Ed Smith, Theophostic Prayer Ministry, and the Need for Biblical Discernment
What Is Ed Smith’s Background, How Did He Develop Theophostic Prayer. Did Jesus Use this Method?
Theophostic Prayer Ministry was developed by Ed M. Smith during the 1990s and is now generally called Transformation Prayer Ministry, or TPM. Because the ministry involves painful memories, emotional beliefs, inward focus, prayer, and perceived personal revelation, Christians have raised important questions about its founder, its origins, its connection to counseling, and whether the method resembles visualization or altered-state practices.
These questions deserve serious examination. However, they must be handled truthfully. Christians should not repeat accusations that cannot be verified.
The available evidence shows that Ed Smith came from a conservative Baptist ministry and counseling background.
A person can have a Christian background and still develop a method that deserves theological and psychological scrutiny. We must examine the teaching and practice itself rather than making unsupported accusations about the founder.
“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:21
Ed Smith’s Documented Background
According to the official Transformation Prayer Ministry website, Ed Smith earned a master’s degree in education with a focus on marriage and family counseling from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and reportedly completed most of the work toward a Doctor of Education degree in marriage and family counseling.
The official biography describes Smith as holding traditional conservative Protestant theology, adhering to the Baptist Faith and Message, and attending a Southern Baptist church. It also states that he served in local Southern Baptist churches for approximately 17 years before developing TPM while working as a pastoral counselor.
The Christian Research Institute independently reported that Smith had served for 17 years as a Southern Baptist pastor before entering full-time counseling practice. CRI also confirmed his pastoral-ministry doctorate and counseling-focused master’s degree.
Does the method he developed remain within sound biblical boundaries, and are its claims supported by trustworthy evidence?
How Did Ed Smith Say Theophostic Prayer Began?
Smith’s own account says that he became frustrated and burned out while counseling people—primarily women—who reported childhood sexual abuse. Many also struggled with anxiety, depression, panic, addictions, eating disorders, and other serious concerns. Smith believed that conventional pastoral counseling had helped them manage their pain but had not produced the lasting freedom he wanted to see.
He gradually concluded that the person’s emotional pain was not caused only by the past event itself but by what the person had come to believe during or after that event. Examples included beliefs such as:
- “It was my fault.”
- “I am dirty.”
- “I am powerless.”
- “I am not safe.”
- “Something is wrong with me.”
Smith called these “lie-based core beliefs.” He believed that people could intellectually know a biblical truth while still emotionally experiencing the opposite as true.
According to Smith’s account, the breakthrough came during a session with a woman who had experienced childhood sexual abuse. He asked her to focus on a painful memory and identify what she felt and believed. Instead of telling her the truth as he had done previously, he prayed and asked Jesus whether there was something He wanted her to know. The woman then reported that her shame and guilt disappeared and that the Lord had told her the abuse was not her fault.
Smith interpreted this experience as the missing element in his counseling work. He then repeated and developed the process over many sessions, eventually organizing it into a formal ministry model.
The Christian Research Institute described a similar account. It reported that Smith reached an impasse in helping adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and believed the missing ingredient was allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal truth within the counseling session.
In other words, Theophostic Prayer did not emerge from a controlled clinical trial or a clearly stated biblical command. According to Smith, it began with one emotionally powerful counseling experience that he interpreted as an intervention from God. He then developed a repeatable process around that interpretation.
That fact does not by itself prove that the method is false. But it does mean Christians should ask whether one person’s subjective experience is sufficient grounds for establishing a ministry practice used with trauma survivors and emotionally vulnerable people.
How Does the Method Work?
Earlier descriptions of Theophostic Prayer involved asking the participant to focus on emotional pain, close the eyes, allow the mind to move toward a related memory, identify the belief connected to that memory, and then invite Jesus to reveal truth concerning that belief. The Christian Research Institute described participants as mentally following an emotional “smoke trail” back toward a significant memory.
Smith’s current materials emphasize identifying beliefs, avoiding leading questions, and depending upon what the ministry describes as the Holy Spirit’s persuasion of the person’s heart. The organization teaches that present emotional reactions expose what a person believes and that lie-based beliefs must be replaced with the Lord’s truth.
