To forgive, or not to forgive? That is one moral and ethical question that has been haunting us for ages. But even though it may seem difficult, or often times impossible, to forgive those who have done us wrong, experts say that the process is necessary for healing not only your emotional well-being but also your physical self.

"Unfinished business in our personal lives eats up your body from the inside out," Dr. Harold G. Koenig, co-director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University Medical Center, tells Newsmax. "Keeping hurt and resentment bottled up affects your cardiovascular system, raises your blood pressure, and lowers your immune system because you are constantly in a fight or flight mode.

"Emotionally, the anger within destroys any chance you have in finding peace and joy. That's why you need to resolve your issues and forgive so that you can move forward and reap the rewards."

Koenig says that every religion throughout the ages has rituals of forgiveness, including the Catholic practice of confession, which provides a platform of self-forgiveness.

"I believe that God is a loving God who forgives our sins," says Koenig, the author of many books, including "The Healing Power of Faith." "Was Christ's death not enough proof of this?"

But psychologist Dr. Lois Mueller, of Tampa, Florida, cautions that one should always temper forgiveness with reason.

"Forgiveness of an assault or betrayal should never be immediate because you don't have the necessary time to process what has happened to you," she tells Newsmax. "People who forgive prematurely may be trying to live up to a standard they have embraced before it become relevant to their own experience. For example, when you have been physically violated, it can take years to create enough distance from it to feel differently and able to forgive."

Mueller adds, however, if you allow that act to take over your life and cannot escape your intense anger about it, sometimes counseling by a qualified mental health professional can help you free yourself from the obsession and forgiveness may be one tool in that arsenal.

Everett Worthington, the distinguished Commonwealth Professor Emeritus from Virginia Commonwealth University, has been a world leader in the concept of forgiveness — a concept that was severely tested when his mother was murdered in 1996. His breakthrough research developed the REACH plan of forgiveness:

R=Recall the hurt. To heal, you have to face the fact that you have been hurt. Make up your mind not to be nasty to the other party or treat yourself as a victim.

E=Empathize with your partner. Put yourself in the other person's chair. Talk to him. Pour your heart out. Try to find out why the other person harmed you. This builds empathy and allows you to give...

A=Altruistic gift. Give forgiveness as an unselfish, altruistic gift. We all remember times when we wronged someone and they forgave us. We felt light and free. By forgiving unselfishly, you can give that same gift to someone who hurt you.

C=Commit. Once you have forgiven, write a note to yourself, something simple as, "Today. I forgave (that person's name) for hurting me." This helps your forgiveness last.

H=Hold onto forgiveness. We write notes of forgiveness to read and re-read when we are tempted to doubt that we truly forgave.