International Forgiveness Institute

International Forgiveness Institute We believe that forgiveness is a choice. In doing so, an amazing transformation begins. When you forgive, you may benefit the person you forgive.

The International Forgiveness Institute is dedicated to helping people gain knowledge about forgiveness and to use that knowledge for personal, group, and societal renewal. If you have been deeply hurt by another, you can choose to forgive rather than hold on to debilitating anger and resentment. The black clouds of anxiety and depression give way to enhanced self-esteem and genuine feelings of ho

pefulness. But you benefit yourself far more. By liberating yourself from the pain and sorrow, you can reclaim your life and find the peace that your anger had stolen. The founder of the International Institute of Forgiveness, Robert D. Enright, PhD, pioneered this thinking more than 25 years ago and created the first scientifically proven forgiveness program in the country. By using the Institute’s 20-step forgiveness process model, anyone—individuals, families, communities, even governments—can experience the extraordinary benefits of forgiveness. With the correct approach to forgiveness, we can all help restore healthy emotions, rebuild relationships and establish more peaceful communities around the world. The IFI has developed the foundation for this by creating forgiveness education curriculum guides aimed at children in Kindergarten through high school.

09/03/2026

"People who are hurt are like sponges. The sponge soaks up water; you ‘soak up’ the pain. Over time, the water evaporates out of the sponge until it is dry once more; the pain you absorb slowly dissipates until you are free from it."
(Robert Enright, Forgiveness Is a Choice, p. 162)

09/02/2026

"At the beginning of the forgiveness process, the idea of feeling compassion, empathy, or love toward the offender may have been unthinkable, but after a person has decided to forgive and has worked on understanding, a change in feelings is possible."
(Robert Enright, Forgiveness Is a Choice, p. 157)

09/01/2026

"The decision to forgive is a wonderful way to open up the heart and the mind. Those who focused on their anger before making a decision to forgive often find that, after making the decision, they are able to view the offender in a new light."
(Robert Enright, Forgiveness Is a Choice, p. 140)

08/30/2026

"You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love."
(Henry Drummond)

08/30/2026

"Intense love does not measure; it just gives." (Mother Teresa)

08/29/2026

"Forgiving requires focusing less on the anger itself and more on the source of the anger. When we forgive, we face the fact that another person hurt us."
(Robert Enright, Forgiveness Is a Choice, p. 63)

08/28/2026

"The forgiveness process, properly understood and used, can free those bound by anger and resentment. It does not require accepting injustice or remaining in an abusive situation."
(Robert Enright, Forgiveness Is a Choice, p. 43)

08/27/2026

"Resentment is the number one offender. It destroys more alcoholics than anything else. From it stem all forms of spiritual disease, for we have been not only mentally and physically ill, we have been spiritually sick."
(Alcoholics Anonymous)

08/26/2026

Forgiveness is too often defined as the reduction in anger.
Reduced anger is too narrow and can complicate relationships because it does not center on positives. The essence, or deepest view, of forgiveness is to strive to love the other even when it is painful to do so.
Robert Enright, Psychology Today, December 2024

08/25/2026

"Those who have walked its path are the best witnesses of the benefits of forgiveness. They admit that forgiveness does not remove all the pain, but that after forgiveness, the remaining pain is bearable."
(Robert Enright, Forgiveness Is a Choice, p. 12)

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Madison, WI

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