The central concern is not simply that someone closes their eyes or remembers the past. Christians regularly close their eyes in prayer, reflect on painful experiences, and ask God for help.
The concern arises when an internal thought, image, phrase, feeling, or sudden emotional shift is interpreted as a personalized communication from Jesus.
A person can experience something vivid and sincere without correctly identifying its source.
Internal experiences may arise from:
- Memory
- Imagination
- Expectation
- Emotional need
- Suggestion
- The wording of the facilitator
- Personal theology
- Fear
- Trauma responses
- Ordinary mental processes
Therefore, the fact that a thought feels comforting does not prove that Jesus personally placed it in the mind.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.”
—1 John 4:1
Some critics have compared aspects of Theophostic Prayer to guided imagery, mystical experience, recovered-memory practices, or New Age visualization. However, comparing a method to an occult or New Age practice is not the same as proving that its founder practiced occultism.
The Christian Research Institute conducted an extensive evaluation and concluded that it did not detect anything unbiblical in the central theory and practice of TPM, although it raised concerns about insufficient research, some of Smith’s broader teachings, spiritual-warfare claims, sanctification, and satanic ritual abuse.
Other Christian critics have reached more negative conclusions and have described the method as mystical or insufficiently grounded in Scripture.
Therefore, the responsible conclusion is:
There is disagreement about the method, but there is no verified basis for claiming that Ed Smith had an occult background.
Christians should criticize teachings accurately. Exodus 20:16 forbids bearing false witness. We should not defend a questionable method, but neither should we strengthen our case by repeating an accusation that cannot be established.
Is Ed Smith’s Background “Godly”?
No researcher can look into another person’s heart and issue a final judgment about whether that individual is godly.
We can examine:
- Public doctrine
- Education
- Ministry history
- Published teachings
- Methods
- Claims
- Conduct
- Fruit
- Response to correction
Smith’s public background is Christian and Baptist. The official TPM ministry says he holds conservative Protestant beliefs.
That means it would be unjust to declare that his entire background was ungodly merely because someone questions Theophostic Prayer.
At the same time, a Christian education, ministry title, or seminary degree does not make every later teaching infallible.
The Bereans were commended because they examined the Scriptures daily to determine whether Paul’s teaching was true.
“They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
—Acts 17:11
Christians are not required to accept a method merely because its founder is a pastor, counselor, author, or seminary graduate.
Is Psychiatry “Not From God”?
It is too broad and inaccurate to declare that all psychiatry is “not from God.”
Psychiatry is a medical specialty dealing with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who may evaluate physical health, medications, sleep, neurological conditions, substance use, trauma, mood disorders, psychosis, and other serious concerns.
The Bible does not name modern psychiatry as either holy or occult. Therefore, Christians should evaluate specific theories and practices rather than condemning an entire medical field.
Some psychiatric philosophies can conflict with Scripture, especially when they:
- Deny the existence of God
- Reduce people entirely to biology
- dismiss sin, conscience, and moral responsibility
- interpret every spiritual experience as illness
- encourage practices contrary to biblical morality
- treat medication as the complete answer to every form of suffering
However, other parts of psychiatric care may involve ordinary medical observation, crisis stabilization, medication management, sleep restoration, suicide prevention, substance-withdrawal treatment, or identifying physical conditions affecting the mind.
Luke was identified as a physician. Jesus acknowledged that sick people need a physician. Scripture also contains examples of practical care, rest, nourishment, counsel, comfort, and treatment of physical wounds.
The proper Christian position is neither:
“Psychiatry is always the answer,”
nor:
“All psychiatry is demonic.”
The wiser position is:
Test every claim, treatment, diagnosis, philosophy, and spiritual assumption by Scripture, medical evidence, wisdom, and the actual needs of the person.
Medication should not replace prayer, repentance, discipleship, forgiveness, or spiritual discernment. But prayer ministry should not replace emergency medical care when someone is suicidal, psychotic, medically unstable, unable to sleep for days, or experiencing a dangerous reaction to medication.
People should not abruptly stop psychiatric medication because a minister tells them they have been healed. Medication changes should be supervised by a qualified prescriber because sudden withdrawal can sometimes be dangerous.
