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for Christian Women Healing from Abuse
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Prayer
Prayers for Healing
Prayer may be a helpful aid on your healing journey. It helps us to center ourselves when memories of abuse become overwhelming. It allows our bodies to relax so that our physical and emotional wounds may heal. Perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that we are not on this journey alone. God is with us.
Here are some helpful prayer practices for any time of day:
If you have just a few moments: Notice your breath. In and out. Choose a prayer phrase that brings you comfort or affirms your healing journey such as "The Lord is my Shepherd" or "I am healing" or another phrase of your choosing. Say this prayer phrase 10 times, once for each in and out breath. Again, focus on your breath and close your prayer as you normally do with an "Amen," a "Blessed Be," or whatever feels appropriate for you.
If you have five minutes: Sit in a chair. Rest both of your feet upon the floor. Feel the ground supporting you. Notice if your shoulders are hunched over. If so, roll your shoulders back so that you are sitting upright, your chest is lifted and your heart feels open. Let your arms hang loosely from your shoulders and rest your hands in your lap. Face your head forward. Slowly, one at a time, relax the muscles of your face, your neck, your shoulders and arms, your chest, your abdomen, your hips, your legs, your feet. Become aware of your breathing, in and out, in and out. Notice your breath as it enters and leaves your nose. Imagine the healing air filling your lungs and flowing into every limb of your body, filling you with peace.
If you have 5-30 minutes: Do the above exercise and then enter into a prayerful meditation. There are a variety of meditation practices from Christian and other faith traditions. Whatever the faith tradition, there is a focus on emptying the mind so that you might be open to God's presence or the present moment. After you have settled your body with the exercise above, continue focusing on your out-breath. Thoughts may arise. When they do, gently bring your focus back to your center or your out-breath. One way to think of this is to imagine a flower with many petals. A thought may arise like the edge of a petal on a flower, but slowly bring your attention back to your center as a petal's edge comes back to the center of the flower. Another thought may arise like another petal. Again, bring your attention back to your out-breath. When you are done, you may chose to close your time of prayer with an "Amen," a bow of your hands and upper body, or another way of closing your prayer that feels right to you.
Prayer may be a helpful aid on your healing journey. It helps us to center ourselves when memories of abuse become overwhelming. It allows our bodies to relax so that our physical and emotional wounds may heal. Perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that we are not on this journey alone. God is with us.
Here are some helpful prayer practices for any time of day:
If you have just a few moments: Notice your breath. In and out. Choose a prayer phrase that brings you comfort or affirms your healing journey such as "The Lord is my Shepherd" or "I am healing" or another phrase of your choosing. Say this prayer phrase 10 times, once for each in and out breath. Again, focus on your breath and close your prayer as you normally do with an "Amen," a "Blessed Be," or whatever feels appropriate for you.
If you have five minutes: Sit in a chair. Rest both of your feet upon the floor. Feel the ground supporting you. Notice if your shoulders are hunched over. If so, roll your shoulders back so that you are sitting upright, your chest is lifted and your heart feels open. Let your arms hang loosely from your shoulders and rest your hands in your lap. Face your head forward. Slowly, one at a time, relax the muscles of your face, your neck, your shoulders and arms, your chest, your abdomen, your hips, your legs, your feet. Become aware of your breathing, in and out, in and out. Notice your breath as it enters and leaves your nose. Imagine the healing air filling your lungs and flowing into every limb of your body, filling you with peace.
If you have 5-30 minutes: Do the above exercise and then enter into a prayerful meditation. There are a variety of meditation practices from Christian and other faith traditions. Whatever the faith tradition, there is a focus on emptying the mind so that you might be open to God's presence or the present moment. After you have settled your body with the exercise above, continue focusing on your out-breath. Thoughts may arise. When they do, gently bring your focus back to your center or your out-breath. One way to think of this is to imagine a flower with many petals. A thought may arise like the edge of a petal on a flower, but slowly bring your attention back to your center as a petal's edge comes back to the center of the flower. Another thought may arise like another petal. Again, bring your attention back to your out-breath. When you are done, you may chose to close your time of prayer with an "Amen," a bow of your hands and upper body, or another way of closing your prayer that feels right to you.
