Close your eyes and take a few rounds of deep breaths. In this exercise, you will sit quietly and read this metaphor a few times. This will help you forgive a person, a situation or an event. Imagine the noose, a loop of rope with a running knot. The knot becomes tighter and tighter when the rope is pulled on one end. At one end is the loop of the knot. On the other end, you can see a long rope attached to a hook. This structure is on a lever, sotheloopknot is atoneend, and the hook is on the other side.
You imagine that you have put your hand inside that loop of knot. The person you are angry with is on the other end of the hook. They hold on to that hook and stay there.They sit in a swing attached to the hook,which is pulling the rope on one side. As the rope is pulled on one side, you can feel your wrist, where the knot is located, getting tighter and tighter.
But the person sitting on the swing hanging to the hook is pleased and is unbothered. He is not affected by the tightness of the wrist in your hand or the fact that it hurts you. Now you have a choice here. You can stop anytime and let that person off the hook. Imagine what would happen if you did that. The noose around your wrist will become lighter and lighter and stop hurting you. The knot will become loose, and your hand will be FREE. FREE from pain and hurt, you can do anything with your hand.
Think about WHY you are not letting that person off the hook. Is it because it makes you feel “right” when you hold on to the grievances caused by that person? They might be wrong and would have hurt you a lot, but not letting them off the hook makes you suffer.
Please consider the marks, scars and pain it has caused your wrist. Now, think of the person on the hook who is unaffected by the distress caused to you. Your wrist hurts and continues to break because you have not let that person off the hook.
Can you do it now? What prevents you? Do you feel justice in holding on to the hurt? But do you realise whom it hurts in the end? Who is destroyed by the anger?
Visualise them getting off the swing and waving goodbye to them. Tell them that you do not permit them to continue to hurt you. You will cancel that contract. You will refuse to let them upset you. You will not communicate with them anymore, but they will not occupy your mind’s space anymore. You are now visualising LETTING THEM OFF THE HOOK. Now, read this metaphor every single day for the next month. Make a log of how you feel after letting them off the hook. Who benefits? Who is in better health? Forgiveness is worth it.
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