06-91
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2006
www.jcu.edu
Contact: Christine Somosi, 216.397.4663

John Carroll University Presents Lecture on How to Give Ourselves the Greatest Gift
of All – the Freedom of Forgiveness

Cleveland, OH – The arrival of the holiday season sets in motion a very familiar pattern. The every day hustle and bustle heightens and reaches a new peak as the frantic search for the perfect gift takes center stage. Yet while the focus of the season is placed upon others, we often tend to overlook ourselves as one who may be in need of a gift, as well.

As the craze settles, a new kind preparation begins as we look to a new year as the springboard for change. By recalling moments of the past, we dedicate ourselves to laying the framework for a brighter future. However, when we are called to confront the hurts we have experienced in the past, finding a peaceful resolution within ourselves in order to move on is not always easy.

Dr. Nancy Taylor, a licensed psychologist and counselor-educator in the Department of Education and Allied Studies at John Carroll University has dedicated the last 20 years of her career to helping people end their search for ways to forgive those who have hurt them. In January, Taylor continues her work with a lecture presentation introducing a six step intervention process designed to obtain inner peace for those who are in search of forgiveness and the desire to resolve anger and restore hope. The focus of Taylor’s lecture, entitled “Free to Forgive,” is modeled after the work of Robert Enright, a pioneer of the scientific study of forgiveness.

Enright’s process includes the following phases: uncovering feelings, deciding to forgive, working through the steps to let go of anger and redirecting one’s energy to new goals. However, some who undertake the steps of this intervention find that they still do not feel satisfied nor have achieved inner peace. While they may have forgiven the other party involved, they somehow turn the blame on themselves. Taylor uses Enright’s method to help people let go of this blame and forgive themselves.

“It is only by growing in the capacity to love others and ourselves that we have truly learned to forgive and develop an inner peace,” said Taylor. “This discussion will demonstrate that forgiveness can bring about hope and peace in our lives, clarify what forgiveness is and describe the stages involved in the forgiving process.”

“Free to Forgive” will be held on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 from 7:00– 8:30 p.m. in the D.J. Lombardo Student Center, Jardine Room at John Carroll University. Attendees will learn about an opportunity to take part in a six-session group project to evaluate the effectiveness of this model.

The presentation is free and open to the public. Participation in the follow-up project is voluntary. For more information, please contact Dr. Taylor via e-mail at ntaylor@jcu.edu.

John Carroll University, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a liberal arts university grounded in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. The university has some 3,350 plus undergraduates and just over 750 graduate students. U.S. News & World Report’s 2007 annual college guide ranks John Carroll University among the top five master’s-degree granting universities in the Midwest and second in average graduation rate. Originally founded as St. Ignatius College in 1886, the university was renamed in 1923 to honor America’s first Catholic bishop, John Carroll of Maryland. John Carroll is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities located in the United States.

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