LOADING... Emily J. Hooks

About Me

Hi! I’m Emily.

I understand what it’s like to feel stuck in a cycle of debilitating resentment and the burden of unwavering shame. I lived the first thirty-plus years of my life trying managing my emotional and spiritual pain. My childhood, like many, was filled with trauma and fear. 

didn’t earn a Ph.D. or study human behavior for 20 years to get to where I am today. I relentlessly forgave. And as a result, everything in my life transformed. I chose to move through the pain I carried and let go of my limiting beliefs about who I was and what the world was like.

In 2003, I was destitute. I lost everything, including the people who mattered most. Then, I had a moment of awakening. As if being played out on a movie screen before me, I could see my entire life unfold. Something deep within me changed that day; self-compassion emerged. 

At that moment, I vowed not to live a tragic life. I vowed first to survive and, later, to thrive. Today, my promise is to contribute as fully as I can for as long as I am able.

I have spent the last decades focused on a healing journey centered on forgiveness. I studied spiritual and religious texts from around the globe. I studied psychological theory and practice. Most importantly, I forgave everyone who had ever caused me harm. I forgave myself for the pain I had caused.

Through this work, we can all find love, compassion, and empathy for others. It is possible to both mourn the loss of what was not and fully embrace what was, accepting that struggling against the past only causes more suffering. 

My first book, The Power of Forgiveness: A Guide to Healing and Wholenesswas published in 2017. Today, I share my story and a message of healing through forgiveness. One of my favorite things to do is facilitate workshops and seminars because I get to see that a-ha moment in peoples’ eyes. A lightbulb goes off, and they can finally see why they resisted their own healing for so long. 

I believe as we heal, the world heals. I believe our purpose is to contribute to the evolution of human understanding. We all matter.

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