Hello Jon,

Regarding “moving past regret”, there is something that people in 12 step programs do. They need to be brutally honest about what they have done in their lives that hurt people (including themselves). There is a difference between admitting to one’s mistakes and saying that you’re sorry in order to get back in good graces of someone, and simply facing the truth, no matter how much it hurts. Reality is reality, and shame, guilt and excuses are all something we add to the mix ourselves, when narrating what has happened. Facing reality without any excuses really does help in getting over past mistakes and finding forgiveness.