PEACE THROUGH FORGIVENESS, LOVE

In the first book that Dr. Luskin published FORGIVE FOR GOOD he advocated the distinction that “forgiving” doesn't mean “forgetting”. Thoroughly confident in his findings, Dr. Fred Luskin promoted the fact that practicing forgiveness leads to better health and happiness, but does not mean condoning bad behavior. What it means is that one should consider a hurt less personally, to take responsibility for how one feels. In the process one even can become a hero instead of a victim in the event Luskin, a practicing psychologist and co-founder of the Stanford University Forgiveness Project, shows why the very act of forgiveness is vital in promoting mental and physical health.

The groundbreaking first book by Dr. Luskin from T he frontiers of psychology FORGIVE FOR GOOD offers startling new research about the one missing factor that is vital to Relationships—forgiveness. A national bestselling author and leading expert on forgiveness, Dr. Fred Luskin shows that no matter how much two people may love each other, their relationship will not Succeed unless they practice forgiveness—an approach that most relationship experts continue to ignore. Why is forgiveness an essential tool for relationships? Studies reveal that 70 percent for what we argue about at the beginning of our relationships will never be fully resolved. In other words, our basic needs and behaviors don't change over time. The issues are endless: the socks that always end up on the floor how often to have sex, the ESPN obsession, working hours, and, of course, friends and family. Without forgiveness, these issues, however big or small, too easily turn into relationship-eroding grudges. In his second book, Forgive for Love he shows the solution for your relationship woes by providing the tools you need to find and hold onto the love of your life. The doctor fashions a proven seven-step program for creating and maintaining loving and lasting relationships, teaching easy-to-learn forgiveness skills that will not only resolve immediate conflicts but improve the overall happiness and longevity of a relationships. Simply put: people in healthy relationships figure out how to forgive their partners for being themselves. They do so because it is nearly impossible to change other people and because none of us are perfect. Forgiveness is the key, Pursuing this line of study, Dr. Luskin later teamed up with Dr. Carl Thoresen at Stanford University and designed The Study of Forgiveness with Victims and Offenders This work studies five modes of forgiveness training. The study evaluates gender differences in attitudes and willingness with the objective of making forgiveness possible for men and women. According to the findings of these duo of doctors, from a decade-old grudge against the third-grade bully to deep-seated rage against a cheating spouse, it appears that millions of Americans do harbor long-term grievances and this act affects their overall health. Dr. Carl Thoresen and Dr. Fred Luskin, are now exploring whether the unresolved anger that blights many people's lives can be alleviated with the help of an age-old concept - forgiveness. Based on 25 years of research and working with "Type A" personalities -people who are characterized by impatience, being quick to anger and a harboring of hostility - Thoresen had seen for himself over and over the physical and psychological benefits that forgiveness can bring. Therefore, it was five years ago that Dr. Thoresen teamed up with Dr. Luskin, the original author of a highly-structured psychological treatment program that taught adults about this element of forgiveness. Thus was born, The Stanford Forgiveness Study. Thoresen and Luskin hope the impact of their work will be preventative as well as therapeutic. "It's our hope that family and school violence, including shootings, road rage, gang violence and workplace conflict will be diminished - if not avoided - if more people understand the role that forgiveness can play in interpersonal relations," says Thoresen, "It takes courage and commitment to act in a more forgiving fashion. It's not at all a sign of weakness but a mark of strength."