strategies and coping tools are actually coming from God, they
come to believe that this is the way (or at least one of the ways) God speaks to them and cares for
them, they perceive that this content coming into their awareness represents an interactive
connection with God, and they understandably become very attached to the whole phenomena.
Just as with the long practiced imaginary Jesus encounters describe above, it can be very
frightening and confusing to discover that the whole package is only a system of coping
strategies and coping tools that she has put together with her own mind. (A very biblical,
scriptural, and truth-based system, but still a system built with her own, human recall and
application of the written word, as opposed to a system based on real-time, current interactions
with the living presence of God.) *consider this last sentence as footnote, as opposed to
parenthetical comment?*

Furthermore, this system of bible-based scripture saturated coping strategies and coping tools has
often become the person’s single most important resource for dealing with all difficult situations
in life. Most of these recipients find it very frightening to lay down this familiar, foundational
resource, even temporarily and for the purpose of establishing an interactive connection with the
loving presence of Jesus. And the recipient will be especially fearful about laying down her
familiar, primary coping resource if she is in an Immanuel approach session in which she is
working with traumatic memories and experiencing painful emotions.

20
This neurological association network has been formed and reinforced by years of constant
practice with finding a biblical principle and/or specific verse in response to every possible issue,
problem, question, trigger, or negative emotion.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 17 of 21

Sadly, ironically, these recipients with such deep commitment to biblical truth and with such
profound knowledge of the written word have been the group with which I have had the most
difficulty. I have been able to help some of these people to perceive the living presence of Jesus
and establish interactive connections, but many of them have not (yet) been able to successfully
participate in the Immanuel approach. I am hoping that I and the rest of the Immanuel approach
community will continue to grow in our effectiveness in helping these recipients, and in the mean
time here are a few of the observations, insights, and interventions that I have found to be
helpful.

If you know that the recipient tends to lean heavily on bible-based, scripture saturated coping
strategies and coping tools, be especially thorough with the first part of the Immanuel
approach process – be especially careful and thorough in helping the recipient to connect with
her initial positive memory, stir up appreciation, and establish an interactive connection in
this positive, safe place. This is a much less threatening context than working with traumatic
memories in the middle of the session, and so the recipient will be much less likely to bring
in all of her bible-based, scripture saturated coping strategies and tools. Also, if the person
slips into quoting scripture verses during this first part of the process, be gently but
persistently directive in coaching her to wait, watch, and listen for the Lord’s presence as a
person. If she is able to perceive Jesus’ presence as a person during the first steps at the
beginning of the session, you can then reference back to this later in the session when you are
trying to help her see the difference between her bible-based coping system and an interactive
connection with God’s living presence.

If the person is able to establish a strong, genuine interactive connection at the beginning of
the session, you will have a backup troubleshooting option if the accidental bible counterfeit
slips in later in the session when she is dealing with trauma. If she is initially unable to
acknowledge and surrender the accidental bible counterfeit while still in the context of the
trauma, you can coach her to go back to the initial good connection. And once you have
helped her reestablish the initial connection, you can help her work directly with Jesus to
enable her to cooperate with the Immanuel approach in the much more challenging context of
her traumatic memories.

If you perceive that the recipient’s mind is constantly, automatically jumping in with it’s own
bible-based scripture-saturated coping strategies and coping tools, and that this is actually
getting in the way of her being able to establish a real interactive connection, very gently
explain what you think might be happening.21 Note that it is very important for you to stay
relational as you do this. Recipients with this accidental Bible counterfeit will often get
anxious, and will sometimes push back with defensiveness and even anger. If this triggers
you so that you are not able to stay relational, then end the session by helping her get back to
her initial positive memory and appreciation. And after the session has been closed, get more
of your own healing, obtain consultation, or refer the person to a more advanced facilitator.

If the recipient accepts your explanation, then help her practice waiting, without jumping in

21
If you use the material from this chapter to help in explaining the phenomena, I would
encourage you to go through the material with the recipient, as opposed to assigning it as homework
reading. The suggestion that her constant, immediate bible-based responses may be a coping system, as
opposed to an interaction with the Lord, will sometimes stir up confusion, anxiety, and even anger in the
recipient, and it will be much better if you are with her to answer questions and discuss her concerns, as
opposed to her going through the material on her own.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 18 of 21

with biblical principles and scripture verses, so that she can watch and listen for content from
the Lord (either an interactive connection, or clues regarding what’s in the way). It is
important to be aware of the probability that surrendering her long practiced, familiar coping
system (even temporarily) will cause her to feel very vulnerable. If you notice that this is
happening, validate and attune to her feelings of increased vulnerability, and then help her to
talk directly to the Lord regarding her anxiety and coach her to ask him for help.

To the extent that the recipient has come to believe that her biblical coping system is actually
from the Lord, to the extent that she perceives that it represents an interactive connection
with the Lord, and to the extent she perceives her bible-based coping strategies and coping
skills to be central to her faith, she will struggle with fear and confusion as she considers the
possibility that this whole package may just be a coping system that she has constructed with
her own mind. “What does this mean? Does this mean that my relationship with the Lord has
all been an illusion? Does this mean that I don’t really know Jesus? How do I know what’s
really from the Lord and what’s just my own mind? How do I know what to believe?...etc.”

If you notice this kind of fear and confusion, remind her that a real interactive connection
with the living presence of Jesus will be an upgrade and reassure her that you can discern
truth together. Help her to find and affirm any valid faith experiences. (For example, point
out that many people who have this kind of biblical coping system often also have a
component of recalling and appropriating truths in scripture that is a valid form of knowing
and connecting with God. And help her find evidence for this. Point out that many people
who rely heavily on this kind of biblical coping system often also have other experiences that
are genuine interactions with God’s living presence. And help her find evidence for this.)
You will also want to help her get words for her fears and confusion, and then coach her to
express these directly to God and to ask God for help.

It is also helpful to affirm every valid, positive aspect of her use of scripture. For example,
remind her that the biblical truths she has internalized are indeed true, and help her
understand that even if her coping system is just a construct of her own mind, it is still a
healthy, godly, truth-based way to cope with many difficulties in between sessions. Also,
make sure that she understands that she only needs to set aside her bible-based scripture
saturated coping strategies and tools temporarily, during Immanuel approach sessions, in
order to make space for working with Jesus to resolve issues and heal trauma.

Be ready for the possibility that you will just plant the seed. If the recipient does not accept
your assessment regarding her accidental Bible counterfeit, or if she is unable to temporarily
lay down her bible-based scripture saturated coping strategies and coping tools in order to
establish a genuine interactive connection, be ready to let her go. And leave her with a gentle
open invitation: “Okay, well I may be wrong, but let me know if you want to come back to
this at some point in the future. Let me know if you want to talk more about this at some
point in the future.”

One of my hopes for the future is that these people will become increasingly able t participate in
the Immanuel approach as they watch the Lord bless others through this approach: My hope is
that they will see others experiencing beautiful, powerful, life-giving encounters with the living
presence of Jesus, and that they will realize that this is something that would augment (as
opposed to conflict with) the ways they have learned to know God through recalling and
appropriating his written word. My hope is that they will be increasingly motivated to pursue the
Immanuel approach as they see steadily accumulating fruit in the lives of those of us who are
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 19 of 21

embracing a lifestyle of regularly participating in the Immanuel approach. My hope is that

observing others experiencing beautiful, powerful, life-giving encounters with God will give
them the courage, hope, faith, motivation, and capacity they need to be able to acknowledge and
lay down any way in which they have accidentally let their use of scripture become a counterfeit
interactive connection. My hope is that this same courage, hope, faith, motivation, and capacity
will enable them to acknowledge and lay down any way in which their use of scripture has
become a substitute for an actual interactive connection with the living presence of God. And my
hope is that this same courage, hope, faith, motivation, and capacity will enable them to
temporarily lay down their Bible-based scripture saturated coping strategies and coping tools
during Immanuel approach sessions so that they can successfully participate in the full process.

V. Be especially careful with content that is not related to healing: As described in chapters
thirty-one and thirty-two, when the recipient is working with traumatic memories, observable
dramatic positive changes will provide confirmation that her interactive connections are basically
genuine. If the recipient is engaging with the genuine presence of Jesus and working with him to
resolve traumatic memories, you will have confirming evidence even by the end of the session. If
the memory has truly been resolved, the recipient will be able to go back to it, focus on it, think
about it, and talk about it without distress, and triggers that used to stir up the (now resolved)
trauma will no longer upset her. These benefits that are observable by the end of the session
almost always indicate genuine interactive connections, with the rare exception being produced
by sophisticated counterfeits that can fake healing by causing temporary disconnection from the
trauma. And even this rare exception will eventually be exposed by watching for lasting, long-
term fruit that should accumulate over time.

The point here is that for a recipient who is working with traumatic memories, watching for
observable fruit provides a fairly reliable immediate indicator of whether or not her interactive
connections are genuine, and watching for the accumulation of lasting fruit over time provides a
one hundred percent accurate, totally reliable long-term indicator of whether or not her
interactive connections are genuine. In contrast, when the recipient is not working with traumatic
memories, we do not have this simple and most reliable indicator of whether or not her
interactive connections are genuine. And it is particularly important to realize that we cannot rely
on followup with respect to long-term fruit as the safety net for detecting especially skillful
counterfeits.

This does not mean that every minute of every session has to be about working with trauma. As
mentioned in chapter three, Jesus sometimes has agenda other than emotional healing. For
example, sometimes Jesus’ agenda is to build capacity; sometimes Jesus’ agenda is to build
maturity skills by teaching, modeling, and helping the person practice; sometimes Jesus’ agenda
is to address other issues important to optimal living, such as the balance between work and
restoration; sometimes Jesus’ agenda is to spend time with us, as a friend and companion, just
because He likes being in relationship with us; and sometimes His agenda is other stuff that we
have never even thought about addressing in an emotional healing session. And I have seen many
sessions in which the genuine presence of Jesus led the recipient to address these other agenda.
But we just need to be more careful when the recipient is not working with traumatic memories
because we won’t have the presence or absence of healing fruit to help us in discerning whether
or not the interactive connection is genuine.

One possible negative outcome with content that is not related to working with trauma is that a

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 20 of 21

counterfeit can go undetected, and then the recipient can waste her time and mistakenly conclude
that both the Immanuel approach and the presence of Jesus are not really that valuable. If you
think about it, this is really costly. So if you are working with a recipient who spends most (all?)
of her time on content other than healing, and she seems to be concluding that her time with the
supposed presence of Jesus isn’t really that valuable, be extra especially careful in looking for
indicators of counterfeit. If I were in this situation I would also explain the material I have
presented here, and then I would encourage her to deliberately try working on trauma as a way to
get more information regarding whether or not she is truly engaging with the genuine presence of
Jesus.

Another possible negative outcome is that an undetected counterfeit can give the recipient
guidance regarding practical issues in her life, and then the recipient might go out and act on this
guidance that she believes to be from God. For example, an internal part might discover that she
has much more power if the recipient believes that the part is actually Jesus, and then this part
might use her authority as “Jesus” to cause the recipient to end a relationship, leave her job, or
move to another state. And this kind of content is much more difficult to test, since it is not
connected to a specific trauma that has supposedly been resolved. (If the recipient reports, “Jesus
is with me in the memory now, and he says that I don’t need to be afraid any more,” it is easy to
check whether or not the fear in the memory has actually been resolved. But if the recipient
reports, “Jesus says that I should quit my job and move to Montana,” it is much more difficult to
discern whether or not this is really from Jesus.) Sadly, I am aware of situations in which this
kind of thing has happened, and the consequences have been costly.

So if you are working with a recipient who reports that Jesus is giving her guidance regarding
important practical considerations in her life, please be careful! God does sometimes provide
important practical guidance, so this is not impossible, but please be extra, especially careful in
checking for clues that indicate counterfeit or contamination. And if the recipient has spent a lot
(most? all?) of her time focusing on agenda other than healing for trauma, be even more careful.
One simple, practical intervention is to make sure the recipient is aware of the possibility of
sophisticated counterfeits and/or contamination.22 With a recipient who has spent most (or all) of
her time on agenda other than healing, you can also encourage her to deliberately try working on
trauma as a way to get more information regarding whether or not she is truly engaging with the
genuine presence of Jesus. And even if the recipient has done some healing work, with
observable fruit to confirm a genuine interactive connection, it is still wise to remember that she
could be engaging with the genuine presence of Jesus for her healing work, but then interacting
with a counterfeit Jesus when she perceives guidance regarding practical issues.

VI. Watch for lasting fruit over time: I have already said this many times throughout the book,
but I’m still going to say it again: watching for lasting, long-term fruit that should accumulate
over time is the most sensitive, most reliable tool for picking up counterfeit interactive
connections. Watching for lasting, long-term fruit that should accumulate over time is the one-
hundred percent, gold standard safety net that will always (eventually) pick up even the most
subtle and most sophisticated counterfeits. Everyone using the Immanuel approach, including
both facilitators and recipients, should keep an eye on this reference point. And as you move into
advanced work–as the trauma you encounter becomes more severe and complex, and as the

22
One option for accomplishing this intervention is to ask the recipient to read chapter thirty-two
and this chapter.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 33: Counterfeit...Advanced (New 2/14/15) Page 21 of 21

blockages you encounter become more difficult–you should be increasingly careful to watch for
lasting fruit accumulating over time.

VII. Recognizing counterfeits by knowing the genuine: As you continue to gain more
experience with the genuine presence of God and genuine interactive connections, you will
become able to intuitively sense even subtle, sophisticated counterfeit and contamination. The
more experience you get the more you will be able to rely on recognizing counterfeits by
knowing the genuine as one of your primary tools. When I am doing advanced Immanuel
approach work, this intuitive, implicit memory, “something’s just not right” flag is almost always
the first clue that alerts me to look for problems with counterfeit or contamination.

VIII. Find and resolve underlying causes for persistent/recurrent patterns of deception:
Occasionally you will encounter a recipient who is persistent with the same counterfeit, and/or
who repeatedly falls for similar counterfeits. Whenever you notice this pattern you will want to
work with the recipient to find and resolve the underlying problems that make her susceptible to
this persistent and/or recurrent deception.

The essay, “Deceiving Spirits and Counterfeit Manifestations: How Wounds, Lies, Internal Parts,
Repression, and Denial Can Give Them a Place,” provides an example for those who wish to
explore this topic further. This case study from my own experience describes how I was
persistently and repeatedly deceived by certain counterfeit charismatic phenomena, and then it
describes how Charlotte and I uncovered and resolved the underlying network of wounds, lies,
choices, internal parts, repression, and denial that had made me susceptible to this persistent and
recurrent deception.23

And finally, in closing this discussion of counterfeit and contamination, I want to repeat the
larger message from the beginning of the chapter: You should NEVER conclude, “I guess God
just isn’t with us today,” or “I guess God just doesn’t want to connect with the recipient today,”
or “I guess the Immanuel approach just doesn’t work for this situation,” and then give up. The
truth is that God is ALWAYS present with you, that God ALWAYS wants to connect with the
recipient, and that God ALWAYS wants to help her move forward with respect to healing and
spiritual growth. If it seems that the Immanuel approach process is not working and you are
encountering strange phenomena that you do not recognize or understand, assume that you are
encountering advanced blockages and/or advance counterfeit or contamination, and then ask God
for guidance and help regarding the next step forward.24

23
Note that this case study does not take place in the context of Immanuel approach sessions, but
it still provides a good example of how underlying problems can make a person vulnerable to persistent
and/or recurrent deception, and of how these underlying problems can be uncovered and resolved. This
essay is available as a free download from www.kclehman.com.
24
And remember that you have a safety net, even when you are doing advanced work. If you ask
the Lord for help and you are still not able to move forward, then help the recipient get back to her initial
positive memory, appreciation, and connection with Jesus, and then after the session is safely closed you
can look at more of our advanced material, and/or obtain consultation, and/or refer the recipient to a
facilitator with more knowledge and experience.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 34: Prunes, Plums, and Immanuel
(©Copyright 2015 K.D. Lehman MD, new 2/11/2015)
DRAFT

This story from a friend of ours in Iowa provides a good example of the kind of experiences
people are reporting as they incorporate the Immanuel approach into their daily lives – as they get
into the habit of inviting Jesus to be with them, asking for help in perceiving his presence, and
then deliberately waiting and watching for a sense of his tangible presence. We believe that
Immanuel approach sessions with a facilitator provide special benefits,1 and we strongly
encourage people to have these on a regular basis; but we also encourage people to embrace the
kind of “every day, wherever you are” connection with Jesus described in this story as another
part of what we call the Immanuel lifestyle.

“One afternoon shortly after I had been introduced to Immanuel Prayer, I was resting against
the counter after cleaning up the kitchen. It was summertime and the sun was coming through
the window near where I was standing. "Where are you, Jesus? What are you doing?" I
wondered. After a few moments, I sensed Jesus and saw him leaning up against the counter in a
white robe. He was smiling and playfully tossing a plum into the air, it landing over and over
again in his right hand. I asked him, "Where did you get that?" and then I looked on the counter
and noticed a bag of prunes that my kids and I had been snacking on earlier! I was tickled, and
rested in the interaction for awhile. I was reassured that Jesus does make all things new, and
that he in fact does make shriveled, dried things come to life. This was especially impactful,
because at the time I was experiencing a fairly hopeless situation. The time with Jesus gave me
peace and hope, and I felt especially blessed that he came to me in such a surprising way.”2

1
For example, as described in chapters eleven and twelve, when a person is having difficulty
establishing or maintaining an adequate interactive connection, it is always helpful (and sometimes
necessary) to have a facilitator who can help the recipient with troubleshooting. As described in chapter
fourteen, when a person gets stuck in a difficult place, it is always helpful (and sometimes necessary) to
have a facilitator who can implement the primary safety net by coaching the recipient to return to her
original positive memory, appreciation, and connection with Jesus. As discussed at length in chapters
seventeen and eighteen, God has designed our brains to work best in community, and interacting with a
facilitator will always release profound benefits through taking advantage of this relational brain design.
As described in chapters thirty-one through thirty-three, it is important to discern between genuine
interactive connections and interactive connections that are counterfeit or contaminated, and a facilitator
can be very helpful with this discernment. And working with a facilitator can augment the recipient’s
faith and capacity.
2
Used with permission.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 35: Is the Immanuel Approach Biblical?
(©Copyright 2014 K.D. Lehman MD, New 4/17/15)
DRAFT

As the Immanuel approach has become more widely known, people have appropriately raised the
question, “Is it Biblical?” Our perception is that the Immanuel approach (for emotional healing
and for life) is clearly consistent with and strongly supported by the Christian scriptures.

