One of the simplest and most profound ways to heal your body is by learning how to forgive.

As a medical intuitive healer, I often find myself teaching forgiveness mantras to my sickest clients – the ones who have seen every possible kind of traditional and alternative healer and who still struggle with chronic pain and sickness.

One woman I worked with was on every possible prescription medication as well as natural healing remedy, had spent years in therapy and worked with a team of traditional and alternative healers but could not let go of the guilt and resentment she felt for giving birth to a special needs child.

No one could touch her mental or physical pain, so I encouraged her to practice daily forgiveness mantras to slowly but surely release what the drugs, supplements, therapists and coaches could not touch.

What is forgiveness?

Forgiveness is the simple act of letting go of all judgment, bitterness and resentment.

When we forgive, we acknowledge that because the universe is actually a friendly place, whatever happens occurs for the highest good of all.

Many of us have read the Bible verses encouraging us to forgive (“Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” Luke 17:4), but we struggle with layers of emotion whenever we recall past events.

Every time you think a thought or feel a feeling, you have a whole body response.

You either create positive, life-giving body chemistry or you release stress hormones and neurotransmitters that send your health down the tubes.

This is what is meant by the phrase, “You can’t afford the luxury of a negative thought.”

For most of us, forgiveness is a process. We let go layer by layer, thought by thought, feeling by feeling, day by day, minute by minute until all that’s left is peace, love and understanding.

My favorite simple way to forgive is by using simple mantras.

You could use Ho’oponopono:

I’m sorry.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

Thank you.

Or an even simpler mantra:

I love you.

You love me.

I forgive you.

You forgive me.

Hold your hand over your heart as you repeat your forgiveness mantras and feel yourself letting go of waves of emotions.

You may need to repeat your forgiveness mantras every day, every hour, and that’s O.K. Just keep going.

You will know you are done with forgiveness when you can think of the person, place or event without triggering any negativity whatsoever.

When we feel we have been wronged, often the first step is to recognize that forgiveness is good for us.

When you forgive, you don’t change what happened, you just heal your body at very deep levels.

As you forgive, you heal four major organs in your body:

If this doesn’t convince you, let me point out that Loren Toussaint found that failure to forgive completely could actually kill you.

You may be going to church, exercising daily, taking prescription drugs and a handful of supplements, but are you forgiving yourself and all others?

“Conditional forgiveness of others remained a significant predictor of mortality after controlling for religious, socio-demographic, and health behavior variables,” Toussaint concluded.

What is healing? Healing happens when we learn how to forgive.