“Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.”
– Marianne Williamson
There is enormous freedom and power in the act of forgiving, whether it be yourself or someone else. Yet it can seem very difficult and sometimes impossible to do when we feel betrayed or unfairly treated in some way. We may vacillate between self-loathing and anger, yet all the while we are the ones suffering and not the person who we feel has wronged us. There is an excellent quote by Buddha that encapsulates this idea beautifully: “Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting some else to die.” Who wants to do that? None of us do, yet we do it. We can’t seem to help ourselves.
Holding on to anger and resentment can hinder us from not only feeling good on a day-to-day basis, but it can also prevent us from creating healthy new relationships or living our purpose. When you forgive someone, you are not condoning their behavior, you are setting yourself free! You are giving their “stuff” back to them. People who hurt other people have at some point in their lives been hurt themselves. They carry a wound that they have not yet healed. Hence they go around wounding others in a state of unconsciousness as if they are sleep walking through life. In this state of unawareness a person is trapped in the ego state of seeing the world from the point of view of “I” and is not able to see the bigger picture. It is not your job to take on their hurt, so why not set yourself free?
I saw the pain and suffering of self-inflicted anger and resentment through my father. He had a difficult childhood. He grew up on a farm in Michigan with his parents and three sisters. He was the only boy and his father was jealous of him. He verbally abused my father and although my father never mentioned it, I am sure he hit him as well. By the time my father went off to join the Navy, he was a deeply wounded man. As an adult my father shared the stories with me of how his father mistreated him. I could still see the hurt and realized he still held on to deep feelings of anger toward his father. He had yet to forgive. My father lived a long life, and at the times he was teaching or writing experienced some peace. However, for the most part he suffered a great deal having never having found a way to forgive his father and set himself free.
Hypnosis is a great tool for accessing the subconscious mind and letting go of toxic emotions that if unchecked can lead to physical and/or emotional suffering. The body and the mind know how to heal themselves and in the blissful alpha state known as hypnosis, deep healing and forgiveness can take place.
Imagine being free of anger, resentment and victimization. Imagine feeling strong, confident and clear about your life. Imagine being at peace with who you are and where you are. Imagine that!