I. “God with Us” Verses (the basics): To begin with, well known verses unambiguously teach
that the Lord is always with us, that we should expect to be able to perceive his presence, and
that he wants us to have a living, interactive relationship with him. For example,

In Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus assures us, “I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on
earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or
three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them.” (Italics mine)

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new
disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you
always, even to the end of the age.”1 (Italics mine)

In John 14:20-21 & 23, Jesus states, “When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am
in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who obey my commandments are
the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love
them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them....All those who love me will do what I
say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them.” (Italics mine)

In John 15:4-5, Jesus says, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear
fruit...unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you
are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit; because apart from
me you can do nothing.”2

In James 4:8a, the apostle James assures us, “Draw close to God, and God will draw close to
you.” (Italics mine)

And in Revelation 3:20, Jesus states, “Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear
me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.” (Italics
mine)

II. Scriptural support for deliberate appreciation: Deliberate appreciation is included in the
Immanuel approach process at several points, and this component of the Immanuel approach is
not just good brain science and good clinical practice, it is also very biblical.

1
Unless otherwise specified, Scripture quotes are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.
(Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1996).
2
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers,
1989).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 35: Is the Immanuel... (New 4/17/15) Page 2 of 21

The Old Testament contains many passages encouraging us to deliberately remember, and be
grateful for, what the Lord has done for us. For example:

You must remember this day forever. Each year you will celebrate it as a special festival to
the Lord. . . . And when arrive in the land the Lord has promised to give you, you will
continue to celebrate this festival. Then your children will ask, “What does all this mean?
What is this ceremony about?” And you will reply, “It is the celebration of the Lord’s
Passover, for he passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he killed the
Egyptians, he spared our families and did not destroy us.” (Ex 12:14, 25-27)

Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out
with amazing power and mighty deeds. . . . (Deut 5:15)

Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for forty years, . . . . (Deut
8:2)

When all the people were safely across the river, the Lord said to Joshua, “Now choose
twelve men, one from each tribe. Tell the men to take twelve stones from where the priests
are standing in the middle of the Jordan and pile them up at the place you camp tonight.” So
Joshua called together the twelve men and told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in
front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on
your shoulder – twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes. We will use these
stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask, “What do these stones mean
to you?” Then you can tell them, “They remind us that the Jordan river stopped flowing when
the Ark of the Lord’s covenant went across.” These stones will stand as a permanent
memorial among the people of Israel. (Josh 4:1-7)

The Psalms are especially full of exhortations to deliberately remember and appreciate the Lord’s
goodness. For example:

Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him
reverence, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not ignored the suffering of the needy. He
has not turned and walked away. He has listened to their cries for help. (Ps 22:23-24)

Let the godly sing with joy to the Lord, for it is fitting to praise him. Praise the Lord with
melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing new songs of praise
to him; play skillfully on the harp and sing with joy. For the word of the Lord holds true, and
everything he does is worthy of our trust. He loves whatever is just and good, and his
unfailing love fills the earth. (Ps 33:1–5)

Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world
how glorious he is. . . . Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he
does for his people! He made a dry path through the red sea, and his people went across on
foot. Come, let us rejoice in who he is. . . . Let the whole world bless our God and sing aloud
his praises. Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling. (Ps 66:1-2, 5-6,
8-9)

Shout with joy to the Lord, O earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him,
singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his
people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 35: Is the Immanuel... (New 4/17/15) Page 3 of 21

praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love
continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation. (Ps 100:1–5)

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has
done. Sing to him; yes sing his praises. Tell everyone about his miracles. . . . Think of the
wonderful works he has done, the miracles and the judgments he handed down. (Ps 105:1-2,
5)

See also: Ps 9:11-12, Ps 30:4-5, Ps 68:4–6, Ps 95:1–7, Ps 96:1–13, Ps 98:1–9, Ps 103:1–22, Ps

107:1, 2, & 43, Ps 117:1–2, Ps 118:1–29, Ps 134:1–2, Ps 135:1–3, 19–21, Ps 136:1–26, Ps
147:1–20, Ps 148:1–14, Ps 149:1–9, Ps 150:1–6.

And many of the Psalms model deliberately remembering and appreciating the Lord’s goodness.
For example:

I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
(Ps 7:17)

I will thank you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. . . . (ten
more verses of specific appreciations). (Ps 9:1–18)

I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my
God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and
my stronghold. I call on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, for he saves me from my enemies.
. . . (forty six more verses of specific appreciations). (Ps 18:1–50)

Praise the Lord! For he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength, my shield from
every danger. I trust in him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I
will burst out in songs of thanksgiving. The Lord protects his people and gives victory to his
anointed king. (Ps 28:6–8)

I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the
Lord; let all who are discouraged take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us
exalt his name together. . . . (nineteen more verses of specific appreciations). (Ps 34:1–22)

See also: Ps 3:3–6, Ps 5:4–12, Ps 8:1–9, Ps 12:5–7, Ps 13:5–6, Ps 16:1–11, Ps 19:1–11, Ps

21:1–13, Ps 22:3–5, 9&10, 22–31, Ps 23:1–6, Ps 25:8–15, Ps 30:1–12, Ps 31:19–24, Ps 33:1–22,
Ps 36:5–12, Ps 40:1–10, Ps 48:1–14, Ps 54:4–7, Ps 57:1–11, Ps 63:1–11, Ps 65:1–13, Ps
66:1–20, Ps 67:3–4, Ps 71:14–24, Ps 73:1–28, Ps 75:1–10, Ps 76:1–12, Ps 77:10–20, Ps 89:1–18,
Ps 92:1–15, Ps 95:1–7, Ps 96:1–13, Ps 98:1–9, Ps 99:1–9, Ps 100:1–5, Ps 103:1–22, Ps
104:1–35, Ps 105:1–45, Ps 106:1–48, Ps 107:1–43, Ps 108:1–5, Ps 111:1–10, Ps 113:1–9, Ps
116:1–19, Ps 118:1–29, Ps 124:1–8, Ps 126: 1–3, Ps 134:1–3, Ps 135:1–21, Ps 136:1–26, Ps
138:1–8, Ps 139:1–18, Ps 144:1–2, Ps 145:1–21, Ps 146:1–10, Ps 147:1–20, Ps 148:1–14, Ps
149:1–9, Ps 150:1–6.

The Old Testament also includes many accounts of Israel’s leaders very deliberately reminding
the people of the many ways in which God has blessed them, provided for them, and protected
them. See, for example, Deut 4:32-40, Deut 11:1-7, Deut 29:2-8, Josh 24:2-13, 1 Sam 12:6-13,

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Neh 9:5-31,

The apostle Paul repeatedly encourages us to be grateful and to thank the Lord for his goodness:

Do not be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill
and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves,
making music to the Lord in your hearts. And you will always give thanks for everything to
God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph 5:18–20)

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you
are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the word of Christ, in all their
richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each
other. Sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever
you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks
through him to God the Father. (Col 3:15–17)

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Col 4:2)

Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is
God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1Thess 5:16–18)

And Jesus models appreciation and gratitude, as he thanks the Father for many things:

Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke
the loaves. (Mk 6:41)3

When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the
disciples to set before the people. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them
also and told the disciples to distribute them. (Mk 8:6&7)4

Then he took a cup of wine, and when he had given thanks for it, he said, “Take this and
share it among yourselves. For I will not drink wine again until the kingdom of God has
come.” Then he took a loaf of bread; and when he had thanked God for it, he broke it in
pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, given for you. Do this in
remembrance of me.” (Lk 22:17-19)

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it
to them. (Lk 24:30)5

Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. . . .” (Jn 11:41)

III. More scriptural support for perceiving God’s tangible presence and for having
interactive connections with the Lord: The Bible is absolutely full of stories that describe

3
The Holy Bible: New International Version. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996).
4
The Holy Bible: New International Version. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996).
5
The Holy Bible: New International Version. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996).

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people having clear, unambiguous experiences of God’s tangible presence. And many of these
stories include people having back-and-forth, interactive conversations with God. I provide a
number of examples here, and you can refer to appendix five in Immanuel: A Practicum6 for
many more examples.

A. Adam and Eve: The biblical accounts of God interacting with Adam and Eve clearly
imply that they perceived God’s physical presence as audible and visible (they heard God
walking, and hid from him). They also clearly hear God’s audible voice (God called to
Adam), and have conversations with God as one would talk with a friend or neighbor. For
example:

Toward evening they heard the Lord God walking about in the garden, so they hid
themselves among the trees. The Lord God called to Adam, ‘Where are you?’ He replied,
‘I heard you, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.’ (Gen 3:8-10)

See also Gen 2:15-17 and Gen 3:11-19.

B. Cain and Abel:

“At harvest time Cain brought to the Lord a gift of his farm produce, while Abel brought
several choice lambs from the best of his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his offering,
but he did not accept Cain and his offering. This made Cain very angry and dejected.
‘Why are you so angry?’ the Lord asked him. ‘Why do you look so dejected? You will be
accepted if you respond in the right way. But if you refuse to respond correctly, then
watch out! Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you, and you must subdue it.’” (Gen 3:3-7)

See also Gen 3:9-16.

C. Abraham: Abraham is famous for perceiving God’s tangible presence, for hearing from
God, and even for having back-and-forth, interactive conversations with God.7 For example:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God
Almighty, serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you,
by which I will guarantee to make you into a mighty nation.” At this, Abram fell face
down in the dust. (Gen 17:1-3)

See also Gen 12:1-3, Gen 12:7, Gen 13:14-17, Gen 15:1-21, Gen 17:4-22, Gen 18:1-33, Gen
21:11-13, Gen 22:1-2, and Acts 7:2.

D. Isaac:

From there Isaac moved to Beersheba, where the Lord appeared to him on the night of his
arrival. “I am the God of your father, Abraham,” he said, “Do not be afraid, for I am with

6
Patricia A. Velotta, Immanuel: A Practicum (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2014), pages 99-
123.
7
While some of the verses do not specify whether Abraham perceived God’s audible voice or
whether he perceived God’s thoughts in his mind/heart/spirit, some of the verses do clearly describe
Abraham having an audible conversation with the Lord, just as one would talk with a friend or neighbor.

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you and will bless you. I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great
nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant.” Then Isaac built an
altar there and worshiped the Lord. (Gen 26:23-25)

E. Jacob:

God appeared to Jacob once again when he arrived at Bethel after traveling from Paddan-
aram. God blessed him and said, “Your name is no longer Jacob; you will now be called
Israel.” Then God said, “I am God Almighty. Multiply and fill the earth! Become a great
nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! And I will pass on to
you the land I gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your
descendants.” Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob. Jacob set
up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. . . . Jacob called the
place Bethel – “house of God” – because God had spoken to him there. (Gen 35:9-15)

See also Gen 28:10-19, Gen 31:11-13, Gen 32:22-30, Gen 35:1, Gen 48:3

F. Moses: Moses is especially famous for perceiving God’s tangible presence, for hearing
from God, and for having back-and-forth, interactive conversations with God.8 For example:

Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the leaders of Israel went up the
mountain. There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a pavement
of brilliant sapphire, as clear as the heavens. And though Israel’s leaders saw God, he did
not destroy them. In fact, they shared a meal together in God’s presence!” (Exodus 24:9-
11).

Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand
in their tent entrances. . . . As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down
and hover at the entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. . . . Inside the Tent of
Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
(Exodus 33:8-11)

Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and called out his own name, “the Lord,” as
Moses stood there in his presence. He passed in front of Moses and said, “I am the Lord, I
am the Lord, the merciful and gracious God. I am slow to anger and rich in unfailing love
and faithfulness. . . .” Moses Immediately fell to the ground and worshiped. . . . When
Moses came down the mountain carrying the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the
covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face glowed because he had spoken to the Lord face to
face. And when Aaron and the people of Israel saw the radiance of Moses’ face, they
were afraid to come near him. (Exodus 34:5-8, 29-30)

For a huge pile of additional accounts in which Moses perceives God’s visible presence in
some way and/or hears from God and/or has a back-and-forth, interactive conversation with

8
Just as with Abraham, while many of the verses do not specify whether Moses perceived God’s
audible voice or whether he perceived God’s thoughts in his mind/heart/spirit, some of the verses do
clearly describe Moses hearing God’s audible voice. And Ex 33:8-11 clearly specifies that Moses
routinely had “face to face” conversations with God, “as a man speaks to his friend.” Furthermore, Num
7:89 clearly states that Moses heard God’s audible voice whenever he went into the tabernacle to speak
to the Lord.

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God, see also Ex 3:1-22, Ex 4:1-17, 21-26, Ex 6:1-13, Ex 7:1-9, 14-19, Ex 8:1-6, 16, 20-23,
Ex 9:1-4, 8-9, 13-19, 22, Ex 10:1-2, 12, 21, Ex 11:1-2, Ex 12:1-20, 43-49, Ex 13:1-2, Ex
14:1-4, 15-18, 26, Ex 16:4-5, 11-12, 28-29, Ex 17:1-6, 14, Ex 19:3-6, 9-13, 16-24, Ex 20:22-
26, Ex 24:1-2, 12-13, Ex 25:1-8, 22, Ex 31:18, Ex 32:7-14, 33-34, Ex 33:1-3, 12-23, Ex
34:1-3, 34-35, Ex 40:1-15, Lev 1:1, Lev 4:1, Lev 5:14, Lev 6:1,8,19,24, Lev 7:22,28, Lev
8:1, Lev 11:1, Lev 12:1, Lev 13:1, Lev 14:1, 33, Lev 15:1, Lev 16:1-2, Lev 17:1, Lev 18:1,
Lev 19:1, Lev 20:1, Lev 21:1,16, Lev 22:1,17,26, Lev 23:1,9,23,26,33, Lev 24:1,13, Lev
25:1, Lev 27:1, Num 1:1, Num 2:1, Num 3:5,11,40,44, Num 4:1,17,21, Num 5:1,5,11, Num
6:1,22, Num 7:4,89, Num 8:1,5,23, Num 9:1, Num 10:1, Num 11:16,23,25, Num 12:4-8, 14,
Num 13:1, Num 14:10-20, 26 (interactive conversation), Num 15:1,17,35,37, Num 16:19-36,
42-45, Num 17:1,10, Num 18:25, Num 19:1, Num 20:6-12,23, Num 21:8,16,34, Num
25:4,10,16, Num 26:1,52, Num 27:6,12-18, (interactive conversation), Num 28:1, Num 31:1,
25, Num 33:50, Num 34:1,16, Num 35:1,9, Deut 3:23-28, Deut 31:14-16, Deut 32:48, Deut
34:4, Heb 11:27

G. All of the people in the wilderness with Moses: There are a number of scriptural
references that clearly describe situations in which all of the people in the wilderness with
Moses were able to see and/or hear God’s tangible presence. For example:

On the morning of the third day, there was a powerful thunder and lightening storm, and a
dense cloud came down upon the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s
horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God,
and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All Mount Sinai was covered with smoke
because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky
like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook with a violent earthquake. As
the horn blast grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply for all
to hear. (Exodus 19:16-19).

And once the tabernacle had been completed, all the people in the wilderness with Moses
could see the visible presence of God hovering over the tabernacle twenty-four hours of every
day, 365 days of every year, for the remainder of their time in the wilderness:

Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled it.
Moses was no longer able to enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down
over it, and the Tabernacle was filled with the awesome glory of the Lord. . . . The cloud
of the Lord rested on the Tabernacle during the day, and at night there was fire in the
cloud so all the people of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.
(Exodus 40:34, 38)

For more examples of the entire Israelite congregation perceiving the tangible presence of
God, see also Ex 16:9-10, Ex 20:18-19, Ex 24:15-17, Ex 33:8-11, Lev 9:23-24, Num 9:15-
23, Num 10:34, Num 14:10, Num 16:19,42, Deut 4:33,36, Deut 5:22,

H. Joshua: There are many verses that describe Joshua perceiving God’s tangible presence
and/or hearing from God and/or having an interactive conversation with God. First of all,
Joshua was present in all of the situations in which the whole congregation of Israel saw a
visible manifestation of God’s presence and/or heard God’s audible voice. Secondly, Joshua
was Moses’ assistant, and was usually with Moses on the many occasions in which Moses
saw visible manifestations of God’s presence and/or had conversations with God and/or

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heard from God. For example:

“As he [Moses] went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at the
entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. . . . Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord
would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Afterward Moses would
return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Nun, stayed
behind in the Tent of Meeting.” (Ex 33:9,11)

Furthermore, there are verses that specifically, explicitly describe God appearing to and
speaking to both Moses and Joshua. For example:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “The time has come for you to die. Call Joshua and take
him with you to the Tabernacle, and I will commission him there.” So Moses and Joshua
went and presented themselves at the Tabernacle. And the Lord appeared to them in a
pillar of cloud at the entrance to the sacred tent. . . . Then the Lord commissioned Joshua
son on Nun with these words: “Be strong and courageous! You must bring the people of
Israel into the land I swore to give them. I will be with you.” (Deut 31:14-15, 23)

Finally, there are many verses that clearly describe God speaking directly to Joshua. For
example:

“After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun,
Moses’ assistant. He said, “Now that my servant Moses is dead, you must lead my people
across the Jordan River in the land I am giving them. . . . No one will be able to stand
their ground against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I
will not fail you or abandon you.” (Josh 1:1-2,5)

And for additional examples of God speaking directly to Joshua, including two with
interactive communication, see Josh 3:7, Josh 4:1,15, Josh 5:2,9,13-15 (back-and-forth,
interactive conversation), Josh 6:2, Josh 7:7-15 (interactive conversation), Josh 8:1,18, Josh
10:8, Josh 11:6, Josh 13:1, Josh 15:13, and Josh 20:1.

I. Samuel: One scriptural reference provides a general statement that God both appeared to
Samuel and communicated with Samuel on multiple occasions:

As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said was wise and
helpful. All the people of Israel from one end of the land to the other knew that Samuel
was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave
messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle. (1 Sam 19-21)

The Bible also describes a number of specific occasions on which God spoke to Samuel. For
example:

So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering. He
pleaded with the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered. Just as Samuel was
sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived for battle. But the Lord spoke with a
mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and the Philistines were thrown into such
confusion that the Israelites defeated them. (1 Sam 7:9-10)

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For additional examples of God speaking to Samuel, including several occasions on which
there was back-and-forth, interactive conversation between Samuel and God, see 1 Sam 3:2-
11 (interactive conversation), 1 Sam 8:6-7, 21-22 (interactive conversation), 1 Sam 9:15-17,
27, 1 Sam 15:10, and 1 Sam 16:1-3,7 (interactive conversation).

J. Solomon (and the gathered people of Israel): At the dedication of the temple, God
appeared to Solomon and to all the gathered people of Israel:

When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt
offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. The
priests could not even enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the
Lord filled it. When all of the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious
presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped
and praised the Lord, saying, “He is so good! His faithful love endures forever!” (2 Chron
7:1-3)

God also appears to Solomon and speaks to Solomon on two other occasions (see 1 Kings
3:5-14, 1 Kings 9:2-9, 2 Chron 1:7-12, and 2 Chron 7:12-16).

