Forgiveness is essential to healing old emotional hurts, particularly in familial relationships. When painful events and interactions occur within a family, the numerous factors involved can make working through them more challenging. Questions of authority, family loyalty, and personal autonomy in those areas can muddy the waters to a remarkable degree. Prestige Mental Health is here to help you and your family navigate the turbulent waters of past hurts and move forward to a future with healthier relationships.
How Forgiveness Improves The Results Of Family Therapy
It’s not uncommon for those harmed by a family member to initially push back against the idea of forgiveness. This is typically due to a pervasive misconception of forgiving another who has harmed them. True, realistic forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting that you were harmed or minimizing the nature of that harm. “It’s ok” does not need to be part of forgiving those who have caused you harm. Forgiveness, instead, is about letting go of the burden of resentment about the event and focusing on a future where it’s possible to have a healthy relationship with the individual who caused you harm.
However, there are times when those healthy relationships are not possible. There are numerous reasons that this may be the case. The offender might be deceased, or they may not be willing to accept their responsibility for those events. Even in these cases, it’s necessary for our own healing process to practice forgiveness. However, simply because you have forgiven, the past doesn’t mean continuing unhealthy relationships or putting yourself in harm’s way.
Forgiveness can provide many benefits for those who practice it, including:
- Healing Emotional Wounds – Emotional wounds can fester over time, growing into deep resentment and impacting our relationships with others. Forgiveness allows these wounds to truly heal and creates the opportunity to rebuild or reassess our past and present relationships.
- Promoting Mental Health – Carrying the burden of old hurts can significantly impact our mental health. It can render us suspicious and deeply critical of others, limit our ability to form meaningful connections and be the source of depression and anxiety. Forgiveness of old hurts clears the path to addressing these conditions and experiencing improved mental health.
- Enhancing Communication – Forgiveness can help improve communication with those who caused you harm in the past. It can also help clear the path for open communication with others in your family who suffered alongside you.
Forgiveness can unlock the path forward for improved family dynamics when used as part of family therapy.
See Prestige Mental Health To Heal Through Forgiveness
Prestige Mental Health is proud to provide effective therapy services for patients in and around Las Vegas, NV. When you reach out to our team; you’ll be placing the future relationships of you and your family in excellent hands. Together, we’ll help you navigate past hurts and find your way to a healthy and joyful future. Start by calling (702) 945-2864 to set a date and time for your first appointment.
