The late Dr. Henry Wright developed this methodology to assist people in healing. Dr. Wright guided chronically and terminally ill people through this prayer and many were healed. He felt such recoveries were not miracles, as the body would naturally heal itself if you corrected the environment fostering the disease. He reported success with people of all faiths and no particular faith. The eight-step prayer was his way of helping people out of the emotional states that lead to disease.
There are no set words to the prayer. It is not a magical incantation. Instead, it is a tool to learn about yourself and a means to help grow. The following description of each step is based on my own experience. I blended the Ho'oponopono Prayer with the principle of praising God in all things into the Eight-Step Prayer steps as they are powerful when used either separately or in combination.
Step one: Recognize
The first step is to recognize what we are doing that is not helpful. Thus, the first step of the eight-step prayer is to learn to recognize unhelpful behavior or thinking. We are prone to feeling that our perceptions are a true reflection of the way the world really is, when often they are not. It is astounding how differently we can perceive our world after praying. The way to approach the first step is to say something like, "Father I recognize that i am feeling ___. Praise you that I am feeling this way as I know you have a plan for this situation."
Step two: Responsibility
The second step is to take responsibility for what you are doing that is not helpful. It is very difficult to take responsibility for our feelings when we feel they are justified. A way to approach the second step is to say something like, "I take responsibility for feeling offended. It's not something I can't help; it's something I am responsible for."
Step three: Renounce
The third step is to renounce that which you are doing as being unhelpful or unhealthy. You renounce the universal unhelpfulness or unhealthiness of the behavior or feeling. So, you can say something like, "I renounce contempt in my life and throughout the world. It is never helpful."
Step four: Repent
The fourth step is to repent or to commit to stop doing that which is unhelpful. I add the first two parts of the Ho'oponopono prayer here. Thus you can say something like, "Father, I am sorry that I am bitter, please forgive me. I repent of feeling bitter. I no longer want to feel this way."
Step five: Reject
The fifth step is to reject the spirit you allowed into your life. In the fifth step, you acknowledge the presence of the spirit you allowed into your life and you reject it. You can say something like, "Spirit of despair, I reject you in the name of God. I shall have nothing to do with you anymore, and you are no longer welcome in me."
Step six: Resist
The sixth step is to pledge resistance when the feeling returns. This step recognizes that the process of growing stronger is an ongoing process. Thus, you can say something like "Spirit of outrage, I shall resist you when you try to return, for as long as you return. There is no place for you in my heart anymore." You can ask God for help with this.
Step seven: Restore
The seventh step is to ask God to restore you to be as intended you to be. In this seventh step we use our free will to invite God into our hearts, and we give him permission to change us and restore us to the person He intended us to be. One can simply say, "God I ask that you restore me to be the person you intended me to be."
Step eight: Rejoice
The eighth step is to rejoice in your restoration. This step recognizes that you are living life exercising your free will and that in your journey you will make mistakes and go off target. I add the last two steps of the Ho'oponopono prayer here. To rejoice, one simply says, "Father, thank you for your forgiveness. Thank you for your restoration. I love you very much."
After finishing the prayer, take some deep breaths and try to connect with the presence of God. If you feel any more negative emotions, don't hesitate to recite the prayer again with that emotion and keep repeating it until you feel enveloped in a feeling of peace and love.
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