FORGIVENESS:
Shift Your Story, Shift Your Life
WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT?
We know the path to a life of love, joy, and vitality begins with forgiving ourselves and others, but we are still determining how to find that path or begin that journey. Anger and resentment keep us from being able to move towards the very things we want the most. In this four-week course, we will learn how our anger towards our family impacts our life today, how often what we think is about us is not about us, and the steps we can take to bring new awareness and forgiveness into our lives.
Our families are
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the first place in which we experience love
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the first place we learn to give love
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usually the first place where we are hurt by someone we love
The family should be where we learn to heal, love, and forgive ourselves and significant others. Unfortunately, for many of us, it is our very families that we want to get away from, are afraid to leave, or distance ourselves from emotionally. As we learn to shift the story we tell about ourselves and our families, we also learn to shift our lives because our family of origin and our ability to forgive are inextricably woven.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Anyone who wants to become ‘unstuck’ from the past while finding ways to release anger and resentment should attend this class. Sign up today if you want to finally understand your life story and live from possibility and joy!
WHAT WILL YOU LEARN EACH WEEK?
Week One: What is Forgiveness and How Do I Truly Forgive?
We will discuss the nature of forgiveness and what can prevent us from being able to forgive. We will also look at when forgiveness might be inappropriate; and when gratitude and acceptance might be the better choice. We will also explore several famous sayings which have transformative power:
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The best way out is through.
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It is not the thunderstorms that are so important; it is being able to dance in the rain.
As we discuss these statements and their practical wisdom, we will also examine our language choices and actions that may originate from someone other than ourselves.
Week Two: Who Is Your Family and How Close or Distant Are You from Them?
We will discuss who comprises our families and the importance of belonging and balance. We will look at the family genogram in a new way, making it more interactive. How distant or close are you to your family? How close or distant do you need to be? We will learn a couple of breathing exercises that help us ‘meditate through our conflicted feelings’ while holding and accepting all of who we are at any given time or situation.
Week Three: The Importance of Language and What Our Words Say.
This class is dedicated to questions and answers, but in a different way than you think. In this session, we will engage in several language exercises (based on questions and answers) that will help us identify the resentment, anger, blame, and guilt we might have, which keeps us from being able to grant and experience true forgiveness. We will also talk about how our stomachs are allies in forgiveness.
Week Four: Putting it All Together
Our final week completes the ‘forgiveness puzzle’ and puts it all together. We will evaluate our genograms and language and complete a questionnaire that helps unearth how our words, actions, and feelings are unconsciously impacting and shaping us. We will do another breathing exercise to help us see ourselves more clearly. This clarity allows a whole new story or perspective to surface, enabling us to shift our lives from limitation, anger, fear, resentment (and more) to new possibilities, joy, and forgiveness.