When you start to pray, you try to think about God, and you can’t concentrate. You are too hot or too cold and need to adjust the temperature. You feel hunger or thirsty, and need to get a snack or water. Your eye is on the clock – how much time do I have? Do I have time for this? What is my schedule today? You are distracted by things you should be doing (items for your To Do List keep popping into mind), or upcoming decisions. Or maybe you are distracted by mistakes you have made, failures, guilt, shame, stressors such as disappointment, problems, or even bright ideas — brilliant ideas of what you could do! (Divine insight!!)
Centering Prayer is focusing on God. There are other kinds of prayer for confession, requests, guidance, etc. Centering Prayer is a distinct type of prayer, perhaps the hardest. Focusing on God in our culture may seem impossible. With Prayer ADD we can’t concentrate. When we try to focus on God, instead we keep thinking about “me” and my life. Egocentric narcissism sidetracks us. Is self my God-substitute, my idol, my false god? Am I trying to keep one eye on God and one on myself?
TYPICAL ADD PRAYER: This is my time for You, God. But instead is it all about me? Is prayer turning inward to self, selfishness, egocentrism? Help me. Focus me on You. Help me to “see Jesus only”.
How to deal with Prayer ADD:
Choose a Prayer Word that is meaningful. It might be a Name for God like Yahweh, the Hebrew Name for God, or the most common prayer word, Jesus. Say or whisper it slowly and thoughtfully.
Whenever you are distracted, go back to your Prayer Word. As you become aware of the distraction, don’t try to stop and deal with it, or even ignore it. Look at it as you would a bird flying by the window, or a cloud passing by, or a leaf floating down a stream, and then return to your Prayer Word. You may want to include a Breath Prayer (slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth, followed by your Prayer Word). Centering Prayer can be compared to falling asleep at night which is a natural letting go of the day. It is letting go of distractions in the same way.
We want to learn, grow, do. But God wants us to BE.
Source: Centering Prayer, M. Basil Pennington (1980)