The Difference Between Psychiatry and Theophostic Prayer
Although Ed Smith had counseling education, Theophostic Prayer is presented by its organization as prayer ministry rather than ordinary psychotherapy. Smith’s current organization describes the process as practical questions designed to help a person identify lie-based beliefs, while relying upon God to persuade the heart of truth.
The critical issue is that TPM has at times been applied to people reporting severe trauma, dissociation, depression, eating disorders, panic, addictions, and other significant conditions. Smith’s own account says that these were among the problems presented by those he counseled while developing the method.
The Christian Research Institute concluded that anecdotal reports justified further investigation but that much more scientific research was needed before TPM’s effectiveness claims could be validated. It also stated that some extravagant claims appeared unlikely to be established.
This matters because a powerful testimony is not the same as reliable evidence.
A person may report improvement because of:
- Compassionate attention
- Hope
- Expectation
- Emotional release
- Prayer
- Feeling heard
- A reduction in shame
- The passage of time
- A calming environment
- Other treatment received simultaneously
Without careful research, it is difficult to know what caused the improvement or whether it lasted.
Major Concerns Christians Should Examine
1. The Method Grew From a Subjective Experience
Smith’s foundational breakthrough came from a woman reporting that the Lord had spoken truth to her internally and removed shame.
Christians may believe that God comforts and leads His children. However, building a worldwide ministry protocol around an unverified inward experience raises questions.
Scripture is inspired and authoritative. An inner impression is not.
2. It May Encourage Misidentifying Thoughts as Jesus
When someone expects Jesus to provide a personal inner message, the person may interpret an ordinary thought, memory, or image as divine speech.
The question is not whether the thought is comforting. The question is whether the method gives people adequate grounds for claiming that Jesus personally spoke.
3. Emotionally Vulnerable People May Be Suggestible
Trauma survivors may become deeply absorbed, overwhelmed, dissociated, or highly responsive to the expectations of a trusted facilitator.
Even when the facilitator avoids obvious leading questions, the participant knows the expected sequence:
- Feel the pain.
- Locate the memory.
- Identify the lie.
- Wait for truth.
- Experience peace.
That structure itself may influence what the participant reports.
4. Memories Can Be Misinterpreted
Memory is not a flawless video recording. A vivid emotional experience does not prove that every recalled detail is historically accurate.
Ministries must never treat an internal picture, impression, or newly surfaced recollection as sufficient proof that another person committed abuse or a crime.
5. Temporary Peace Does Not Prove Divine Origin
A person may feel relief after crying, receiving compassion, expressing shame, imagining safety, or hearing reassurance.
Emotional peace can be meaningful, but it is not an infallible test of truth.
False religions, secular therapies, visualization exercises, and even manipulation can sometimes produce temporary relief. Therefore, relief alone cannot prove that Jesus authored the experience.
6. Theoretical Claims May Be Oversimplified
Smith’s method strongly emphasizes the belief attached to an event as the source of present emotional pain.
Beliefs certainly influence emotions. Scripture commands believers to renew their minds.
But emotional suffering can also involve:
- Ongoing abuse
- Grief
- Physical illness
- Hormonal problems
- Neurological conditions
- Sleep deprivation
- Medication effects
- Substance use
- Relationship conflict
- Learned responses
- Poverty
- Trauma
- Sin
- Demonic oppression
- Multiple factors operating together
No single method should be treated as the explanation for every person’s suffering.
A Biblical Approach to Healing and Discernment
A safer Christian approach should keep the person conscious, grounded, free to stop, and anchored in Scripture.
It should include:
- Prayer without pressure to receive an inner image
- Scripture interpreted in context
- Repentance where personal sin exists
- Compassion without blaming victims
- Forgiveness without denying justice
- Discernment regarding spiritual oppression
- Practical boundaries and safety planning
- Medical evaluation when physical factors may be present
- Licensed trauma care when serious psychological symptoms arise
- No leading questions
- No treating impressions as verified memories
- No claim that a facilitator’s method is necessary for healing
Jesus Christ is the healer. A ministry technique is not.
The Holy Spirit does not need emotional manipulation, forced memory searches, suggestive questions, or manufactured images to reveal truth.
Questions to Ask Before Participating in TPM
- Will I be encouraged to treat an internal thought or image as Jesus speaking?
- How does the facilitator distinguish imagination, memory, suggestion, trauma responses, and divine guidance?
