This article is an excerpt from the book Hope is in the Garden that tells the Story of Sunan Therapy. The book was written by Candace Talmadge and Jana Simons, cofounders of the Sattva Institute.

"Robert"* was a 36-year-old photolithography engineer for a major technology company in 1989 when he first undertook the Sunan method of healing resolution through unconditional love.

Despite his firm commitment to healing and self-growth, however, Robert was able to reclaim his own self-love only for brief instances. He remained unable to hold onto his self-love and live it as his daily reality.

In 1994, Robert became aware of a deeply buried soul memory. Ages ago, God had come to him with a request, and he had refused it. As a result, he believed from that moment forward that God was angry with him and had judged him as unacceptable and unworthy.

Conscious recall of that feeling of God's complete rejection utterly devastated Robert. He literally felt squashed flat under its weight.

When Robert and his Sunan process therapist began his next session by entering his garden, it seemed very flat and one-dimensional, with no depth of feeling to it. Located within the heart chakra, the garden is the point in consciousness where all parts of self can come together for healing and growth. Many Sunan sessions focus within the garden.

To the utter astonishment of Robert and his therapist, at the center of his garden, God was waiting for him. God had come to Robert because it was time for the two to set the record straight.

Through soul (psychic) feeling rather than words or images, Robert became conscious once more of the circumstances under which he had refused God's request and why. He also sensed that he had mistaken God's disappointment over his refusal as anger at and rejection of him.

Misinterpreting what he had felt from his Creator, Robert judged himself no longer fully acceptable in God's sight. That self-judgment was one of the hidden motivations for Robert nearly always choosing to be a priest or some other religious role in almost every physical lifetime on earth. He was trying desperately to prove his worthiness to God.

What God now made clear to Robert, in no uncertain terms, was that God had never stopped loving him and regarding him as worthy, his refusal not withstanding. Then God did something else astonishing.

God asked Robert to step in spirit into God's garden.

Completely amazed, Robert and his therapist complied. At first, Robert found God's garden even more abstract than his own. It seemed to have no feeling about it, but that soon changed.

"God has something he wants to ask you," his therapist told Robert gently. "He wants you to fill His garden with your love."

"I can do that," Robert replied.

Immediately he opened his own heart and flooded God's garden with his own love--with Robert's love. Robert instantly recognized that it was his love and no one else's that was filling God's garden.

And in that instant, only everything was utterly transformed for Robert, precisely because for the first time, he truly could feel the reality of his own love.

At last Robert felt complete. He finally had everything he needed and knew that it was inside of him, not outside somewhere over the rainbow. He felt a wave of confidence rise within him. A whole side of him that had been hiding in the shadows stepped forward into the light.

With that feeling of completeness and sufficiency, Robert also realized he did not have to be afraid of others anymore. He no longer needed to fear that someone would take something from him and not give it back. He didn't have to worry anymore about what others thought of him, either.

Most important, Robert could feel that he was no longer responsible for others. That feeling freed him from the obligation of trying to "save" them that had gotten him into trouble time and again.

It also freed him to give to others out of abundance rather than out of poverty, with all manner of hidden needs and hooks attached to his giving.

Able to feel, reclaim and hold onto his own love, Robert literally was a different person. His office colleagues immediately noticed the changes in his personality.

Robert was instantly aware of a big enhancement in the clarity, speed and ease with which he now receives information through his soul senses. He also now has a much better ability to recognize people with whom he no longer wants to associate.

That represented a big change from the days when he invariably attracted those looking for someone to take responsibility for their lives and then felt obligated to fix them at great cost to himself.

The real healing Robert experienced was God coming to him on Robert's level in Robert's garden and treating him as an equal. "There was no question God was treating me as an equal," Robert said. "He addressed me like an old friend and was glad to see me again."

Robert also was deeply moved to feel that God needed something from him. God actually needed and desired Robert's love.

The spiritual and emotional experience of God's presence and love for him is what finally enabled Robert to reclaim his own self-love and live it as a waking reality. And that experience wasn't something he could have gotten simply by reading a book or attending a lecture or seminar.

Healing conversations with God--and with self--at the spiritual and emotional level are possible through Sunan healing resolution. It is possible to be with our Creator in our own hearts even while we live in a physical reality.

*Robert is a fictitious name used to ensure this client's privacy.