Sefer Divrei Dovid (quoted in Sefer Ohalei Tzadikim) relates the story of a man who came to the Magid of Chernobyl zy’a and handed him a kvittel, in which he listed all of the sins he had committed in the past. Sadly, this man had sinned many times in very serious ways, and he asked the Magid how he could do teshuva.
When the Magid saw how severely the man had damaged his neshama, he told him, ‐I am an old man. I am too weak to do such a hard job of helping someone so depraved do teshuva. Go to the Ruzhiner. He is young and he can help you.‐
The man traveled to see the Ruzhiner Rebbe zy’a, and handed him his list of aveiros, and the Rebbe gave him instructions for how to do teshuva. He told him, ‐First and foremost, you should make sure to always say every holy word from a Siddur. You should look into a Siddur when davening, saying brachos, reciting Birchas Hamazon, and even saying Asher Yatzar. Do not say any of these things by heart.‐
He also told him to constantly look at his face during tish, and not to allow his eyes to stray from his visage.
The Ruzhiner Rebbe’ son, Rav Dovid Moshe of Tchortkov zy’a, related that he knew this baal teshuva, and he testified that the man reached a very lofty level, and even began to accept kvitlach and bring about yeshuos for other Yidden. Rav Dovid Moshe said, ‐Once he committed to do what my father told him, he automatically knew on his own what else he had to do to atone for each sin!‐
This advice is based on the words of Rav Chaim Vital zy’a (Shaar Ruach Hakodesh 34:2), who writes that he was told by his rebbi, the Arizal, that the main way one can attain ruach hakodesh is by having kavannah while reciting each bracha on food or drink. By doing so, one destroys the impure klippah that is within the food he is about to eat, which can damage the one who eats it. By saying a bracha on the food with kavannah, one removes the klippah and purifies the food, and it becomes a source of kedusha for him.