Forgiveness is good for you
Forgiveness can be a tricky word to use because it comes laden with religious and moralistic misunderstandings. In our society, somehow we’ve inherited the idea that forgiveness is something we should do to be a good person, or something that kind people do for the benefit of others.
In coming to know the body with IA, we can feel that forgiveness is in fact something you do for your own benefit, and withholding it your own harm. It generally doesn’t make any difference to the person being forgiven. (If this sounds hard to believe, consider the frequently occurring case where the unforgiven person is dead - often long dead. Here, no one can deny that you really are holding up a bridge from one end!)

Looking at the Body’s Map we can see that forgiveness is a change of energy in the heart, specifically the right-hand-side of the heart. It comes about by letting go of the link in time between yourself and the person or thing being forgiven. It’s not cutting connection or forgetting, in fact, it may well be the thing that allows for reconnection and, if you choose it, it takes only a few moments to occur (the thing about forgiveness taking years is another misnomer).
The closest we can get to expressing it, in terms of the languaging of acceptance is, “accepting that it wasn’t wrong” (but in terms of energy and feeling it’s very different to that). It allows you to be present (in the now), rather than displaced in time, and it gives rise to love. It’s easier for men than for women (acceptance btw is harder for men, easier for women).
Through a deep listening to the body IA can help facilitate/accelerate this process by highlighting congruence between your energy and your physical structure and inviting a change to take place.
Did you ever hear the adage that all hate is self-hate? See, you can’t really hate something unless it’s inside of you. So, there it is…the timing is in your hands….when will you be ready to stop hurting yourself?
Our heart chakra is the guardian, filter and purifier of all energies below it.” LBG
Andrew Graham McKay, October 2024, Lisbon
In case you missed it, the previous quarterly article is here.
Contact me for further information about sessions and intensives in Lisbon.