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calming the praying brain
One of the reasons you don’t pray more has nothing to do with your dedication to God or your capacity for self discipline or your forgetfulness in matters spiritual or your busy life. It has to do with your need to learn how to calm your praying brain. Too often you close your eyes to pray and it’s an unpleasant experience. You become more aware of your underlying anxiety. You become more subject to your grinding thoughts. You put up with it as long as you can, then open your eyes and move on to the next distraction. There are ways to calm yourself. Thankfully many ways. Here’s one: a way to present your embodied self to God, and it goes like this….
Close your eyes and spend a minute or less or more simply paying attention to how your body feels. Not with a view toward fixing how it feels, per se, but simply to notice it in detail. You can do this somewhat systematically by imagining the spiral slice of a honey baked ham–that spiral thing moving from the top of your head downward toward your feet. Simply noting how your head feels–the burning sensation on your ears, maybe, the tension in your jaw, that very minor itch on your nose, then your neck, shoulders, back…well, you get the idea.
Having worked your way to your feet, now simply take another minute or less to simply pay attention to whatever your emotional background state is right now, as you are presenting yourself. I don’t know about you, but my emotions tend to be felt roughly between my head and my lower gut. Somewhere in there, it either feels calm and peaceful, or anxious feeling, or fearful, or happy, glad, sad, you get the idea. At first, it may be nothing in particular that you can identify as an emotion, so you just attend to whatever it is, not to fix it, or adjust it, or change it, but just to notice.
Having noticed your emotions for what they happen to be, now take a minute or less to consider what you’ve been thinking about most recently….like just before you started this little exercise, what was your mind mulling over? Again, don’t dive back into your thoughts so much as simply try to remember what it is you were thinking about. As in, “Oh, I was thinking about getting the lawnmower fixed, whether it’s something I could do myself or if I need to take it in to the repair shop…..” Don’t get lost in there, just take note.
Now you’re done. That’s a snapshot of the you that you are right now, which you may now realize is present to God. “Therefor I urge you in view of God’s mercy to present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your act of spiritual worship.” In view of God’s mercy, here I am as I am.
That’s it. Should take a couple of minutes. Do it once a day, maybe as you lay down on your bed before doing your little night prayers. Before evaluating whether or not it’s worthwhile, do it for maybe a month, every day, or every day you remember to do it. At first it may seem fairly non-descript, a kind of neutral thing to do. No big shakes. Now and again, even early on you’ll notice–hey, this is relaxing. You’ll find yourself getting a little better at it.
What’s happening in your brain while you’re doing this? Your brain will be strengthening, actually strengthening neural pathways, that is the connections between certain nerves and not others in the brain, and some of these neural pathways will connect portions of your brain that need better connections in order for your brain to better calm itself. Your brain has been designed or adapted to do that for you, to relax, to calm itself. And this lets that happen better.
When a person is depressed, they can peek inside the person’s brain with brain imaging equipment and see that the thinking part of the brain is relatively over-active and the emotional part of the brain is relatively under-active. Those two parts of the brain are working too independently of each other. So it helps depressed people to get the emotional part of the brain firing a little more and there are ways to do that.
It it turns out there are three major parts of the brain: the brain stem (which handles basic body functions and the fight-flight alarm system); the limbic system (which handles the more complex emotional states); and cerebral cortex, which is, you know, more cerebral–the planning, thinking, analyzing part of the brain, that sets us your brain apart from the bird-brain. Apparently, it helps when these three parts of the brain have good nerve pathways connecting them to each other. Sort of like the line in the psalm that goes “unite my heart that I may fear your Name” as in, “get me connected inside so I can be a whole person, integrated and not separated within myself before you.” When the connections are firing, apparently, the brain is better at calming itself when needed and this little exercise helps it to do that.
Anyway, try it, you might like it. Over time, it might help your praying brain want to pray more.
Tags: anxiety, body, calming, emotions, meditation, neuroscience, peace, prayer, thoughts
July 7th, 2008 at 9:17 am
Sometimes my brain is revving so much I just can’t get it slowed down. It has taken and still takes a lot of work and practice for me to quiet myself. I’ve spent most of my life being “just fine.” I even have read the imprecatory psalms and felt … “just fine.” Geesh, what was David’s problem, anyway?
That’s where the daily office has been invaluable in the last few years. I’m sorry I didn’t start doing this stuff back when I was a young pastor and knew so much.
I like how this site presents the daily office and find myself there most mornings…
http://www.missionstclare.com/english/July/morning/7m.html
July 7th, 2008 at 11:20 am
don, ain’t the psalms great as a primer on the full range of human emotion? the good, the bad, and the ugly…
July 7th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Ken, yep .. the psalms give the full range of human emotions. David can make me so mad, especially when I read II Samuel and I and II Kings in conjunction with the psalms. I was reading II Samuel outloud to my wife not long ago while we drove through Kentucky. Suddenly I found my voice raising and I was screaming at both David and Joab. I wanted to throw both of them overboard.
But then I read Psalm 51 and Psalm 62 and my heart melts for the guy. Suddenly the cutting edge of my judgment becomes compassion.
I’ll give David this much. He could get in touch with his emotions, and, notwithstanding some of his terrible decisions, that’s healthy. So yes, thank God for the Psalms!
