Can you forgive someone and not want to be around them?

You can forgive someone for abandoning you in a time of need, for walking away, for not putting you first, for letting you go. But that doesn’t mean you trust that person again. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you keep a close friendship with the person who betrayed you.

Can you forgive but keep your distance?

You can forgive completely but still choose to keep a safe distance from that person to protect yourself from unwanted harm or a repeat of what happened in the first place. Forgiving doesn’t require you to embrace or interact with the one you forgave. Don’t confuse the two.

Do you have to talk to someone to forgive?

If you’ve come to forgive someone, the desire to let them know is understandable. Otherwise, remember that forgiveness is a personal and internal process, so there’s no need to tell the person you’ve forgiven them, especially if you’ve cut off contact for your own well-being.

Can you forgive without healing?

According to Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, it is completely possible to move on and heal from trauma without forgiving the perpetrator. In fact, forcing yourself to forgive, or pretending to forgive when you really haven’t, can actually be counterproductive to healing.

Is it okay to forgive but not forget?

It’s good for you to let go of your anger and forgive, but forgetting isn’t required or even necessarily healthy. When it comes to long-standing relationships, forgiveness is an integral part of communing, of experiencing deeper intimacy and of showing love (and acceptance.)

Is it possible to completely forgive someone?

You may never understand why someone did something. But forgiveness requires you to look at your anger and pain and choose to let it go. This will usually involve developing some understanding of the other person and their circumstances. You can’t truly forgive without empathy and compassion.