Teaching forgiveness : exploring psychoeducational and therapeutic strategies to foster well-being

Kurzfassung/Abstract

This review article explores forgiveness education as a multidimensional process encompassing cognitive, emotional, physiological, and neural aspects. Foundational CBT-based frameworks, including Enright’s model, REACH, Forgiveness for Good, and Restore, provide structured and effective methods for fostering forgiveness of others and oneself. Building on these, alternative approaches such as acceptance and commitment therapy, compassion-focused therapy, and relaxation-based emotional freedom techniques may enhance therapeutic effectiveness by tackling barriers like rigid self-judgment and unresolved resentment. Furthermore, interventions such as biofeedback, neurofeedback, and polyvagal theory highlight the importance of physiological self-regulation in emotion processing. Despite these advancements, the absence of interventions addressing perceived divine forgiveness—a factor with profound psychological and relational significance—emerges as a critical gap. The review emphasizes the potential for multidisciplinary collaboration to create culturally sensitive forgiveness education models that integrate psychological approaches with spiritual practices, offering comprehensive pathways for emotional growth and healing.