The will to retaliate is in all of us. Spiritual teachers have offered an alternative: “Love your enemies.” This is a challenging practice indeed. It will take effort and an openness to grace if we are ever to fulfill it, or even believe it has value.

When we notice that we retaliate even against those we love, within a family or in an intimate relationship, we come face to face with a big challenge: we wonder whether love has truly taken hold in us.

This talk by renowned psychotherapist David Richo and workshop leader Barry Brown is an invitation to explore the role of revenge in ourselves and in the world around us. We can look for ways to choose reconciliation over retribution, forgiveness over payback, love over division. We can find spiritually skillful ways to respond when others retaliate against us.

Listen

How to deal with Betrayal (by Dr. David Richo)

About the Speakers

David Richo, Ph.D., is a formerly active Catholic priest and now a psychotherapist and self-help writer who combines psychological and spiritual perspectives in his work. His books include By Your Side: How to Find Soulful Allies and Become One to Others and How to Be an Adult: A Handbook on Psychological and Spiritual Integration. davericho.com

Barry Brown, is a formerly active Protestant minister and now a teacher, mentor, and workshop leader. Barry combines storytelling and spiritual formation/practices in his work.