Is a
person's physical and mental health linked to emotional health? Is it possible that your frequent head
aches, joint pain, trouble sleeping or eating, depression, anxiety, or similar
symptoms have an unhealthy emotional root connected somewhere to the
cause? The likelyhood is very real, and
even more chronic conditions like cancer are often linked to unforgiveness.
Anger,
when turned to bitterness, hatred, resentment or rage, is very destructive to
the human body. Holding grudges,
rehearsing retaliatory speeches in your mind, and ruminating (dwelling on
negative consequences of hurt and mistreatment) create harmful stress that the
human body is not designed to tolerate.
Research has shown the link between harboring negative feelings and a
breakdown of mind and body. This topic
is addressed in a recent book called The Forgiveness Project by Michael
Barry and is subtitled, the Startling Discovery of How to Overcome Cancer,
Find Health, and Achieve Peace.
Here is the back cover description:
"Internalizing anger is destructive to our spiritual health and can
destroy families, marriages, and even churches. But what about our physical
health? Is there a relationship between a spirit of unforgiveness and disease?
Between forgiveness and healing? After
extensive medical, theological, and sociological research at Cancer Treatment
Centers of America (CTCA), author and pastor Michael Barry made a startling
discovery: the immune system and forgiveness are very much connected. Through
the inspiring stories of five cancer patients, Barry helps you identify-and
overcome-the barriers that prevent healing and peace. See how a breast cancer
patient named Jayne experienced spiritual and physical renewal when she learned
to forgive. Meet Rich whose surprise cancer diagnosis led him to forgive his
cousin. Be inspired by Sharon's story of spontaneous remission. With each true
account comes proven strategies, tested and used by CTCA, that you can
implement to find peace with your past, relief from hatefulness, and hope for
healing."
Unforgiveness
does not create disease, but it certainly fuels the condition(s) for disease to
take hold. In his book Barry reports Robert
Ader, at the University of Rochester Medical Center as saying,
"psychological experiences, such as stress and anxiety, can influence
immune function, which in turn may have an effect on disease course.. Certain data indicate that factors
such as suppressing emotions of anger and hatred (which are the ingredients of
unforgiveness) negatively influence a person's susceptibility to disease."
Dr.
Everett Worthington,, forerunning researcher and author of numerous books on
forgiveness, writes, "Chronic unforgiveness causes stress. Every time
people think of their transgressor, their body responds. Decreasing your
unforgiveness cuts down on your health risk. Now, if you can forgive, that can
actually strengthen your immune system."
So maybe
you haven't been diagnosed with cancer.
What about the everyday aches and pains for which many Americans
customarily turn to pills for treatment?
Many visits to medical doctors could be averted if people
paid more attentions to their emotional health. Herb Benson, MD, proves the point when he says,
"Sixty to 90 percent of visits to physicians are for conditions related to
stress. Harmful effects of stress include anxiety, mild and moderate
depression, anger and hostility, hypertension, pain, insomnia, and many other
stress-related diseases."
Because it
is widely misunderstood, forgiveness is often overlooked as a major source of
stress relief. In chapter two of my
book Escaping the Pain of Offense: Empowered to Forgive from the Heart,
I discuss the evidence of people's misunderstanding of forgiveness. Many people incorrectly assume their decision
to forgive has cleared them of the negative effects of the baggage that goes
with unforgiveness.
Forgiveness
does not come from simply saying, "I forgive ... ." It requires a
heartfelt change through which the anger and hatred are transformed into feelings
of peaceful neutrality and on to genuine love and concern for the
offender. My book mentioned above
explains this process from a Christian perspective. Forgiveness is surrendering to God the ultimate right to
judge. Forgiveness cannot be
reduced to methodology solely achieved by following pre-determined step-by-step
instructions. It is much more complex and gradually accomplished by practicing
new insights and revelation.
Eva
Mozes Kor and her twin sister, Miriam, survived the Holocaust and the Auschwitz
concentration camp, Eva was
asked, "What is the thing that is most misunderstood about
forgiveness?' She replied, "Forgiveness has
the reputation that the perpetrator has to be sorry. The biggest misconception
is that forgiveness is for the perpetrator.
It's strictly a gift of freedom I give myself. It's free! You don't need
an HMO. There are no side effects, and it works. It's like a miracle drug. Instead of changing the world—that's too big
of a job—we have to repair it one place at a time...."
For those
who may get past the first hurdle of misunderstanding, the second
hurdle, misdiagnosing the condition of heart, often trips them up. For most people, hatred is a well-disguised
deceptive tumor. At least in some
degree, hatred is alive in every breathing human being. Although most do not consider themselves
"hateful people," hateful elements exist in every human heart. These elements grow and create cancer-like
emotional conditions that often go undetected.
Just as every individual is unique in how they develop and treat bodily
cancer, each is unique in how emotional cancer is developed and treated. Anger will turn to the cancer of hatred if
not properly treated. Hatred is anger
saturated with bitterness. Unrecognized
and unacknowledged hatred (confusing or excusing it as mere anger) is a
common ailment of the human heart. Hurt
combined with hatred does not heal on its own.
Hurt turned to hatred requires intentional healing balm. The process of forgiveness is the most
effective treatment.
One of the
most satisfying fruits of forgiveness is better physical and mental
health. Is it worth finding out more
about forgiveness and making the necessary changes to practice forgiveness? Absolutely! Good health has no price
tag. The ancient Proverb says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do
flows from it" (proverbs 4:23).
Healthy individuals build healthy families, and healthy families can
build a healthy society. Understanding
and practicing forgiveness goes a long way to facilitate health.
Forgiveness
is not a cure nor the complete answer to all life's problems. It is a door to access the treasures of
healing. For a Christian, that Door is
Jesus Christ who accomplishes forgiveness and provides access to the very heart
of Father God. A person's faith
surrenders his heart to Almighty power through sonship (including daughtership)
for the eternal healing of the soul.
I hope you
are blessed with the healing power of forgiveness today.
Note: The book Escaping the Pain of Offense: Empowered to Forgive
from the Heart discusses themes of dealing with disappointments, offense
and finding freedom in forgiveness.
This book is designed to help people (especially in the Christian
faith) to discover and dislodge things in
life that lead to defeat. Don't miss out on your chance to use this book as a
helpful tool in discovering Refuge in Christ. It can be purchased by clicking
here: http://bluerockbnb.com/healing/book_main.htm . If you get anywhere near
Pennsylvania for vacation or on business, be sure to look us up for lodging
at http://bluerockbnb.com
by Ed Hersh,
Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry
