An Introduction to the Immanuel Approach for Faithful Catholics

Key Insights

- Rooted in the belief that God is ever-present and seeks to reveal Himself to us (referencing Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23).
- Incorporates prayer, gratitude, interactive journaling, and neuroscience to help process memories under God's guidance.
- Offers healing from emotional challenges like trauma, anxiety, and depression, all of which can obstruct your bond with God and others.
- Fully aligns with Catholic tenets valuing the Church, sacraments, and the saints in your faith journey.

****If you are reading this because you are interested in working with a Catholic practitioner of the Immanuel Approach, please go here to fill out a contact form, or you can read about two practitioners available through this site: Marcel Lanahan and Bernhard Streisselberger.

Do you sometimes perceive prayer as one-sided, or feel God's absence when you need Him the most? Do distressing emotions or memories impede you from truly feeling God's love and serenity?

You're not alone. Many devout, faithful Catholics grapple with these difficulties. However, there's a solution - the Immanuel Approach.

It is not a novel gimmick. The Immanuel Approach is about receptivity; it's about allowing God's presence and action in your life. It encourages seeking Jesus' visage, emotions, and insights and permitting Him to mend your afflictions, reshape your feelings, and rejuvenate your spirit.

What's different about the Immanuel approach? The insight that Jesus is the best, most competent, most prudent psychologist. The method has participants connect with Jesus at the beginning of a healing or counseling session, rather than in the middle when disturbing memories or parts of self are activated.

Marrying brain science with biblical tenets, this approach assists in accessing the unresolved emotional memory stored in the brain's right hemisphere. It then helps move these memories to the left hemisphere for logical and linguistic processing. Moreover, it activates the brain's relational circuits, fostering healthier connections with God and others.

It is Catholic-friendly. Regarding Catholic principles, the Immanuel Approach neither opposes nor supersedes Church teachings, sacraments, or the saints. Instead, it amplifies them, letting you delve deeper into the beauty and richness of the Catholic faith experientially. It helps you towards a deeper communion with God. For an engaging discussion between Dr Karl Lehman and some experienced Catholic therapists, please see the episode on the Restore the Glory podcast.

For those interested in learning, here are a series of introductory and training videos put out by Dr. Lehman. This fist video is a brief introduction.

This second video goes into an actual demonstration of Dr. Karl being guided by someone into using the Immanuel Approach.

There are other training videos available that are completely free, and there are a ton of papers, articles, and other free resources on Dr. Lehman's website.

I would argue that Dr. Lehman's Immanuel Approach is much like what Catholics call mental prayer. Both emphasize developing a personal relationship with God and seek inner healing through that connection. They involve meditation and contemplation, whether on personal experiences with Jesus or on Scripture and holy subjects. Both can include a guided process, using specific steps or spiritual direction. By integrating faith with emotional transformation, they deeply connect the spiritual and healing journeys. Ultimately, both practices aim to foster a profound encounter with God, leading to personal and spiritual growth.

Link:

Immanuel approach | God is with us