I have tried cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies and they do not work in a deep way for me.  In other words, I can change my thinking about the situation, try not to see it as a catastrophe, but still I have unsettled emotions inside that need healing.  Can forgiveness aid the recovery of more positive emotions and, if so, how does this occur?

Yes, you could include forgiveness in your therapeutic work.  In contrast to the therapies in which you have engaged, forgiveness goes beyond the examination of your symptoms in the context of the injustice(s) against you.  Forgiveness therapy goes to the root cause of the continued emotional upset by having you do the work of focusing on the one who hurt you, trying to see this person as someone who possesses inherent worth.  As you see the other’s worth, this can enhance a sense of empathy and compassion toward the other and this has the paradoxical effect of lowering the temperature of your anger.  So, adding forgiveness to your program likely will be beneficial for you.  I wish you the very best in your healing journey.

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