The Healing Power Of Forgiveness

To err is human. But because we are social beings, our mistakes often harm others in small and not-so-small ways. We have all given or received wounds that need the healing power of forgiveness. This is easier said than done, however. Many would like to forgive, but just can’t seem to do it. And they continue to suffer the bitterness and the lack of peace that comes from unforgiven injuries. In Wounds in the Heart, Dr. Javier Schlatter leads us out of this conundrum and into a deeper understanding of forgiveness and its importance in our lives. He explains what forgiveness is, what it is not, and how to experience its healing power in our lives. He also looks at the impact of forgiveness on health and the keys to forgiveness in marriage. His insights are practical but also provide a deeper understanding of forgiveness that goes well beyond a superficial self-help book. Dr. Schlatter is Assistant Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology at the University of Navarre Medical Clinic. He is the author of several books on anxiety and stress and is a specialist in emotional disorders and the biological basis of depression and phobias.

Where was God during my deepest times of betrayal by others? If I forgive, does that mean I condone the hurt done to me? Have I forgiven someone if I relive the pain every time I hear his or her name? If you have asked these questions, you are not alone. Join author Shawn Lantz in an eight-week personal journey through the book of Genesis to uncover answers to these deep-rooted relationship questions found in the lives of Joseph and his family. We will discover God's healing plan through forgiveness impacts many generations to come.

Few Christians realize nearly every problem in life stems from an unwillingness to forgive someone. When we hold grudges, seek retribution, and blame others, we end up hurting our relationships with God and people—and short-circuit our ability to live the Christian live the way it's meant to be lived. Why is forgiveness so difficult at times? Must we forgive when it's the other person's fault? How should we handle repeat offenses? What if we feel we can't forgive because we've been hurt so badly? Pritchard answers these questions and more by pointing to God's example as the Supreme Forgiver. When we learn to forgive in the way He forgives, then we'll know true freedom, peace, and emotional healing.

Bestselling Taoist author William Martin brings the power of the Tao to the essential practice of forgiveness, creating a unique path from guilt, blame, and shame to peace of mind and freedom. How do we forgive when forgiveness seems impossible? William Martin, author of the bestselling The Parent's Tao Te Ching, provides practical and time honored answers. He weaves excerpts from the ancient sacred Taoist scriptures together with insightful teaching stories, bringing the practice of forgiveness to readers of all spiritual backgrounds. Each chapter contains two parts-a journey toward forgiveness and a practical exercise in forgiving-and also includes personal anecdotes, poems, and simple exercises. With the devastating personal and societal damage caused by resentment, anger, guilt, and shame in mind, Martin patiently and compassionately helps readers overcome the ills of "holding on" with the openness of the Tao. In this accessible work, he illustrates how forgiveness is freedom and that the pathway to overcoming anger is also the way to spiritual liberation.

How Apologies Can Help You Move Forward With Your Life “To err is human; to forgive divine.” But what if the person who hurt you most refuses to apologize or express any regret? That’s the question haunting Manhattan journalist Susan Shapiro when her trusted advisor of fifteen years repeatedly lies to her. Stunned by the betrayal, she can barely eat or sleep. She’s always seen herself as big-hearted and benevolent, someone who will forgive anyone anything - as long as they’re remorseful. Yet the addiction specialist who helped her quit smoking, drinking and drugs after decades of self-destruction won’t explain – or stop - his ongoing deceit, leaving her blindsided. Her crisis management strategy is becoming her crisis. To protect her sanity and sobriety, Shapiro ends their relationship and vows they’ll never speak again. Yet ghosting him doesn’t end her distress. She has screaming arguments with him in her mind, relives their fallout in panicked nightmares and even lights a candle, chanting a secret Yiddish curse to exact revenge. In her entrancing, heartfelt new memoir The Forgiveness Tour: How to Find the Perfect Apology, Shapiro wrestles with how to exonerate someone who can’t cough up a measly “my bad” or mumble “mea culpa.” Seeking wisdom, she explores the billion-dollar Forgiveness Industry touting the personal benefits of absolution, where the only choice on every channel is: radical forgiveness. She fears it’s all bullshit. Desperate for enlightenment, she surveys her old rabbis, as well as religious leaders from every denomination. Unable to reconcile all the confusing abstractions, she embarks on a cross country journey where she interviews people who suffered unforgivable wrongs that were never atoned: victims of genocides, sexual assault, infidelity, cruelty and racism. A Holocaust survivor in D.C. admits he’s thrived from spite. A Michigan man meets with the drunk driver who killed his wife and children. A daughter in Seattle grapples with her mother - who stayed married to the father who raped her. Knowing their estrangement isn’t her fault, a Florida mom spends eight years apologizing to her son anyway -with surprising results. Does love mean forever having to say you’re sorry? Critics praised Shapiro’s previous memoir Lighting Up: How I Stopped Smoking, Drinking and Everything Else I Loved in Life Except Sex as fiercely honest, fascinating, funny and “a mind-bendingly good read.” Now the bestselling author and popular writing professor returns with a darker, wiser follow up, addressing the universal enigma of blind forgiving. Shapiro’s brilliant new gurus sooth her broken psyche and answer her burning mystery: How can you forgive someone without an apology? Does she? Should you?

The Power of Forgiveness is a comprehensive guide to forgiveness as a healing practice. The author makes the crucial point that, for us to be the most empowered versions of ourselves in the world, we must prioritize our healing. And forgiveness is the most important path toward healing that we can undertake. The book is made up of three distinct parts. Part I engages the reader in considering what forgiveness is, and what it isn't, and why it is so important to participate in this powerful and often misunderstood, process. Part II reveals the framework and process. The author offers readers a comprehensive roadmap, with a series of written exercises and guided meditations, toward forgiveness. The structure she provides helps to strengthen the competencies we need to forgive fully. The final section of the book discusses concepts related to forgiveness that deepen our understanding of the healing practice. In considering the impact of personal forgiveness on the world around us, Hooks shows us in great detail how people who practice forgiveness in their daily lives have the capacity to heal both themselves and the world.

Break the silence and heal the rift Estrangement or partial estrangement from an adult son or daughter is one of a parent's worst nightmares. It can mean angry silences and anguished days and nights wondering what went wrong. Becoming estranged from a parent can be equally painful for an adult child, who may miss the relationship they once shared. Written by Kathy McCoy, one of the nation's more revered experts on family relationships, We Don't Talk Anymore is a tender and practical new exploration of estrangement for both parents and adult children. Each chapter also provides compassionate, practical insights focused on what both parents and adult children can do, including: • Finding courage to reach out to your loved one • Understanding the conflict and discovering a new and fulfilling connection • Letting go and rebuilding your life Families deserve clarity and understanding. We Don't Talk Anymore will show you those first steps toward healing.