Starting June 7, a three-part series on Forgiveness will be offered by Jane L. Kuhn LMFT during our Sacred Pursuits time. Explore forgiveness, learn tools to help the process, and heal yourself and your relationships.
Join us at 6:00 on June 7, 14, and 21 in the Heritage Room.
From Jane Kuhn:
Forgiveness Workshop: A psycho-educational/experiential process model
Each year thousands of individuals and couples seek professional help from marriage and family therapists, social workers, spiritual counselors, and other mental health professionals to address issues of concern in their relationship with themselves and others. Forgiveness is a concept frequently used in interpersonal and intrapersonal healing. Forgiveness can be a difficult and complex process involving deep emotional work. Most people, who find it painful to do forgiveness process work alone, are willing to attend a workshop that will educate them, give them specific tools, and involve them in a direct hands-on experience of forgiveness.
This workshop can be presented to individuals and couples to help them learn why forgiveness is an important component to be considered in healing their relationships. Research supports the efficacy of the use of forgiveness interventions in therapeutic settings. Various stage models have been developed and utilized by mental health practitioners. This workshop provides a synthesis of these models and includes a guided visualization technique. The benefits of a physically and psychologically healthier individual and couple relationship may follow with the use of these interventions.
This powerful workshop can be life altering, educating people about what forgiveness is and then giving them tools and a direct experience to help heal at deeper levels. Forgiveness is a step toward peace and reconciliation in our personal lives, our relationships, our community, and our world.
This two-phase workshop, presented in a 3-hour timeframe, targets individuals or married couples who are interested in learning how to heal their relationships, develop a deeper intimacy, and gain specific tools to use in the forgiveness process. The first phase psycho-educational portion of the workshop covers the different aspects and definitions of forgiveness, erroneous myths about forgiveness, and the obstacles and benefits of forgiveness. A step-by-step forgiveness process is described, examples given for each step, and time allowed for questions and answers. Relevant handouts will be available.
The second phase of the workshop consists of guided forgiveness imagery. Individuals and couples will choose personal forgiveness issues to work on incorporating their own spiritual beliefs as desired. During the forgiveness visualization the individuals and couples will be guided through the process by imagery of releasing and transforming emotions of hurt, bitterness, judgment, betrayal, anger, and self-blame. After each of the 3-guided visualizations, time will be given to journal thoughts and feelings. An opportunity for breakout groups and/or voluntary group sharing will be available as well as time for questions. An increase in perceptions of interpersonal and self-forgiveness may follow as well as a sense of hope, peace and gratitude.