K. Elijah: A number of verses describe God speaking to Elijah (see 1 Kings 17:2-4, 8-9, 1
Kings 18:1, and 1 Kings 21:17-19, 28-29), and one biblical reference clearly describes a
back-and-forth, interactive conversation between God an Elijah (see 1 Kings 19:9-18).

L. Job: The scriptures describe God appearing to Job in the form of a whirlwind, and also
describe God speaking to Job from the whirlwind. Note that Job specifically mentions seeing
God: “I had heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.” (Job 42:5).
Note also that God and Job have a back-and-forth, interactive conversation that continues
through one hundred and thirty-five verses (Job 38:1 through Job 42:6).

M. Isaiah: The biblical account of Isaiah’s ministry clearly describes Isaiah both seeing
God’s visible presence and hearing God’s audible voice:

In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the
train of his robe filled the Temple. . . . Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I
send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?” (Isa 6:1,8)

Note also that this same chapter describes a back-and-forth, interactive conversation between
God and Isaiah (see Isa 6:1-13). The remainder of the book of Isaiah includes a number of
additional accounts of God speaking to Isaiah. (See Isa 7:3, Isa 8:1,5,11 Isa 13:1, Isa 14:28,
Isa 15:1, Isa 17:1, Isa 19:1 Isa 20:1-3, Isa 21:1,11,13, Isa 22:1, 15, Isa 23:1, Isa 31:4, Isa
37:21-22, Isa 38:4, Isa 48:16-17, Isa 49:5-6, and Isa 50:4-5.)

N. Jeremiah: The scriptures report that Jeremiah felt the Lord’s physical touch and that he
heard the Lord speaking to him:

The Lord gave me a message. He said, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s
womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the
world.” “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” “Don’t say
that,” the Lord replied, “for you must god wherever I send you and say whatever I tell

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you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and take care of you. I, the
Lord, have spoken!” Then the Lord touched my mouth and said, “See, I have put my
words in your mouth!” (Jer 1:4-9)

Note that chapter four also describes an extended back-and-forth, interactive conversation
between God and Jeremiah (see Jer 1:4-19). Furthermore, the remainder of the book of
Jeremiah includes many additional accounts of Jeremiah hearing from God (and sometimes
also having interactive conversations with God). See Jer 2:1, Jer 3:6,11, Jer 5:14, Jer 7:1, Jer
8:4, Jer 11:1-20 (interactive conversation), Jer 12:5, Jer 13:1,3,6,8, Jer 14:1,11,14, Jer 15:1-
21 (interactive conversation), Jer 16:1, Jer 17:19, Jer 18:1,5,13, Jer 19:1, Jer 22:1, Jer 24:3-4,
Jer 25:1,15,27, Jer 26:1-2, 4, Jer 27:1-2, Jer 28:12, Jer 29:30, Jer 30:1, Jer 32:1,6-8, 26, Jer
33:1,19,23, Jer 34:1,8, Jer 35:1,12, Jer 36:1,27, Jer 37:6, Jer 39:15, Jer 40:1, Jer 42:7, Jer
43:8, Jer 44:1-2, Jer 46:1, Jer 49:34, and Jer 50:1.

O. Ezekiel: The biblical account of Ezekiel’s ministry clearly describes him seeing visible
manifestations of God’s presence, feeling God’s physical touch, hearing God speaking to
him, and having back-and-forth, interactive conversations with God. See, for example, the
following two passages:

On July 31 of my thirtieth year, while I was with the Judean exiles beside the Kebar River
in Babylon, the heavens were opened to me, and I saw visions of God. . . . The Lord gave
a message to me, Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, there beside the Kebar River in the land of
the Babylonians, and I felt the hand of the Lord take hold of me. (Ezekiel 1:1-3)

Above the surface over their heads was what looked like a throne made of blue sapphire.
And high above this throne was a figure whose appearance was like that of a man. From
his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist
down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. All around his was a
glowing halo, like a rainbow shining through the clouds. This was the way the glory of
the Lord appeared to me. When I saw it, I fell face down in the dust, and I heard
someone’s voice speaking to me.
“Stand up, son of man,” said the voice. “I want to speak with you.” The Spirit came
into me as he spoke and set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words. “Son of
man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a nation that is rebelling against
me.” (Jer 1:26-2:3)

And the remainder of the book of Ezekiel includes many more accounts of Ezekiel seeing
God and/or feeling God’s physical touch and/or hearing from God. (See Ezek 2:8-9, Ezek
3:1-4,12-14,16,22-24, Ezek 4:15-16, Ezek 6:1, Ezek 7:1-2, Ezek 8:1-18, Ezek 9:1,3,5,7,9,
Ezek 10:2-4,6,18-19, Ezek 11:1-2,5,14,22-23, Ezek 12:1,8,17,21,26, Ezek 13:1, Ezek 14:1-
2,12,21, Ezek 15:1, Ezek 16:1, Ezek 17:1,11, Ezek 18:1, Ezek 20:1-2,45, Ezek 21:1,8,18,
Ezek 22:1,17,23, Ezek 23:1,36, Ezek 24:1,15,25, Ezek 25:1, Ezek 26:1, Ezek 27:1, Ezek
28:1,11,20, Ezek 29:1,17, Ezek 30:1,20, Ezek 31:1, Ezek 32:1,17, Ezek 33:1,22-23, Ezek
34:1, Ezek 35:1, 36:16, Ezek 36:16, Ezek 37:1-4,9,11,15, Ezek 38:1, Ezek 40:1-4, Ezek 43:2-
7,18, and Ezek 44:2-5.) Note also that Ezek 3:24-4:15 and Ezek 37:1-14 describe back-and-
forth, interactive conversations between Ezekiel and the Lord.

P. Daniel: Daniel receives a number of visions from the Lord, and in one of these visions he
sees both God the father and Jesus:

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I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His
clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with
wheels of fire, and a river of fire flowed from his presence. Millions of angels ministered
to him, and a hundred million stood to attend him. . . . As my vision continued that night,
I saw someone who looked like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached
the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and royal
power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and
language would obey him. His rule is eternal–it will never end. His kingdom will never
be destroyed. (Dan 7:9-10,13-14)

Q. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai,
Zechariah, Malachi: There are a number of minor prophets who hear from God, who
sometimes see visible manifestations of God’s presence, and who also sometimes have back-
and-forth, interactive conversations with God. See, for example, the following two passages
from Habakkuk:

How long, O Lord, must I call for help: But you do not listen! . . . The Lord replied,
“Look at the nations and be amazed! Watch and be astounded at what I will do!” . . . O
Lord my God, is your plan in all of this to wipe us out? Surely not! . . . Then the Lord said
to me, “Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and
tell everyone else. . . .” (Hab 1:2,5,12, Hab 2:2)

I see God, the Holy One, moving across the deserts from Edom and Mount Paran. His
brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise! What a
wonderful God he is! Rays of brilliant light flash from his hands. He rejoices in his
awesome power. (Hab 3:3-4)

For more examples of these prophets hearing from God and/or seeing God and/or having
interactive conversations with God, see Hos 1:1-2,4,6,9, Hos 3:1, Joel 1:1, Amos 1:1-2,
Amos 7:1-9 (interactive conversation), Amos 8:1-3 (interactive conversation), Amos 9:1,
Oba 1:1, Jon 1:1, Jon 3:1, Jon 4:1-11 (interactive conversation), Micah 1:1-4,6, Micah 2:3,
Nah 1:1,12,14, Zeph 1:1, Hag 1:1-5,7,13, Hag 2:1-2,6,10-11,20, Zech 1:1-2,7,13-14,16, Zech
3:1-2, Zech 6:7-9,12, Zech 7:1,6,8-9, Zech 8:1-2,18-19, Zech 11:13,15, Zech 12:1, and Mal
1:1-2.

R. Those who knew Jesus during his life on earth: From Mary, Joseph, the shepherds,
Simeon, Anna, and the wise men who saw Jesus as an infant9 to the elders at the temple who
spoke with Jesus as a twelve-year-old10 to the disciples that spent all day every day for several
years with Jesus during his adult ministry11 to the crowds that came to Jesus for teaching and

9
See Luke 2:8-20, Luke 2:25-35, Luke 2:36-38, and Matt 2:1-12.
10
See Luke 2:41-47.
11
Read the full text of any of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) to get a feel for the way
in which Jesus essentially lived with his disciples for the years of his adult ministry – Jesus and his
disciples ate together, they walked around Palestine together, they stayed in friend’s houses together,
they rode in boats together, they went to parties together, and the text often explicitly mentions that his
disciples were present when Jesus was teaching and/or ministering to the larger crowds.

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healing,12 many thousands of people experienced the tangible presence of God through Jesus
as the incarnation.13 These people saw Jesus in the flesh as a visible manifestation of God’s
presence, they heard his audible voice, and they touched his physical body.

Many of these people also had back-and-forth, interactive conversations with Jesus. For a
sample of the biblical accounts that clearly describe interactive conversations, see Matt 8:5-
13 (Jesus and the Roman officer), Matt 21:23-45 (one of many interactive conversations
between Jesus and the religious authorities),14 Mark 7:24-30 (Jesus and the gentile woman),
Mark 4:21-43 (Jesus and Jairus), Mark 9:14-27 (Jesus and the father of the boy with the evil
spirit), Mark 10:17-22 (Jesus and the rich young ruler), Mark 10:46-52 (Jesus and blind
Bartimaeus), Luke 17:11-19 (Jesus and the Samaritan healed of leprosy), Luke 19:1-10 (Jesus
and Zacchaeus), Luke 23:40-43 (Jesus and the criminal on the cross), John 3:1-10 (Jesus and
Nicodemus), John 4:4-26 (Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well), John 8:9-11 (Jesus
and the woman caught in adultery), John 9:35-39 (Jesus and the man born blind), and John
18:33-38, 19:8-12 (Jesus and Pilate).

Furthermore, verses such as Matt 13:3-23 and 36-43 (Jesus explaining his parables to the
disciples), Matt 14:13-21 and 15:32-36 (Jesus interacting with his disciples around feeding
the five thousand and feeding the four thousand), Matt 15:22-33 (Jesus interacting with Peter
and the other disciples in the context of the walking on water adventure), Matt 19:23-30
(Jesus talking with his disciples about the rich young ruler), Luke 5:1-11 (Jesus interacting
with Simon as he calls Simon to be his first disciple), John 11:1-40 (Jesus interacting with his
disciples, Mary, and Martha around Lazarus’ death), and John 13:3-10 (Jesus interacting with
Peter regarding washing Peter’s feet) clearly portray a relationship between Jesus and his
disciples that would have included back-and-forth conversations as a routine part of every
day interactions. And Jesus’ words from John 15:15 are particularly clear with respect to the
kind of relationship he shared with his disciples: “I no longer call you servants, because a
master doesn’t confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you
everything the Father told me.” (Emphasis mine)

S. Those who interacted with Jesus after the resurrection: After Jesus came back from the
dead, he appeared to and spoke to many people. See, for example, Acts 1:3, “During the forty
days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time and proved to them in
many ways that he was actually alive. On these occasions he talked to them about the
kingdom of God.” For another scripture reference supporting this point, see Acts 15:5-7, “He
was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, he was seen by more than five
hundred of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died by

12
For some examples of Jesus teaching and ministering to crowds, see Matt 4:23-25, Matt 5:1,
Matt 8:16-17, Matt 14:13-21, Matt 15:29-39, Mark 1:32-34, 45, Mark 2:1-5, Mark 3:7-8,20, Mark
4:21,31, Mark 6:53-56, Luke 5:1, Luke 6:17-19, and Luke 12:1.
13
It is helpful to remember Jesus’ own words regarding this point from John 14:9: “Anyone who
has seen me has seen the Father!” See also John 1:1-2,14: “In the beginning the Word already existed. He
was with God, and he was God. . . . So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. . . .
And we have see his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.”
14
See also Mark 12:13-17, Matt 9:9-13, Matt 12:1-4, Matt 22:41-46, Luke 5:17-25, Luke 5:33-39,
Luke 7:36-47, Luke 10:25-37, Luke 11:37-54, Luke 13:10-17, Luke 16:1-15, Luke 20:27-40, Luke 22:66-
71, John 2:13-20, John 5:16-23, John 8:1-9, John 8:12-20, and John 10:22-39

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now.” (emphasis mine) And for several more passages supporting this point, see Matt 20:16-
20 (Jesus meets the eleven apostles in Galilee and gives them the great commission), Luke
24:33-49 (Jesus appears to, speaks to, is touched by, and eats with the eleven apostles and
also other followers who were gathered with them), Luke 24:50-53 (Jesus leads this same
group to Bethany, and then blesses them and ascends into heaven as they watch), John 20:19-
23 (Jesus appears to and speaks to “the disciples”), and Acts 13:29-31 (a summary statement
regarding Jesus appearing to many disciples over a period of many days).

A number of these people also had back-and-forth, interactive conversations with Jesus. My
favorite example of interactive connection is the account described in Luke 24:13-32, in
which Jesus meets the two disciples on the way to Emmaues. I love how he pretends to not
know about his own ministry and crucifixion, and then goes on to explain all of the scriptures
pertaining to himself. (What a fantastic Bible study that must have been! I have often wished
that they had recorded all of the details.) And I love how they enjoyed his company so much
that when he pretended to be going further, they begged him to stay with them for the night.

I also really like the story described in John 21:1-22, in which Jesus meets Simon Peter,
Thomas, Nathanael, James, John, and two other disciples in Galilee. I love the way he
doesn’t tell them who he is, but rather just reenacts the whole “Throw your nets on the other
side of the boat” scenario and then waits for them to figure it out. I also think it’s fun how he
fries fish for them – here’s Jesus, the master of the universe who has just come back from the
dead after defeating all of the powers of darkness, and he’s cooking breakfast for a bunch of
poor fishermen. And I really appreciate how he gives Peter three chances to reaffirm his
allegiance, as a way to help him process and heal from the trauma of denying Jesus three
times on good Friday.

For a couple more examples of back-and-forth, interactive conversations between the

resurrected Jesus and his disciples, see John 20:11-18, in which Jesus appears to Mary
Magdalene, and then has a short but beautiful back-and-forth interactive conversation with
her. And see John 20:26-29, in which Jesus appears to the disciples and has the famous “So
you said you wouldn’t believe unless you put your fingers in the holes in my hands and put
your hand in the wound in my side? Well here I am – go ahead and do it”15 interaction with
Thomas.

T. Those who saw Jesus after the ascension: Even after Jesus has ascended into heaven, he
continues to appear to his disciples, speak to his disciples, and have back-and-forth,
interactive conversations with his disciples. First there’s Stephen, who sees both God and
Jesus: “But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into heaven and saw the
glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he
told them, ‘Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor
at God’s right hand!’” (Acts 7:55-56)

The apostle Paul provides another example. Jesus appears to Paul and has a back-and-forth,
interactive conversation with Paul at the time of his conversion:

As he [Paul] was nearing Damascus on this mission, a brilliant light from heaven
suddenly beamed down upon him! He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,

15
My slightly paraphrased version.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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“Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, sir?” Saul asked. And the
voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city,
and you will be told what you are to do.” (Acts 9:1-9)

And then on several subsequent occasions, Paul has visions in which Jesus appears to him
and speaks to him (See Acts 18:9-10, Acts 22:17-21, and Acts 23:11). Furthermore, Paul
describes perceiving Jesus’ presence with him on the occasion of first being brought before a
judge (see 2 Tim 4:16-17).

Ananias provides yet another example. As described in Acts 9:10-19, Jesus appears to
Ananias in a vision, and they have a back-and-forth, interactive conversation in which Jesus
directs Ananias to help Paul (and also reassures Ananias that Paul won’t just throw him in
jail).

Finally, the book of Revelation describes an extended vision in which the Apostle John
perceives the presence of both Jesus and God the Father. For example:

It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a
loud voice like a trumpet blast. . . .
When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And
standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was
wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white
like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like
polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves.
He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth.
And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. . . .
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me
and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but
look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.” (Rev
1:10-18)

See also Rev 4 (the whole chapter), Rev 5 (the whole chapter), Rev 6 (the whole chapter),
and Rev 7:9-17, Rev 8:1-5, Rev 11:15-19, Rev 14:1-5, 14-16, Rev 19:11-16, Rev 20:11-15,
and Rev 21:1-8.

U. Several additional New Testament examples of people perceiving God’s tangible

presence: In addition to the many occasions on which people perceive Jesus’ presence, there
are also a number of situations in the New Testament in which people perceive the presence
of the Holy Spirit and/or God the Father. For example, at the time of Jesus’ baptism, the
entire crowd sees the Holy Spirit manifested as a dove, and they hear the audible voice of
God saying, “You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you.” (Luke 3:22) The
experience of Peter, James, and John on the mount of transfiguration provides another
example – as a cloud covers Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, they hear God’s audible voice saying,
“This is my beloved son, and I am fully pleased with him. Listen to him.” (Matt 17:1-6)

Pentecost provides one more example, in that the disciples perceive the Holy Spirit’s tangible
presence as the sound of a rushing wind and visible tongues of fire. (Acts 2:1-12) And the
Lord’s interactions with Peter regarding his visit to Cornelius provide yet another example:
first, Peter has three rounds of back-and-forth, interactive communication with God regarding

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The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 35: Is the Immanuel... (New 4/17/15) Page 15 of 21

his vision of “unclean” animals and God telling him to “kill and eat,” and then the Holy Spirit
speaks to Peter, reassuring him that he has sent the messengers from Cornelius, and that it is
okay to go with them. (Acts 10:9-20)

IV. Scriptural support for perceiving God’s presence in many different ways: As discussed
at length in chapter twenty-eight, a striking and important aspect of people’s experiences with the
Immanuel approach is that recipients perceive God’s presence in many different ways. Therefore,
another way in which the Immanuel approach is consistent with scripture is that people in the
Bible also perceive God’s presence in many different ways. I present a handful of examples here,
and you can see appendix six in Immanuel: A Practicum16 for even more examples, and for
additional discussion regarding this point.

Examples of people perceiving God’s presence in many different ways:

• Abraham perceived God as one of three men who came to visit. (Gen 18:1-33)

• Moses perceive God’s presence in the burning bush. (Ex 3:2)

• God appeared to all the people of Israel as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. (Ex 13:21)

• God also appeared to all the people of Israel as a glorious presence in the cloud over the
tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34, 38)

• God was present in the cloud above the mercy seat. (Lev 16:2)

• God appeared to Joshua as the commander of the army of the Lord. (Josh 5:13-15)

• Job perceived God’s presence in the whirlwind. (Job 38:1)

• One of the most important and profound ways in which God has manifested himself to us
was as the incarnate Jesus. (John 14:9 and John 1:1-2, 14 have already been mentioned above
in footnote #15. See also Phil 2:5-8.)

