Add "Forgiveness" to the Gift List this Holiday Season

In the season made for giving, "forgiving" may be this year's most valuable present. Studies show people are seeking to forgive and benefit from it. In fact there were 673,000 searches in July alone.
By: Scott A. Pete
 
Nov. 26, 2009 - PRLog -- MINNEAPOLIS – In the season made for giving, "forgiving" may be this year's most valuable present, says author and life-coach Michele DeVille. Given the 673,000 internet searches on the topic in one month of 2009 alone (source: Google Adwords), DeVille appears to be on to something.

Forgiveness, she suggests, can move people beyond the stressful family dynamics or painful annual memories that so often cloud the holiday season. “Carrying resentment and a grudge anchors people in the pain of the past,” says DeVille. “It takes courage, but facing the hurt and graciously letting it go can bring healing and peace.”

DeVille’s own journey toward healing began when tragedy struck her family and culminated in the writing of her just-released book The Path to Forgiveness (www.thePathToForgiveness.com). The illustrated gift book offers a light-hearted alternative to the weighty non-fiction books on the topic.

FORGIVENESS HEALTH FACTS:
Expert doctors, psychologists and faith leaders back up DeVille’s contention that forgiveness actually can improve well-being. The Mayo Clinic reported in an issue of Women’s HealthSource (January 2008) that holding a grudge affects the cardiovascular and nervous systems, actually elevating blood pressure and heart rates as well as increasing both muscle tension and feelings of being less in control.

Similarly, clinical psychologist Everett Worthington, Jr., professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and pioneer in forgiveness research, has found that people who won’t forgive tend to have more stress-related disorders, lower immune-system function and worse rates of cardiovascular disease than the general population.

HOW TO FORGIVE:
“Forgiving does not mean “forgetting,” says DeVille, “ but it is a personal choice to re-frame a painful life event while building a bridge of hope and healing. Psychologists describe the process of forgiveness as replacing negative emotions associated with an event or person (resentment, anger, hostility) with positive ones: compassion, sympathy and peace.

The Mayo Clinic article offered four common steps to forgiveness:
1. Acknowledge the pain and anger.
2. Recognize that healing requires change.
3. Think about the person who caused the pain in a new way, maybe even saying “I forgive you.”
4. Experience the emotional relief that accompanies forgiveness.

Because remaining devoted to forgiveness can be difficult in a real-life situation, DeVille hopes to gently remind readers that “Forgiveness is a gift for others, but it is also a gift for you” and that during the holidays, this is especially true.

About Michele DeVille
Minneapolis-based author and life-coach Michele DeVille partnered with illustrator Shawn McCann to create The Path To Forgiveness Book (www.ThePathToForgiveness.com ). DeVille regularly speaks on the topic throughout the region and just created an inspirational video for distribution nationwide: www.ThePathToForgiveness.com/videos
End
Source:Scott A. Pete
Email:***@thepathtoforgiveness.com
Zip:55044
Tags:Forgiveness Book, Forgiveness, Inspiration, How To Forgive, Inspirational Book
Industry:Family, Education, Lifestyle
Location:Lakeville - Minnesota - United States
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