The Psychology of Forgiveness

This workshop will teach participants the nine steps to forgiveness used in the Stanford Forgiveness Projects and taught to thousands around the world.

The practice of forgiveness emerged from the teachings of the world’s major religious traditions. These doctrines teach that forgiveness can help heal relationships and soothe painful emotions. In the past 15 years, research has shown that forgiveness leads to increased hope, physical vitality, an appreciation of the spiritual aspects of life, and a reduction in stress, blood pressure, hurt, anger, and depression.

Participants in this workshop will learn the practice of forgiveness through the integration of the principles of cognitive therapy and narrative approaches intermixed with mindfulness and guided imagery practices designed to facilitate positive emotion. Participants will learn to use the core components of grievance and forgiveness in personal and professional settings. The overarching principle of this workshop is the importance of focused attention in the creation of both positive and negative emotional states. Relevant research on the effect of emotional status on physical health will be reviewed and the importance of the mind-body link for creating forgiveness will be elucidated.

You will learn —

Frederic Luskin, PhD, is the director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects and an associate professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. The Stanford projects are a series of nine successful research projects that demonstrate the effectiveness of Dr. Luskin's forgiveness methodology on populations that range from the families of murder victims to financial service advisors struggling with the stock market crash of 2000. His work has been featured on "20/20", "Today", and in O, Time Magazine, and the New York Times. His forgiveness methodology is described in his best-selling self-help book, Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness.