Naming the Hurt
Summary
Identify the feelings within the facts.
Remember, no feeling is wrong, bad, or invalid.
Recognize the stages of grief, and honor wherever you fall in the process.
Find someone who will acknowledge you and listen to your feelings without trying to fix them.
Accept your own vulnerability.
Move forward when you are ready.
Stone Ritual Clenching the Stone
1. Take your stone in your dominant hand.
2. Name out loud a hurt you are feeling. As you name it, clench the stone in your hand.
3. Open your hand. As you release your fist, release the hurt.
4. Clench and release the stone again as you name each of your hurts.
Journal Exercise The Grief Journal
1. Write down all the things you have lost. What did you lose? Did you lose your trust? Did you lose your safety? Did you lose your dignity? Did you lose some- one whom you loved? Did you lose something that you cherished?
2. Now name the feelings that accompany these losses. I am angry. I am sad. I am heartbroken. I am afraid. Feel free to use your own words. What does your heart tell you? What is the weight of this loss? Name it so you can heal it.
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As we continue in our book study, we encourage you to purchase Desmond and Mpho Tutu's The Book of Forgiving which is available as a hard copy, audiobook, and ebook. All of the above comes directly from the end of each chapter. If your finances are preventing you from purchasing the book, please reach out to Pastor Sarah.
Tutu, Mpho, and Tutu, Desmond. The Book of Forgiving: The Fourfold Path for Healing Ourselves and Our World. United States, HarperCollins, 2014.