By forgiving myself, showing myself compassion it helped me to shift from approaching life through a defense, negative, low vibrating energy to an inclusive, compassionate, positive energetic engagement.
With less self-judgment I have less fear. My accepting and loving myself, I invite others to do the same.
My guilt for not fulfilling the expectations of others became smaller and I was able to tell myself I did the best I could with what I was going through.
this practice brought softness and sweetness that I did not know I could deserve, and hopefully with continual practice, be softer, kind and more forgiving to others
Forgiving myself helped me to stop blaming myself for something that happened to me. I will practice this a lot because even though I can see that I might well have played a part, I still feel like I carry the stigma of blame for something that I, likely, had very little say in.
So relaxing listening to Tara! I found what I thought was my bad behavior wasn’t that bad and was able to validate my caring for this person. I look forward to future teaching!
I realised that I made the best of the situation I was in at the time. In retrospect we could have handled things better and a been a bit kinder to each other, but it wasn’t all my fault, we are all responsible for our actions and share the outcome.
thank you Tara
Thank you so much, this will be of help to myself and my clients. As a social worker working with parents and children I get to witness alot of sad sad stuff. I meet alot of hurt and pain and missery and tend to feel those feelings to. Sometimes I fall in to a very rational professional role in an atempt to protect myself, then I feel shame or anger for not beeing Compassionate. I will try to do this practice on my lunchbreak in order to care for myself so that I can stay compassionate with my clients who hopefully can pass it on to themselves and maybe pass it forward to others.
Self-forgiveness unhooks us from beliefs that sink us into place of being unable to act. Our limiting beliefs about ourself become thoughts that we don’t have to obey or comply with and we can witness them, respond them and the related feelings with kindness and then be in a more mindful place of being an observer so we can take mindful and effective action in our lives as to ourselves and in our relationships with others. Self-forgivenss, and forgiveness of others, whether we tell them we forgave them or not, is an act that offers ourselves freedom, self-care and the ability to re-write the painful narratives we’ve been so attached to.
I appreciate your work so much. So many times your words resonate so deeply that tears gently roll down my face.
I have been struggling lately with grief and anxiety. Grief for the physical loss of my father, and grief for the loss of my brother for so much hurt and pain he is causing me in the last 5 years, since our father had a debilitating stroke and our mother’s death.
I do a lot of work on myself and all the resources I have come to learn and practice have helped me tremendously, but I feel so emotionally exhausted at the moment and I find myself lashing out at my husband and being self critical of myself.
There are moments that are so overwhelming and difficult to accept.
I forget to be gentle. I loose my ability to communicate
Vanessa
These three videos are filled with wisdom and grace and compassion for self and others, with helpful ways of moving people toward healing, growth, and renewal. I am motivated to learn more.
Thank you,
When clients try to feel the shame and guilt and underlying grief, sometimes they become overwhelmed. The mind kicks in, or they become so full of fear that they can’t seem to return to breath and breathe through the feelings. How to work with this?
Forgiving yourself seems self-indulgent, like giving yourself a free-pass for bad behaviour. However the opposite actually happens. Forgiving oneself removes the layer/wall of guilt that holds us back from being kinder and more loving towards self and then in turn to others.
Thank you for this beautiful lesson. I am a therapist and I am contemplating whether or not to continue on the same path. I feel so burned out and I’m telling myself that I have been abandoned by my own profession. I am really struggling whether or not I should invest more time and money on training, that I may not use in the future.
With so many of my clients, they ask me, “why do I continue to have failed relationships in choosing a partner?” Teaching them about self forgiveness and self compassion can open up their world for themselves.
I was invited to give a class to parents of children with special needs. They want to learn about acceptance. I had few ideas before I saw this presentation. After the presentation, I feet that I was missing a very important point. I believe that the universe give us what we need if we take the time to see what it’s offering us. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. I add myself to list of people that need it this material and will benefit herself and others with it. Thank you.
Once we take actions with good intentions, we become more prepared to accept the consequences, including the unintended ones. We have to remind ourselves that we engaged in past actions based on what information was available and the states of mind we held at the time. We have to accept that we may not have had the full information we needed or the fact that we were not in the right frame of mind (for various reasons) at the time of taking the action. But we did our best to take the right action at the time or our intentions were well-directed.
These concepts are central to what I am observing with many of the clients I meet with and help to confirm the approach I have been taking. Thank you for clearly describing the process of working with difficult feelings as well as practices that promote self-compassion!
Very difficult to forgive myself as a mother. My son doesn’t want anything to do with me. I acknowledge my responsibility in this lack of relation. I told him so and tried to reach him without success. This lack of success continue to reinforce inside of me that I am a failure. But I know with all my hearth that I have to continue trying to forgive myself and your method is a way to do it.
Thanks for these three excellent videos. So authentic and sincere. They touched a chord for me that will cause me to look more deeply into forgiveness of myself.
I work with clients to move them towards forgiveness but realise that I need to start first with myself.
I am so grateful to Tara Branch for putting this video together and offering it to the world free of charge. What a selfless and giving individual! It was enormously helpful and insightful. Especially in this time of amplified suffering and overwhelming unrest and uncertainty, human connection is vital to our survival and well being. I am sharing this with everyone – it is such a hopeful and empowering message! Many many thanks.
I believe in these concepts and appreciate your clarity and gentleness of expression in enhancing and refreshing them in the videos. Thank you.
Jane Simmonds
Tara
So blessed this series
Obviously healing even at first listen and practice …
If it becomes a universal habit… It could heal the world!!
Just a little feedback .
You want and feel totally genuine as you express these thoughts in the video
Though we are not visible to you ….your genuine caring and feeling for “us” and …your directly wanting to help with the truths you are expressing ….still gets through very fundamentally and powerfully…
There is only one thing that gives rise to a feeling of dissonance…. As you are interacting with us.. Your eyes are moving ….and you are reading of a page in front of you…. and as that process is happening – (your reading off from a script) – the feeling of – “oh this is just a video not real” comes back in- to partially mitigate the extremely deep truths that you are sharing! I wonder – Because I needed these truths – I was able to reach beyond that feeling – and let myself be helped – but I thought I might bring it to your awareness to enable you to help us and heal this world which so badly needs it!!!
Loving thanks to you for your service!!
Yes would be happy to take this deeper!!
A sense of grief and sadness for holding on to the feelings of guilt. This exercise has allowed me to acknowledge and recognise the power of compassion for self.
Thank you
This has opened a new perspective for me on self-acceptance and compassion for others! I am very interested in learning more about your program, Tara! I believe what you are touching upon here is at the core of the deep healing needed for us as individuals and as a society. I would like to help in transmitting your message and would appreciate more information and any contacts to learn more!
How timely that this dropped into my inbox this morning as I have been struggling to help a client struggling with this very issue! I am sure these powerful techniques will help and I look forward to details of the course. Thank you.
The exercise helped me be less anxious about others reactions to me and more accepting of others different ways of behaving. I do not need to worry about my performance with others. I can be aware that others also struggle with guilt.
Jackie Blanchard says
Makes the client more present and available
clair wallace says
By forgiving myself, showing myself compassion it helped me to shift from approaching life through a defense, negative, low vibrating energy to an inclusive, compassionate, positive energetic engagement.
With less self-judgment I have less fear. My accepting and loving myself, I invite others to do the same.
Bhavna Kumar says
My guilt for not fulfilling the expectations of others became smaller and I was able to tell myself I did the best I could with what I was going through.
Pandora Furniss says
They’ll feel safer, and have the choice of reaching out to those they trust.
Grace Wright says
Provides peace, hope and joy in the present.
vee h says
this practice brought softness and sweetness that I did not know I could deserve, and hopefully with continual practice, be softer, kind and more forgiving to others
Annik says
Becoming less re- active, more confident in the self
Laura Miller says
Forgiving myself helped me to stop blaming myself for something that happened to me. I will practice this a lot because even though I can see that I might well have played a part, I still feel like I carry the stigma of blame for something that I, likely, had very little say in.
Carole Cassidy says
So relaxing listening to Tara! I found what I thought was my bad behavior wasn’t that bad and was able to validate my caring for this person. I look forward to future teaching!
