(material here is drawn from the teachings of Dr. Karl Lehman & from Pastor Patricia A. Velotta)
Immanuel Prayer is an inner healing approach designed to increase intimacy with God and to build cognitive and emotional capacity
The Purpose of the Positive Memory Approach • The Pain Processing Pathway
The Immanuel Prayer Approach is a simple yet profound way of helping people experience "God with us"—Immanuel—in a real and personal way. Unlike counseling, deliverance, or prophetic ministry, this approach is centered around a direct relational encounter with Jesus. The goal is not to analyze or fix, but to help the person connect with the living presence of Jesus and stay connected with Him while He leads the healing process.
In the Immanuel Approach, Jesus is the true Counselor, Deliverer, and Healer. The coach simply facilitates an atmosphere of safety and attentiveness, while Jesus Himself leads, reveals, heals, and transforms.
As Dr. Karl Lehman emphasizes, this process is relational before it is therapeutic. The primary goal of any session is not problem-solving, but experiencing joyful connection with Jesus—enjoying His presence, receiving His perspective, and building a secure attachment with Him. Healing, freedom, and transformation naturally flow as fruit from that living connection.
Over time, repeated encounters with Immanuel cultivate a lifestyle of awareness and relational connection with God. The recipient learns to experience Jesus both in present moments and within past memories, resulting in increasing trust, peace, and intimacy with God.
"Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits!" - Psalm 103:2 ESV | "Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me." - Psalm 103:2 NLT
1. The Process
An Immanuel session begins with a time of orientation and prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit to help both coach and recipient focus on a positive memory—a time when the recipient felt peaceful, joyful, or connected with God or others. This activates the brain’s “relational circuits” and establishes emotional safety.
Once that sense of connection is strong, and only if the recipient feels ready, Jesus may lead them to a painful or traumatic memory to bring healing. Each session typically lasts between 1 and 1 1/2 hours.
2. Jesus & the Coach
The coach’s main role is to help the recipient stay connected to Jesus. The coach does not lead, diagnose, or fix. Jesus is at the wheel—He directs the process, gives revelation, and brings healing.
As a coach:
You are a facilitator, not the fixer.
You are a connector, not the connection.
Your primary job is to gently help the recipient keep turning toward Jesus and asking Him questions like, “Jesus, what do You want me to know?”
If an impression or thought comes to you as a coach, share it humbly:
“The thought that’s coming to me is…”
Then invite the recipient to ask Jesus directly about it:
“Jesus, what do You want me to do with that?”
This keeps Jesus in charge and empowers the recipient to engage with Him directly.
3. Attunement
Attunement is the heart posture of empathic connection—being fully present, listening deeply, and mirroring care and understanding.
Following Dr. Lehman’s model, there are two levels of attunement:
Coach-to-recipient attunement – The recipient feels seen, heard, understood, and cared for.
Recipient-to-Jesus attunement – The person experiences that Jesus truly understands, cares, and delights in them.
Attunement can be expressed simply:
“I hear you saying… Did I get that right?”
“I see that this is hard. I’m glad to be here with you.”
When both forms of attunement are strong, healing flows naturally.
4. Appreciation
Positive memories of joy and gratitude activate the brain’s joy center and stabilize emotions. As Pastor Patricia Velotta often teaches, appreciation opens the door for intimacy with Jesus because it reminds our hearts who He is and what He’s done. Starting from gratitude and appreciation shifts our focus from fear and pain to connection and trust.
5. Building Secure Attachment with Jesus
At the core of Immanuel Prayer is developing secure attachment with Jesus—a deep confidence that He is always near, glad to be with us, and able to help. This mirrors healthy attachment in childhood, where security is formed through consistent, joyful connection with a caregiver.
You’ll know you’re forming secure attachment with Jesus when:
When you look for Him, you find Him.
When you find Him, He’s glad to see you.
He provides wisdom and comfort for your needs.
Even when you drift, you know you can return to Him quickly and easily.
This secure bond with Jesus transforms fear-based living into joy-based living.
6. Memory-Work
When Jesus leads the recipient into a difficult memory, He brings truth, presence, and compassion into that space. As Dr. Lehman notes, “When Jesus is present in the memory, trauma resolves and the emotional charge dissipates.”
The coach helps the recipient stay relationally connected to Jesus, encouraging gentle curiosity and prayer:
“Jesus, where are You in this memory?”
“What do You want me to know here?”
If the person feels overwhelmed or disconnected, the coach helps them return to the present, reestablishing awareness of Jesus’ nearness now, before returning to the memory.
7. Emotional & Cognitive Circuits
For healing to be complete, both thinking (cognitive) and feeling (emotional) circuits must be engaged. The coach may help the recipient pray: “Jesus, help me turn on my cognitive and emotional circuits.” This allows both understanding and emotion to integrate, leading to lasting transformation.
8. Safety Net & Containment
Establishing Jesus’ presence at the beginning of the session provides a safety net. The recipient can always step back to the present moment and reconnect with Jesus in the “here and now.” This ensures that even when processing deep pain, the person remains grounded and secure in His presence.
9. Encouragement & Partnership
Encouragement is a powerful tool. Coaches can say:
“I’m glad to be here with you.”
“You’re doing great work.”
“Jesus, thank You for what You’re doing right now.”
When unsure whether something the recipient hears is truly from Jesus, the coach can gently ask: “Jesus, is that You?” Jesus always confirms His voice with peace and clarity.
10. Who Is This Ministry For?
The Immanuel Prayer approach is for everyone—lay people, leaders, professionals, and beginners. The key qualification is willingness to let Jesus lead. He does the work; we simply help create space for Him to move.
11. The Simplicity & Reproducibility of Immanuel Prayer
As Pastor Velotta often highlights, one of the greatest strengths of this model is its simplicity and transferability. Whether used one-on-one, in small groups, or on the mission field, its principles cross age, culture, and background.
You can use the Immanuel Prayer Approach:
For your own personal prayer life.
To lead another person in healing and connection.
In small groups, guiding everyone gently through the process while allowing space for each person to meet with Jesus personally.
Participants can journal what they sense from Jesus as they ask:
“Jesus, what do You feel about me?”
“What do You want me to know right now?”
Final Thought
The Immanuel Approach is not primarily a technique—it’s an invitation into a lifestyle of connection with God. The goal is not to fix pain but to encounter Jesus in the middle of it—to see His face, feel His joy, and experience His transforming presence.
As we learn to live from this place of continual connection, healing becomes a natural byproduct of relationship. Jesus is Immanuel—God with us—and He delights to make His nearness known.