- Will I be asked to search for hidden or forgotten memories?
- How are newly surfaced memories verified?
- What happens if I dissociate, panic, become suicidal, or lose awareness of the present?
- Does the facilitator have appropriate training for serious trauma?
- Am I permitted to stop immediately without spiritual pressure?
- Is the process presented as prayer ministry, counseling, or treatment?
- Are claims of healing supported by reliable evidence or mainly by testimonies?
- Will I be discouraged from obtaining medical or licensed mental-health care?
Final Conclusion
Ed Smith’s documented background is conservative Baptist ministry, pastoral counseling, theological education, and marriage-and-family counseling study. I found no credible evidence that he had an occult background or personally practiced occult modalities.
He says Theophostic Prayer developed after he became frustrated with the results of pastoral counseling and witnessed a woman report relief after believing that Jesus personally revealed truth to her concerning a painful memory. From that initial event, he built and refined the method.
Christians may reasonably question whether this process relies too heavily on subjective revelation, emotional absorption, uncertain memory processes, and interpretations that cannot be independently verified.
However, we should not claim more than the evidence establishes.
The strongest biblical critique is not that Ed Smith was secretly an occult practitioner. The strongest critique is that Christians must never place a subjective inner experience on the same level as Scripture, assume that emotional peace proves God spoke, or use a prayer method beyond the limits of evidence, training, and responsible care.
Likewise, Christians should not declare that all psychiatry is ungodly. Some philosophies within psychiatry conflict with biblical truth, while some psychiatric care involves legitimate medical assistance. Every theory and treatment should be evaluated carefully.
Test the method. Test its claims. Test the fruit. Test every supposed revelation. Keep the written Word of God above personal experience.
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
—Isaiah 8:20
Did jesus use this method to heal people?
No. The Gospels do not show Jesus using the Theophostic/Transformation Prayer method.
Jesus did not ask people to close their eyes, trace present emotions back to a childhood memory, identify a “lie-based belief,” and then wait for an inner image or private message from Him. That specific process was developed by Ed Smith in the 1990s, not taught by Jesus or the apostles.
Jesus healed people in several direct ways:
-
He spoke with authority and healed physical sickness. See Matthew 8:5–13 and Mark 2:1–12.
-
He cast out demons. See Mark 1:23–27 and Luke 4:33–36.
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He forgave sins and called people to repentance. See Mark 2:5 and John 8:11.
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He corrected false beliefs through teaching and Scripture. See Matthew 22:29 and Luke 24:25–27.
-
He sometimes asked questions, but He did not guide people into inward memory exploration or teach them to receive imagined scenes as revelation.
Jesus certainly healed brokenhearted people and dealt compassionately with shame, fear, grief, and rejection. But the biblical pattern is truth, faith, repentance, forgiveness, command, prayer, and the authority of God—not a structured memory-recovery technique.
A fair conclusion is:
Theophostic Prayer may use Christian language, but its distinctive method is not found in the ministry of Jesus. Therefore, Christians should not present it as “the way Jesus healed people.” It is a modern counseling-prayer system that must be tested against Scripture.
A useful scripture is:
“Every word of God is pure… Add thou not unto his words.”
—Proverbs 30:5–6
And:
“Learn not to go beyond the things which are written.”
—1 Corinthians 4:6, ASV
The strongest biblical question is not, “Can someone feel better afterward?” It is, “Did Jesus or the apostles teach this method?” Based on the New Testament record, the answer is no.
Theophostic Prayer and ThetaHealing share some important structural similarities, but they are not the same method. ThetaHealing openly identifies itself as a meditation technique and spiritual philosophy involving a theta-brainwave state, “the Creator of All That Is,” subconscious belief reprogramming, intuitive practices, and spiritual healing. Theophostic Prayer—now called Transformation Prayer Ministry—presents itself as Christian prayer and explicitly denies being guided imagery, hypnosis, or recovered-memory therapy.
Where they are similar
Both methods focus strongly on the idea that present emotional suffering is connected to hidden, subconscious, or deeply held beliefs.
Transformation Prayer Ministry leads a person through stages involving emotion, memory, belief, truth, and transformation. The participant focuses on emotional pain, a related memory may surface, a “lie-based core belief” is identified, and the person waits for what the ministry understands as truth from the Lord.