Lesley says
I realised that I made the best of the situation I was in at the time. In retrospect we could have handled things better and a been a bit kinder to each other, but it wasn’t all my fault, we are all responsible for our actions and share the outcome.
thank you Tara
Maja Rosenberg says
Thank you so much, this will be of help to myself and my clients. As a social worker working with parents and children I get to witness alot of sad sad stuff. I meet alot of hurt and pain and missery and tend to feel those feelings to. Sometimes I fall in to a very rational professional role in an atempt to protect myself, then I feel shame or anger for not beeing Compassionate. I will try to do this practice on my lunchbreak in order to care for myself so that I can stay compassionate with my clients who hopefully can pass it on to themselves and maybe pass it forward to others.
Thank you❤️
Liesel Aranyosi says
Forgiving myself for my imperfections gave me space to forgive others for their share of imperfection…
Nicki Castoro says
Tara, This was very helpful!
Pefy C says
Self-forgiveness unhooks us from beliefs that sink us into place of being unable to act. Our limiting beliefs about ourself become thoughts that we don’t have to obey or comply with and we can witness them, respond them and the related feelings with kindness and then be in a more mindful place of being an observer so we can take mindful and effective action in our lives as to ourselves and in our relationships with others. Self-forgivenss, and forgiveness of others, whether we tell them we forgave them or not, is an act that offers ourselves freedom, self-care and the ability to re-write the painful narratives we’ve been so attached to.
Vanessa Botte says
Dear Tara
I appreciate your work so much. So many times your words resonate so deeply that tears gently roll down my face.
I have been struggling lately with grief and anxiety. Grief for the physical loss of my father, and grief for the loss of my brother for so much hurt and pain he is causing me in the last 5 years, since our father had a debilitating stroke and our mother’s death.
I do a lot of work on myself and all the resources I have come to learn and practice have helped me tremendously, but I feel so emotionally exhausted at the moment and I find myself lashing out at my husband and being self critical of myself.
There are moments that are so overwhelming and difficult to accept.
I forget to be gentle. I loose my ability to communicate
Vanessa
Heather Koontz says
Self acceptance is key, yet hard to comprehend for many. Thank you Tara Brach for breaking it down to bite size steps.
Marilee Stark says
Thank you so much for these exercises that I can use myself and for my clients. So valuable.
Rolando Martinez says
These three videos are filled with wisdom and grace and compassion for self and others, with helpful ways of moving people toward healing, growth, and renewal. I am motivated to learn more.
Thank you,
Jennifer says
When clients try to feel the shame and guilt and underlying grief, sometimes they become overwhelmed. The mind kicks in, or they become so full of fear that they can’t seem to return to breath and breathe through the feelings. How to work with this?
Susan Brown says
Forgiving yourself seems self-indulgent, like giving yourself a free-pass for bad behaviour. However the opposite actually happens. Forgiving oneself removes the layer/wall of guilt that holds us back from being kinder and more loving towards self and then in turn to others.
Anonymous says
seems so powerful yet so elusive
Nicolle Shields says
Thank you for this beautiful lesson. I am a therapist and I am contemplating whether or not to continue on the same path. I feel so burned out and I’m telling myself that I have been abandoned by my own profession. I am really struggling whether or not I should invest more time and money on training, that I may not use in the future.
Wendy Everson says
With so many of my clients, they ask me, “why do I continue to have failed relationships in choosing a partner?” Teaching them about self forgiveness and self compassion can open up their world for themselves.
Anonymous says
How do you know when the forgiveness is real?
Ivonne Campbell says
I was invited to give a class to parents of children with special needs. They want to learn about acceptance. I had few ideas before I saw this presentation. After the presentation, I feet that I was missing a very important point. I believe that the universe give us what we need if we take the time to see what it’s offering us. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. I add myself to list of people that need it this material and will benefit herself and others with it. Thank you.
Chandana Watagodakumbura says
Once we take actions with good intentions, we become more prepared to accept the consequences, including the unintended ones. We have to remind ourselves that we engaged in past actions based on what information was available and the states of mind we held at the time. We have to accept that we may not have had the full information we needed or the fact that we were not in the right frame of mind (for various reasons) at the time of taking the action. But we did our best to take the right action at the time or our intentions were well-directed.
Mark Godin, LICSW says
These concepts are central to what I am observing with many of the clients I meet with and help to confirm the approach I have been taking. Thank you for clearly describing the process of working with difficult feelings as well as practices that promote self-compassion!
