Working through past wrongdoing: Examination of a self-forgiveness counseling intervention.

Abstract

This pilot study examined the effectiveness of a new emotion-focused individual counseling intervention designed to increase self-forgiveness for regretted actions committed against another person. Exactly 26 adult participants (21 completers) who indicated they had unresolved emotions about a past offense enrolled in the study and were randomly assigned to a delayed or immediate treatment condition. Controlling for screening scores, participants who received the treatment had significantly lower self-condemnation and significantly greater self-forgiveness regarding their offense at the end of treatment than did participants who spent time on a waiting list. Again controlling for screening scores, participants who received the treatment had significantly lower general psychological distress and significantly greater trait self-compassion at the end of treatment than did participants who spent time on a waiting list. All treatment gains were maintained at 2-month follow-up. In addition, increases in state self-forgiveness over the course of the intervention predicted lower levels of general psychological distress follow-up. Results of this study demonstrate the utility of this new intervention for helping clients resolve the negative residual effects of unforgiveness toward the self, both for offense-specific and general well-being outcomes.

Self-forgiveness and forgiveness-seeking in response to rumination: Cardiac and emotional responses of transgressors

“…Rather than a private, emotion-focused response to oneself by oneself and for oneself, studies are emphasizing the importance of responsibility-taking and reparative responses toward the victim as important prerequisites to self-forgiveness (Fisher & exline, 2006;Griffin et al, 2015;Witvliet, Hinman, exline, & Brandt, 2011). Cornish and Wade (2015) framed the steps of responsibility, remorse, and repair, as important on the path to renewal through self-forgiveness. Using an experimental paradigm, exline, Root, Yadavalli, Martin, and Fisher (2010) found that first focusing on personal responsibility and relational repair facilitated self-forgiveness.…”

Commentary Regarding Wilson et al. (2018) “Effectiveness of ‘Self-Compassion’ Related Therapies: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” All Is Not as It Seems

“…Another problematic aspect of the study were interventions classified as 'self-compassion therapies' we would not define as such, for example, one specific intervention (Cornish & Wade, 2015) was focused on selfforgiveness based in Emotion Focused Therapy, yet is has been defined as a compassion focused therapy equivalent. The Cornish & Wade (2015) study do not reference or cite compassion focused therapy in the whole manuscript.…”

Overcoming failure in sport: A self-forgiveness framework

“…Despite the over 200 psychological studies on the experience of self-forgiveness (for a review, see Woodyatt, Worthington, et al, 2017), only two studies have sought to promote self-forgiveness via intervention. One is a psychotherapy intervention (Cornish & Wade, 2015), while the other is a do-it-yourself psychoeducational manual . The latter, which has had strong effects at promoting self-forgiveness among non-athletes, is highly adaptable to a sport context.…”