Self-forgiveness doesn’t come easily. For some, the shame and withdrawal that come with holding incredible bitterness and animosity towards oneself can take over for years, and in some instances, a lifetime, if left unaddressed. In an interview with Grant Dewar, psychologist and author of The Self-Forgiveness Workbook, he describes real-world examples of how to develop mindfulness and compassion skills to overcome self-blame and find true self-acceptance. We hear of Grant’s personal history with guilt and come to understand why self-forgiveness is not a simple decision but rather an ongoing process that requires training. 

Hi, It has been good to spend time with you, as a son, brother father, partner, I have found throughout my life that we need tools to rid ourselves of unnecessary burdens that life is always ready to heap upon us. As a work health and safety professional, trainer and now author I have learnt that while we are all unique and precious beyond telling we also share a common humanity, which comes to us as this incredibly complex gift of life that is always giving but sometimes not in a way we understand. From this experience of assisting thousands of people to navigate the complexities of their working and private lives, I have found consistently that the skills of self-forgiveness assist us face all manner of challenges, both defeats and victories, mistakes and successes, setbacks and even smooth running. Every turn we take every choice we make , brings us new challenges, new decisions and new risks. Our ability to face those experiences with clarity and our full capabilities is enhanced when we are able to do the work of self-forgiveness to deal with the unexpected consequences of following our life’s calling. I have had many twists and turns in my life pathway and have faced my own mortality and the loss of loved ones. My career has been dotted with both success and failures. In each of these challenges I have been able to apply the sorts of skills that I have researched to my own pathway. I have then been able to help teach others the skills I have discovered through my studies in Work Health and Safety, a Masters Degree focused on Adult Education, and a Doctorate in researching the science of self-forgiveness as a tool for lifelong learning.

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