It’s January and most people are ready to make resolutions. Losing weight is the most common resolution. Well, I just finished reading two wonderful books by Jeanine Roth. Women, Food, and God And when food is love, I even ordered his workbook Why weight? And can’t wait to reveal his skinny inner self, especially after eating “too many to count” holiday cookies.
The main premise of Jeanne’s books is that when we allow ourselves to feel our feelings and not use food to numb ourselves from the pain of our childhood; Then we’ll naturally make healthier choices, stop eating compulsively, and return to our ideal weight. The books contain many more revelations than I experienced and I highly recommend any woman with any type of eating problem (which is most of us) to read them.
The main revelation the book brought to me was the reminder that part of overcoming childhood trauma, pain, and/or dysfunction is forgiving our parents (or any other adult in our childhood) for all they did. what they did that seemed harmful to us. Forgiveness doesn’t make their actions acceptable, but it frees us from the mental prison we lock ourselves in because we don’t want to let go of our stories.
I was reminded of the powerful process I experienced when I attended a workshop conducted by spiritual leader Sondra Ray about six years ago. forgiveness diet Originating from one of my favorite spiritual texts – a course in miracles, The concept centers around writing statements of forgiveness every morning and every night for seven days in order to heal your heart towards those you have hurt. As an added component, at the end of each day you forgive yourself.
A therapist of mine recently reminded me of the process, and shared that she was able to successfully forgive the man who killed her daughter. Instead of being in jail, he lives with his daughter and they all have a pleasant, casual and trusting relationship without any animosity. The power of forgiveness is immeasurable.
After that session with my therapist, I went home and performed the Forgiveness Diet on my own. I was able to forgive and release my mother for neglecting me as a child. I let go of the need for him to call me and me to call him. As a result, I only called her when I felt inspired rather than feeling that I had an obligation to call. No one was keeping account except me. It was such a feeling of freedom not to worry that she would go mad if I didn’t call her.
I was also deeply concerned that my mother put her husband and her job before mine, to the point that she seriously neglected me and my sister. Once I forgave him and realized that he had his own wounds from childhood, and was willing to let go of my story, I received the most amazing gift from him this Christmas.
She took a whole week off from work, and two nights away from her boyfriend (she reunited with her high school sweetheart only a few years before my stepfather died.). For the first time in my life, I felt that I meant more to my mother than her work or her man. I couldn’t be more grateful. Unfortunately, when we struggle, and stress and struggle against our story, we don’t get the love, the attention, the affection that we so yearn for. It is not until we give it our all that we reap the fruits of joy on the other side of our pain. Forgiveness really sets you free.
Commit to this simple, seven-day process and notice how subtle, yet importantly powerful changes begin to manifest for you.
forgiveness diet
All you need for this exercise is a 20-minute morning and 20-minute nighttime commitment and a brand new notebook!
Choose a time in the morning when you are not disturbed. On a blank page in your notebook, number from 1 to 35, skipping every other line. Write the following sentence 35 times:
“I, [your name]pardon [a person you blame] Completely and unconditionally.”
Pick and choose who you will forgive or not. Don’t think before you write. Write whatever name comes to mind. Try writing down 35 different experiences, but if the same name or experience keeps coming to your mind, it’s okay to write it down as many times as you think of. When you’ve finished the exercise, take five to seven long, deep breaths and close the book.
Repeat the exercise just before going to bed. This time write the following sentences:
” I, [your name] Forgive yourself completely and unconditionally. I am free to move towards wholeness and perfection.”
You may not know why you need forgiveness, but it doesn’t matter, Spirit knows the reason.
You should repeat this exercise every morning and every evening for seven days, forgiving others before noon and yourself at noon before midnight. If you miss a day, you must start again. True forgiveness takes work. Missing a day reflects your unconscious mind’s resistance to letting go of pain. Be kind to yourself and keep trying.
The spirit will show you whether you have truly accomplished your task, so don’t be alarmed if you see or hear from the same person you are forgiving. Pay attention to how you react to the situation. When you fully forgive others and yourself, you will experience an entirely new sense of freedom.
The Forgiveness Diet was originally presented in A Course in Miracles, and is presented here by Stacy Corrigan of Manifest Your Man®.
Source by Stacy Corrigan
