Forgiveness can be one of the most powerful things a person does in their healing process. Often times without realizing it, resentments can cause a person to eventually become ill because of the stress they place on the body. The resentments don't even have to be present in your consciousness. Exploring and releasing resentments can help bring the body back into a normal balance. Forgiveness also means forgiveness of yourself.
Many people live their lives in failure as a result of the sabotaging effects of low self-esteem.
Even when the body doesn't totally recover, it is much healthier than it would have been otherwise. Sometimes years can be added to a person's life that was previously only expected to live a few months. There are many workshops, programs, and therapists that can help guide someone through the process of forgiveness. The process is basically the same. You first recall the event, either through meditation, talking about it, writing about it, or some combination of all three.