The Forgive for Good Recovery Workbook - by Frederic Luskin & Lyndon Harris (Paperback)

About the Book

Drawing on extensive research conducted by the Stanford University Forgiveness Project, this unique workbook offers a comprehensive approach to substance use recovery. By practicing forgiveness--both toward oneself and others who may have contributed to past traumas--readers can heal the pain at the root of their addiction and look toward the future with renewed clarity and hope.

Book Synopsis

Essential skills and strategies for lasting recovery--based on groundbreaking research from the Stanford University Forgiveness Project.

If you struggle with substance use, you're far from alone. Studies show that alcohol and drug addiction has reached epidemic levels. If you've tried traditional treatments--only to relapse--perhaps it's time for a new approach. This workbook will help you heal the underlying drivers of substance abuse and empower your long-term recovery.

Grounded in decades of research and written by a team of Stanford University mental health researchers and psychologists, this evidence-based workbook offers a proven-effective method for lasting recovery from drug and alcohol abuse--forgiveness. Through the practice of forgiveness--both toward yourself and others who may have contributed to past traumas--you'll learn to heal the pain at the root of your addiction and look toward the future with renewed hope and optimism.

In order to truly heal from addiction, you must first heal the emotional pain and trauma that drive your substance use. By forgiving yourself and others for past mistakes or offenses, you'll feel less burdened and more open to life's possibilities. You'll also gain the clarity needed to truly beat your addiction and thrive.

If you're ready to begin your journey toward lasting recovery, let this be your road map.

Review Quotes

"The Forgive for Good Recovery Workbook is an invaluable guide for those in recovery, blending scientific and spiritual perspectives on forgiveness. Written by two forgiveness experts who approach the subject from a very different point of view, the workbook empowers individuals to release resentment, heal emotional wounds, and take responsibility for their reactions and attitudes. Readers will appreciate the stories and prompts that nudge them toward self-reflection that can lead to a new sense of personal freedom, health, and joy."
--Kathy Eldon, author, producer, and founder of the Creative Visions Foundation--Kathy Eldon

"This workbook offers a powerful and positive alternative to hitting the bottle or doing drugs to cope with the inevitable disappointments, resentments, and defeats of life. Luskin and Harris provide a perfect blend of science, self-help exercises, and stories to illuminate the healing potential of forgiveness and how to unlock it. Struggling with substance use is a common, challenging experience, and there is wisdom in this book that can help you Forgive for Good."
--Loren Toussaint, PhD, chair of the Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Discover Forgiveness Advisory Council, and president of the Forgiveness Foundation--Loren Toussaint, PhD

"This workbook offers practical, important support that works alongside the 12-step program to support those of us who have gotten stuck in the wounds of our past and hit roadblocks in our recovery. Based in solid research coupled with the wisdom of their own lived experience, the authors make a case for forgiveness as a vital step toward recovery and offer an accessible route toward this life-saving work."
--Rev. Brian Ammons, PhD, cofounder and spiritual director of The Porch Community--Rev. Brian Ammons, PhD

"Having worked with forgiveness in dozens of countries and war-torn places for close to half a century, the power of forgiving to transform and heal relationships and lives never ceases to amaze me. One of the most common questions I have heard over the years is, 'But how do I actually forgive?' Here we finally have an actual step-by-step, nonsectarian workbook that is the first to bring together research-based strategies of forgiveness for use in the large arena of recovery. Even more importantly, these same tools and practices have proven to be successful in a wide range of unresolved grievances and life experiences. I will recommend The Forgive for Good Recovery Workbook to the dozens of independent Centers for Attitudinal Healing located on six continents."
--Diane Cirincione Jampolsky, PhD, founder of Attitudinal Healing International--Diane Cirincione Jampolsky, PhD

"Helping people forgive is one of the most common challenges I face in my therapeutic work. However, there has been little in terms of guidance or a reliable model for forgiveness. The authors have resolved this disconnect with The Forgive for Good Recovery Workbook. This workbook provides us with a road map for forgiving, and I have personally and professionally benefitted from Lyndon Harris's work."
--Richard Jones, MA, MBA, LCAS, CCS, CEAP, SAP, c-EMDR, executive vice president and executive director for Heritage CARES, a division of Heritage Health Solutions in Coppell, TX--Richard Jones

"I am an orthopedic spine surgeon who developed severe mental and physical pain for over thirteen years. I was introduced to Luskin's book, Forgive for Good, by a patient a couple of years later. It changed my life. As I shared his perspective through his book, my patients began to heal more consistently--not just improve, but have their lives transformed and thrive. I have witnessed hundreds of people break free from chronic mental and physical pain, which are direct causes of addiction. The tipping point is ALWAYS first recognizing anger and learning strategies to deal with it. Deep healing happens as you move forward into the life you choose, but you must first 'let go.' This book provides excellent, practical ways of allowing healing to happen."
--David Hanscom, MD, author of Do You Really Need Spine Surgery?--David Hanscom, MD

