Dr. Enright and the International Forgiveness Institute are one of the ‘Six Things Psychologists are Talking About’….

The American Psychological Association (APA) features a monthly column on their website entitled ‘Six Things Psychologists Are Talking About’ and in August of this year they featured a podcast interview with Dr. Enright on the healing power of forgiveness as one of the ‘six things’! The episode is entitled ‘The Power of Forgiving Those Who’ve Hurt You’ and features a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Enright as he shares what forgiveness is, how it can help people grow and heal in a variety of ways, and how the forgiveness education initiatives sponsored by the International Forgiveness Institute have impacted thousands of children and communities around the world. The podcast is roughly 30 minutes and is great to listen to while driving, taking a walk, or even folding laundry. 🙂

Enright shared the following in the podcast regarding what inspires him to keep doing the work of forgiveness education after 38 years:

What keeps me going is the passion for what we find. It has actually surprised me, the strength of the findings when people are gravely hurting psychologically, and are healed from, let’s say, major depressive disorder. And that gives me a hope, and the hope keeps me going, that we can indeed create a better world, one heart at a time. And so, I would say on the table as my wishlist, more insight that forgiveness education is worthwhile for children and adolescents. And, here’s a big one, community forgiveness. And we’re actually starting to work on that in different war-torn communities, especially in Africa.

We’ve been approached by four different communities in different geographic areas of Africa. Coming to us, saying, “Can you help us? We have had civil wars.” I just had a meeting this past week with someone from an African community who told me one million people, Kim, one million people have died in this century from the civil wars. And he said, “We need to bring forgiveness into communities, into individual hearts, families and communities, and then community to community.” But see, both communities have to be astute enough and motivated enough to become well-versed in forgiveness. And then, what will happen? I want to find out.

Be sure to check out the podcast to hear more about the power of forgiveness to bring healing to you, your loved ones, and the world!

Matthew Perry, Shame, and Self-Forgiveness

In the aftermath of his premature death, the New York Times posted a guest essay by Heather Havrilesky in which she reflected on some excerpts from Perry’s autobiography that addressed his experience of shame, self-forgiveness, and how his journey of self-forgiveness can be a pathway to becoming more forgiving and compassionate with others.

Check out the full essay and other forgiveness news items from the IFI and from around the internet here!



We publish a new blog post monthly on the International Forgiveness Institute website where Dr. Robert Enright reflects on forgiveness and its relationship to our lives in some way.

• How does forgiving today affect the future?
• Are there any virtues that help us forgive?
• Is forgiveness possible if free will does not exist?

Click here to check out blog posts about these topics and more!

Navigating forgiveness in our various circumstances can be messy and confusing. Thankfully, we don't have to walk that journey alone! Dr. Robert Enright, the 'world's forgiveness expert', happily responds to inquirer's questions regarding forgiveness on a regular basis on the IFI website.

Click here to read a sampling of questions and answers!

And if you have a question you want to ask him yourself click here and look for a response on the website in the coming months!