Forgiveness After Trauma: Freedom Without Excusing It

UNMASKED with Wesley Farnsworth · Mar 12, 2026 · 55m · transcript

Forgiveness after trauma can feel like letting the offender off the hook—especially when the offender is family. Scott Stewart lived through a nightmare: his father killed his mother. What followed was numbness, self-medication, and years of anger—until he learned what forgiveness actually is, who it’s for, and how to practice it when the memories won’t stop.

Takeaways:

Forgiveness after trauma is for your freedom, not their relief

Forgiveness doesn’t require forgetting—and it doesn’t equal trust

Why boundaries matter even after you forgive

A simple first step: “I choose to forgive” (said out…