Affirmative Prayer

A spiritual mind treatment (effective prayer) is an activity of your mind for the purpose of producing some result.

For example: Do you want more friends? Do you want to get through the year without any sickness? Do you want enough money to buy that new dress or sport coat you just saw? Do you want to be happier than you have ever been before? Do you want all these things to come easily?

You may have all of these things through spiritual mind treatment.

Here’s how: Get yourself quiet and relaxed and shut out the distraction and cares of the day. Go in your room and close the door or find some other quiet spot where you can be alone to focus your thoughts.

Next get clearly in mind exactly what it is you are going to treat for. Come right out and say what you are going to treat for; it helps to clarify and focus your thinking. Say, “This is a treatment for the success of my new undertaking,” or “This is a treatment for perfect health for myself.”

Now you are ready to start the treatment itself. The treatment is divided into five steps which are called, Recognition, Unification, Realization, Thanksgiving and Release. These big words have really simple meanings, so let’s consider each one briefly before you start your treatment.

1. Recognition

The first thing you do in your treatment is to recognize the Infinite Spirit, God. How do you go about recognizing God?

The same way that you recognize a friend when you meet one. You notice the way they walk and talk and act and the way they are dressed. You notice their mannerisms. In other words, you notice your friend’s characteristics and the things they do and in this way you recognize them.

You do the same thing in your treatment when you recognize God. You call to mind, and mentally state (vocally if you find it more helpful), the characteristics of God and the things God does.

For example, you should remember that God is the Infinite Spirit which is in and through all things as all things. That God is all-powerful and all-wise. That God is the perfect source for everything: perfect health, prosperity, happiness, harmony, intelligence, energy and so forth. That God is a loving Presence and ever available.

You begin to feel good, don’t you, now that you have recognized God? Isn’t this similar to the feeling you get when you recognize a friend?

Then, what is the next thing you when you recognize a friend? You rush to meet them, don’t you? That’s what you do in the next step or your treatment. You rush to meet God, to join and unify with that Presence.

2. Unification

When you recognized your friend, you rushed to them. The two of you got together. This describes exactly what you do in the “Unification” step of treatment. You get together with God.

You have already called to your attention the characteristics of God. Now you remind yourself that you are a part of God and that you, too, have all the Infinite Spirit’s perfection. Your real spiritual self is perfect in every way. You have infinite intelligence and wisdom. You have all knowledge about your problems. As God has abounded energy, so do you. You have a perfect physical body. As God is filled to overflowing love, so are you, and your life is filled with love. As God is relaxed and at peace, so are you. You are confident of your abilities in all things.

Now you feel really wonderful, having unified with God. Do you remember how good you felt the last time got together with your friend? It is the same in getting together with God, isn’t it?

If you are treating for someone or something else, then you should also unify them with God just as you have done yourself. That is, state that they or it have all of God’s perfect characteristics, the same as you.

You are now ready for the next step in your treatment.

3. Realization

This is the step in which you realize how you feel and how things are as you receive that for which you are treating.

Let us return in imagination to the friend you have just met. During your conversation you mention that you are hoping to go to Yosemite Valley for a weekend, but so far you have not been able to arrange it. Your friend replies that he or she is going to be there next weekend and invites you to go along.

How wonderful you feel as you realize that your dream is coming true. You talk excitedly of all the things you are going to do. You visualize the beautiful sights you will see. You can actually smell the fresh mountain air. In other words, you visualize and feel the experiences as they were actually happening now.

You do the same thing in the “Realization” step of your treatment. You build mental pictures and imagine how you feel as your desire is fulfilled. How wonderful you feel! You are thrilled and confident that your mastery of all your problems is also possible.

Or if you are treating for your sister who has the flu, you see her as completely recovered. How wonderful you feel to have such a healthy sister.

Isn’t it great, the feeling you have when you realize that your desire is already obtained? This is the goal of the “Realization” step in treatment: To build the strongest possible feeling of already having what you want. The stronger the feeling, the stronger the treatment.

Let’s go to the next step.

4. Thanksgiving

Again think of your friend who just offered to take you on the weekend trip. You are happy and excited. But you are also thankful and express your gratitude. You say, “Thank you.”

You do the same in your treatment. You know that the omnipotent Spirit is already creating whatever you have treated for. You are happy and excited and grateful. You say, “Thank you God. Thank you for your infinite kindness and love. Thank you for this wonderful warm feeling.” You have a thankful heart and you show it.

Now you are ready for the last step of the treatment.

5. Release

You have just clasped your friend’s hand and given thanks. Now you let go; you release your friend so that he or she can go and make all the arrangements for your weekend trip. As your friend leaves, you turn and go your way, confident and expectantly looking forward to a wonderful weekend.

You do the same thing with your treatment. You release it to the infinite Power and Intelligence of God’s Law for demonstration. The Law of Mind is automatic in its action. It creates effortlessly and surely whatever has been accepted in the treatment. Therefore you release the treatment and turn from it, secure in the knowledge that your desire is already certain; that as you have accepted it in mind, so will it be manifested on the physical plane.

How relaxed you are. How confident you are as you release your treatment to God and go on about your day’s activities.

When you get to your ending and say, “And so it is,” that’s it! Don’t review your treatment mentally or you might tear apart the crystallized thought form you’ve created for the Law of Mind to work on or through. Put the whole treatment aside completely until you’re ready to give another one.


There you have the five steps of treatment: Recognition, Unification, Realization, Thanksgiving, and Release.

They really are quite simple and straightforward, aren’t they? Won’t you use them today to make your life and other’s happier?

Remember, you won’t learn to use these steps unless you start to use them. Once you’ve started, the more you use them the better your treatments will become.

A treatment should be as long or as short as you need to arrive at the feeling that you already have what you want; then express your thankfulness and release it to the automatic action of the Law of Mind for demonstration.

The words you use must be ones that have meaning for you. So use your own words and have confidence. Success and happiness are yours to experience.

Two things to be sure to include in a treatment: feeling and conviction. A treatment won’t do a thing without them. You’ll have just a bunch of pretty but lifeless words. One thing to be sure to leave out of treatment is doubt. If you doubt anything you’re saying in a treatment, your treatment will leak like a sieve.

By using scientific treatment you can control your life because you are controlling your mind. Treatment can’t guarantee a problem-free life, but you will have far fewer problems, and you’ll be able to better handle the ones you get. You may like to do your praying silently, but it would help you to keep your attention focused if you speak your treatments aloud.

Examples of affirmative prayer