• The Holy Spirit appeared to the general public as a dove. (Luke 3:22)

• At Pentecost, the disciples perceived the Holy Spirit as the sound of a rushing wind and
visible tongues of fire. (Acts 2:1-4)

• Stephen saw the glorified Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father. (Acts 7:55-56)

• Paul experienced Jesus’ presence as a blinding light and an audible voice. (Acts 9:3-6)

• Jesus appeared to the apostle John as a lamb. (See, for example, Rev 5:1-14)

• Jesus also appeared to the apostle John as a glorious heavenly being. (See, for example, Rev

16
Patricia A. Velotta, Immanuel: A Practicum (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2014), pages
125-143.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 35: Is the Immanuel... (New 4/17/15) Page 16 of 21

1:12-16)

• Throughout scripture, many different people in many different situations perceived God’s
presence by hearing God’s audible voice or by receiving Gods thoughts directly into their
minds/hearts/spirits. (For a sample of examples, see Josh 3:7, Josh 4:1,15, Josh 10:8, Josh
11:6, 1 Sam 3:2-11, 1 Sam 15:10, 1 Kings 17:2-4, 8-9, 1 Kings 18:1, Isa 7:3, Isa 8:1,5,11, Isa
14:28, Jer 2:1, Jer 3:6,11, Jer 5:14, Ezek 6:1, Ezek 7:1-2, Hos 3:1, Joel 1:1, Amos 1:1-2, Jon
3:1, Zeph 1:1, and Zech 11:13,15.)

Again, see appendix six in Immanuel: A Practicum for more examples and for additional
discussion.

V. More scriptural support for prioritizing a living, interactive connection with God: An
interactive connection with God is foundational for the Immanuel approach process.
Furthermore, our ultimate goal with the Immanuel approach is getting to the place where we
perceive the Lord’s presence, and abide in an interactive connection with Jesus, as our usual,
normal, baseline condition as we walk through life each day. To put this another way, in
Immanuel approach sessions as well as in Immanuel approach every-day life, the number one,
highest priority is to be with God. According to the team of more than 50 people who have spent
5 years preparing The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible,17 being “with God” is the central,
organizing theme of the whole Bible. Quoting directly from the general introduction:

“...the unity of the Bible is discovered in the development of life ‘with God’ as a reality on
earth, centered in the person of Jesus. We might call this the Immanuel Principle of life.”

So, according to these scholars and authors, the entire Bible happens to support this central
foundation for the Immanuel approach.

VI. Specific objections: As the Immanuel approach has become more widely known, some
critics have raised very specific objections.

A. Mortals cannot see God: For example, some critics quote verses such as “But you may
not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live,” and “No one has ever seen
God,”18 and then conclude that we mortals cannot see God. These people then also conclude
that the Immanuel approach must be fundamentally in error, since recipients participating in
Immanuel approach sessions routinely claim to see Jesus.

My first response to this objection is that the primary intended meaning is sadly ludicrous.
The vast majority of Immanuel approach recipients who get visual imagery describe seeing
Jesus, and most people who read about the Immanuel approach don’t even know that there
are a small number of recipients who occasionally also report seeing God the Father. The

17
The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible: New Revised Standard Version with
Deuterocanonical Books, Editor: Richard J. Foster; General Editors: Gayle Beebe, Lynda L. Graybeal,
Thomas C. Oden, Dallas Willard; Consulting Editors: Walter Brueggemann, Eugene H. Peterson. (New
York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers), 2005.
18
Exodus 33:20 and 1 John 4:12, respectively.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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people who bring this objection are usually intending that it actually apply to seeing Jesus,
and it is amazing to me that they seem to miss the fact that all four Gospels and the book of
Acts clearly describe thousands and thousands of people seeing Jesus (as described above).
This objection is sadly ludicrous because these folks are obviously so triggered that they
aren’t thinking very clearly, and their triggered fear and/or anger and/or confusion usually
prevents them from being able to experience wonderful Immanuel approach Jesus
encounters.

And even though the people bringing this objection are usually not intending that it apply to
seeing God the Father, I will also offer a couple of thoughts in response to this more
reasonable objection. My first thought is that the full meaning of the cited verses must be
more complicated than “Mortals cannot see God,” since there are so many verses, scattered
throughout both the old and new testaments, that describe people seeing God (as presented
above). And my second thought, specifically applying to Exodus 33:20, is that I think the
intended meaning of this verse is that we cannot see the full glory of God’s unshielded face
and live. (If you look carefully at the many accounts of people seeing God, you will see that
none of these passages describe the person seeing the full glory of God’s unshielded face.)

For extensive additional discussion of this “we can’t see God” objection, see the first part of
appendix six in Immanuel: A Practicum.19

B. Jesus is in heaven, seated at the right hand of God: Some critics also quote verses such
as, “Now he [Jesus] is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven,”20
and argue that Jesus cannot appear to us, speak to us, or manifest to us in any other way since
his resurrected body is seated beside the throne of God in heaven. And again, these people
conclude that the Immanuel approach must be fundamentally in error, since recipients
participating in Immanuel approach sessions routinely describe perceiving Jesus’ presence
with them here on earth.

My really short response to this objection is that the full truth must be more complicated than
Jesus being confined to the heavenly throne room, since Acts 9:3-6 clearly describes Jesus
appearing and speaking to the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus.

For extensive additional discussion of this objection, see the second part of appendix six in
Immanuel: A Practicum.21

C. We don’t see the Immanuel approach in the Bible: Some critics have asked, “If this
whole Immanuel approach process is real and valid, why don’t we see Jesus, Paul, the other
apostles, or anybody else in the Bible using it?”

Part of my response to this question is to name the reality that people in the Bible do not use
many things that have been developed as a result of modern science. For example, I am not

19
Patti Velotta, Immanuel: A Practicum (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2014), pages 153-
160.
20
Hebrews 12:2.
21
Patti Velotta, Immanuel: A Practicum (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2014), pages 160-
165.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 35: Is the Immanuel... (New 4/17/15) Page 18 of 21

aware of any biblical characters using antibiotics, orthopedic surgery, cell phones, or
microwaves. But most of us have no problem with these inventions that were developed
through science that was not available to people in the Bible. Similarly, some components of
the Immanuel approach have been developed from neurological and psychological
discoveries that were not available to the people in the Bible. And I think we should embrace
and appreciate the Immanuel approach in the same way that we embrace and appreciate these
other modern inventions.

The rest of my response is to look at stories in the Bible that provide early examples of
components of the Immanuel approach. The sections above have already done this to some
extent, as I have collected verses that provide biblical examples of deliberate appreciation,
perceiving the tangible presence of God, and engaging in interactive conversations with God;
but it is also helpful to look more carefully at a number of stories that provide especially
powerful biblical examples of several more Immanuel approach components. The story of
Stephen being stoned provides a good example of what I’m talking about here. As described
in Acts 7:54-60:

The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists in
rage. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into heaven and saw the
glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. And he
told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of
honor at God’s right hand!”
Then they put their hands over their ears, and drowning out his voice with their
shouts, they rushed at him. They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. . . .
And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And he fell
to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

Now, as we examine this story with the Immanuel approach in mind, we will discover that it
provides a brilliant example of one of the most powerful and most common components of
Immanuel approach sessions. Stephen sees Jesus, and Jesus captures his full attention. With
his eyes and mind on Jesus, and as he experiences the Lord with him in his painful
experience, Stephen moves into peace and joy. Instead of experiencing fear, anger, and other
negative emotions that one might expect for someone being dragged by a mob and then
stoned to death, Stephan displays the character of Jesus. As he experiences Jesus with him, he
is able to overcome in these incredibly difficult circumstances, just as Jesus overcame the
world.

Similarly, in an Immanuel session, the recipient will often perceive Jesus to be with her in the
midst of the painful, difficult circumstances of a traumatic memory. And even though Jesus
does not “fix” or change the difficult circumstances in the memory, his presence totally
changes the subjective experience of being in the circumstances so that the recipient can heal
and overcome instead of being traumatized. Like Stephen, she will come into peace and joy,
and mirror Christlike character in giving heartfelt forgiveness and compassion to the people
in the memory that hurt her.22

For similar discussions of Jacob wrestling with God (Gen 32:24-31), Hannah baring her soul

22
This paragraph and the previous paragraph have been adapted from Patti Velotta, Immanuel: A
Practicum (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2014), page 178. Used with permission.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

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to the Lord (1 Sam 1:10-18), David bringing his pain to God (Ps 55:2), David asking the Lord
for help (Ps 139:23-24), David recognizing God’s will (Ps 51:6), David seeking forgiveness
(Ps 51:1-4,10), David longing for the Lord (Ps 27:4), God being David’s security and
solution (Ps 27:5), David’s devotion to the Lord (Ps 16:8,11), God’s presence with Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 3:22-28), the Samaritan woman encountering Jesus (John
4:19-26), Jesus and Peter walking on water (Matt 14:25-29), Abraham bargaining with God,
(Gen 18:17,22-27,32-33), the man born blind – getting healed and subsequent interactions
with religious leaders (John 9:1,7,25-26,32-33), Martha’s response to Lazarus’ death (John
11:20-27), Mary’s response to the death of Lazarus (John 11:32-37), Paul considering
everything as loss as compared to the knowledge of Jesus (Phil 3:4-8), and Jesus washing the
disciples’ feet, see appendix eight of Immanuel: A Practicum.23

D. God spoke to people in the Bible, but now God only speaks to us through the Bible:
Some critics readily agree that the Bible describes many characters who experienced
interactive connections with God, and that these biblical characters received specific
communication from God; but then these critics go on to argue that God no longer
communicates with us directly. These critics accurately point out that some people who have
claimed to hear from God have obviously been deceived, and they propose that the safest way
to avoid this kind of deception and danger is to limit communication from God to only his
written words that have been canonized in scripture. They believe that this is actually God’s
plan – they believe that God is aware of the danger of trying to communicate directly with
fallible humans, and so now he only communicates with us through his written word in order
to protect us from error.

The first part of my response to this concern is to refer the reader to passages such as the
following verse in 1 Corinthians, in which Paul clearly implies that the average believer is
expected to receive words from God: “Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize what I
am saying. When you meet, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special
revelation God has given, one will speak in an unknown language, while another will
interpret what is said. But everything that is done must be useful to all and build them up in
the Lord.” (1 Cor 14:26).

The second part of my response to this concern is to refer the reader to Dallas Willard’s
excellent book, Hearing God.24 Dr. Willard spends much of the book arguing that God does
still speak to us directly, and the material he presents includes strong, sound, compelling
Biblical exegesis.

E. People who claim to hear from God are claiming divine revelation equal to scripture:
When those of us who are using the Immanuel approach claim to perceive God’s presence,
claim to have an interactive connection with God, and claim to hear from God in the context
of this interactive connection, some critics misunderstand us to be saying that we are
receiving divine revelation equal to scripture. And these critics are understandably alarmed
by this mistaken perception that we claim to be adding to the canon of scripture.

23
Patti Velotta, Immanuel: A Practicum (Libertyville, IL: This Joy! Books, 2014), pages 177-
196.
24
Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God. (Downers
Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 35: Is the Immanuel... (New 4/17/15) Page 20 of 21

The simple response to this concern is that we in the Immanuel approach community do not
claim to be adding to the canon of scripture. We see the revelation in scripture as Revelation
with a capital “R,” and we fully agree that this scriptural Revelation has much more authority
than the revelation with a lower case “r” that we receive in the context of the Immanuel
approach. Among other reasons for it’s authority, the capital “R” Revelation in scripture has
been tested and confirmed by the world church for thousands of years. And the lower case “r”
revelation we receive in the context of the Immanuel approach certainly does not have the
benefit of this same confirmation and testing.

I do believe that the Immanuel approach helps us establish interactive connections with the
living presence of God, and that God does indeed communicate with us in this context; but I
do not believe that we are infallible in our ability to accurately perceive what the Lord is
saying to us. As mentioned earlier in chapter thirty-one, everybody has trouble with minor
counterfeit and/or contamination. Nobody is able to perceive the Lord’s presence or guidance
with perfect, 100% accuracy. Even when we are able to establish a strong, clear interactive
connection with the Lord, unconscious avoidance, subtle self deception, the complexity of the
neurological processes involved, physical trauma in our fallen biological brains,
psychological trauma in our fallen minds, internal dissociated parts with complex agenda,
and deliberate demonic interference can all get in the way of perceiving the Lord’s presence
and guidance with 100% accuracy. This is why we need to remain humble with respect to any
content we receive in the context of Immanuel approach sessions – we should always
consider the possibility that the details of our perceptions of God’s presence and the details of
content we perceive to be coming from God could be at least slightly contaminated by
deliberate counterfeit, and/or unconscious distortion, and/or simple honest mistakes.

Furthermore, we are not infallible in our ability to accurately interpret all aspects of the
meaning of the content we receive from God, and we are not infallible in our judgment
regarding how the content we receive from God applies to the rest of the world. Again, we
receive revelation with a lower case “r,” and we need to be very humble with respect to this
content that we perceive to be coming from God.

F. Yes, Biblical characters experienced interactive connections with God, but it was
very rare: Some critics readily agree that the Bible describes people having interactive
encounters with God, but then they point out that these encounters were very rare. They point
out that during many periods in the biblical record, the entire nation of Israel went for many
years with only a handful of recorded incidents in which people experienced the interactive
presence of the Lord. And their conclusion is something along the lines of, “If people in the
Bible encountered God so rarely, it seems presumptuous and hard to believe that the average
Christian today can encounter God on a daily basis in the context of the Immanuel approach.”

In responding to this concern, I will once again refer the reader to Hearing God. Much of the
book addresses exactly this question: “Can we, today – average Christians in the twenty first
century – actually experience living, interactive communication with the Lord?” Dr.
Willard’s conclusion is “Yes!” And he supports this conclusion with strong, sound,
compelling Biblical exegesis. I include here one excerpt that is particularly relevant:

“If we look at the advice on how the meetings of the church were supposed to proceed, as
given in 1 Corinthians 14, we see it is assumed that numerous people in the congregation
are going to have some kind of communication from God which they will be sharing with

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 35: Is the Immanuel... (New 4/17/15) Page 21 of 21

the others in the group: ‘When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a
revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.’ (1 Cor
14:26).
The ancient prophecy of Joel was fulfilled in the early church: ‘Your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams.’ (Acts 2:17, Joel 2:28-32). The wish of Moses, ‘that all the Lord’s people
were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them’ (Num 11:29) is
substantially granted in the church of Jesus Christ when it functions as its Lord
intended.”25

VII. Additional resources: As I’m sure the reader has noticed, I have referenced additional
resources at several points in the above discussion. I thought it might be helpful to summarize
these additional resources, as well as several others, in one easy-to-find location.

The Renovare Spiritual Formation Bible: As mentioned above, the Renovare spiritual formation
study Bible is an excellent additional resource, with study notes that highlight the “Immanuel
Principle of life”26 as the central theme that unifies the entire body of scripture.

Dallas Willard’s Hearing God: As mentioned above, Dallas Willard’s excellent book, Hearing
God, includes extensive, strong, sound, compelling Biblical exegesis supporting our experience
that God does still speak to us directly, and that this should be a common experience for the
average believer.

Patti Velotta’s Immanuel: A Practicum: As mentioned above, appendices three through ten of
Immanuel: A Practicum provide extensive additional material regarding biblical support for the
Immanuel approach.

Immanuel: A Practicum website: As of April 2015, Pastor Patti has one hundred and sixty-five
additional word studies related to the Immanuel approach posted as free downloads on the “Bible
Studies” page of the Immanuel: A Practicum website (www.immanuelpracticum.com).

Jim Wilder’s teaching CDs: Dr. Wilder presents a number of excellent points on the biblical
support for the Immanuel approach in his audio teaching CDs, Immanuel: Taking Healing to the
World, 2011 Share Immanuel Evenings, JIM Talks Vol 10 (on memory, healing, and
synchronization), and JIM Talks Vol 12 (on Immanuel healing). These are all available from the
“Resources” page of www.lifemodelworks.org.

Jerry Reddix and others who are engaging in ongoing careful study regarding the Biblical basis
for the Immanuel approach (details pending).

25
Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God.
(Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1999).
26
As mentioned above, “the Immanuel principle of life” refers to “the development of life
‘with God’ as a reality on earth, centered in the person of Jesus.”
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 36: Using the Immanuel Approach On Your Own
(©Copyright 2015 K.D. Lehman MD, new 4/29/2015)

People frequently ask, “Can I use the Immanuel approach by myself, or will it only work with
someone facilitating for me?”

The simple answer is, “Yes, you can use the Immanuel approach by yourself.” I know many
people who use these principles and tools, without a facilitator, to engage with the Lord for
emotional healing and also to connect with him for many other reasons throughout the average
day. Using Immanuel approach principles and tools to become increasingly aware of God’s living
presence throughout the average day, and to increasingly abide in an interactive connection with
him is the core of what I call the Immanuel lifestyle, and applying the Immanuel approach
principles and tools by yourself, without a facilitator, is obviously an important part of this “all
day every day” picture.1 Furthermore, the Life Model Works team has just released a little book
about Immanuel approach interactive journaling – a simple tool to help you more effectively use
the Immanuel approach on your own.2

However, I would like to offer a number of important cautions with respect to using the
Immanuel approach by yourself. The first is that you might get poor results because you are
unable to troubleshoot effectively. You may not be able to think very clearly if you end up
triggered into the thoughts and feelings from a traumatic childhood memory, and in this situation
it’s really good to have a facilitator to help with troubleshooting. You may also be unable to
troubleshoot effectively because of blind spots. Many of us have defenses and/or blockages that
we don’t seem able to see on our own, and without the help of someone else to spot these we just
keep going around and around, missing the same blind spot problems over and over again.3

Another concern with respect to possible poor results is that you will be more likely to miss
subtle counterfeit and contamination. A facilitator (or people with you in a small group exercise)
can be very helpful in identifying and resolving counterfeit and contamination, and when you use
the Immanuel approach on your own you can get poor results due to missing counterfeit and
contamination.4

A facilitator (or people with you in a small group exercise) can also contribute to better results by
augmenting your faith and capacity. And, conversely, you can therefore get poorer results when
you use the Immanuel approach by yourself because you are working without the benefit of this

1
For example, the fun, beautiful interaction with Jesus regarding the plumb and the prunes
(described in chapter) occurred in the context of our friend using the Immanuel approach on her own.
2
For this short, practical, easy-to-access description of Immanuel approach interactive journaling,
see E. James Wilder, Anna Kang, John Loppnow, and Sungshim Loppnow, Joyful Journey: Listening to
Immanuel (East Peoria, IL: Shepherd’s House Inc, 2015).
3
Review chapters eleven and twelve for additional discussion of why it is always helpful (and
sometimes necessary) to have a facilitator who can help you with troubleshooting.
4
Review chapters thirty-one through thirty-three for additional discussion of how a facilitator (or the
other people in a small group exercise) can help with identifying and resolving problems with counterfeit
and/or contaminated interactive connections.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 36: Frequently Asked Questions (New 3/29/2015) Page 2 of 4

additional faith and capacity.

Yet another concern with respect to possible poor results when using the Immanuel approach on
your own is that you do not have the benefit of the subtle but important ways in which your brain
works better in community. That is, when you use the Immanuel approach by yourself, you do
not have the benefit of the quiet but powerful neurology associated with describing your mental
content to another person – the interpersonal neurology that pulls the content through the front of
your brain and makes it much easier to feel it’s importance, understand it’s meaning, and see how
it fits into your personal story. When you use the Immanuel approach on your own, the process
can bog down because you don’t feel the importance or recognize the meaning of subtle
manifestations of God’s presence (and/or you don’t feel the importance or recognize the meaning
of subtle troubleshooting guidance).5

In addition to concerns about possible disappointing results, there is also the concern that you
might get yourself into a traumatic memory and then have trouble getting yourself back out
again. As the reader may remember from chapters fourteen and twenty-four, when a person gets
intensely triggered and is in deep non-relational mode, she may need a facilitator (or a person
from her small group) to provide very directive and persistent coaching in order to get back to a
good place.6

Once you have become familiar with the Immanuel approach, have experienced many fruitful
connections with God, and have become utterly convinced of it’s effectiveness and value, these
concerns about possibly having a disappointing experience, or even possibly having a scary,
painful experience are less critical. You will notice that your interactions with God are usually
more subtle and less intense when you don’t have another person to interact with, you might miss
an occasional counterfeit or contaminated interactive connection, you will miss the benefit of
extra faith and capacity, and you will occasionally encounter some kind of blockage that you
can’t resolve on your own; but these will be minor (or at least manageable) problems, and you
will still receive the many blessings of being able to use the Immanuel approach as part of every
day life.

You might even have the more intensely negative experience of getting really triggered into deep
non-relational mode, and then having difficulty getting back to your original positive memory,
appreciation, and connection with Jesus. But even this scary and painful experience will not
cause you to permanently abandon the Immanuel approach. You might decide that you will only
use the Immanuel approach with a facilitator until you build more capacity, gain more skill, and
get more healing, but you won’t abandon the Immanuel approach all together.

In contrast, when you are just beginning to experiment with the Immanuel approach the risk is
much more strategic. When you are just starting with the Immanuel approach, the biggest risk is
that you will try to apply the principles and tools by yourself, you will have a disappointing
experience because of the potential difficulties just described, and then you will (erroneously)

5
Review chapters seventeen and eighteen for additional discussion of why it is always helpful (and
sometimes necessary) to work with a facilitator or small group, so that you can describe your mental
content to another person.
6
For additional discussion of this concern, see the “Practical Considerations” section of Chapter
Fourteen: Immanuel Approach Safety Nets, and the “Safety Net Intervention” section of Chapter Twenty-
four: Immanuel Approach Exercises for Groups and Beginners.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 36: Frequently Asked Questions (New 3/29/2015) Page 3 of 4

conclude that the Immanuel approach doesn’t work. Or you will try to apply the principles and
tools by yourself, you will get intensely triggered and have trouble getting back to a good place,
and then you will (erroneously) conclude that the Immanuel approach is too scary and dangerous.

I call this being “inoculated” to the Immanuel approach. If you inoculate people with a weakened
form of an infectious disease, their immune systems will develop a resistance to the disease. And
then if they encounter the real, full strength disease at some point in the future their immune
systems will quickly repel it. Similarly, if you have a disappointing or frightening experience
with trying the Immanuel approach on your own, you will develop a resistance to the Immanuel
approach. So I call this being “inoculated” to the Immanuel approach because after this initial
negative experience with the partial, weakened version you will be “immune” to the possibility
of trying the full, more effective, and much safer version (that is, a one-on-one session with a
facilitator, or using the Immanuel approach in a small group setting).

For example, if you have not yet tried the Immanuel approach and one of your friends tells you
about it, you might respond with, “Wow. That sounds really exciting. I’d like to try it – how can I
learn more? Could you do a session for me?” However, if you have tried it on your own,
experienced disappointing results, and then (erroneously) concluded that it doesn’t work, you
will respond with, “Yeah, I already know about that. In fact, I tried it but it didn’t work. It’s just
another fad – lot’s of hype, but just another disappointment. I’m not interested.”

Or if you have tried the Immanuel approach on your own, gotten stuck in a traumatic memory
and had difficulty using the safety net, and then (erroneously) concluded that it is too scary and
painful, you will respond with, “No thank you! I’ve already tried it and it was horrible. I got
totally triggered into a really bad memory, that stupid safety net thing didn’t work at all, and I
was miserable for hours before I was able to get back to feeling okay again.”

Therefore, we strongly recommend that you first experience the Immanuel approach in a one-on-
one session with a facilitators or in the context of a small group exercise, so that you will have
someone else with you to help you troubleshoot, so that there will be someone with you to help
you use the safety net if you get stuck in a place of intense triggering, and so that describing
everything to another person can help you feel the importance and recognize the meaning of
subtle mental content. And then, once you have become familiar with the Immanuel approach
process, once you have experienced a number of good interactive God-connections, and once you
have become utterly convinced of it’s effectiveness and value, you can begin to experiment with
using the Immanuel approach on your own.

The ideal scenario is to start with one-on-one Immanuel sessions with a skilled facilitator, which
will provide maximum safety with respect to the possibility of getting stuck in an intensely
triggered negative place, and also maximum likelihood of good results in a reasonably short
time.7 And then you can start using the Immanuel approach by yourself after you have had a
number of positive experiences, after you are comfortable with the process, and after you are
totally convinced the Immanuel approach is worth pursuing,.

Another part of the ideal scenario is to use interactive Immanuel journaling as described in Joyful

7
Beginning your experience with the Immanuel approach in the context of a small group is usually a
fine way to start, and many have had good experiences with this. But starting in the context of a one-on-
one session with a skilled facilitator is the ideal, with the highest probability of having a definitive
positive experience and the lowest probability of having a disappointing or frightening experience.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 36: Frequently Asked Questions (New 3/29/2015) Page 4 of 4

Journey.8 (This interactive journaling provides structure that helps keep your thoughts from
wandering, and the process of putting your experience into words also provides many of the same
neurological benefits as describing your mental content to another person.) And then, after you
are getting consistently good results with Immanuel journaling, start building the principles and
tools of the Immanuel approach into shorter, more frequent times of positive recall, deliberate
appreciation, and connecting with God that can be scattered throughout the rest of the day.

Also, when you are first beginning to experiment with doing the Immanuel approach on your
own, please start with just the initial positive steps. Please do not try working on painful
memories until you have practiced with the positive memory, deliberate appreciation, and
interactive connection steps to the point that you are getting consistently good results.
Furthermore, just as with group exercises, practice with minor painful memories before moving
on to more intensely traumatic experiences.

Unfortunately, some people are in situations that make it very difficult to obtain one-on-one
sessions, or even to find group exercise opportunities. If you cannot find a facilitator to provide
individual sessions or a small group to practice with, and you therefore decide to start with trying
the Immanuel approach on your own, then my remaining emphatic recommendation is please,
please, please do not quit if you have initial negative experiences. If you start with using the
Immanuel approach by yourself and have disappointing and/or frightening experiences, please try
working with an experienced facilitator before concluding that the Immanuel approach is
ineffective and/or too scary and dangerous.

Note/question to self: At some point in the chapter include a footnote re facilitator/small group
overlap, since many comments apply to both?

8
E. James Wilder, Anna Kang, John Loppnow, and Sungshim Loppnow, Joyful Journey: Listening to
Immanuel (East Peoria, IL: Shepherd’s House Inc, 2015).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 37: How Can I Prepare for Immanuel Approach Work?
(©Copyright 2015 K.D. Lehman MD, new 5/19/2015)

People often ask about any preparation they can do to get ready for their first Immanuel approach
session, and they also often ask about any “homework” they can do between sessions to increase
their ability to cooperate fully with the process during sessions. A thorough answer to these
questions would require a medium-length book addressing most of the basic principles of
personal and spiritual growth, but here are a few quick thoughts.

A. Read this book: One of the most straight-forward things you can do to prepare for your first
session is to read this book. Knowing what to expect and understanding what you are doing can
help you cooperate with the process most effectively (at least this is true for some people). I
would strongly recommend reading at least the first three chapters, to get an introduction to the
Immanuel approach. And if you are one of those people who finds it helpful to know what to
expect and to understand what you are doing, I would encourage you to continue reading
through to chapter eighteen, and then also chapter twenty-eight. Furthermore, reading all of the
story chapters will be encouraging and increase your faith. (The remaining chapters are
primarily for facilitators and trainers.)

B. Watch a few of the full length live ministry sessions: Another way to know what to
expect, and also to build your faith, is to watch several of the full length live ministry sessions.1
Rita #3: “Jesus is better than candy” (Live Ministry Series #18), Maggie #3: Labor &
Delivery Trauma (Live Ministry Series #19), and Ian: “I’m not enough” (Live Ministry Series
#24) are the three best examples of simple, basic Immanuel approach sessions.

C. Learn to be more consciously aware of your relational circuits: Something you can do to
prepare for your first session, and that you can also continue to do as homework between
sessions, is to learn to be more consciously aware of whether your relational circuits are on or
off.

Our book, Outsmarting Yourself, has a list of questions that will indicate whether or not your
relational circuits are on line. For example, “Do I feel connected to _______ (fill in the name of
the person you are interacting with or thinking about)?” “Do I want to be connected to _______
(again, fill in the name of the person you are interacting with or thinking about)?” “Do I
experience her as a source of joy, or as a problem to be solved/resource to be used?” “Am I
glad to be with her?” “Am I aware of her true hearts?” “Do I feel compassionate concern
regarding what she is thinking and feeling?” “Am I patient and tolerant, or am I impatient and
irritable?” “Can I easily think of past positive experiences with this person, and do I feel the
positive emotions that should be associated with these memories?” “Can I easily think of things
I appreciate about this person, and do I feel gratitude as I think about these specific
appreciations?” And, “Do I perceive the relationships involved to be more important than any
problem I might be trying to solve?”

1
The condensed sessions are good for introducing people to the Immanuel approach, and for building
faith; but if you are preparing for your own Immanuel session it is good to watch a few full length
sessions, so that you can get an accurate feel for how much time it takes to go through different parts of
the process.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 37: Homework to Prepare... (New 5/19/2015) Page 2 of 7

One of the best ways to develop the skill and build the habit of being more consciously aware
of your relational circuits is to look over the full list of questions2, pick the six or seven
questions that resonate most with your own experience, write these out on a 3x5 card that you
keep in your shirt pocket or purse, and then pull this card out and go over the questions
whenever you feel particularly good or particularly bad.3 If you do this regularly for even a few
weeks, you will start to recognize what it feels like when your relational circuits are on and
when they are off, and you will start to become much more consciously aware of whether your
relational circuits are on or off.

Once you learn this skill and build this behavior into your life as part of your every-day habits,
it will become the single most valuable resource for helping you notice when underlying
painful memories are getting stirred up. And this increasing awareness of unresolved trauma
will help you to find and connect with the traumatic memories that the Lord wants to help you
resolve.4

D. Care for your connection with the Lord between sessions: Once you get started with the
Immanuel approach, you can increase the strength and quality of your interactive connection
with the Lord during sessions by caring for this connection in between sessions.

The first piece of caring for your connection with the Lord in between sessions is to take
responsibility for getting your relational circuits back on whenever you notice that they are off.
As already discussed in the chapter on appreciation, having your relational circuits on line
prepares your brain to connect with God. The more your relational circuits are on line and
strongly active, the more easily you will be able to connect with the Lord and the stronger your
connection will be. So when you notice that your relational circuits are off, get them back on by
employing one or more of the following interventions: receiving attunement, calming exercises,
deliberate appreciation, and strategic humor.5 Practice these skills and build these behaviors
into your every-day life as habits.

Another piece of caring for your connection with the Lord in between sessions is to deliberately
point your relational circuits towards the Lord. For example, deliberately think about God –
remember that he is with you throughout each day, and think about what that means.
Deliberately remember past positive experiences with God, deliberately stir up gratitude
towards God, deliberately thank God for the things you appreciate, and deliberately send “I’m
glad to be with you” messages to the Lord. Practice these skills and build these behaviors into
your every-day life as habits.

2
Chapters fifteen and sixteen in Outsmarting Yourself present a number of additional checklist
questions that are not listed here, and also provide explanations and examples to clarify each of the
complete list of questions.
3
An alternative is to set you smart phone to remind you every one to two hours, and then pull out the
card and go over the questions whenever the reminder chime goes off.
4
Chapters twelve and fifteen in Outsmarting Yourself provide a careful explanation of why noticing
your relational circuits going off line is the best resource for becoming more consciously aware of when
traumatic memories are getting stirred up.
5
As you will remember, deliberate appreciation has already been thoroughly discussed in chapter six,
and Chapters seventeen through twenty-three in Outsmarting Yourself provide detailed, practical
discussions of the remaining three interventions.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 37: Homework to Prepare... (New 5/19/2015) Page 3 of 7

Another piece of caring for your connection with the Lord in between sessions is to have
regular times of deliberately establishing interactive connection with the Lord. Once you get
started with the Immanuel approach, and become familiar and comfortable with the first steps
for establishing an interactive connection with the Lord, you can practice these steps for
establishing an interactive connection with the Lord in between sessions. Find a quiet space,
take at least ten to fifteen minutes, go through the Immanuel approach steps for establishing an
interactive connection, and then spend a few minutes just enjoying the Lord’s tangible, living,
loving, interactive, personal presence.6 Practice these skills and build these behaviors into your
every-day life as habits.

Yet another piece of caring for your connection with the Lord in between sessions is to learn to
be more consciously aware of spontaneous times of interactive connection with God. And
when you notice these times of spontaneous connection, make more space for them.

As you practice the skills and build the habits of keeping your relational circuits on, pointing
your relational circuits towards the Lord, and having regular times of establishing interactive
connections (and as you also work during sessions to steadily eliminate more blockages), little
moments of pointing your relational circuits towards the Lord will eventually begin to produce
spontaneous perceptions of his presence and spontaneous moments of interactive connection.7
When this begins to happen, practice the skill and build the habit of watching for and noticing
these moments of spontaneous connection – practice the skill and build the habit of being more
mindful of these spontaneous interactive connections with the Lord.

And, as just mentioned above, when you notice these times of spontaneous connection make
more space for them. For example, if you are walking, washing the dishes, or some other task
that requires only a very small portion of your attention bandwidth, lean into the spontaneous
interactive connection with God by focusing the remainder of your attention on it, appreciating
it, and participating in as much interaction as possible. And if you are doing something that
takes a lot more of your attention, like reading a book or preparing a presentation, take a
moment or two to focus more attention on the spontaneous connection, acknowledge it, and
appreciate it more deliberately, and then try to enjoy the Lord’s presence in the background as
you continue with your initial task.

This last piece – becoming aware of a spontaneous connection even while I am engaged in
something that is already taking a lot of my attention – is actually a new one in my own
experience. It just started happening in maybe the last six to eight months, and I’m still trying
to get words for it. The best I have so far is that it’s like Charlotte and I sitting in our

6
As just mentioned in chapter thirty-seven, the interactive journaling exercises described in Joyful
Journey can be very helpful when using these first several steps in the Immanuel approach process on
your own. E. James Wilder, Anna Kang, John Loppnow, and Sungshim Loppnow, Joyful Journey:
Listening to Immanuel (East Peoria, IL: Shepherd’s House Inc, 2015).
7
These moments of spontaneous perception and connection (usually associated with brief times
throughout the average day of pointing your relational circuits towards the Lord) will usually be more
subtle and brief than when you take time to carefully go through the Immanuel approach steps for
establishing an interactive connection, but these moments of spontaneous connection will still contribute
to the growing strength and quality of your interactive connections, both in sessions and between
sessions.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 37: Homework to Prepare... (New 5/19/2015) Page 4 of 7

livingroom together, each of us focused primarily on whatever it is that we’re reading, but still
also aware of each other’s presence. I’m not actively engaging with her, but I am aware of her
presence and there is a very subtle interactive connection. For example, if Charlotte looks up at
me I notice the movement in my peripheral vision and then look up at her. Or if Charlotte
chuckles, I say, “What? What was so funny? Let me in on the fun.” (and it’s nice).

And again, practice these skills and build these behaviors into your every-day life as habits.

E. Build your faith: As described in chapter twenty-one, increased faith will help you to both
facilitate more effectively and to cooperate more effectively with the process when you are
receiving. So if you want to increase your ability to cooperate with the process by increasing
your faith, invest in the concrete, practical interventions that have already been described in
chapter twenty-one.

F. Build your capacity: As described in chapter three, in order to resolve a traumatic memory
you need to be able to connect with the painful emotions in the memory, and you need to be
able to stay connected with these unpleasant emotions long enough to work through them.
Jesus will be with you and Jesus will help you, and this will make the work easier and faster
and less painful, but you still need to be able to stay connected to the unpleasant emotions long
enough to work through the unfinished processing tasks. As also discussed in chapter three,
staying connected to unpleasant emotions requires a lot of brain-mind-spirit capacity.
Therefore, increasing your capacity will always enhance your ability to cooperate with the
emotional healing component of the Immanuel approach.

This is not the place for a thorough discussion of how to build your capacity, but here are a few
quick thoughts:

• Build relationship support: Genuine connection with people who are glad to be with you and
can attune to you will increase your capacity, so anything that will increase this kind of
genuine relationship connection will help to build your capacity. Participating in a Restarting
or Forming group is an especially good option because one of the explicit goals of these
groups is to build genuine, joyful, attuning relationships.8

• Care for your connection with the Lord: As described in chapter three, to the extent you are
connected to the Lord you can share his capacity – like the child who can go down into the
dark basement as long as she is holding her father’s hand. So anything you do to increase the
quality and strength of your connection with the Lord will increase the capacity available for
your Immanuel approach work. (Hopefully you are noticing that there is a lot of interaction
between the different things you can do to prepare for Immanuel approach work. For
example, strengthening your connection to the Lord is inherently valuable for Immanuel

8
Restarting developed by Edward Khouri and E. James Wilder, and Forming developed by David
Tackle, Edward Khouri, and E. James Wilder are two components of the Thriving: Recover Your Life
program developed by Edward Khouri and E. James Wilder. Both Restarting and Forming include the
building of genuine, joyful, attuning relationships as a central part of both the teaching material and the
practical exercises. You can get the training material, gather your own small group, and then go through
the teaching and exercises together, or you can contact the people at www.thrivingrecovery.org to find
out if there are already Restarting and Forming groups in your area. Edward M. Khouri and E. James
Wilder, Restarting (Pasadena, CA: Shepherd’s House Inc., 2007), and David Tackle, Edward M. Khouri,
and E. James Wilder, Forming (Pasadena, CA: Shepherd’s House Inc., 2012).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 37: Homework to Prepare... (New 5/19/2015) Page 5 of 7

approach work, and it also enhances your capacity.)

