“The reality of true forgiveness lies in setting ourselves free from holding on to the pain. It’s simply an act of releasing ourselves from the negative energy.”
There are many crucial components to a successful recovery – detoxing, developing tools for when cravings emerge, understanding triggers, developing a dedicated support system, and understanding the effects of mental illness and addiction are just a few key areas of focus. However, recovery is more than just taking the physical steps that are required to live a healthier life – internal work is needed and forgiving ourselves for our past mistakes is incredibly important to recovery. Promises Treatment Center stated in 2010 that forgiveness is a state of mind – being able to forgive yourself, others, circumstances, and more is a tool that can propel you in your recovery.
Much of the mindset that you need to take on revolves around understanding that you suffer from the disease of addiction or a mental illness. In recognizing the truth in this, we can understand that in the past, our words and actions may have aligned more with the addiction or illness rather than our clear selves. Researchers McGaffin, Lyons and Deane from the University of Wollongong examined in 2013 one hundred and thirty-three individuals in residential treatment for addiction and explored the relationships between guilt, shame, and forgiveness. The researchers found that guilt is more positively associated with self-forgiveness than shame because it provides more acceptance of past instances. If we can develop more acceptance of ourselves in light of our addiction or illness, we are more likely to forgive ourselves, thus leading to a more successful recovery.
Forgiveness is all-encompassing – it involves ourselves and our past actions, others and their actions, circumstance and everything we couldn’t control before. By choosing to forgive ourselves, we are setting ourselves free and making room for new growth, heightened sense of clarity, and a wider perspective than we had before. Learn to forgive yourself. You deserve it. You need it.
If you are ready to begin your journey to recovery, call Avalon Malibu today. We will be there with you every step of the way; we believe in holistic, integrative treatment, meaning that we will promote wellness of your mind, body, and spirit. Take that first step. Call us at 855-408-8934.
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