ThetaHealing similarly claims to identify and clear “limiting beliefs,” reprogram subconscious thoughts, and replace negative beliefs and emotions with positive ones through spiritual connection with the “Creator.” It also teaches a process called “digging” to locate the origin of a person’s issue.
Their shared pattern can be summarized as:
-
Identify emotional distress.
-
Search for an underlying belief or root.
-
Enter an inwardly focused condition.
-
Receive truth, insight, or spiritual information.
-
Replace the negative belief.
-
Expect emotional or spiritual transformation.
That similarity is a legitimate reason for Christians to examine Theophostic Prayer carefully.
The major difference
ThetaHealing deliberately seeks a particular altered or deeply relaxed state. Its official materials teach participants to enter the theta-brainwave state, connect with the “Creator of All That Is,” reach the “Seventh Plane of Existence,” use intuition, reprogram the subconscious, activate spiritual DNA, conduct intuitive body scans, and develop psychic abilities.
Its official teaching also describes the Creator as an energy or life force existing in everything and states that the practice is compatible with all religions. Those teachings differ substantially from the biblical doctrine of the personal Creator who is distinct from His creation and revealed through Jesus Christ.
Transformation Prayer Ministry, by contrast, identifies itself as Christian prayer. Its official guidelines state that it is not hypnosis, guided imagery, counseling, deliverance ministry, or recovered-memory therapy. It does not officially teach the Seventh Plane, DNA activation, psychic gifts, universal energy, manifestation, or deliberate theta-brainwave induction.
Therefore, it would be inaccurate to say that Theophostic Prayer is ThetaHealing.
Why the resemblance is still concerning
Although TPM denies guided imagery and altered-state induction, the participant may still be directed inward toward emotions, memories, beliefs, and perceived spiritual truth. The facilitator waits while the person processes what they “may or may not have received” from the Lord.
This creates a similar discernment problem:
How does the participant know whether an internal thought, image, impression, feeling, or phrase came from Jesus rather than imagination, expectation, memory, suggestion, or emotional processing?
ThetaHealing openly calls its source the “Creator of All That Is” and teaches practitioners to distinguish the Creator’s communication from the ego or higher self. TPM uses explicitly Christian language and refers to the Lord. Nevertheless, both involve receiving internally perceived truth concerning deeply held beliefs.
Using the name Jesus does not automatically make every inward process biblical. The message, method, doctrine, and fruit must all be tested.
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.”
—1 John 4:1
Is Theophostic Prayer an occult practice?
There is not enough evidence to state responsibly that Theophostic Prayer was copied from ThetaHealing or that Ed Smith intentionally created an occult method.
Both systems emerged during roughly the same period, but similarity does not prove direct borrowing. Ed Smith describes TPM as arising from his pastoral counseling work and his conclusions about emotional pain and lie-based beliefs. ThetaHealing says Vianna Stibal created her technique during her own healing journey in 1995.
The defensible conclusion is:
Theophostic Prayer is not identical to ThetaHealing, and no verified evidence establishes that Ed Smith copied it. However, the two methods share a troubling pattern of inward belief work, locating emotional roots, replacing limiting or lie-based beliefs, and receiving perceived spiritual truth.
ThetaHealing is much more openly New Age or esoteric in its teachings. It explicitly incorporates universal spiritual energy, psychic development, intuitive scanning, manifestation, multiple planes of existence, DNA activation, and an all-religions concept of the Creator. TPM rejects those labels and uses a conservative Christian framework.
A biblical comparison
The Bible teaches believers to renew their minds with truth:
“Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
—Romans 12:2
But Scripture does not teach believers to enter a theta state, travel mentally through planes of existence, activate spiritual DNA, scan bodies intuitively, reprogram reality, or connect with a universal spiritual energy.
Neither does Scripture teach a formal process in which every painful emotion must be traced to a memory, labeled as a lie-based belief, and corrected through a private internal revelation.
Jesus and the apostles used:
-
The written Word of God
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Open prayer
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Repentance
-
Forgiveness
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Faith
-
Direct teaching
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Healing
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Casting out demons
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The authority of Christ
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The leading of the Holy Spirit within biblical boundaries
They did not teach believers to enter altered consciousness or treat internally received impressions as unquestionable revelation.
