Can you forgive someone and still protect yourself from them hurting you again?
5 Answers
Last Updated: 11/17/2020 at 8:30pm
Perfect therapy for people who need help. I would like to say, I never can imagine it could be possible to heal people like that
Ta
Tania
Moderated by
Jessica McDaniel, LPC, LCPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
I have been practicing cognitive behavioral psychotherapy since 2007 with a diverse group of adult clients with various diagnoses, all races, and socioeconomic classes.
Top Rated Answers
Absolutely. Forgiveness does not mean that you have to lower your boundaries or see this person every day, you have every right to protect yourself. You can forgive them for what they have done, but you don’t have to be best friends with them, or let them influence your life in any way you don’t want. It’s okay to remove them from your life, in fact that is a very healthy option. You can forgive someone and still have strict limits with them. Forgiveness does not mean things have to go back to the way they were, it’s important to take care of yourself.
Yes, it is possible!
When you forgive, you might find that you don't hold grudges about what was hurting you, and you might feel free from what happened. That doesn't mean you have to forget. Sometimes it hurts too much. :( If you want to keep your distance to prevent getting hurt again for the same reasons, you have the right to do so!
Yes, I feel one can certainly protect themselves by enforcing creating boundaries and being mindful of past experiences and how they turned out with a person even when they forgive the person.
We forgive the person to move past it and allow ourselves to feel lighter too, letting the past incident go and giving the person another chance, however even if we let go, the lesson learnt from that can be remembered and used to as a learning experience to not be in the same situation again, being cautiously optimistic about the person and protecting yourself toolo, to not get hurt again, not with the same person atleast. <3
yes, you can :) although it's easier said than done, I'd suggest to forgive but not forget so that you won't get hurt again. This had helped me protect myself and from making the same mistake again ^^
Yes you can. By setting go boundaries between you and the person who hurt you. Give them a chance and if they still haven't changed then it is best that you move on from this person.
Talk to an expert therapist
She’s very sweet, caring, and helpful.
Reviewed Nov 17, 2024
Talk to Andrea NowRelated Questions: Can you forgive someone and still protect yourself from them hurting you again?
Why can't I get mad at people especially when they deserve it? Not just with people I care about, just anyone. How to forgive yourself for hurting a stranger online that you cannot find again?How do you forgive yourself after hurting a stranger online without any closure?I want to forgive people. I am not sure where do I start to doing this?I have had an abusive past. I believe I'm too forgiving because of it. How do I healthily maintain boundaries with my past abusers(still in my life) and in general?I have so many regrets. How can I try to forget them?I can't bring myself to forgive a friend. What can I do?I just wanna learn to forgive myself and them and move on. Is this possible-if so how do I begin?Should complete "forgiveness" be extended to people who refuse to admit they did something wrong? Or show no remorse even though you've made it clear they mistreated you? How do I approach a friend who is mad at me without knowing why they are mad?