The ACT of Self Forgiveness: 7 steps to unburdening yourself and engaging with life

Abstract

Without Self-Forgiveness, we can be stuck in what may be an inescapable maze. Recent study into forgiveness has found that forgiving yourself can be far harder than extending or even seeking forgiveness from others. This experiential workshop is designed to extend the work of Worthington et al (2013) to a generalizable ACT based therapy for all participants. The workshop will identify the factors leading to being stuck in self blame and provide a flexible structured set of responses including: Transcendent perspective taking and present moment experience; Values-based analysis provides the bases for compassionate response to shame guilt remorse and restoration; Acceptance and willingness open up pathways to getting unstuck from self-blame based anxiety (worry) and depression (rumination); Relapse prevention is assisted by identifying stuck thinking and its secondary benefits that may have been in “protecting” us. The workshop provides opportunities for self-compassion, self-respect leading to self-acceptance and the conclusion now I can trust myself to take valued life action.