Author Q&A: Debra Landwehr Engle

No, it's about freeing ourselves from the fear-based ego that is desperately trying to keep us stuck and afraid. We simply can't move forward while we're in the negative spin cycle of fear-based thoughts. And the thing is, we're there and don't even know it.

The ego is seductive...it keeps calling us back every time we start to move toward joy and happiness. That's why we need divine intervention. The pull of the ego is so strong -- and our conditioning is so entrenched -- that it takes extraordinary willingness, vigilance and commitment over time to free ourselves from it. That's why, thank God, we have the Holy Spirit.

What happens when people use the prayer?

Many people have told me that, when they first use the prayer, they feel what they describe as a "whoosh" of space opening up within them. They can actually feel something shift, as though a door has opened. One woman said that, when she first used the prayer, she heard a voice that said, "Finally! Now we can really get some things done!" Everyone will have their own experience of the prayer. In the book, I talk about what people can expect to happen right away, and the changes they might experience over time.

What does happen over time?

Frequently people will experience life becoming easier. They struggle less. They have a stronger sense of well-being. More patience. They start to notice what's right with their life. And they have a tool that they can use over and over again, as often as they need it. Saying the prayer once isn't going to make your life perfect. In fact, as you ask for more and more layers of fear-based thoughts to be healed, you may encounter new challenges in your life. But the prayer is always there to restore your peace of mind in any life situation.

Why do you call this prayer the shortest route to peace and abundance?

Think about it: Why do we read countless self-help books and end up just as frustrated and stuck as before? Because the ego is calling us back with the same fear-based thoughts as always. For instance, let's say you want to start using the law of attraction to draw more money or a loving partner into your life. You read a book on it, you're excited about manifesting your dreams, and then you think, "That will work for everyone else, but not for me." That's the ego's fear-based thought at work, telling you you're not good enough, you don't deserve abundance or love. Until those fear-based thoughts are healed, it's going to be very difficult to create the life you want, because the fear-based thoughts will always be there blocking the door. It may be possible over time to shift your thinking. But the prayer accomplishes it in a much shorter time.

I believe we have to ask for divine help because we cannot do this alone. That's why I wanted to keep this book so simple and straightforward, focused on one simple idea. We have to ask for our fear-based thoughts to be healed. It doesn't matter what situation we're in, what conversation we're having, what personal or global challenge we're addressing...it all comes down to asking for our fear-based thoughts to be healed, because only then can real and lasting change occur.

It's what we've always known...that real change begins inside each and every one of us. We just haven't known how to do it, or how simple it can be.

What are your hopes for this book?

I wrote it to be a quick and easy read, a constant guide that you can keep on your desk or on the kitchen counter, put in your purse, and give to friends. I want to see it change the conversation people have inside their own hearts and minds, and I hope it will change the conversation we have collectively about how we make decisions in this world. For instance, we live in a culture of violence. Well, a culture of violence is a culture of fear-based thoughts. What would happen if we reached a tipping point of people using this prayer? Could we change that culture of violence not by debating it endlessly, but by asking for our addiction to drama and violence to be healed?

The fact is we have enough food on this planet to feed the world and enough money for everyone's needs to be met. The only thing standing in our way of creating individual success and the world we say we want is to heal the fear-based thoughts that keep us stuck. But we can't do it on our own. We need divine intervention. My hope is that this book will remind us that we're not alone and will help us shift from fear to love in our families, our communities, our countries, and the world.