Do Some People Develop Issues After Going Through Theophostics?
Yes, some people have reported problems after Theophostic Prayer Ministry, now called Transformation Prayer Ministry. But the evidence is limited: there is no large, high-quality body of research showing how often adverse effects occur or proving that TPM caused every reported problem.
Possible concerns include:
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False or contaminated memories. Critics have warned that emotionally intense memory work can influence how memories are interpreted, especially when previously unknown abuse is believed to have surfaced. Psychologist David Entwistle specifically raised concern about “iatrogenic memory contamination”—memories altered or produced during the helping process.
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Emotional flooding or retraumatization. Focusing strongly on painful emotions and memories may leave some people more distressed, anxious, confused, or overwhelmed, particularly when the facilitator lacks trauma training.
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Dissociation or feeling disconnected. People with severe trauma or dissociative symptoms may become detached, numb, disoriented, or less aware of the present during memory-focused work.
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Spiritual confusion. A participant may struggle afterward with whether an internal picture, phrase, feeling, or impression really came from Jesus, from imagination, or from suggestion.
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Damaged relationships or accusations. If an uncertain memory is treated as factual, it can lead to accusations against relatives, pastors, or others. General research shows that suggestive therapeutic methods can sometimes contribute to false memories with serious family and legal consequences.
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Dependence on the method or facilitator. Some people may feel they cannot find peace without repeatedly returning to memories or receiving another inner message.
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Delayed professional care. Problems can worsen when TPM is used instead of qualified treatment for psychosis, suicidal thoughts, severe dissociation, PTSD, or other serious conditions.
There have also been legal and professional concerns. A 2006 Australian disciplinary case reportedly found that a psychologist had inappropriately used Theophostic Prayer Ministry as a counseling technique. Critics have additionally raised ethical concerns about using it for many mental-health disorders without adequate empirical validation.
At the same time, some participants report relief, and a small series of 13 case studies reported symptom improvement. However, TPM’s own research page acknowledges that this was a very small study, mostly involving licensed professionals, and it does not establish the method’s overall safety or effectiveness.
The most accurate conclusion is:
Some people may feel helped, while others may experience increased distress, uncertain memories, spiritual confusion, or other difficulties. We do not currently have strong enough research to know how common these outcomes are.
Someone who feels worse after TPM should stop the sessions, avoid treating newly surfaced memories as proven facts, remain grounded in the present, and seek an independent licensed trauma professional—especially if they are experiencing panic, dissociation, hallucinations, self-harm thoughts, or severe sleep disruption.
Dr. Henry Wright, Be in Health Ministries, emphasized sin, repentance, and personal responsibility
Henry Wright taught that many spiritual and physical problems are connected to a person’s participation with fear, bitterness, rejection, self-hatred, envy, unforgiveness, and other forms of sin. His “8 Rs to Freedom” are:
Recognize, Responsibility, Repent, Renounce, Remove, Resist, Rejoice, and Restore.
His approach requires the person to recognize what is operating, take responsibility for participating with it, repent, renounce it, resist it, and develop a new pattern of obedience.
Theophostic Prayer places greater emphasis on discovering a “lie-based belief” connected to emotional pain and then receiving personalized truth believed to come directly from the Lord.
That is a significant difference:
-
Wright: identify sin or an ungodly spiritual pattern, repent, renounce it, and walk out freedom.
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Theophostic: identify emotional pain and its underlying belief, then wait for perceived truth from Jesus.
Dr. Henry Wright taught a continuing “walkout”, meaning that freedom involves repeatedly resisting old patterns and choosing obedience. It is not portrayed as receiving one inner message that permanently dissolves the problem.
“Henry Wright said Theophostic Prayer is occult.” and “Henry Wright said everyone practicing it enters an altered state.”
Bob DeWaay — pastor and theological critic
Pastor Bob DeWaay of Critical Issues Commentary strongly rejected Theophostic Ministry. He argued that its basic theories are not taught in Scripture and have not been established through careful scientific research.
DeWaay’s principal objection was TPM’s dependence on subjective revelation. He described the method as leading people back into emotionally vivid memories and then expecting a private internal revelation to correct their supposed lie-based thinking.
