Here's an cursory introduction lifted from another thread:

"As for the Sedona Method, the book by Hale Dwoskin is easy to read, (I also attended one of his workshops) but as I said, one has to stomach the New Age flavor, or even look past it, which has been well worth the effort. This method involves letting go in a way quite different than the limited mental contraptions I was familiar with before. One gets a sense of the problem internally, perhaps the sensation, and then asks several open-ended questions that seem to resonate with the soul's capacity to let go. In fact, the body is infused with this capacity to let go as well, dying all the time without making a fuss. It is only the conscious mind that is afraid. But the questions posed are not threatening to the conscious mind, since the response is either an honest "yes," or "no." Both answers are equally valid in this process. The questions seem to evoke a state of wonder, a fresh openness to possibility:

__________________________________

"Just for now, could you allow that as it is?"

"Could you welcome it?"

"Could you let it go?"


Never a "should." Saying an honest "no" leads to . . . .


"Could you accept the resistance that you feel?"

"Could you simply allow it to be there?"

"Could you welcome the resistance?"

"Could you let go of the resistance?"

__________________________________________

Hale has further developments, all of which are found in the book. One example is his understanding of the basic conditions involved in emotional contraction. He describes these as six wants, the first three primary:

The wants of approval/love, control, security/survival (first three) and . . .

The wants of being controlled, being separate, and the want of oneness.

As he says, there is nothing wrong with being loved or loving, being in control, being secure, etc . . . It is the wanting, or craving for these, that diminishes the rich inner sense of soul we already are.

And so based on recognizing these basic conditions, the releasing process goes something like this . . .

"Could I allow wanting approval? Could I just feel this as it is right now?" Then if there's a release felt . . . .

"Could I let go of wanting approval? Just could I for this moment?"

Again, it is important to allow both yes and no answers to the questions, since an honest "no" generates connection as well, and very often release itself.

From a Christian perspective, I believe this process helps us get in touch with our basic goodness, even perhaps a path to "becoming a little child" again, in the mature sense of friendliness with our human condition as an opening to God who cherishes us beyond measure.

Best to read the book, and if you encounter the language, or some of the assertions, to be contrary to your beliefs, just see how the practice itself may fit with your experential sense of spirituality. The godless non-duality of this approach could, for some Christians, interfere with implementing a useful approach to emotional self-care.

Hale Dwoskin http://www.sedona.com/index.html also has a CD series that is about 90% practice, and these have been a great benefit. In the book and CD series he develops these basic questions further than I've described, and really the best taste of it comes from working with somebody directly. You can even call the Sedona group and get coaching over the phone (1-888-282-5656). Again, for me the New Age framing hasn't been a problem in terms of the actual experience.

One of the aspects of my own prayer practise recently has been a wonderful sense of abandon, a complete surrender to God in every aspect of my being, a real "letting go". I'm not familiar with the above method but the idea(in a Christian context) appeals to me because it seems to involve a great measure of faith. I have also noticed the fruits in my daily life and a closenesss to God resulting from the practise.

I'm also quite interested in the body's response to this which seems to me to have nothing to do with the relationship I engage in with God. I'm talking about a release of kundalini energy and, in particular, an increase in sexual energy, perhaps related to kundalini, during and after practise. Both things are apparent when we let go:an awareness of God and a physical, creaturely response.

w.c. - Two points you raised from the thread the above post was taken from caught my attention. The first was to do with attachment to the created energies like kundalini; the second involved an increase in sexual energy. I understand the dynamics of the body's response, the process, what's going on etc, also the need to let go any attachments to this response but I must confess to being slightly confused as to how this fits into a purely spiritual context. Psychologically, physically, yeah, I can see what's going on but how does it all relate to God. How does it lead to God when, in fact, what it tends to do is lead one to an appreciation of the created being. In short, what's the connection between contemplative prayer, kundalini, sexual energy and God? It seems to take an act of will that is perhaps a grace of God to transform these energies and to focus the mind on God when so much is going on with the body creature. So how does this act of will relate to abandonment/surrender?

My sense of creaturliness is heightened by a real energetic link to other humans, in that kundalini and other subconscious energies seem to connect us, quite literally and energetically to other creatures, often to the point of overshadowing our connection with the divine.

Excellent . . .

I'm happy to see this topic given its own thread and look forward to trying it sometime.

All good points, Stephen, and part of my struggle as well.

The distinction between created and uncreated sources becomes clear, experentially, for me. In the Sedona process as I so far know it, there isn't the experience of grace I have in prayer, at least of the wholly transcendental variety, of being known by the Other/Father, of being beheld in a way that is pure love but quite beyond my ability to understand. Knowing that God works outside of our faculties is quite different from how our faculties respond to that grace, which you allude to when speaking of the heightened sexual energy in response to grace, which I certainly experience. Where the Sedona Method, and Focusing, have helped me in this respect is in letting go of those psycho-physiological effects of prayer. The love that emerges via this method of releasing attachments may be similar to Phil's "Be here now in love," but he will have to see and then report back to us on that. I certainly appreciate your cautions Stephen, but so far for me this approach has been friendly and not exacerbating the K complications. But that's just my nervous system, and you are too aware yourself of how there are no one size fits all approaches in dealing with psychological responses to grace.

So the abandon you speak of may be quite unique to the transcendental manifestation of grace beyond your faculties but affecting them very subtly. All I can say is that the gift of contemplation is quite different for me than these responses originating completely within my own faculties. The releasing yields a creaturely immanent presence rather than a Divine, transcendental one, where the innate goodness of the world filters into my senses and there is delight just in being alive. In fact, the presence of the Holy Spirit doesn't feel like an energy at all, or not like the kundalini. HS feels like a person and transcendental love at the same time, someone other than me knowing me beyond self-knowledge - most of the time experienced as descending from above as a soft, loving embrace. Releasing is me, in my nervous system, letting go as much as the soul-body can let go, which may potentially be quite a bit, considering the body itself isn't afraid of death. But even then, in the hospice work I do, it is pretty clear that in death that God and the saints come to the dying person and help with this transition.

One way of trying the releasing in a Christian context might be to ask the questions to Christ directly.

Thanks w.c.,

I can also relate to the joy in being alive that the creaturely responses evoke and find God's grace is able to transform these responses into an awareness of His person and love. Then too there is a love that seems to emanate from somewhere within me. I find it necesssary to distinguish between deep, present relaxation and contemplation, although one often leads into another, and that God often ignites a spark that leads to silent contemplation or a stream of prayerful worship which has the quality of letting go.

When this happens, when I'm able to let go in God's presence, there is a real sense of depth, if you can relate to that, a depth which seems to extend outward rather than inward. Also a sense of being enclosed and safe in that depth which leads to a sense of being in God's space, contact with the heavenlies.

I think we're called to abandon ourselves to God in prayer, as long as there's a true, centred spiritual awareness, and also to abandon ourselves in faith in our daily lives, allowing God to work and act through and around us.

Beautiful.

Yes, your description sounds familiar.

" . . . a depth which seems to extend outward rather than inward. Also a sense of being enclosed and safe in that depth which leads to a sense of being in God's space, contact with the heavenlies."

That makes me smile because it is so clearly the case. The Holy Spirit really does seem to descend upon me, completely of God's choosing, so it is always a gentle suprise: enclosed and safe, in God's space and in the company of the saints. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

The characteristic of abandon that occurs to me, that seems distinctive in terms of human will, is simplicity in prayer, perhaps because it brings us closest to where God works beyond our faculties.

Ah yes, simplicity in prayer. How wonderful it's been for me to discover that simplicity, praying with a word or short phrase taken from the Bible or otherwise, so that God seems to wrap Himself around the word, as if He is throwing His mantle of light over us.

So much prayer seems to be fretful, filled with our own fears and lack of faith, neurotically covering all the bases as it were, so that God has no room at the inn of our thoughts, when really He knows all our fear and anxieties anyway and only wants us to surrender to His presence.

What a delightful exchange!

I relate much to what you two are sharing about the differences between attention to inner dynamics that belong to my created nature and the sense of being embraced by God. This is why I have, all along, made a distinction between the Holy Spirit and the kundalini process, even though the two often seem to be working in tandem.

As for the value of inner work like the Sedona method, focusing, journaling, and even forms of psychotherapy, I am reminded of the words of Irenaus, that "the glory of God is a person fully alive." Also, that God wants us to love Him with our "whole heart, whole soul, whole mind and whole strength." The more we become healed and integrated, but more aliveness we radiate, and the more fully we can love God.

Getting in touch with the innate goodness that w.c. described is also a great value in an of itself. I can see the point that it might become an attachment--and we know that many people are trying to "fix themselves" apart from the life of faith--but it seems to me that people of faith are more likely to:
1. give thanks to God for any progress unto healing, wholeness and integration, as one's faith is generally intensified by these movements;
2. recognize the limitations of natural processes.
And I do think there is only so much we can do to heal ourselves, which is why all the varous self-help methods do not produce lasting peace or satisfaction.