Many people engage in thoughts that focus on someone who hurt them. It may be a relational partner who lacked honesty, or a betrayal from a trusted friend, or a parent who failed at responsibilities. We may hold a ledger where we are conscious of how we have been treated, and how we will respond. For many of us, the idea of forgiveness offends our sense of justice and we refuse to let go of anger. We mistakenly believe that the absence of being asked to be forgiven means that we are incapable of creating it. Separating our negative thoughts from a need to achieve justice is crucial for future health and wellness. You control justice in your life by focusing on developing mental positivity which then outweighs emotional pain. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) encourages techniques that assist with the ability to forgive, as the heart of the theory involves paying attention to the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behavior. This post focuses on the use of CBT strategies to forgive someone who hurt you.

I observed throughout my professional life as a psychotherapist that humans experience relief when they forgive another or themselves. When you let go of personal pain, your thoughts can embrace kindness and compassion that will serve as an emotional uplift.........

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