Example of Immanuel approach conference

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Example of a “Getting Started” Immanuel Approach training seminar by Dr. Lehman

Brief Overview

What: At this conference Dr. Lehman will teach through lecture, live session videos, live demonstrations, and hands on group exercises. You will learn the theory behind the Immanuel Approach,  and you will also learn the practical skills needed to facilitate an Immanuel Approach session.

Full Details below

Immanuel means “God with us.” This promise is the foundation of a growing movement of lay ministers and professionals who are using the Immanuel approach to deepen intimacy with God, discern God’s ongoing guidance, and resolve past pain. This method is based on current brain science interpreted through Scripture and proven by repeated applications over the last fourteen years. The Immanuel approach has been developed by Dr Lehman and Dr. E. James Wilder working together in close collaboration, and Dr. Lehman remains one of the foremost experts regarding this new, exciting approach to life and emotional healing. Participants will receive teaching about basic-intermediate Immanuel approach principles and tools. (The importance of  relational circuits, how appreciation turns them on, how our brains have been designed to work best in community, how our relationships are memory-mapped, and how we can apply all of this brain science to establish interactive connections with the living presence of Jesus.) Participants will see these principles and tools modeled in video clips and live demonstrations, and they will then practice applying these principles and tools in “hands on” group exercises. Participants who already have some training and experience with the Immanuel Approach will benefit from additional practice with troubleshooting and using IA safety nets. They will also learn about teaching the Immanuel Approach and about leading group exercises as they observe Dr. Lehman modeling these advanced skills.

Who should attend:

  • Christian lay people. Mature believers who already have some experience praying with others and who already have a good awareness of their own emotional and spiritual strengths and weaknesses will find that this conference provides teaching and tools for a huge step forward, with respect to both their own healing and growth and their ministry to others. Believers who would like to pray with others, become more self-aware, and begin their own personal healing journey will find teaching and tools that will be tremendously helpful in getting started.
  • People in ministry. The primary objective of the Immanuel approach for life is improving the depth and quality of our connection with the Lord, and the Immanuel approach for emotional healing is the easiest, safest, and most effective method that we are aware of for resolving traumatic memories. The Immanuel approach for life and the Immanuel approach for emotional healing are perfectly suited for those in ministry, and especially for those in Christian emotional healing ministry.
  • Christian mental health professionals. In developing the Immanuel approach, Dr. Lehman and Dr. Wilder have carefully integrated truth from scripture, observations from their combined 60+ years of clinical experience, and brain research regarding trauma, memory, and the neurological pathways for processing painful experiences. The Immanuel approach to emotional healing is also consistent with many of the principles and techniques from the psychotherapies with the most empirical research support, such as cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Furthermore, as mentioned above, in our experience the Immanuel approach to emotional healing has been the easiest, safest, and most effective method for resolving psychological trauma. Putting all of this together, the Immanuel approach principles and tools presented at this conference will provide an ideal foundation for faith-based psychotherapy work.
  • Those who already have some training and experience with the Immanuel Approach. People at intermediate and advanced levels of training and experience with IA can benefit from getting additional practice with troubleshooting and using the IA safety nets, they can observe and learn regarding how to teach the Immanuel Approach, and they can also observe and learn regarding how to lead group exercises. Note to people who attend the Intermediate-Advanced conference: if you also participate in the Getting Started conference (and if you wish to practice the intermediate-advanced principles and tools you have just learned), I will hook you up with each other and/or with beginners who are having difficulty.)

Note that this conference is not intended to provide intense work with people in crisis. Dr. Lehman will not be able to provide private consultations, individual ministry, or follow-up after the conference. and safely with the group exercises.

