This book is an important, timely, and unique contribution to the understanding of forgiveness. The authors of this collection follow a phenomenological approach to human science research, enabling them to disclose forgiveness as an existential phenomenon. It will be of interest to a wide range of scholars and a must read for any psychologist.

Magnus Englander, Malmö University

In a world of increased cancellation, there couldn’t be a more perfect timing for The Lived Experience of Forgiveness: Phenomenological and Psychological Perspectives. Steen Halling and his colleagues offer a solid exposure to human science empiricism in their rigorous exploration of different kinds of forgiveness, as they are plural. They explore personal, interpersonal, and international challenges of forgiveness, including the often forgotten and very difficult situations of self-forgiveness and encounters with the unforgivable. This book, as an example of phenomenological research, avoids both shying away from the topic—thinking it should the left to the theologians—and misinformed definitions of forgiveness that halt conversations before they really begin. Instead, this text offers us openings of various kinds through an empiricism of a particular kind of pain that often ossifies in interminable sorrow and resentment. No syrupy prescriptions to “just look on the bright side of life” here; just courageous writers in the pit, exploring a seemingly insurmountable event. Use this text to teach about phenomenology, about hard places in existence, and simply to heal.

Todd DuBose, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology