Thank you for joining me on this guided meditation on forgiveness.
Today we're going to do the work of helping you to let go of any negatively charged emotions tied to a person that has caused you pain.
Remember,
Forgiveness is an act of kindness for yourself,
So you can begin to unlock the emotional pain that is trapped in your body,
To let go of it and ultimately no longer feel any negative emotion when you think of this event or person in the future.
So first I'd like you to settle into your body,
Preferably seated with your chest open and hands on your thighs.
Take a couple of deep breaths in and long extended breaths out.
This controlled breathing tells your body you are safe.
In a moment I'm going to have you imagine a situation,
But you are not in the situation.
You are safe.
You may have feelings or emotions that come up and that's okay.
You are safe.
Reflect back on a situation that causes a negative feeling within you,
One where you experience pain,
Hurt,
Anger,
Frustration or sadness.
It may have happened today or 10 years ago.
It can be something small or something big.
Now I want you to bring to the front of your mind the person in that situation you want to forgive.
See them in front of you.
You can see them,
But they can't hurt you.
Now place yourself in a safe space,
Your home,
At the beach,
In a garden or a forest and with this person in front of you.
Take a moment and share with them what they did and how they hurt you.
List all of their wrongdoing as if you're in a court of law and you're reciting their crimes against you.
Feel the pain that comes up when you recall this situation.
Feel it fully.
Whether it be anger,
Frustration,
Hurt,
Sadness,
All of it is okay.
As you tell them what they did to you,
It's okay to feel the pain.
Now stop focusing on your pain and the situation.
Instead draw your attention to the person standing in front of you.
What might they have been experiencing to cause you such pain?
What was happening in their life?
What might they have been lacking?
Empathy is a powerful tool in forgiveness.
It lessens the power that a person or situation can hold over us.
It does not excuse a behavior,
But it allows us to become curious and understand that the people who hurt us are often in a great deal of pain themselves.
Now take a moment to reflect.
What did you learn from this incident?
How did it help you grow?
Did you become stronger,
Wiser?
What did you learn about yourself?
Are you more capable or resilient or patient than you knew?
And now as you see this person standing in front of you,
I invite you to choose to forgive them.
This situation is in your past.
You cannot change it,
But you do get a wonderful opportunity to change yourself and how you move through this world with less pain,
Hurt,
And sorrow by letting go of your negative emotions.
Instead of looking back at the pain,
Turn your head forward at the opportunity to create the human you want to be.
If you feel safe doing it in your mind,
Hug this person and tell them you've let it go.
For some small situations,
Forgiveness can be done in one session and the negative emotions are dissolved.
For others,
The pain is so deep that it may take doing this meditation repeatedly for you to feel free of the negative emotions and that's okay.
But it can happen.
You can let go and feel the emotional freedom of no longer being negatively charged by this event.
Take a big deep breath in and remind yourself that you are safe on the exhale.
This is for you.
