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Forgiveness in Mind, Body, and Spirit: Healing Emotional Wounds and Health

Forgiveness in Mind, Body, and Spirit: Healing Emotional Wounds and Health. Loren Toussaint, Ph.D. Luther College Top Ladies of Distinction June 18, 2013. Defining Forgiveness. Releasing or letting go of negative affect, beliefs, or behaviors toward an offender

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Forgiveness in Mind, Body, and Spirit: Healing Emotional Wounds and Health

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  1. Forgiveness in Mind, Body, and Spirit: Healing Emotional Wounds and Health Loren Toussaint, Ph.D. Luther College Top Ladies of Distinction June 18, 2013

  2. Defining Forgiveness Releasing or letting go of negative affect, beliefs, or behaviors toward an offender Development of positive affect, beliefs, or behaviors toward an offender

  3. Dimensions of Forgiveness • Targets – Self, Others, and God • Methods – Offering, Feeling, and Seeking • State/Trait – Feeling or disposition Toussaint & Webb (2005)

  4. Our Working Definition • Trait forgiveness involves a tendency to offer, feel, or seek changes from negative to positive cognitions, behaviors, and affect pertaining to offenders that include oneself, others, and God. • State forgiveness involves a process of offering, feeling, or seeking a change from negative to positive cognitions, behaviors, and affect pertaining to specific offenses that are perceived to be perpetrated by oneself, others, or God. Toussaint & Webb (2005)

  5. Forgiveness IS NOT What Forgiveness IS and IS NOT Forgiveness IS peace for you and not the offender taking back your power being responsible for how you feel about your healing a trainable skill regaining emotional control a choice a difficult thing reconciliation forgoing justice forgetting something painful condoning unkindness excusing poor behavior denying or minimizing your hurt giving up having feelings about the person who hurt you

  6. Additional Issues • Decisional vs. emotional • Social & cultural influences • Intrapersonal • Interpersonal • Religious influences

  7. Benefits of Forgiveness • Interpersonal relationships • Social support • Health • Mental • Physical • Happiness • Better mood • Satisfaction with life

  8. General Populations Benefits of forgiveness

  9. Forgiveness and Mental Health Net of sex, age, marital status, education, income, race, & anger

  10. Forgiveness and Mental Health Net of sex, age, marital status, education, income, race, & anger

  11. Forgiveness and Heart Disease Net of sex, age, marital status, education, income, race, anger, & depression

  12. Forgiveness and Heart Disease Net of sex, age, marital status, education, income, race, anger, & depression

  13. Forgiveness, Mortality, and Mechanisms Depressive Affect .152*** .016 Conditional Forgiveness of Others Depressive Somatic Symptoms Mortality .102*** .190+ -.115*** -.549*** Physical Health *Toussaint, L., Owen, A. D., & Cheadle, A. C. D. (online first) Forgive to live: Forgiveness, Health, and Longevity. Journal of Behavioral Medicine 10.1007/s10865-011-9362-4.

  14. Vulnerable Populations Benefits of forgiveness

  15. Forgiveness & Police Officers

  16. Forgiveness & Police Officers, cont.

  17. Forgiveness & College Students

  18. College students: Vulnerable? Yes!

  19. Forgiveness & College Students

  20. Indirect Benefits of Training Change in Forgiveness REACH FFG Positive Traits Trait Forgiveness Perceived Stress Gratitude

  21. Forgiveness & AIDS

  22. Forgiveness & Fibromyalgia

  23. Forgiveness & Fibromyalgia

  24. Forgiveness in Sierra Leone

  25. Hard work in the classroom by teachers and students

  26. And more hard work!!

  27. Forgiveness in Sierra Leone

  28. Forgiveness in Sierra Leone

  29. A team effort

  30. How to obtain the benefits of forgiveness

  31. Four Approaches to Promoting Forgiveness Enright’ Forgiveness Therapy REACH Forgive for Good Release! Restore

  32. Enright’s Forgiveness Therapy • Uncovering • Defenses • Anger • Shame • Decision • Change of heart • Consider forgiveness • Commit • Work • Reframe • Empathy • Context • Deepening • Meaning • Purpose • Humility • Universality

  33. REACH Model Recall Empathize Altruistic Commit Hold on

  34. Forgive for Good Model • Gratitude and openness to beauty and bounty – focus on positive • Reframe/challenge unrealistic expectations • You can’t make people treat you well • Unenforceable rules • Change victimization story • Taking things too personally • Blame game • Stress management

  35. Gratitude, Beauty, Bounty, Focus on Positive Simple techniques for living a more forgiving life

  36. Release! Model Narrative Therapy Prayer RET

  37. Restore Model Self-Forgiveness • Acceptance • Benefit-finding • Commitment • Key methods • Prayer • Narrative therapy

  38. An Intervention Model Forgiveness of Others Interpersonal Stress Unforgiveness Poor Health (e.g., cancer) QOL Intrapersonal Stress Forgiveness of Self

  39. Questions about Forgiving Oneself • Is it the best alternative? • Self-acceptance • Narcissism • How do you promote it appropriately? • Why is it so important?

  40. Review • What is forgiveness? • Complex and multidimensional • What are its benefits? • Social, health, well-being • How do you promote it? • FT, REACH, FFG, Release!, Restore

  41. Contact • Loren Toussaint • Department of Psychology Luther College 700 College Dr. Decorah, IA 52101 • touslo01@luther.edu • www.luther.edu/psychology/faculty/toussaint

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