• Increase your faith: Increasing your faith will also increase your capacity, so anything you do
to build your faith will also build your capacity. (Again, notice the double-blessing
interactions. Building your faith is inherently valuable for Immanuel approach work, and it
also enhances your capacity.)

• Care for your physical body: The health and strength of your physical body affects the health
and strength of you biological brain, and the health and strength of your brain affects your
brain-mind-spirit capacity. So caring for simple physical considerations, such as engaging in
regular exercise, getting enough rest, and eating a balanced, nutritious diet will enhance your
capacity. The value of caring for your physical body is especially easy to see if you think
about the opposite scenario – if you come to a session exhausted and starving, you will have
more difficulty with challenging emotional healing work.

• Practice staying with unpleasant thoughts and emotions:9 The capacity to stay with unpleasant
thoughts and emotions is a strength that you can build with deliberate practice, just as you
can build the strength of a muscle with regular exercise. So the next time you notice negative
thoughts and realize that you are feeling anxious, or sad, or discouraged, or embarrassed, you
can build your capacity by taking a few minutes to practice staying with your unpleasant
thoughts and emotions. That is, before immediately going to your usual coping tools, you can
choose to build your capacity by “exercising.” You can say to yourself, “I’m going to exercise
to build my capacity strength,” and then deliberately wait, even one or two minutes, before
engaging in whatever it is that you usually do to make the negative thoughts and feelings go
away. For just the brief time of your deliberate exercise, choose to keep your focus on the
negative thoughts and allow yourself to feel the negative emotions. And then as soon as the
allotted time is up, do whatever it is that you do to escape unpleasant thoughts and emotions
– do your relaxation exercises, or read comforting scripture, or listen to music, or check in
with all of your friends on facebook, or go for a walk, or get busy with a project around the
house, etc.

Another piece of good news is that your capacity will steadily increase as you resolve trauma
and eliminate lies as part of the Immanuel approach emotional healing process.

For additional discussion of brain-mind-spirit capacity, see Immanuel, Emotional Healing, &
Capacity: Part I, and Immanuel, Emotional Healing, & Capacity: Part II. (These presentations
are available as teaching DVDs from the “Store” page of www.immanuelapproach.com, and
also as free download essays from www.kclehman.com.)

9
NOTE: this intervention is for people who are functioning well in their day-to-day lives, but who
are having difficulty with their emotional healing work because they can’t stay with unpleasant thoughts
and emotions long enough to process them. This is NOT for people who are having trouble with being
flooded and overwhelmed with negative thoughts and emotions. If you are having trouble with being
flooded and overwhelmed with negative thoughts and emotions, I would strongly recommend that you do
this kind of capacity building work only in the context of Immanuel approach sessions, so that both the
facilitator and Jesus can guide you, encourage you, help you, and protect you as you practice staying with
your negative thoughts and emotions.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 37: Homework to Prepare... (New 5/19/2015) Page 6 of 7

G. Progressively dismantle avoidance, “self-medication,” and other hindering defenses:10

Nobody likes negative thoughts and unpleasant emotions, and most of us have developed a rich
and creative toolbox of avoidance techniques, self-medication options, and other defenses that
help us spend as little time as possible being consciously aware of negative thoughts and/or
actually feeling unpleasant emotions. For example, as soon as we become aware of negative
thoughts or unpleasant emotions, we watch movies, play video games, or engage in compulsive
social media as ways of distracting ourselves away from the pain. Or as soon as we become
aware of negative thoughts or unpleasant emotions, we immediately engage in an intense work-
related activity as a more legitimate, socially acceptable way of distracting ourselves away from
the pain. Or as soon as we become aware of negative thoughts or unpleasant emotions, we self-
medicate with ice cream, chocolate, pornography, alcohol, or shopping as ways to cover over
the pain.

However, as has already been mentioned, in order to find and resolve traumatic memories we
need to be able to stay with painful thoughts and unpleasant emotions. So another way you can
prepare to cooperate more effectively with the emotional healing component of the Immanuel
approach is to deliberately, progressively surrender and dismantle these avoidance techniques,
self-medication behaviors, and other defenses that enable you to avoid staying with painful
thoughts and unpleasant emotions.

One practical note is that most people will want to do this gradually. We want to gradually
become more and more able to stay with our negative thoughts, feel our negative emotions, and
then find and resolve the underlying traumatic memories. We do not want to suddenly force
ourselves into decompensation, so that we have trouble sleeping, yell at our kids, drive
recklessly, and are unable to function at work. So when you first begin to surrender and
dismantle these hindrances, start with gentle initial steps.

For example, when you notice painful thoughts and unpleasant emotions, invite Jesus to be
with you, ask him to help you perceive his presence, ask him for guidance regarding the true
source and origin of your pain, and then notice whatever comes into your awareness as you
wait for two, or five, or maybe ten minutes before engaging in your usual coping strategy. And
then, as you continue to find and resolve the underlying trauma, as you continue to strengthen
your connection with the Lord, as you continue to build your faith, and as you continue to
increase your capacity, you can continue to progressively surrender and dismantle the coping
strategies that hinder your emotional healing work.

Another piece of good news is that you will have less and less need for these avoidance
techniques, self-medication behaviors, and other defenses as you strengthen your connection

10
NOTE: These interventions are for people who are functioning well in their day-to-day lives, but
who are having difficulty with their emotional healing work because they can’t find the underlying
traumatic memories that are fueling their triggered reactions, and/or they can’t connect with the negative
thoughts and emotions associated with their traumatic memories, and/or they can’t stay connected with
the negative thoughts and emotions. These interventions for dismantling defenses are NOT for people
who are having trouble with being flooded and overwhelmed with negative thoughts and emotions. If you
are having trouble with being flooded and overwhelmed with negative thoughts and emotions, I would
strongly recommend that you do this kind of work to dismantle your defenses only in the context of
Immanuel approach sessions, so that both the facilitator and Jesus can help guide the process, and so that
they can also encourage you, help you, and protect you as you engage in this challenging and important
work.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 37: Homework to Prepare... (New 5/19/2015) Page 7 of 7

with the Lord and as you identify and resolve more and more of your traumatic memories. So
as you strengthen your connection and get more healing it will be easier to surrender and
dismantle these blockages, and as you surrender and dismantle more of these blockages it will
be easier to get to the next level of memories that need to be resolved.

H. Mindfulness and body awareness exercises: If you are persistently disconnected from
emotions (for example, if you have dismissive attachment), it can be helpful to spend regular
time between sessions practicing mindfulness and body awareness exercises. See, for example,
the eleven different exercises described on pages 89-92, 95, 96, 97, 112, 113, 114, 115 & 116,
134-136, 207, and 214 in Daniel Siegel’s Mindsight.11 These exercises will help you to be
more consciously aware of your emotions, and they will also help you to increasingly feel your
emotions.

Finally, after describing all of these homework preparations that enhance your ability to
cooperate with the Immanuel approach process, I want to acknowledge that many people don’t
seem to need any of this. Many people come to an Immanuel approach training event as their first
contact with the process, and then get good results in the context of group exercises after only
brief explanations. So you may not need all (or any) of this preparatory homework. However, this
preparatory work is a good investment if you want to maximize your chances of good results.
Also, these ideas for homework between sessions will be a wise investment if you are receiving
ongoing Immanuel approach work and you want to increase your ability to cooperate with the
process during sessions.

11
Daniel Siegel, Mindsight (New York: Bantam Books, 2011).

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 38: Rich, CPR, and the Immanuel Fireman
(©Copyright 2015 K. D. Lehman MD, new 3/25/2015)
DRAFT

Possible alternative titles: “Rich, CPR, and Immanuel,” “Rich, CPR, and Jesus-the-Fireman,”

It was April of 2014, and Rich and his wife, Kelley, had driven up to Portland for the day to get
some more Immanuel approach training from their friends, Diane and Sharon. They had gathered
with about ten others, and after a block of teaching in the afternoon and some fun fellowship over
dinner, Sharon asked for a volunteer for the live demonstration that she wanted to provide as the
last part of the training. Rich thought to himself, “Hey, this is just a free Immanuel session!” So
he quickly put his hand up and took the spot.

Rich had already had maybe four or five Immanuel sessions, so he was familiar with the process
and not at all anxious since it usually went pretty smoothly and easily for him. And the first steps
of the process seemed to proceed in the usual smooth and easy manner. Sharon said a brief
opening prayer, he went to a memory of a recent positive experience with the Lord, he focused
on the aspects of the experience for which he was especially grateful and deliberately stirred up
appreciation, he welcomed Jesus to be with him in the memory as a living presence, he asked for
help to perceive Jesus and establish an interactive connection, he quickly sensed the Lord as a
living, interactive presence in the memory, and when Sharon asked, “Can you see Jesus here in
the room with you?” he immediately had a clear mental picture. “He’s right over here, leaning
against the wall, chewing on a piece of grass with his hands in his pockets. He has a thick black
beard, blue eyes, and tan skin. And he’s wearing wrangler jeans, a cowboy shirt, and a ball cap.”

But when Sharon and Rich asked, “So, Jesus, what do You want to do today?” Rich was
suddenly in the middle of the memory for the worst experience of his life – he was at the airport
in Portland Oregon, the year was 1996, and he was doing CPR on one of his friends.

Rich had been a construction worker. And not just any construction worker – he had been an
ironworker – one of those guys that put up the steel girder skeletons for skyscrapers. (You know,
those crazy guys you see in movies, walking around on the big steel beams forty stories above the
street, with no safety net or safety harness.) By 1996 he had been doing this for twenty years, and
he was working on a team that was putting up a parking garage at the Portland airport. Some of
the men were putting in anchoring bolts and rigging stabilizing cables for the girder frame that
had just been put up, when something went terribly wrong and the part of the structure that had
not yet been fully anchored and stabilized collapsed.

Rich was maybe a hundred feet away when the structure collapsed, and he watched in horror as
three of the men on his crew fell fifty feet to the concrete deck below. He raced to the scene of
the accident, and being the first one to reach the bodies he immediately started CPR on Chris,
who was closest. As soon as another crew member came running up, Rich quickly instructed him
to take over CPR for Chris and then moved to start CPR on Don. And as soon as yet another man
came running up, Rich instructed him to take over CPR for Don and then moved on to start CPR
on Nick, who was a personal friend and a fellow believer.

The Portland airport has their own fire department, so firemen EMTs were on the scene in
minutes. Maybe fifteen to twenty minutes after he first started CPR on Chris, three firemen were
standing beside Rich and asking him to stop. “The leader of the fireman EMTs said, ‘You need

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 38: Rich, CPR, and the Immanuel... (New 3/18/15) Page 2 of 3

to stop now. You’ve done all you can. Let us take over now.” But this was the worst part of this
worst experience of Rich’s life, because this was the moment at which it really sunk in that the
three men on his crew, including his friend Nick, were dead. “When he said, ‘Let us take over
now,’ but then they didn’t resume CPR when we stopped, stood up, and stepped back, I knew
that Nick and the other two guys were all dead.”

This was where Rich ended up immediately after he and Sharon asked, “So, Jesus, what do you
want to do today?” He was doing CPR on his friend, Nick, and the leader of the fireman EMT’s
was telling him that he needed to stop.

However, this time when he looked up at the leader of the fireman EMTs he realized that he was
now looking at Jesus. “It was the same guy – the same Jesus that had been leaning against the
wall and dressed up as a cowboy, but now he was wearing a full set of fireman’s gear – the pants,
the coat, the boots, the hat. He was very masculine, very strong, and he was telling me, man to
man, ‘You need to stop now. You’ve done everything you can. It’s okay – I’ll take over from
here.’” As he was describing this new, Immanuel version of the previously traumatic experience,
Rich also commented, “He had the kindest eyes, and he was right there inside of one of the
hardest moments of my life. . . . It was very powerful to realize that Jesus was right there when I
was trying to save my friends life.”

Furthermore, as Rich and I were discussing the Immanuel version of this previously traumatic
memory, we were able to clarify another beautiful aspect of his encounter with Jesus. When the
firemen said, “Let us take over now,” there was nothing they could do except make the official
determination of death, put the bodies in bags, and take them to the morgue. They were just
trying to spare Rich and his colleagues the additional trauma of continuing prolonged CPR on
men who were now dead. But when Jesus said, “I’ll take over from here,” there was actually
something he could do.

Jesus wasn’t feeling like he had failed. Jesus wasn’t feeling helpless in the face of death. Jesus
wasn’t going to trudge home, feeling depressed, and then tell his friends that he had had a really,
really bad day. When Jesus said, “I’ll take over from here,” Rich somehow knew that he was also
saying, “Hey, I can handle this. Taking care of people who have just died is what I do – this is
routine for me. It’s okay – Nick is with me now. I’ll take it from here.” And at the end of this
little interaction with Jesus-the-fireman, Rich realized, to his amazement, that “the most tragic
moment I have ever had to deal with” was now completely free of pain.

After the trauma in 1996, Rich had developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He had
become angry, resentful, depressed, and irritable. “It took a toll on my marriage and family,
because I was so short and abrupt.” And whereas he had always enjoyed his work prior to this
tragedy, after the accident it was just a job to pay the bills. The good news is that he got help. He
worked with a therapist for a while, he received healing from a number of different Christian
emotional healing ministries over the years, and most of his PTSD resolved. But the bad news
was that he still had trouble with anger, and he still experienced the point at which he stopped
CPR and acknowledged that Nick was dead to be the most painful moment of his life.

More good news is that these lingering splinters have now also been resolved. When I spoke with
Rich in March of 2015, he reported that ever since the Immanuel session almost a year earlier,
whenever he thinks about this experience he always, immediately, perceives Jesus-the-fireman to
be with him in the memory. He has noticed a decrease in his anger, and the moment of stopping
CPR – previously the most tragic moment he had ever been through – continues to be completely
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 38: Rich, CPR, and the Immanuel... (New 3/18/15) Page 3 of 3

free of pain.

Furthermore, Rich and I took a few minutes during one of our follow-up phone calls to put a little
Immanuel icing on the cake. I coached Rich to focus on the living, interactive presence of Jesus
that he could easily perceive to be with him in the memory, and when we asked, “Lord, is there
anything you have for Rich today?,” he immediately sensed a response: “As soon as you started
praying, what I heard from Jesus is that he’s okay with who I was, and that I brought him into
hard, tough, ironworker situations that otherwise would have been without his presence.” And
then Rich finished with, “I was not nice or polite – I was a really rough, tough guy – and I always
struggled with that as a Christian. It means a lot to me to know that Jesus is okay with who I was,
and that he’s pleased with how I brought him into those situations.”

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

 The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional Healing and to Life)
Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions
(©Copyright 2013 K.D. Lehman MD, new 5/25/2015)

**If more pages are fine for two volumes, then include more text here. If trying to conserve
pages, then shorter notes here with reference to more thorough text on website**

Frequently asked questions addressed in this chapter:

Is the Immanuel approach consistent with/supported by scripture?
How/where can I get training regarding the Immanuel approach?
How/where can I find someone to facilitate Immanuel approach sessions for me?
Can I use the Immanuel approach by myself?
What is the Immanuel lifestyle?
What “homework” can I do to prepare for Immanuel approach work?
How long does it take to get healed?
Can the Immanuel approach be used with children?
Can the Immanuel approach be used with non-Christians?
Is the Immanuel approach effective for attachment trauma?
How do you include the Immanuel approach in the care of people with clinical mental illnesses?
In the care of people taking psychiatric medications?
What about physical touch?
Isn’t the Immanuel approach really just the same as other approaches to emotional healing, such
as Theophostic or Sozo?
Is there empirical research verifying the effectiveness of the Immanuel approach?
As a mental health professional, can I bill insurance for Immanuel approach sessions?
Should I obtain informed consent from my clients before using the Immanuel approach?
Are Dr. Lehman and/or Pastor Charlotte available for individual Immanuel sessions?
Additional thoughts for those who are dealing with especially difficult situations

Additional questions addressed on the FAQ page of the Immanuel approach website:
Do you ever see physical healing with the Immanuel approach?
Is there material regarding the Immanuel approach that has been translated into other
languages?
Is it legal for lay people to charge for facilitating Immanuel approach sessions?
How do lay people providing Immanuel approach sessions identify themselves?
What kind of fees do lay ministers charge?
Is Dr. Lehman available for office, phone, or e-mail consultations?
Probably others: Additional FAQs have probably been posted since this book was published.

Is the Immanuel Approach Consistent with/Supported by Scripture?: As the Immanuel

approach has become more widely known, people have appropriately raised the question, “Is it
Biblical?” Our perception is that the Immanuel approach, for emotional healing and for life, is
clearly consistent with and strongly supported by the Christian scriptures. For a much more
thorough discussion of this question, see chapter thirty-five, “Is the Immanuel Approach
Biblical?”

How/where can I get training regarding the Immanuel approach? It probably won’t surprise
anybody to hear that an increasing number of people have been contacting us with questions along

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 2 of 16

the lines of: “I would like to use the Immanuel approach to emotional healing in my _______
(psychotherapy practice, ministry, church, small group, family, marriage, etc.). How/where do I
get training that will enable me to do this?” As mentioned earlier, at this time we do not have any
kind of training institute, we do not offer internships/apprenticeships, and we are not providing
any regular schedule of seminars designed to train people to use the Immanuel approach. (We do,
occasionally, provide training events related to the Immanuel approach, and all relevant
information regarding these seminars will be posted on the “Events” page of the Immanuel
approach website, www.immanuelapproach.com.) In the absence of these kinds of Immanuel
approach training packages, Appendix C offers a summary of the resources that are currently
available, and then describes how to use these resources in putting together a do-it-yourself
Immanuel approach training program.

Also, information regarding other trainers will be increasingly available through the Immanuel
approach network directory (accessed from the “Referrals” page of this same website) as self-
identified trainers post profiles.

How/where can I find someone to facilitate Immanuel approach sessions for me? It probably
won’t surprise anyone to hear that we also receive many, many requests for assistance in finding a
therapist/emotional healing minister who can facilitate Immanuel approach emotional healing. We
are working hard to train Immanuel approach facilitators, and to get these people to post profiles
on the network directory, but the small number of facilitators we are aware of are profoundly
unable to provide sessions for the large number of people who want them. At least for now, many
people will need to find or recruit their own Immanuel approach facilitators. See Appendix D,
“Finding/Recruiting Your Own Immanuel Approach Facilitator” for our thoughts regarding how
one might pursue doing so.