July 8th, 2008 at 7:31 am
Hey Ken, God instituted the invitation to talk with Him through prayer. In order for us to be heard by Him we need to let the Spirit within us do the communicating. As humams we are not capable in and of ourselves to reach God on our own merit. That is why He employs Amazing Grace when dealing with His children. What you describe as a condition of the brain in not feeling good about the praying process is simply a persons low level of faith. It is the same way we all would respond in communication with someone we knew we were in an adversarial position with. Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us to submit to God, understand our human condition and glorify our Father with all our heart ,soul and mind. In this simple way we will be where and what God wants for us when we go to Him in prayer. Ken, you really do not need to train your brain by various mystical exercises…just talk to God through the Spirit the he has given you…and all that requires is loving our Father. Be blessed friend…and give God’s prayer method a try. He guarantees it will work every time for everyone.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Luke, I beg to differ with you that this is a mystical exercise. I’m not sure what such a thing is. I think it’s fine to do things to calm ourselves for prayer–things like turning off the television, taking a deep breath, taking a walk or the little exercise I outlined. I don’t think of the exercise as praying but as something to prepare to pray. I don’t think those things have anything to do, or need to, with approaching God “on our own”. Being a Jesus freak I can’t even imagine what it would be like to do that. Jesus is the only reason I had or have any interest in or inclination toward God in the first place. Trying to approach him “on my own” would be like trying to kiss my wife without kissing Nancy.
July 8th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Ken, The old saying is true, “If you are are worried(or troubled)pray. If you pray do not be worried(or troubled).”. Prayer if done in the proper disposition of Spirit always, yes always, brings the body into complete and profound peace as we are in communion with our Father. Truly praying will make even the loudest television set become silent…mental gymnastics aside it is the reward of true prayer that brings us peace and not a condition of our physical or mental situation. If you are saying that people are easily distracted before they pray then is it not possible they do not understand the significance of the Spirit they bear? Being “integrated not separated within myself” is the old drug culture ploy to use different drugs to further ones “magical mystery tour”…to discover ones true self or the god within us. I can not tell you how many wasted trips were spent by my friends on this self awareness horse dodo. It never worked then and even though it is being recycled today by many well meaning folks…it still will never work. God has told us how to pray and it is all in His Word. Prepare to pray simply by wanting to talk to Father God…truly wanting. He will make sure the lines of communication are opened and kept that way. Be blessed Friend.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
In this discussion, I side with Ken.
Luke, you are not the best listener that you could be.
July 9th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Luke, yep, we have indeed been given a new spirit and able to commune with Yehoveh any time–but as Paul says, we are to pray in the Spirit and in our bodies. We are invited to fellowship with our Father any time, and at all times. It certainly helps to do so with a quieted/calmed mind–as well as a harried and busy one . . . years ago I read a wonderful book by Juan Carlos Ortiz called “Living With Jesus Today.” If it’s still out there, I encourage you to read it. Pastor Ortiz encouraged and daily walk and fellowship that was liberating, intimate, and refreshing. I don’t think Ken’s method is the all-and end-all, but it is certainly an aid to our robust thought life. Some have accuse me of “Praying at the drop of a hat.” Shoot, it’s worse than that, I throw my hat down, just so I can pray–both in the spirit and with my mouth.
July 9th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
For myself, I’d LOVE to effectively quiet my brain noise when I pray. I feel like I’ve had little more than a taste of being truly and attentively before the Lord. I’m too old and experienced in my relationship with him to let my ‘failure’ torture my conscience any, but I am nonetheless disappointed and acutely aware that I am vastly more often in a state of self-awareness than God-awareness: I watch myself pray. And I’m amazed that I could pray for so many years and not realize that.
Thankfully, I recently realized (i.e. was shown in prayer) that my continually showing up to communicate with God proves a level of faith that functions at a more basic level than my troublesome top thoughts do. I’m not going in there to talk to myself, after all.
Some time ago I was feeling particularly desperate and kind of begging God to make himself real to me. I distinctly heard him reply in my mind, “I AM real; you be real to ME.” So, I think the Spirit himself has made me aware of all the self-consciousness that passes for communication and is himself calling me on to a more REAL conversation. Is your little exercise suggestion a gift from him? Hmm…
July 9th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
To all…the most meaningful sign of God’s grace is revealed through prayer. Man can do nothing to merit grace and man can do nothing to make God a better listener…accept the grace He gives us and He will grace us with open hearts and open brain waves. There is not one living soul that can make God a condition of our Spirit. It is our Spirit that talks to God not our man made flesh. Mind altering calm down methods are pure metaphysical/occult beliefs that did not work for the ancients and they don’t work any better now. That is if you believe what God ’s Word says. Be blessed all and keep digging for the truth…God promises to reveal it all to true believers. A really good book to read on this subject is a work called The Bible. Check it out, really check it out and study it. It is that sumple. Be blessed.
July 10th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
ken, did you really write this at 4:54 a.m. monday??
great post, fascinating how our brain works. i’ll try it later.
July 11th, 2008 at 2:05 am
Luke, you are not the best listener that you could be.
“Proud people always argue. Wise people ask for advice.” Prov 13:10 EEBV
Proud people argue because they speak their own thoughts. A proud person often thinks that he is right. He will often not listen to anyone else.
A wise person behaves differently. Although a wise person is wise, he is willing to hear the advice of other people. A wise person has great understanding, because he listens to other people.
July 11th, 2008 at 2:49 am
Luke, the evidence is overwhelming that the 66 separate and distinct books of the Bible are not now, and never have been, inerrant or infallible. They were in fact written by quite fallible men.
July 11th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Dear ex- As Paul says, “we must contend for the Faith.”. What you call arguing is simply contending. Proud people always argue from their pride not God’s Glory. A wise man always knows his Lord and Master. Be blessed ex.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:38 am
“Be still…” “Fear not…” “Come away with me…,” If we have found ourselves in a relationship with Jesus, we should not fear clearing our minds when we set time aside for him. Ken is simply talking about practical tools that would help us prepare our heart and mind. All this contending for the faith crap, metaphysical occult warnings, making god a better listener, is all kooky talk. We become better listeners when we calm our brains. Less talking…more listening.
July 12th, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Gem, I agree with you 100%.
Luke, you’re still not listening.