When
Forgiveness Knocked There is an answer to pain. |
“Behold! See! Lo! If you hear and open, I will come…" Revelation 3:20
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THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FORGIVENESS
Excerpt from: forgivenessandhealth.org/
Research has shown that no matter how awful the offense, the ability to forgive is a technique that can be learned. And learning to forgive can…
• lower your blood pressure,
• improve immune system response,
• reduce anxiety and depression,
• improve your sleep,
• improve self-esteem and sense of empowerment,
• help you to have more rewarding relationships, both professionally and personally,
• reduce stress by releasing toxic emotions,
• reduce dysfunctional patterns of behaviour,
• increase energy for living and healing,
• improve relationships and social integration,
• increase peace of mind,
• aid peaceful death.
Chronic anger, hurt, guilt, hostility can have a debilitating effect on us. These toxic emotions create an avalanche of stress hormones. For instance, cortisol makes you feel speeded up, tense and overwhelmed. Over the long run, heightened cortisol levels impact the immune system. And recent brain research has demonstrated that excess cortisol levels impair your cognitive ability and damage cells in the memory centers of your brain.
Researchers have also looked at the actual physiological effects associated with granting forgiveness or harbouring grudges.
A study of 13,000 men and women showed that anger-prone people were three times as likely to have heart attacks or bypass surgery as less-angry people.
A seven-year study of 2,100 men showed that those who were better at diffusing anger had half as many strokes as those who were angrier. The results showed that "unforgiving thoughts prompted more aversive emotion and significantly higher [forehead muscle tension], skin conductance, heart rate, and blood pressure changes over baseline." These physiological changes persisted even after the participants stopped remembering the hurtful events. On the other hand, forgiving thoughts were associated with a lower physiological stress response. These findings might explain why unforgiveness may contribute to disease -- and why forgiveness may enhance health.
At The University of Tennessee, psychology professor Kathleen Lawler studied the effects of anger and hostility on the heart. After 25 years of study, she found the health dangers of anger and resentment so striking that she wondered what people could do to short-circuit the damage. So Dr. Lawler turned her attention to forgiveness.
After measuring adults (ages 28-70) for their baseline blood pressure, heart rate and forehead muscle tension, she asked each person to tell a story of betrayal. She also asked each one to fill out a questionnaire about physical and mental health. Everyone showed increased blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension as they recounted their story. But for those who had not forgiven their offenders, the increases were 25% higher than for those who had.
Nonforgivers were also more likely to report illnesses and symptoms -- such as colds, infections, fatigue, and headaches -- that had sent them to the doctor in the previous month. The non-forgivers also took 25% more medications than those who had forgiven.
The data keep coming in. And they all point to one conclusion: forgiveness is one of the most important things you can do for your long-term health and quality of life.
Excerpt from: forgivenessandhealth.org/
Research has shown that no matter how awful the offense, the ability to forgive is a technique that can be learned. And learning to forgive can…
• lower your blood pressure,
• improve immune system response,
• reduce anxiety and depression,
• improve your sleep,
• improve self-esteem and sense of empowerment,
• help you to have more rewarding relationships, both professionally and personally,
• reduce stress by releasing toxic emotions,
• reduce dysfunctional patterns of behaviour,
• increase energy for living and healing,
• improve relationships and social integration,
• increase peace of mind,
• aid peaceful death.
Chronic anger, hurt, guilt, hostility can have a debilitating effect on us. These toxic emotions create an avalanche of stress hormones. For instance, cortisol makes you feel speeded up, tense and overwhelmed. Over the long run, heightened cortisol levels impact the immune system. And recent brain research has demonstrated that excess cortisol levels impair your cognitive ability and damage cells in the memory centers of your brain.
Researchers have also looked at the actual physiological effects associated with granting forgiveness or harbouring grudges.
A study of 13,000 men and women showed that anger-prone people were three times as likely to have heart attacks or bypass surgery as less-angry people.
A seven-year study of 2,100 men showed that those who were better at diffusing anger had half as many strokes as those who were angrier. The results showed that "unforgiving thoughts prompted more aversive emotion and significantly higher [forehead muscle tension], skin conductance, heart rate, and blood pressure changes over baseline." These physiological changes persisted even after the participants stopped remembering the hurtful events. On the other hand, forgiving thoughts were associated with a lower physiological stress response. These findings might explain why unforgiveness may contribute to disease -- and why forgiveness may enhance health.
At The University of Tennessee, psychology professor Kathleen Lawler studied the effects of anger and hostility on the heart. After 25 years of study, she found the health dangers of anger and resentment so striking that she wondered what people could do to short-circuit the damage. So Dr. Lawler turned her attention to forgiveness.
After measuring adults (ages 28-70) for their baseline blood pressure, heart rate and forehead muscle tension, she asked each person to tell a story of betrayal. She also asked each one to fill out a questionnaire about physical and mental health. Everyone showed increased blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension as they recounted their story. But for those who had not forgiven their offenders, the increases were 25% higher than for those who had.
Nonforgivers were also more likely to report illnesses and symptoms -- such as colds, infections, fatigue, and headaches -- that had sent them to the doctor in the previous month. The non-forgivers also took 25% more medications than those who had forgiven.
The data keep coming in. And they all point to one conclusion: forgiveness is one of the most important things you can do for your long-term health and quality of life.