Watch and learn another way of thinking that can not only bring about personal healing at the physical mental, and emotional level but can clear away the learned helplessness and awaken within us the inspiration, power, and self-awareness that can enable us to heal our planet,
Frederic Luskin, PhD has become world famous for his work in a most unusual subject – forgiveness. This quality is sorely needed in this world of polarization, conflict, and violence.
I first met Dr. Luskin when he approached me at the end of a class I was teaching at Stanford University, while he was in graduate school. In this conversation we will trace his pathway to his current position. He is now the Director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology.
In his work in health promotion, he started to research the effect that forgiveness had on physical and emotional well-being as well as the reduction of the risk of cardiovascular disease. His research showed that learning to forgive helps people hurt less, experience less anger, feel less stress and suffer less depression. As people learn to forgive they become more hopeful, optimistic and compassionate, and they report significantly fewer symptoms of stress such as backache, muscle tension, dizziness, headaches and upset stomachs.
In this conversation you will get to meet him up close and personal as he and Dr. Miller share their perspectives on forgiveness and healing at the personal and family level as well as at the global level.
Dr. Luskin is the author of the best seller Forgive for Good – A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness , Stress Free for Good and Forgive for Love. His work has been featured in Time magazine, O magazine, Ladies Home Journal, U.S. News and World Reports, Prevention, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal and many other publications. Learn more about Dr. Luskin and his work at learningtoforgive.com
In the Forgive for Good workshop and class series Dr. Frederic Luskin presents the forgiveness training methodology that has been validated through six successful research studies conducted through the Stanford Forgiveness Projects.
Dr. Luskin’s work combines lecture with a hands-on approach to the ancient tradition of forgiveness. Participants explore forgiveness with the goal of reducing hurt and helplessness, letting go of anger and increasing confidence and hope as they learn how to release unwanted hurts and grudges. His presentations explore the HEAL process of forgiveness that, when learned, can lead to enhanced well-being through self-care. In class practice may include guided imagery, journal writing and discussion all presented in a safe and nurturing environment. Dr. Luskin holds a Ph.D. in Counseling and Health Psychology from Stanford University.
Dr. Luskin continues to serve as Director of the Stanford Forgiveness Projects, an ongoing series of workshops and research projects that investigate the effectiveness of his forgiveness methods on a variety of populations. The forgiveness project has successfully explored forgiveness therapy with people who suffered from the violence in Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone as well as the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11. In addition his work has been successfully applied and researched in corporate, medical, legal and religious settings. He currently serves as a Senior Consultant in Health Promotion at Stanford University and is a Professor at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. He presents lectures, workshops, seminars and trainings on the importance, health benefits and training of forgiveness, stress management and emotional competence throughout the United States. He offers presentations and classes that range from one hour to ongoing weekly trainings.
Forgive for Good – A PROVEN Perscription for Health and HappinessBased on scientific research, this groundbreaking study from the frontiers of psychology and medicine offers startling new insight into the healing powers and medical benefits of forgiveness. Through vivid examples (including his work with victims from both sides of Northern Ireland’s civil war), Dr. Fred Luskin offers a proven nine-step forgiveness method that makes it possible to move beyond being a victim to a life of improved health and contentment. Buy it here.
Stress Free for Good – 10 Scientifically Proven Life Skills for Health and HappinessDr. Fred Luskin and Dr. Kenneth R. Pelletier spent years at the Stanford University School of Medicine developing ten proven skills for eliminating the stress, anxiety, and pain that occur in daily life. Delivering skills that have been honed and tested among a diverse group of Americans, Stress Free for Good is easy to use and starts working immediately. Offering more than just the promise of breaking even and eliminating daily stress, these ten skills provide a foundation for living a healthier and happier life. This is not only a practical and accessible guide to conquering the stress in our lives once and for all, it is also the last stress aid you will ever need. Buy it here.
Forgive for Love – The Missing Ingredient for a Healthy and Lasting RelationshipForgive for Love is the solution for your relationship woes, providing the tools you need to find and hold onto the love of your life. Dr. Luskin delivers a proven seven-step program for creating and maintaining loving and lasting relationships, teaching easy-to-learn forgiveness skills that will not only resolve immediate conflicts but improve the overall happiness and longevity of your relationships. Simply put: people in healthy relationships figure out how to forgive their partners for being themselves. They do so because it is nearly impossible to change other people and because none of us are perfect. Forgiveness is the key, and Forgive for Love has the answers. Buy it here.
Question: What is ‘Wellness’?
Answer: In our culture, we commonly think of ourselves as being “sick” or “healthy.” Generally, we define “sick” as having some sort of signs or symptoms of a disease (pain, swelling, fever, loss of function). We then tend to define health as simply being the absence of these signs and symptoms.
The concept of “wellness” recognizes that this is an inadequate way of looking at things. Wellness looks at the positive dimensions’ a person moving toward wellness is gaining strength, reserve capacity, feels joy in life. Wellness indicates not only the presence of health but also the ability to withstand the stresses that might otherwise lead to illness.
Two of the most powerful emotions we can feel are love and anger, and they have a powerful effect on our health. Cultivating a love of life leads to the optimum state of health. Awakening the self-healer within depends on loving yourself, others, and the universe. Anger has a more complex role. I have found in my work that people with (certain) immune system dysfunctions often have difficulty with expressions of anger. If we are to get the most from the deep healing process, we need to get to know anger a little better, where it comes from, what it really means, and what we can do to express it in healthy ways.
If you do not find ways to safely experience your anger or assertiveness, you may fear it or suppress it. This sets the stage for many physiological imbalances, some of which may affect your immune system.
Since anger is, in many ways, an antidote to helplessness for some people, could the inability to express anger appropriately be at the root of many immune dysfunctions? Could the presence of self-anger trigger the immune system’s “friendly fire†in a person who was genetically predisposed? Or could unexpressed anger towards another trigger an allergy?
Could the inability to develop the awareness of anger leave our bodies open to invasion from the outside (infection) or from the inside (cancer)? These and other questions await to be answered by science, but perhaps you can determine them for yourself by a little experimentation with deep relaxation and visualization.
Try this exercise from Deep Healing: The Essence of Mind/Body Medicine
Imagine that you can go within your body and look at the organs and cells involved. (You may want to consult a physiology book that has clear pictures to help you with this.)
Visualization: Imagine traveling within your body, or having x-ray vision that allows you to see any areas of your body that you wish to heal. Now, envision the natural healing forces of your body in any way that they appear to you. For example, you might create images of anatomically correct immune cells, or you might imagine a posse of white horses charging in to surround and annihilate a viral or bacterial infection, or perhaps a cancer. Some people imagine dozens of superheroes swooping down to knock out offending cells or microorganisms. The important thing is that you choose an image that works for you.
Now visualize your healing forces bringing about the transformation to health that is needed by your body at this time. The effect is not instantaneous, like a pill, it is cumulative, creating the healthy state gradually and gently over a period of days, weeks, or even months. Make this exercise a regular part of your daily life, and you will be surprised by the results.