Softening the Story: Forgiveness, Resentment, and Relational Repair

The Circle: The Queer Men's Embodiment Podcast

In this episode of The Circle, we explore forgiveness not as a final destination, but as a living, breathing process. From unspoken resentments to painful memories of being let down, Eric and Tim share personal stories about parental wounds and what it means to carry the weight of hurt for years.

This conversation unpacks:

• Why forgiveness isn’t the same as forgetting
• How resentment impacts our nervous systems and relationships
• The role of safety, grief, and compassion in the forgiveness process
• What it looks like to forgive without needing the other person to change

If you’ve ever struggled to let go of a grudge, or felt the pressure to "just move on," this one’s for you.

What’s one weight you’ve been carrying that might be ready to soften?

Practice with us and explore embodiment tools for relational repair:
👉 https://myembodiment.com

Chapter Markers / Time Stamps:

00:00 - Intro: Forgiveness as a Practice
01:00 - What Forgiveness Really Means
03:05 - Forgiveness ≠ Forgetting
06:42 - The Weight We Carry: Resentment and Memory
08:58 - Not Letting Go, but Lightening the Load
11:31 - When Forgiveness Isn’t Closure
13:30 - Parental Wounds and Resentment
15:50 - Reframing the Past: Seeing with Softer Eyes
18:10 - Tim’s Story: Turning Mom into Wonder Woman
20:42 - The Cost of Idealization and the Gift of Reality
24:30 - Bragging as a Search for Safety
27:25 - From Villainizing to Understanding
30:01 - Big Hurt, No Villain: How Forgiveness Actually Starts
33:40 - Beliefs that Block Forgiveness
36:15 - The Band Camp Story: When They Didn’t Show Up