Can I use the Immanuel approach by myself? The very short answer is “Yes,” but there are a
number of important concerns that you should be aware of. See chapter thirty-seven for a careful
discussion of this important question.

What is the Immanuel lifestyle? Through the chapters of this book, I have talked about
recalling past positive experiences and deliberately stirring up appreciation as a way to get our
relational circuits online and warmed up. I have talked about how getting our relational circuits
online and warmed up prepares us to connect with God. I have talked about how reconnecting
with memories for specific past positive experiences with God provides an especially good
starting point for establishing a fresh, current interactive connection with the Lord. I have talked
about how Jesus – Immanuel – “God with Us” – is always with us and wanting to connect with
us. I have talked about how we should always be able to connect with Jesus’ living presence, as
long as any hindrances have been identified and resolved. I have talked about how traumatic
memories are an especially important source of hindrances. And I have talked about how we can
deliberately, systematically build faith that will help us establish good, interactive connections with
the Lord.

When we build these principles and tools into our day-to-day lives as habits, we get what I call
the Immanuel approach to life, or the Immanuel lifestyle. In my journey with this Immanuel
approach to life, or Immanuel lifestyle, building these principles and tools into my day-to-day life
has translated into the following practical, behavioral habits:

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 3 of 16

• Learning to be more consciously aware of my relational circuits, taking responsibility for getting
them back on when I notice that they are off, and deliberately pointing them towards the Lord.

• Regular times of deliberately establishing interactive connection with the Lord, and also learning
to be more consciously aware of spontaneous connection.

• Regular, ongoing troubleshooting to remove hindrances.

• Regular, ongoing work to resolve trauma, as an especially important source of hindrances. And,

• Deliberately accumulating faith-building experiences and stories.

Note: There are others in the wider Immanuel approach community who talk about the Immanuel
lifestyle. Every version of the Immanuel lifestyle I have seen described includes the most central
core of regular times of deliberately establishing interactive connection with the Lord, and also
learning to be more consciously aware of spontaneous interactive connections. My version of the
Immanuel lifestyle (or the Immanuel approach to life) is the doctor-Lehman-obsessively-
thorough-“take no prisoners” version.

For a much more detailed discussion of my thorough version of the Immanuel lifestyle, see “The
Immanuel Lifestyle and Sustaining Joy for a Lifetime,” available as a free download from the
“Special Subjects” section of the “Resources” page of www.immanuelapproach.com.

How long does it take to get healed? The short answer is that this can be tremendously variable
between different people with different healing agenda. A person with a phobia of driving that is
linked to the traumatic memory for a single, recent car accident might resolve this single traumatic
memory (and the associated phobia) in a single session. In contrast, a different person might come
in with longstanding fears and dysfunctional reactions that are deeply anchored in thousands of
traumatic memories that are spread out through her entire childhood. And these traumatic
memories will probably be heavily guarded by long-practiced defenses. Furthermore, this person
might have a much lower capacity. In this second scenario, the recipient might need to have
regular Immanuel sessions for years – in order to build her capacity, to dismantle the blocking
defenses, and to steadily shovel away at the huge pile of trauma.

Another part of the short answer is that we all have a lot more medium sized and minor trauma
than we realize. When minor trauma is included in the consideration, I have never yet met a
person that I perceived to have zero remaining trauma. If our goal is to fully resolve all of the
medium sized and minor trauma, then we should embrace Immanuel approach emotional healing
as a lifestyle that we expect to continue as long as we live.

For a more thorough discussion of this question, see the essay, “How Long Will it Take for Me to
Be Healed?” on the “Resources” page of www.immanuelapproach.com.

What homework can I do to prepare for Immanuel approach work?: People often ask about
any preparation they can do to get ready for their first Immanuel approach session, and they also
often ask about any “homework” they can do between sessions to increase their ability to
cooperate fully with the process during sessions. See chapter thirty-eight for discussion of these
excellent questions.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 4 of 16

Can the Immanuel approach be used with children? One of the exciting things about the
Immanuel approach is that it provides an especially gentle, safe, and effective tool for doing
emotional healing work with children, and we are getting a steady stream of stories from many
different people who are getting good results. As described in chapter two, widows in Colombia
have been using the Immanuel approach to facilitate healing for psychological trauma in their
children, the people that Dr. Wilder trained in Asia have been using the Immanuel approach to
facilitate emotional healing for traumatized children, the Calhouns used the Immanuel approach to
facilitate emotional healing for thirteen-year-old Sarah, and Sarah used the Immanuel approach to
facilitate emotional healing for twelve-year-old Claire. As described in chapter five, the Immanuel
approach enabled three-year-old Zevian to resolve intense, persistent fears about monsters in his
closet. As described in chapter nine, a friend of ours was able to use the Immanuel approach to
release healing for his granddaughter, Emme. And as described in chapter twenty-seven, a team
we trained saw beautifully positive results when using the Immanuel approach in ministering to
children who had been rescued from human trafficking.

Furthermore, we are now also getting stories from parents who are incorporating the Immanuel
approach into day-to-day family life, such as the story about Ian bringing Immanuel into the mix
when his four-year-old daughter was having a juice emergency melt down.1

As of April 2015, the summary from all the information we have gathered is that the Immanuel
approach for emotional healing is particularly safe and effective when working with children to
resolve psychological trauma. Special safety and effectiveness for emotional healing work makes
sense, since helping the child establish an interactive connection with the Lord at the beginning of
the session, coaching her to focus on Jesus and keep going back to Jesus throughout the session,
and having the initial positive connection as a safe place she can go back to if she gets stuck
would all be expected to contribute to making the Immanuel approach especially gentle and safe.
For all of these reasons, we strongly encourage using the Immanuel approach when doing
emotional healing work with children. We especially encourage using the Immanuel approach,
with generous initial time “just” being with Jesus, if the child has had negative experiences with
any other emotional healing tools.

As of April 2015, the information we have gathered also indicates that even children as young as
two to three years old can embrace the Immanuel approach to life, and when they do this it
provides an ideal foundation for routine parent-child interactions (and every other aspect of day-
to-day life).

We are hoping to eventually present a much more thorough discussion of using the Immanuel
approach with children. In the mean time, see the essay, “The Immanuel Approach with Children”
(available as a free download from the “Special Subjects” section of the “Resources” page of
www.immanuelapproach.com) for what we have available at this time.

Can the Immanuel approach be used with non-Christians? This may surprise some readers,
but we have seen consistently positive results when using the Immanuel approach with any non-

1
See chapter two, pages **fill in**, for the details of this fun story.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 5 of 16

Christians who are willing to try it. In fact, willingness to try it seems to be the only pre-requisite.2
When discussing the option of using the Immanuel approach with someone who is not yet a
Christian, I explain what would be involved and then offer an invitation along the lines of, “You
don’t have to agree with me, and you don’t have to believe this stuff, but would you be willing to
try it? Would you be willing to let me pray in this way, let Jesus be with you (if He actually
exists), and then simply describe whatever happens?” Initially I didn’t know what to expect, but I
decided to go ahead and try it and I’ve been thrilled with the results. In my personal experience,
almost every non-Christian who has been willing to “just go ahead and try it” has eventually3 been
able to perceive the Lord’s presence and experience some kind of positive interaction with him.

And many others have had similar experiences. For example, when a ministry team we trained
went to India to work with girls who had been rescued from human trafficking, all of the girls in
the safe house they visited decided to try the Immanuel approach. And even though a number of
them were Muslims and Hindus, ever single one of the girls experienced profoundly positive
interactions with Jesus. (See chapter twenty-seven for a much more detailed version of this story.)

We also have a number of stories in which people were willing to try the Immanuel approach,
even though they were not yet Christians, and then decided to give their lives to the Lord after
having powerful, beautiful encounters with Jesus in the context of the emotional healing session.
Dr. Wilder’s Immanuel approach training seminar in Asia, described earlier,4 provides a good
example. As you may remember, two of the people attending the seminar started the week as non-
Christians. However, even though they were not Christians they were still willing to try the
exercises; and by the end of the week both of them had experienced the Lord’s living, personal,
Immanuel presence, received healing from him, and decided to follow him.

Our May 2009 seminar in Panama provides another example.5 As you may remember, a non-
Christian mental health professional found one of the flyers for the seminar and decided to attend.
However, even though he was not a Christian he was still willing to participate in the Immanuel
approach group exercise that we included at the end of the seminar; and he was astonished by the
results—he experienced God as a loving father for the first time in his life, he went to several
traumatic memories and received profound healing in each of them, and then he ended the
exercise by deciding to follow the Lord.

Rhonda and Danny Calhoun’s experience with Sarah and Claire provides a third example.6 As you
may remember, when her non-Christian friend asked her for help, Sarah suggested they try
Immanuel prayer. However, even though she was not a Christian she was still willing to try it; and

2
Note that “willingness to try it” does not mean going through the motions externally, with no
agreement or cooperation internally.
3
An initial block of trouble-shooting has been necessary in many of these sessions, before the person
was able to perceive Jesus’ presence, and then more trouble shooting has sometimes been necessary before
the person was able to have positive interactions with him.
4
See chapter two, pages **fill in**.
5
Also described earlier, see chapter two, pages **fill in**.
6
Also described earlier, see chapter two, pages **fill in**.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 6 of 16

after “close encounters of the Jesus kind,” she said yes in response to a direct invitation from the
Lord to be part of his family.

Another phenomenon that we have observed with respect to non-Christians is that many of them
have chosen to turn away from Jesus in response to traumatic experiences with
Christians/Christianity. The good news is that when we identify this history and help them resolve
it, they often embrace Jesus gladly. As I write this, I’m working with two people who are having
exactly this experience. In a recent Immanuel approach session with one of these people, he
commented spontaneously, “Everything that has felt true about God, for my whole life, . . .
[describes many details, all negative] – it’s totally different than what I’m experiencing with the
Jesus I’m encountering in these prayer sessions, . . . [describes many details, all positive].” At the
end of another recent session, he popped out with, “Wow! This is actually good news!”

Is the Immanuel approach effective for attachment trauma?: Many people have asked
whether the Immanuel approach is effective in working with attachment trauma. In short, our
perception is that the Immanuel approach is the most effective intervention we are aware of for
every form of attachment trauma we are aware of. See chapter thirty, “Rita, Attachment Trauma,
and Immanuel” for additional discussion of the Immanuel approach and attachment trauma.

How do you include the Immanuel approach in the care of people with clinical mental
illnesses? In the care of people taking psychiatric medications? These important questions are
addressed in the essays below (all available as free downloads from www.kclehman.com).

“ADD/ADHD and Emotional Healing.”

“Bipolar Disorder and the Immanuel Approach/Theophostic®-based7 Emotional Healing:

General Comments and Frequently Asked Questions.”

“Depression & the Immanuel Approach/Theophostic-based Emotional Healing: General

Comments and Frequently Asked Questions.”

“The Immanuel Approach, Theophostic®, Mental Illness, and Medication.”

“Mind And Brain: Separate but Integrated.”

“Mood, Monthly Cycle, and the Immanuel Approach/Theophostic.®”

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the Immanuel Approach: General Comments and

7
Theophostic Ministry is a trademark of Dr. Ed Smith and Alathia Ministries, Inc., of Campbellsville,
Kentucky. We use the term “Theophostic®-based” to refer to emotional healing ministries that are built
around a core of Theophostic® principles and techniques, but that are not identical to Theophostic® Prayer
Ministry as taught by Dr. Ed Smith. Our own ministry prior to 2007 would be a good example of a
“Theophostic®-based” emotional healing ministry – it was built around a core of Theophostic® principles
and techniques, but it sometimes also included material that was not a part of what we understand Dr.
Smith to define as Theophostic® Prayer Ministry (such as our material on dealing with curses, spiritual
strongholds, generational problems, and vows, our material on suicide-related phenomena, and our material
on journaling, spiritual disciplines, and medical psychiatry).
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 7 of 16

Frequently Asked Questions

“The Place of the Immanuel Approach/Theophostic-based Emotional Healing In the Treatment

of Clinical Disorders.”

“Psychosis and Psychotic Symptoms: Definitions and Diagnostic Considerations.”

“Schizophrenia and the Immanuel Approach/Theophostic-based Emotional Healing: General

Comments and Frequently Asked Questions.”

What about physical touch? We often get questions about whether or not the facilitator should
ever offer physical touch, such as a hand on the shoulder, as part of offering comfort and
encouragement in an emotional healing session. One possible approach is to simply say “No
physical touch, ever, under any circumstances.” This is certainly the safest, easiest guideline, from
a certain perspective, and it is the approach taken by some emotional healing ministries; but this
policy is also costly, since physical touch can be a valuable resource in certain situations. Our
approach has been to teach that you need to be VERY careful when including physical touch in
emotional healing work, but that it is not always, universally problematic. Hopefully the reference
points presented below will be helpful as you discern this point for your own ministry.

1.) Physical touch can be a valuable resource: Even if we don’t understand any of the underlying
psychoneurobiology,8 we are all intuitively aware of the truth that physical touch can sometimes
be a valuable resource. If your sister is crying because her dog got hit by a car, you give her a
hug. If your son comes home from the playground crying and upset, you hold him on your lap
as you offer comfort and encouragement. And if your friend is struggling through difficult issues
at work, you reach out to offer an encouraging pat on the back or a comforting hand on the
shoulder. Similarly, careful physical touch during an emotional healing session can express
comfort, communicate encouragement, enhance the sense of connection, and facilitate
attunement, and these relational phenomena can augment both the person’s capacity and the
person’s maturity skills.9

2.) Physical touch can also be very problematic: Even without formal training in mental health
care, law, or ethics, we are also all intuitively aware of the truth that physical touch can
sometimes be problematic. For example, in some situations physical touch will be triggering
and/or distracting instead of helpful. The risk of inappropriate relationships developing in the
context of emotional healing presents another concern. Emotional healing work can be a

8
There is an extensive collection of case studies and research demonstrating connections between our
physical bodies, our thoughts, and our emotions, and many of these case studies and research projects
reveal powerful connections between physical touch and psychological processing. For example, see Sacks,
Oliver. A Leg to Stand On. (Touchstone: New York, N.Y.) 1984; and Damasio, Antonio, R. Descarte’
Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. (New York, NY: Avon Books), 1994 for discussions of
the amazing connections between our physical bodies, our thoughts, and our emotions. See Schore, Allen
N., Ph.D. Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self. (Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates,
Publishers), 1994 for discussion of connections between physical touch and psychological processing.
9
In addition to these more straight-forward considerations, people with severe dissociation sometimes
find that physical touch can help them maintain anchoring in the present.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 8 of 16

powerfully intimate and bonding experience, and physical touch greatly increases the risk that
this intimacy and bonding might slide into inappropriate connection. In the worst case scenario,
the therapist/ministry facilitator initiates inappropriate touch out of his woundedness,
immaturity, and sin, and the client participates as part of reenacting dynamics from unresolved
childhood sexual abuse memories.

Therefore, if you feel led to use touch as a resource for augmenting connection and attunement
(which can then boost capacity and augment maturity skills), please be VERY careful, and
prayerfully consider the recommendations presented below. If in doubt, err on the side of
offering verbal comfort and encouragement, but avoiding physical touch.

3.) The presence of others provides protection: Including touch in emotional healing work is
much safer when others are present. The observation and accountability protections provided by
the presence of a chaperone are pretty straight-forward, and Dr. Wilder’s insights regarding
family bonding versus pair bonding provide additional reasons for why touch is much less risky
in situations where three or more people are present.10 Therefore, when lay-ministers11 feel led
to include physical touch as a resource in their emotional healing work, we STRONGLY
encourage them to work with a team and/or have each client bring a support person (such as a
spouse, friend, sibling, parent, pastor, etc).

4.) The specific relationship context is significant: The specific relationship between the
facilitator and recipient also contributes to what feels right and helpful, as opposed to
inappropriate. For example, when I facilitate Immanuel sessions for my brother, John, I often
put my hand on his shoulder as a way to express encouragement and support (especially if he is
experiencing intense emotions and crying). When I facilitate Immanuel sessions for my Mom, I
often hold her hand, again as a way to express encouragement and support. When Charlotte and
I facilitate Immanuel sessions for my sister, if she connects with intense negative emotions I
might hold Emily’s hand while Charlotte puts her hand on Emily’s shoulder. And when
Charlotte and I facilitated an Immanuel session for our young nieces a number of years ago, all
four of us were sitting together on a large couch, with Miranda leaning against Charlotte and
Madelyn leaning against me. The strong, long-standing family bonds in each of these situations
made it particularly easy for all involved to feel comfortable with physical touch as a way to
provide comfort and support.

Similarly, if I am facilitating a session for a close friend, with “family” bonds (as opposed to pair
bonds) already in place, a hand on the shoulder will usually feel safe and appropriate.
Furthermore, Charlotte and I are very deliberate about including each other in the relationship
circle whenever we have friendships with members of the opposite sex, and this especially

10
The short summary is that when you and one other person spend time together on a regular basis the
bonding circuits in your brains will tend strongly towards pair bonding, and pair bonding tends towards
increasingly sexual physical touch. In contrast, when three or more people spend time together the bonding
circuits in their brains tend towards family bonding, and family bonding tends towards non-sexual physical
affection as opposed to sexual touch (multiple personal communications with Dr. E. James Wilder, 2009).
11
Many practical logistics result in the current reality that mental health professionals often provide
therapy in the context of sessions where others are not present. Fortunately, the risks associated with
physical touch, and corresponding appropriate boundaries regarding physical touch, are extensively
addressed in mental health care training programs.
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 9 of 16

encourages family bonding as opposed to pair bonding.

5.) Ask the client regarding whether or not it is helpful: As mentioned above, touch can
sometimes be a valuable resource that augments both capacity and maturity skills, but at other
times it can be triggering and/or distracting. One of the simplest ways to address this concern is
to talk with recipients regarding touch. Explicitly name that touch can sometimes be helpful but
at other times disruptive, and ask for their perceptions and preferences – would they experience
touch in the emotional healing setting as a helpful source of encouragement, support,
connection, and capacity augmentation, or would it be distracting/detracting in any way? It is
also important to realize (and discuss with recipients) that touch can be helpful while working
with one set of memories, but disruptive while working with a different set of memories.
Therefore it is important to both periodically ask regarding whether or not the person is
experiencing touch as helpful, and also to constantly observe for non-verbal feedback.

6.) Watch for your own triggering, address the underlying issues: In our experience, the most
common reasons for a facilitator to initiate unhelpful touch are a combination of unconscious
motivation caused by his own unresolved issues and impaired judgment caused by his own
unresolved issues. For example, attachment pain coming forward as implicit memory can cause
both the desire to initiate touch and the subjective perception that it would be “right” to do so.
Another common scenario is for the facilitator to feel that touch would be helpful, important,
and “right” in a given situation, but in reality the recipient’s negative emotions are triggering his
own unresolved issues, and he is comforting her in an unconscious attempt to reduce his own
discomfort.