"I have admired Luskin's forgiveness work since he was a postdoc at Stanford Medicine with me two decades ago. The workbook makes forgiveness available to anyone struggling with an addiction, and explains why forgiveness is essential. This important work continues to deepen and ripen, and the workbook format makes an invaluable contribution to people in recovery."
--Kenneth R. Pelletier, author Sound Mind, Sound Body and Change Your Genes, Change Your Life--Kenneth R. Pelletier

"I've had the privilege of hosting Fred Luskin as a speaker at the World Happiness Summit for many years. His insights have profoundly impacted my life and the lives of thousands of others, but the most transformative lesson he's taught me is that happiness requires certain conditions, and forgiveness is one of the most essential. This powerful workbook--though designed for individuals and families navigating the challenges of substance abuse and recovery--offers valuable, research-backed tools that can help anyone master the art of forgiveness. If you want to be happier, forgive. This practical book shows you how."
--Karen Guggenheim, CEO and founder of WOHASU and the World Happiness Summit--Karen Guggenheim

"It is a pleasure to endorse The Forgive for Good Recovery Workbook. Frederic Luskin has worked with the Stanford women's basketball team for eight years, and has established strong and trustworthy relationships with all of our players and coaches. We always looked forward to each session because of the benefit it was for everyone. Once at the NCAA Championship, the most stressful time of the season, I asked our team, 'What would help you the most?' and the answer was 'Let's do a Zoom with Fred.' Luskin was the inspiration for our 2024 team shirt motto which said, 'Do your best and forgive the rest.'"
--Tara Vanderveer, Stanford women's basketball coach and three-time national champion--Tara Vanderveer

"Personal, vulnerable, and well-grounded in research, Luskin and Harris offer wry insights into the universal experiences of resentment, pain, healing, and hope. This practical guide will help anyone motivated to rewrite their story and move forward with the lightness only forgiveness brings."
--Jeff Gorter, MSW, vice president of clinical crisis response with R3 Continuum, a nationwide provider of workplace trauma/disaster response behavioral health services--Jeff Gorter, MSW

"The authors have provided a succinct and excellent workbook on building one of life's most critical tools for successful living: forgiveness. Although directed toward those seeking or in recovery, the lessons provided are for every reader. The tools and techniques provided to change thinking and remove our mental roadblocks are masterful and easy to follow. This book is on my Christmas list to those I care about."
--W. Dennis Derr, EdD, retired behavioral health executive/consultant, and author of Building Personal Resiliency--W. Dennis Derr, EdD

About the Author

Frederic Luskin, PhD, cofounded and currently serves as director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Project. Luskin has been a pre- and postdoctoral fellow in preventive cardiology, and cofounded the Life Works and Wellness Education programs at the Stanford School of Medicine. He is on faculty for the Stanford School of Business Executive Education program, where he teaches mindfulness and positive psychology to business executives from all over the world. He also coaches multiple Stanford sports teams in mindfulness and positive psychology.

Luskin's forgiveness work has been applied and/or researched in universities, veteran's hospitals, churches, corporate sites, and hospitals. He is author of the best-selling books, Forgive for Good and Forgive for Love, which together have sold more than 225,000 copies. Luskin teaches stress management, emotional intelligence, and happiness skills to corporate clients throughout the US. His work focuses on the research-proven triad of a healthy and happy life: enhancing interpersonal relationships, creating a positive purpose in life, and guided practice in appreciation and other positive emotions.

Lyndon Harris is a former Episcopal priest, whose journey toward forgiveness began in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Following 9/11, Harris initiated and led for over eight months a service mission for first responders at the former World Trade Center. This mission offered support as the responders endured the hardship of searching for survivors and, ultimately, the remains of the dead. His work has been covered in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, CBS News, NBC News, and others. But after the work was completed, like many first responders, Harris's life fell apart. Forgiveness became the essential tool for reclaiming his life. He is currently working on a book detailing his journey to forgiveness following the tragedy of 9/11.

Harris teaches forgiveness internationally, offering keynotes and workshops around the world. For the past five years, he has been working with Frederic Luskin and other researchers to develop and measure the effectiveness of the secular method of forgiveness for promoting long-term positive resilience in recovery. Harris is a graduate of The School of Theology (MDiv) at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, and is a fellow of the Episcopal Church Foundation.

Foreword writer Herb Kaighan was given the gift of freedom from alcohol on February 21, 1984, and experienced a profound spiritual awakening in 1988. Since then, he has carried the message of recovery through presentations, facilitating workshops, and leading retreats. He is author of Twelve-Step Guide to Using The Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book, Twelve Steps to Spiritual Awakening, and Practicing the Here and Now.