More about content:

  • Lecture: Lecture explanations will be focused on providing just enough understanding context to enable you to be able to cooperate effectively and safely with the group exercises. *Note that The Immanuel Approach: For Emotional Healing and for Life provides additional material regarding every principle and tool that will be presented in the conference lectures.*
  • Video clips: Video clips from live emotional healing sessions will be interspersed throughout the conference, to provide inspiration, to build faith, and to provide real life examples of the principles and tools presented in the lectures.
  • Live demonstration: After the first several steps of the Immanuel approach have been explained and practiced, a full session live demonstration will be included as an especially powerful way of presenting, “This is what a basic Immanuel approach session looks like.” Dr. Lehman says, “My intention for the demonstration will be to use only the basic Immanuel approach emotional healing tools that would be appropriate for beginners or for use in group exercises. I have done this at every basic training I have offered, and we have always been amazed at how effective it has been.”
  • Group exercises: Group exercises, where participants practice applying the different Immanuel approach principles and tools, will be interspersed throughout the conference. The exercises will follow a careful, steady progression, initially practicing basic building blocks, and then eventually putting these pieces together into a complete (basic) Immanuel approach session.
  • Note that the special Immanuel approach “safety nets” – the safeguards that make it possible for beginners to safely experiment with this method of emotional healing and that make it possible to use the Immanuel approach in group settings — will be included in the lectures, demonstrations, and group exercises.

 Pre-conference preparation: Dr. Lehman will be presenting more content than you will be able to fully absorb and integrate during the time of the conference. Therefore, you will get the most out of this conference if you do some pre-conference reading in preparation. The more you understand the basic concepts coming into the weekend, the more you will be able to see how all the pieces fit together as Dr. Lehman presents them at the conference, and the more you will feel fully oriented and confident when we get to the group exercise blocks. Dr. Lehman’s recommendation is to try to get through the first five chapters of The Immanuel Approach: For Emotional Healing and for Life. (He strongly recommends that all participants have a copy, to use in preparing for this conference, and also as an ongoing resource for the rest of their lives.) If you are feeling inspired, it would be ideal to also read through chapters 6 through 23. Finally, recalling positive memories will be an important part of the group exercises. The exercises will flow most smoothly and yield the best results if participants have taken some time before the conference to collect and think about 3-6 positive memories. (Note: some people have trouble recalling positive memories. This issue will be addressed at the conference.)

 Example of Schedule:

Friday 7/27 afternoon and evening
1:00-2:30 Session 1 (positive memory, appreciation, relational circuits exercise)
2:30-3:00 break
3:00-5:00 Session 2 (interactive connection with Jesus exercise)
5:00-6:00  pre-ordered meal boxes on campus (or local restaurants)
6:00-7:30 Session 3 (interactive connection, troubleshooting exercise)
7:30-8:00 break
8:00 – 9:00 Session 4 (Q&A, Immanuel stories from first day)

Saturday 7/28 morning and afternoon
9:00-10:00 Session 5 (safety net exercise)
10:00-10:30 break
10:30-12:00 Session 6 (live demonstration)
12:00-1:00  pre-ordered box  lunches on campus (or local restaurants)
1:00-3:00 Session 7 (full basic IA session exercise)
3:00-3:30 Break
3:30-4:30 Session 8, with linger time (sound team starts sound checks at 5:00)

 Meals and snacks: Snacks for breaks will be provided. “Lunch” boxes for Friday supper and Saturday lunch can be pre-ordered as a registration option.

Web cam? Recordings?:
People have asked whether they can view the conference via web-cam, and/or whether they can get recordings from the conference. The bad news is that we will not be live-streaming or recording this conference (among other things, the unpredictable, personal content of the live demonstrations and live group exercises preclude live-streaming and make recording very complicated). The good news is that:

  • Much of the teaching content is available in The Immanuel Approach: For Emotional Healing and for Life.
  • Video recordings for a wide variety of live session demonstrations are available in both full length and condensed versions (see the training videos page of the website)
  • Furthermore, several of the Live Ministry Session DVDs demonstrate the basic Immanuel approach principles and tools that are appropriate for beginners and group exercise settings.(See, for example, LMS DVDs #18, #19, and #24.