He maintained that Christians already possess God’s objective truth in Scripture and should not require a technique through which Jesus supposedly provides individualized messages inside memories.
His concerns included:
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private revelation taking practical precedence over Scripture;
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claims that emotional healing can happen instantly and permanently;
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assumptions about why people experience emotional pain;
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the possibility of mistaking imagination or psychological processes for the Holy Spirit;
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presenting a modern counseling theory as though it were biblical doctrine.
Dick Kuffel — Christian discernment teacher
Dick Kuffel joined Bob DeWaay in a two-part broadcast examining Theophostic Ministry. They argued that the method was based on subjective revelation and made claims that could not be demonstrated from either Scripture or reliable scientific research.
Their criticism emphasized that an emotionally meaningful experience does not establish that:
-
Jesus personally spoke;
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a memory is historically accurate;
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the discovered “lie” was the true cause of the problem;
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the method caused the person’s improvement;
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the apparent peace will be permanent.
The Christian Research Institute — a qualified, mixed assessment
The Christian Research Institute did not reject the central theory and practice of TPM as inherently unbiblical. After a lengthy evaluation, CRI said it found nothing unbiblical in the method’s core, properly understood.
However, CRI still identified serious concerns in older TPM materials and related teachings. These included:
-
insufficient empirical research;
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exaggerated claims of effectiveness;
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teachings about sanctification;
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demonic influence and spiritual warfare;
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satanic ritual abuse;
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memory accuracy;
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the need to distinguish TPM from recovered-memory therapy;
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the risk of treating newly surfaced memories as factual evidence.
CRI communicated directly with Ed Smith and reported that he revised portions of his training in response to criticism.
Therefore, CRI should not be cited as a total opponent of TPM. Its position was more accurately: the core may be biblically permissible, but some teachings and applications required significant correction and much stronger research.
Critics concerned about false and contaminated memories
A major area of criticism comes from psychologists and researchers who study human memory. The concern is not that every memory discussed in TPM is false. The concern is that memory is reconstructive rather than a perfect recording.
When a participant is encouraged to:
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focus intensely on distress;
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search backward for a related event;
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expect a hidden root;
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identify an underlying belief;
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await spiritual confirmation;
the structure of the session may influence what the person recalls or how the memory is interpreted.
Research outside TPM has demonstrated that suggestive therapeutic questioning can contribute to false memories and serious accusations.
A memory can feel vivid, emotional, and absolutely certain while still containing inaccurate details. Therefore, critics warn that a newly surfaced memory should never be treated as proof that someone committed abuse, a crime, or occult activity.
Final conclusion
Yes, Theophostic Prayer has procedural similarities to ThetaHealing, particularly in its focus on emotional roots, core beliefs, inward processing, spiritual truth, and belief replacement.
No, they are not identical. ThetaHealing intentionally uses meditation, a theta state, universal-energy theology, psychic intuition, planes of existence, DNA activation, and manifestation. TPM officially rejects guided imagery and presents itself as Christian prayer.
The central warning for believers is this:
Any method that trains a person to turn inward and receive private spiritual truth must be tested very carefully. An inner message is not automatically Jesus, an emotional release is not proof of divine revelation, and a Christian label does not establish that a method was practiced or commanded by Christ.
Important Disclaimer
This article is written for biblical education and discernment. It does not accuse Ed Smith of occult involvement, because no credible evidence was found to support that accusation. It is not medical or psychiatric advice. A person experiencing suicidal thoughts, psychosis, hallucinations, severe dissociation, dangerous medication reactions, or a mental-health emergency should obtain immediate qualified assistance.
Touch of God Int’l Ministries offers Christ-centered healing and deliverance to help people walk out of bondage and into freedom through Jesus Christ.
Visit:
https://www.touchofgod.org
One-on-One Deliverance:
https://www.touchofgod.org/ministry-programs/deliverance-ministry
Occult Checklist:
https://www.touchofgod.org/post/occult-checklist
Seven Biblical Curses Listed in the Bible:
https://www.touchofgod.org/post/the-seven-biblical-curses-listed-in-the-bible
Teresa Morin
President and Founder
Touch of God Int’l Ministries of Healing and Deliverance
Ordained Minister | Public Speaker
https://www.touchofgod.org
