Forgiveness: A Spiritual Practice Grounded in Science and Psychology

By Dr. Katie Eastman & Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

Spirituality is not about floating above reality. It is about being deeply grounded in it. And one of the clearest examples of this is the act of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is both a spiritual practice and a scientifically supported path to resilience and healing. Psychology research shows that forgiveness reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, and improves mental health. Forgiveness helps us release the weight of resentment, creating space for compassion and peace. What spiritual traditions have taught for centuries, science is now confirming: forgiveness changes us for the better.

Everett Worthington, a leading researcher on forgiveness, distinguishes between two kinds: decisional forgiveness, which is the conscious choice to let go of resentment and act differently toward the person who hurt us, and emotional forgiveness, which replaces negative feelings with more positive ones like empathy, compassion, or love. This definition highlights that forgiveness is not just an idea but an active process of transformation.

Fred Luskin, director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project, defines forgiveness as “the peace and understanding that comes from lessening the blame of that which has hurt you, taking your life experience less personally, and seeing the cost of holding a grudge.” In other words, forgiveness is the shift that allows us to stop being defined by the wound and start reclaiming our freedom.

In The Change Guidebook, Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino shared stories of people who paused before making big life decisions. For some, that pause became a moment of forgiveness—of themselves, of others, or of the past. That pause transformed how they moved forward. Psychology might call this self-regulation. Spiritually, it is listening to the quiet voice inside that says: Let go. Begin again.

Forgiveness is not about forgetting or excusing harm. It is about freeing ourselves from being defined by it. It is where science and spirituality meet—healing the body, calming the mind, and opening the heart.

✨ Reflection Prompt: Who or what in your life might you need to forgive—yourself, another person, or even life itself? How might that act of forgiveness create freedom for you?