Forgiveness and Reconciliation

This book details a five-phase model of the process of forgiveness and reconciliation, exploring how it can be understood as a threshold experience with the potential to offer profound emotional renewal. Illustrated with numerous case study vignettes, the book presents the findings of a research study gathered from observing and interviewing 50 dying persons, investigating the preconditions for forgiveness and reconciliation, and examining how a sense of grace, freedom, peace, and deep connectedness may occur. The book also contextualizes reconciliation and forgiveness as cultural phenomena extending beyond purely behavioral patterns of cooperation and involving great emotional maturity and strength of personality. Centered on humility, self-knowledge, truth-finding, and consciousness, Forgiveness and Reconciliation is important reading for practitioners, scholars and students in the fields of counselling, psychotherapy, and palliative care and to all those interested supporting people in conflict situations in the middle of their lives or in working with dying persons.

Monika Renz is a psychotherapist, music therapist, and spiritual caregiver. She leads the psycho-oncology unit at a clinic of oncology/hematology (Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, Switzerland). She holds a Ph.D. in psychopathology and in theology/spirituality and is an internationally sought speaker and author of several books. Her research focuses on dying, spirituality, forgiveness, fear.

Introduction: What is reconciliation, and what is forgiveness? 1. Why reconciliation? Why forgiveness? 2. The need for perspective 3. The five-phase reconciliation process 4. It happens where regret and grace meet References Appendix Index