Armande Côté says
Very difficult to forgive myself as a mother. My son doesn’t want anything to do with me. I acknowledge my responsibility in this lack of relation. I told him so and tried to reach him without success. This lack of success continue to reinforce inside of me that I am a failure. But I know with all my hearth that I have to continue trying to forgive myself and your method is a way to do it.
Catriona Rogers says
Thanks for these three excellent videos. So authentic and sincere. They touched a chord for me that will cause me to look more deeply into forgiveness of myself.
I work with clients to move them towards forgiveness but realise that I need to start first with myself.
Lisa Harrell says
Such a perfect time to hear/see your videos!! Thank you!!
Camille Jones says
?❤️
Alison Seltzer says
Alison Altoona PA This is healing and thank you so much Tara for your generosity and love. Something everyone in the world would benefit from hearing.
Tracy Muth says
I so appreciate you reaching out. Your wisdom and empathy shine through.
Ashleigh Linkenheimer says
This was BRILLIANT!
I am so grateful to Tara Branch for putting this video together and offering it to the world free of charge. What a selfless and giving individual! It was enormously helpful and insightful. Especially in this time of amplified suffering and overwhelming unrest and uncertainty, human connection is vital to our survival and well being. I am sharing this with everyone – it is such a hopeful and empowering message! Many many thanks.
Jane Simmonds says
I believe in these concepts and appreciate your clarity and gentleness of expression in enhancing and refreshing them in the videos. Thank you.
Jane Simmonds
Heather Boyer says
So needed at this time. Thank you for your wisdom and guidance. Self compassion has been revolutionary for myself and my clients.
JUDITH HUGGETT says
A very deep feeling of grief and sadness, having just retired from full time work I need time to allow me to reshape and reform timely indeed
Sreeram Iyer says
Tara
So blessed this series
Obviously healing even at first listen and practice …
If it becomes a universal habit… It could heal the world!!
Just a little feedback .
You want and feel totally genuine as you express these thoughts in the video
Though we are not visible to you ….your genuine caring and feeling for “us” and …your directly wanting to help with the truths you are expressing ….still gets through very fundamentally and powerfully…
There is only one thing that gives rise to a feeling of dissonance…. As you are interacting with us.. Your eyes are moving ….and you are reading of a page in front of you…. and as that process is happening – (your reading off from a script) – the feeling of – “oh this is just a video not real” comes back in- to partially mitigate the extremely deep truths that you are sharing! I wonder – Because I needed these truths – I was able to reach beyond that feeling – and let myself be helped – but I thought I might bring it to your awareness to enable you to help us and heal this world which so badly needs it!!!
Loving thanks to you for your service!!
Yes would be happy to take this deeper!!
Jenn T says
I feel a sense of lightness within myself. Thank you for sharing your wisdom Tara. What a wonderful way to start my day!
Kate Armstrong says
Find your work Tara so powerful with clients and my self… feel it truly helps us all step into a more open hearted way to be in the world.
Thanks!
Anouk Ni says
Thank you for sharing this topic and exercise
I think it would help me work with clients who
are often feel the self unworthiness
julie rogers says
A sense of grief and sadness for holding on to the feelings of guilt. This exercise has allowed me to acknowledge and recognise the power of compassion for self.
Thank you
Lynette Simpson says
Thank you so much, I will be sharing this information with my clients who are suffering with self judgement.
Ana Vieira says
I felt a sense of relief and self-worth. Thank you
Everett Vass says
This has opened a new perspective for me on self-acceptance and compassion for others! I am very interested in learning more about your program, Tara! I believe what you are touching upon here is at the core of the deep healing needed for us as individuals and as a society. I would like to help in transmitting your message and would appreciate more information and any contacts to learn more!
usha mishra says
There was an excellent insight and the technique was really helpful. Thank you so much. Would love to learn from you more.
Petone Toeleiu says
I discovered a sense of relief of letting go.
giulia mezzapica says
true Gold! thanks Tara
Catrina Swan says
How timely that this dropped into my inbox this morning as I have been struggling to help a client struggling with this very issue! I am sure these powerful techniques will help and I look forward to details of the course. Thank you.
Ruth Dukes says
The exercise helped me be less anxious about others reactions to me and more accepting of others different ways of behaving. I do not need to worry about my performance with others. I can be aware that others also struggle with guilt.