Forgiveness
Forgiveness isn’t about ignoring wrongs or forgetting hurt. The Healing Power of Forgiveness is about freeing yourself from the grip of negative emotions like anger and resentment. When you choose to forgive, you release the emotional burden that can weigh you down and affect your health.
How not forgiving affects the body, mind & spirit
Holding onto grudges creates constant tension, leading to chronic stress. This can trigger the body’s fight-or-flight response, elevating cortisol levels. Over time, high cortisol can lead to anxiety, depression, and weakened immunity. Forgiveness helps break this cycle, reducing stress and promoting inner peace.
Enhances Mental Well-being
Forgiveness can lower levels of depression and anxiety while boosting self-esteem and overall psychological health. It allows you to focus on positive emotions, fostering a more optimistic outlook on life.
Strengthens Relationships
Forgiveness is crucial for healthy relationships. Holding onto resentment can create barriers and hinder communication. By forgiving, you open the door to healing and reconciliation, strengthening bonds and building a supportive social network.
Promotes Longevity
The cumulative health benefits of forgiveness—lower stress, better health, and improved mental well-being—contribute to a longer, healthier life. People who practice forgiveness tend to experience greater life satisfaction, which is linked to increased longevity.
How to Cultivate the Healing Power of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a process that takes time and practice. Here are some steps to guide you:
Acknowledge Your Emotions
Give yourself some time and space to recognise the hurt caused by the event and process the emotions. Allow yourself to name and feel these emotions in their raw form without judgment or reacting (against the other person/people involved). Sometimes we are triggered by old emotions there may be a bottling effect or find the other person to be a mirror for something (unmet need, value alignment issue, boundary crossed, unhealthy belief, unprocessed emotion etc) that needs addressing.
Empathise with the Offender
Try to understand the situation from the other person’s perspective. Reframe the event in a more positive light. This doesn’t mean justifying or forgetting their actions but it can help you let go. Separate the action from the person’s higher self. You don’t ever have to condone the behaviour but you are looking to forgive the soul of the person and learn the lessons.
Decide to Forgive
Forgiveness is a conscious choice. Make the decision to forgive, even if it’s just a small percentage today. Sometimes you need to forgive yourself, acknowledge this by saying it out loud in front of the mirror.
Release the Grudge
Let go of negative feelings and thoughts associated with the hurt. Meditation, journaling, or talking to a trusted friend can help.
Focus on the Present
Forgiveness allows you to move forward, focusing on the present and future instead of dwelling on the past. Imagine the future how you would handle a similar situation and how different your life is with forgiveness in your heart.
Get help
Journey Practitioners are very skilled at helping people reach a place of forgiveness. Or get on a weekend intensive to learn yourself.
How do you know when you have fully forgiven?
- You will feel lighter and relieved
- There is no longer a charge/trigger connected with the person/situation involved.
- You may find that they contact you out of the blue.
- If you know how to muscle test, your body can tell you out of ten how far along the forgiveness track you are related to that issue/person.
Programs to support forgiveness
Personal Coaching, Personal Growth, Bach Flowers, Australian Bush Flowers, Alaskan Gem Elixirs, Schuessler Salts, Creative Homeopathy, (Resonance), Being, Release (Gold), (Soul Cycle), (Chakras), Mental Balance acute, Emotional Wellbeing, Inner Unity (Mental Balance), Pita, Conflict Balance (Power of Three), Psyche, Joy of Life (Digital Nutrition), Epigenetic Harmonisation (Bioenergetic Vitalisation)
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto
