Purpose of study: The need for forgiveness education for nursing self-care and forgiveness facilitation has risen. Therefore, the present pilot study tested the efficacy of an 8-week forgiveness bibliotherapy with a small number of undergraduate nursing students. Design of study: Matched pairs of nursing students were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or no-contact control group. The experimental group, using 8 keys to forgiveness by R. Enright (2015) as the treatment manual, read one chapter a week for 8 weeks and provided weekly reflections. Forgiveness and forgiveness-related outcome measures were administered at pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up. Findings: At the posttest, the experimental group had significantly greater improvement in forgiveness compared to the control group with a large effect size, which was maintained at one month follow-up. There was no other significant difference between the two groups. Within-group comparisons of the experimental group showed improvement in forgiveness, anxiety, depression, and fatigue from pre to post testing periods and forgiveness, anger, anxiety, depression, and fatigue from pre to follow-up testing periods. Conclusion: Use of bibliotherapy may be a cost-effective way to promote the virtue of forgiveness for students in nursing programs.

Although the practice of forgiveness is encouraged, the healing properties of this virtue by health care professionals are often overlooked. Forgiveness is the voluntary, conscious decision to abandon negative feelings toward another who has caused hurt and replacing those feelings with unconditional love and compassion. It is not about forgetting the hurt or ignoring the pain; it is an actual transformation of the heart. The Enright Forgiveness Process Model and the Pyramid Model of Forgiveness are 2 models that facilitate the forgiveness process. By utilizing either of these pathways, the forgiver ultimately experiences peace of mind and a “release from emotional prison” that leads to holistic healing. As a result, the forgiver experiences lower levels of depression, anxiety, and aggression, which improves quality of life. In addition, physiological benefits such as decreased stress levels, lower blood pressure, and a lower heart rate have also been reported. Throughout the course of their careers, nurses encounter patients and families in acute or end-of-life care situations who want to forgive or be forgiven. As holistic health care providers, nurses should be able to facilitate and close this gap in patient care. This article attempts to raise awareness to the importance of forgiveness in health and well-being among nurses and other health care professionals.