Therefore, we STRONGLY encourage you to watch for clues indicating that you might be
triggered,12 and then diligently work to resolve the underlying sources of any triggered content
you become aware of. We also encourage you to get in the habit of asking yourself questions
such as “Why am I touching the recipient?,” “Where is the energy/impulse towards reaching out
with touch coming from?,” “Are her negative emotions making me uncomfortable in some
way?,” “Am I reaching out with physical comfort in order to manage my own anxiety?,” and
“Am I reaching out with physical touch in order to meet my own needs in some way?”

Again, if in doubt, err on the side of offering verbal comfort and encouragement, but avoiding
physical touch.

Isn’t the Immanuel approach really just the same as other approaches to emotional healing,
such as Theophostic or Sozo?: The good news is that there are many spiritual exercises and
interventions that can help people perceive God’s presence and connect with God, and many
people all over the world have been using these various exercises/interventions for many years.
This is a good thing – it’s evidence of God’s grace to reach out to us in many different ways. And
any exercise or intervention that tries to help people perceive God’s presence and connect with
God has the same central objective as the Immanuel approach. However, it is also important to
note that every prayer, worship service, devotional exercise, or other intervention that enables a
person to experience and connect with the living presence of God is not necessarily the exact

12
For a detailed discussion of clues indicating that you might be triggered, see chapters fourteen
through sixteen and appendix D in Karl Lehman, Outsmarting Yourself second edition (Libertyville, IL:
This Joy! Books, 2014).
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 10 of 16

same thing as the Immanuel approach. The Immanuel approach is a very specific set of principles
and tools for deliberately, systematically helping people to consistently have this kind of
experience, and the Immanuel approach is particularly simple, particularly safe, particularly
effective, and particularly transferable.

There are many other exercises and interventions that do include some of the same pieces that are
included in the Immanuel approach. However (at least so far), every time someone has said, “Oh,
that’s what we’ve already been doing – we’ve been doing that for years,” they have been using an
approach that includes some of the same components as the Immanuel approach but they have not
actually been using what I consider to be the Immanuel approach. There have always been one or
more important pieces of the Immanuel approach that they have not been using. (For example, no
other technique I am aware of includes the safety net of starting with positive memories,
appreciation, and initial connection with Jesus, and then returning to this if the recipient gets in
trouble.) And/or there have always been components in their approach that we have deliberately
not included in the Immanuel approach. (For example, several other approaches include guided
imagery or having the facilitator lead the session with prophetic words of knowledge).

It is important to be aware of these differences because other ministries will miss the blessing from
the new Immanuel approach pieces if they don’t even realize that there are new pieces.

Also, leaving out some of the pieces can result in negative experiences, such as disappointment
from lack of results, or being re-traumatized by getting stuck in a traumatic memory that gets
activated but then cannot be resolved. And if facilitators leave out important components but still
(erroneously) call what they are doing the Immanuel approach, then the negative experiences that
can result from leaving out these components will be wrongly associated with the Immanuel
approach. Furthermore, there are components that we carefully do not include in the Immanuel
approach (such as guided imagery and the facilitator leading with prophetic words of knowledge)
that are associated with a variety of problems, concerns, and disadvantages. And if facilitators
include these components but still (erroneously) call what they are doing the Immanuel approach,
then the problems, concerns, and disadvantages that can come with these other components will
be wrongly associated with the Immanuel approach.

So we don’t just get problems, concerns, disadvantages, and negative results, we also get what I
call the inoculation effect. If you inoculate people with a weakened form of an infectious disease,
their immune systems will develop a resistance to the disease. And then if they encounter the real,
full strength disease at some point in the future their immune systems will quickly repel it.
Similarly, if a person or ministry team or pastor or church board has a negative experience with
one of these other techniques that was erroneously called the Immanuel approach, they will
develop a resistance to the Immanuel approach. And then if someone comes up to them at some
point in the future, and says, “Hey, I’ve just discovered a wonderful new approach to emotional
healing – it’s called the Immanuel approach!” Those who have been inoculated will have an
immediate, involuntary negative response, and will reply with something along the lines of, “No
thank you. We already know about that. We tried it and had a bad experience with it.”

Version for book FAQ: For additional discussion of the similarities and differences between the
Immanuel approach, traditional prayer for emotional healing, and Theophostic, review again the
material from chapter three. And for additional cautions regarding ministries that claim to be
offering the Immanuel approach but aren’t, see the essay, “The Immanuel Approach Referral

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 11 of 16

Network: Important Requests, Recommendations, and Cautions” on the “Referrals” page of

www.immanuelapproach.com. This essay also provides practical help regarding how to determine
whether or not a ministry (or yourself) are actually providing the Immanuel approach.

Version for website FAQ: For additional discussion of the similarities and differences between
the Immanuel approach, traditional prayer for emotional healing, and Theophostic, see the
material from chapter three of the draft version of “The Immanuel Approach (to Emotional
Healing and to Life) on the “Getting Started” page of www.immanuelapproach.com. And for
additional cautions regarding ministries that claim to be offering the Immanuel approach but
aren’t, see the essay, “The Immanuel Approach Referral Network: Important Requests,
Recommendations, and Cautions” on the “Referrals” page of www.immanuelapproach.com. This
essay also provides practical help regarding how to determine whether or not a ministry (or
yourself) are actually providing the Immanuel approach.

Is there empirical research verifying the effectiveness of the Immanuel approach?: We do

not have empirical research verifying the effectiveness of the Immanuel approach, but carefully
documented case studies provide support for the Immanuel approach, and there is also indirect
support for the effectiveness of the Immanuel approach based on similarities between the
Immanuel approach and psychotherapy modalities that do have empirical research support.

Regarding case study support, it is a very common practice, in all branches of medicine, in mental
health care, and in emotional healing ministry for care providers to use a new treatment method
on the basis of positive case studies, even though the effectiveness of the new intervention has not
yet been confirmed by empirical research. There are usually many years between the case study
description of a new treatment method and confirmation of the new method with empirical
research. In fact, empirical research, such as blinded, controlled studies, are often undertaken only
after many practitioners have begun to use a new treatment on the basis of case study reports, and
enough patients report positive results to justify embarking on more systematic research (which is
tedious, time-consuming, and very expensive). Millions of patients have been effectively treated
with interventions on the basis of positive case study results, even though the new interventions
have not yet been confirmed by empirical research.

And with the Immanuel approach, we have a growing pile of carefully documented case studies
showing dramatic, long-lasting positive results. For example, our Live Ministry Session DVDs,
such as Renae: Healing Helps Parenting, Rita #3: Jesus Is Better than Candy, Maggie #3: Labor
& Delivery Trauma, and Ian: “I’m not enough provide examples of carefully documented
Immanuel approach case studies with lasting positive results, and most of the true story examples
in this book come from carefully documented Immanuel approach case studies with long-lasting
positive results.

Regarding indirect support, the Immanuel approach shares a number of important principles and
techniques with psychotherapy interventions that do have strong empirical research support. As of
May 2015, extensive medical and psychological research shows that EMDR (Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing), exposure therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy
significantly reduce the signs and symptoms of a number of mental illnesses, including Post

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 12 of 16

Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and panic disorder.13
And my assessment is that the Immanuel approach includes many of the most important principles
and techniques from each of these other modalities.

For example, recognizing that distorted, negative cognitions can be anchored in traumatic
memories, recognizing that these distorted, negative cognitions are very disruptive, and
deliberately working to resolve these distorted negative cognitions are important principles and
objectives shared by the Immanuel approach, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, and EMDR.
And deliberately helping a person to successfully process past painful experiences that have been
carried as traumatic memories is one of the central objectives of both the Immanuel approach and
EMDR.14

These other psychotherapies have strong research support for efficacy, and the Immanuel
approach includes many of the most important principles and techniques from these
psychotherapies. The research demonstrating that these other psychotherapies are effective
therefore provides strong indirect research support for the efficacy of the Immanuel approach.

For additional discussion of the validity of case studies as supporting evidence, and also for
additional discussion of the indirect support of shared principles and techniques between the
Immanuel approach and research confirmed psychotherapies, see “The Place of the Immanuel
Approach/Theophostic-based Emotional Healing In the Treatment of Clinical Disorders.” And for
VERY detailed Immanuel approach case studies and EXTENSIVE discussion of the principles
and techniques that the Immanuel approach shares with well established psychotherapies, see the
doctoral thesis recently completed by Mark Hattendorf, Ph.D.15

As a mental health professional, Can I bill insurance for Immanuel approach sessions?: An
increasing number of mental health professionals have been asking questions along the lines of “Is
it appropriate/acceptable/legal to bill insurance for Immanuel approach sessions?”

As a psychiatrist, I bill Immanuel approach sessions as psychotherapy. And if anyone asks me to

defend this practice, I honestly describe the Immanuel approach to emotional healing as a faith-

13
See, for example, Sherman, C. “Two Modalities Rival Prolonged Exposure for PTSD.” Clinical
Psychiatry News April 2002, p. 40; Foa EB, Keane TM, Friedman MJ eds. Effective Treatments for
PTSD: Practice Guidelines from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. (New York: The
Guilford Press), 2000; Ballenger, J. “Current treatments of the anxiety disorders in adults”
Biol-Psychiatry. Dec 1, Vol. 46, No. 11 (1999), pages 1579-94. See also “The Immanuel Approach, Theo-
phostic, & EMDR: F.A.Q.’s and Common Misunderstandings” on www.kclehman.com for additional
discussion of the research regarding EMDR.
14
For additional discussion of principles and techniques that the Immanuel approach shares with
cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and EMDR, see “The Immanuel Approach, Theophostic,
and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy,” “The Immanuel Approach, Theophostic, and Exposure Therapy,” and
“The Immanuel approach, Theophostic®, & EMDR: F.A.Q.’s and Common Misunderstandings,” all
available as free downloads from www.kclehman.com.
15
Mark Elliott Hattendorf, Immanuel: Narrative Case Studies Exploring Inner Healing in Clinical
Settings (Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest LLC, 2014). **Correct form for footnote to doctoral
dissertation?**
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 13 of 16

based psychotherapy that incorporates many of the key principles and techniques from mainstream
psychotherapies, including those that are most strongly supported by empirical research (such as
cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and
Reprocessing (EMDR)). For example:

As already mentioned above, recognizing that distorted, negative cognitions can be anchored in
traumatic memories (the result of failing to successfully complete the level 5 processing task of
interpreting the meaning of the painful experience), recognizing that these distorted, negative
cognitions are very disruptive, and deliberately working to resolve these distorted negative
cognitions are important principles and objectives in both cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy
and EMDR.

Establishing a “safe place” to go back to, as a psychotherapy safety net, is a technique used in
EMDR (and in many other psychotherapy approaches that focus especially on resolving
psychological trauma).

Helping people learn to recognize when they are being impaired by intense negative emotions
(that is, helping them to recognize when their relational circuits are off), and training them to
use calming tools (such as those described in Outsmarting Yourself) to help decrease the
intensity of negative emotions when they notice that they are being impaired, is a technique used
in cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. And with the Immanuel approach, we just use these
interventions with the special focus of helping the person to get her relational circuits back on
so that she can connect with Jesus.

Deliberately helping people to connect with painful memories, and then helping them to calm in
the context of the memories using interpersonal connection (with both myself and Jesus), and
relaxation tools (such as the calming tools described in Outsmarting Yourself) is consistent with
exposure therapy (and this is also consistent with many other psychotherapy approaches that
focus especially on resolving psychological trauma).

And deliberately helping a person to successfully process past painful experiences that have
been carried as traumatic memories is one of the central objectives of EMDR (and of most other
psychotherapy approaches that focus especially on resolving psychological trauma).

For additional discussion of using the Immanuel approach in the context of a professional
psychotherapy practice, see “The Place of Immanuel/Theophostic-based Emotional Healing In the
Treatment of Clinical Disorders.” And for additional discussion of the shared principles and
techniques between the Immanuel approach and other mainstream psychotherapy approaches, see
“Cognitive Therapy and the Immanuel approach/Theophostic®-based emotional healing,” “The
Immanuel approach, Theophostic®, and EMDR: F.A.Q.’s and Common Misunderstandings,”
“Exposure Therapy and the Immanuel approach/Theophostic®-based emotional healing,”16 and
Dr. Mark Hattendorf’s doctoral thesis, Narrative Case Studies Exploring Inner Healing in
Clinical Settings.17

16
These three essays are available as free downloads from www.kclehman.com.
17
Mark Elliott Hattendorf, Immanuel: Narrative Case Studies Exploring Inner Healing in Clinical
Settings (Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest LLC, 2014). **Correct form for footnote to doctoral
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 14 of 16

Should I obtain informed consent from my clients? In light of the fact that the effectiveness
and safety of the Immanuel approach have not yet been confirmed by empirical research, mental
health professionals sometimes ask whether they should obtain informed consent from their clients
before using the Immanuel approach. I’m not a legal expert, but here is what I do in my own
practice, and also some thoughts regarding other possible situations:

• If someone already knows about the Immanuel approach and comes to me specifically asking
for it, I make sure that she has done enough preparatory reading to know what to expect, and I
ask her to read and sign a short informed consent form regarding our practice policies and
emotional healing work in general. But in these situations I don’t go through a longer informed
consent process specifically regarding the Immanuel approach. And at this point in my career,
this is pretty much the only scenario that I encounter. There are so many people asking for
Immanuel approach sessions and so few facilitators available that if people call and they are not
asking for Immanuel approach work, I simply refer them to other providers.

• If you have a client who does not already know about the Immanuel approach, and you are the
one to initiate discussion of the Immanuel approach as an options for treatment, I would
encourage you to go through the informed consent process as described in the essay referenced
below.

• If you are in an academic or professional setting in which your colleagues might be critical
and/or skeptical, and especially if your academic or professional environment might be hostile
towards a faith-based intervention, I would strongly encourage you to go through an informed
consent process, such as the one described in the essay referenced below.

• I would also encourage you to go through an informed consent process if there is any reason to
be concerned that the client might become adversarial and/or litigious. (For example, clients
with borderline personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder are more likely to turn
on you if the therapeutic process does not go well.)

For additional discussion of informed consent, and also a sample informed consent form for the
Immanuel approach, see “Informed Consent: General Comments and Sample Form for Immanuel
Approach Emotional Healing,” available as a free download from the “Resources” page of
www.immanuelapproach.com.

Are Dr. Lehman and/or Pastor Charlotte available for individual Immanuel sessions? We
get many requests for individual sessions, and we totally understand people’s desire to work with
someone with extensive experience and proven efficacy. Especially when they have a particularly
difficult, complicated situation, and especially when they have already tried working with other
ministries and/or therapists (even including others who facilitate Immanuel sessions). If I were in
this situation, I would also ask for sessions with myself or Charlotte. Unfortunately, intense time
constraints make it impossible for us to provide individual sessions. We are currently putting
together several DVD projects, updating old essays, writing new essays, preparing seminar
presentations, maintaining three web sites, and mentoring, supervising, and collaborating with
others who are providing Immanuel-approach-related ministries. In fact, the need for more time
for these training related activities is so intense that we have been downsizing our private practice,

dissertation?**
Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.
The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 15 of 16

as opposed to taking on any new client responsibilities. It saddens us to say no to so many earnest
requests, but we just can’t find a way to fit more than 24 hours into each day.

Additional thoughts for those who are dealing with especially difficult situations: We get a
steady stream of e-mails describing extremely difficult, complicated situations and asking for help
along the lines of individual sessions and/or consultation input. As just described, I’m not able to
provide individual sessions or consultation for specific, personal situations, but I would like to
offer several additional thoughts that we hope will be helpful for people dealing with especially
difficult, especially complicated situations:

A. Get your own healing, keep your relational circuits on: When you are helping with an
especially difficult, complicated situation, it is strategically important to optimize your own
discernment, capacity, and maturity skills. As discussed at length in Outsmarting Yourself,
triggering and losing access to your relational circuits will dramatically impair your discernment,
capacity, and maturity skills. And when you are helping with an especially difficult, complicated
situation you need your discernment, capacity, and maturity skills to be at peak performance.
Therefore, it is especially important to watch for triggering and loss of relational circuits at the
difficult points where you have not yet been able to discern an effective plan/facilitate some kind
of progress. Notice the strategic points at which you get triggered and/or lose access to your
relational circuits, and then work on your own stuff (find and resolve the underlying
memories/issues) and use the tools described in Outsmarting Yourself to keep your relational
circuits online.

B. Help others in the system to get healing and keep their relational circuits on: When
working with an especially difficult, complicated situation, it is strategically important to
optimize the whole support network. With respect to the wider support network, it is
tremendously helpful to have as many people as possible functioning at peak performance with
respect to discernment, capacity, and maturity skills. Therefore, try to get as many people as
possible to watch for where they get triggered and/or lose access to their relational circuits, and
then work on their own stuff and use the tools described in Outsmarting Yourself to keep their
relational circuits online.

C. Optimize connection to Jesus and let Him lead: Use the Immanuel approach whenever
possible, with the ideal being for both the facilitator and the recipient establishing an interactive
connection with the Lord. To the extent that the facilitator and recipient can receive guidance
from the Lord, He can make all of the toughest clinical judgment calls. For example, Jesus can
make the judgment calls regarding when to deliberately build capacity, when to rest, and when
to push into painful memories, Jesus can make the judgement calls regarding which memories to
work on when, and Jesus can make the judgement calls regarding which internal parts to work
with, how to navigate complex internal systems, etc.

D. Build capacity by “just” spending time with Jesus: If you are struggling with
complicated, severe, difficult problems, where the need for more capacity is part of the picture,
use the Immanuel approach to establish an interactive connection and spend time “just” being
with Jesus. This is one of the best ways we have found to build capacity. Also, work with a
facilitator who can help any internal parts that come forward get to the point where they can
perceive the Lord’s presence and allow Him to come close (or, at least close enough that they
can receive benefit). I have worked with situations in which we spent every session for months

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.

The Immanuel Approach..., Chapter 39: Frequently Asked Questions (New 5/25/2015) Page 16 of 16

just helping part after part identify and resolve blockages, so that an increasing number of
internal parts were able to perceive the Lord’s presence and allow Him to come close. And then
one day we started going to memories and the whole healing process started moving forward.
(Prior to this we had tried every other troubleshooting technique we could think of, but the
internal parts would not allow us to go to memories).

Remember the FAQ section of the Immanuel approach website: Remember that the FAQ
section of the Immanuel approach website (www.immanuelapproach.com) provides an ongoing
resource. I will continue to add additional frequently asked questions as more strategic questions
are identified and as I am able to formulate answers.

Karl D. Lehman, M.D. • www.kclehman.com • Charlotte E.T. Lehman, M.Div.