REACH 4.4 ❍ Give The Hurt Away

To remind you of what you are prepared to do, let’s do this again.

1. Stand. As you did in a previous lesson (Exercise 3.3), imagine that you are holding the hurt in your hands. Hold your arms out and think about this image as what you are doing with the hurt. You are trying to contain it inside your hands and keep it at arm’s length from you. After about a minute of holding out your arms and standing, your arms will feel tired and heavy. Can you see how this is like holding on to grudges?
2. Now, once you have done this, imagine yourself releasing the hurt. To symbolize this—regardless of whether you want to emotionally forgive at this moment—open your hands and let your arms fall suddenly to your sides imagining that your decision to forgive drags along a release of negative emotions toward the wrongdoer. (You may choose to do this exercise while holding a physical object that represents the hurt.)

The next sections will have a greater effect on your feelings. In these upcoming sections, you will work through emotional forgiveness. Don’t forget your decision to forgive.