Forgiveness in Practice

This book is close to my heart. It holds the scarcely remembered practice of forgiveness gently, with both hands, sifting its limits and potential, and rebalancing its nuanced place in the world of traumatic, unresolved loss. It brings to bear both the scholarly and the experiential, the religious and the secular, on its cumulative journey. It investigates complexity, salvaging space for narratives and dialogues of meaning and recovery, inspiring us to remember the way from head to heart. – Marian Partington, story teller and speaker for the Forgiveness Project and author of If You Sit Very StillThis is a rich collection of reflections on the desirability (or otherwise) of forgiveness in a wide range of contexts, from prisons through medical practice to the pastoral work of clergy. Although the various contributors are committed to distinct - and sometimes inconsistent - understandings of what forgiveness means, there are several recurring themes, such as the complex relationships between forgiving, being forgiven and self-forgiveness, and the differences between forgiving individuals and forgiving institutions. Amongst the strengths of the collection is the wide variety of real-life examples discussed, allowing the reader to test their general understanding of forgiveness against such contexts as interpersonal abuse, addiction, murder and the bombing of cities. This makes for a challenging - and sometimes moving - read. – Professor John Lippitt, University of Hertfordshire and Deakin UniversityForgiveness in Practice is a momentous achievement. It reveals the anatomy of forgiveness not by indulging in abstract theorising, but instead by drawing on practitioners’ direct experiences with individuals exploring, embracing or struggling with forgiveness. The numerous chapters demonstrate the pervasive nature of forgiveness intersecting with our lives virtually from cradle to the grave. You will not find any self-righteousness in this book, but you will find ample courage to tackle head-on the various taboos surrounding this big topic. This book will change the way we talk and do forgiveness. – Dr Masi Noor, Keele School of Psychology

Christiane Sanderson BSc., MSc. is a lecturer in Psychology at the University of Roehampton. With 26 years’ experience working in child sexual abuse, sexual violence, complex trauma and domestic abuse, she has run consultancy and training for parents, teachers, social workers, nurses, therapists, counsellors, solicitors, the NSPCC, the Catholic Safeguarding Advisory Committee, the Methodist Church, the Metropolitan Police Service and the Refugee Council. She is the author of Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma, Introduction to Counselling Survivors of Interpersonal Trauma, Counselling Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse and The Seduction of Children.

Steve Nolan, Ph.D., is a palliative care chaplain at Princess Alice Hospice, Surrey, UK, where he works daily with people who are dying, supporting them and their families. He regularly teaches spiritual care to students visiting the hospice and is a tutor on the MTh in Chaplaincy Studies at St. Michael’s College, Llandaff, part of Cardiff University.

Marina Cantacuzino is an award-winning journalist who in 2003, in response to the imminent invasion of Iraq, embarked on a personal project collecting stories from people who had lived through violence, tragedy or injustice and sought forgiveness rather than revenge. In 2004, she founded The Forgiveness Project, a charitable organisation that uses real personal narratives to explore how ideas around forgiveness, reconciliation and conflict resolution can be used to impact positively on people’s lives. In 2012, Marina spoke at the UN General Assembly about the work of The Forgiveness Project and, in 2015, she was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Dalai Lama Centre for Compassion.