The acknowledgment statement is an optional statement that grievers can use when composing their recovery components.
The GRI believes that identifying and delivering forgiveness statements are key in one's grief recovery process. However, given some people's long-held (and often inadequate) belief systems about what forgiveness means, it may not be possible to identify or construct a truthful forgiveness statement honestly. Some grievances are so significant and long-held that getting to forgiveness in a few short sessions may not be possible. In these cases, the griever is given the alternative of the acknowledgment statement.
This statement says, "I acknowledge what you did/didn't do (name it), and I'm not going to let that hurt me anymore."
While we always hope the person will be able to get to forgiveness, if that's not possible, they have to have some other option, or they will be left holding onto the unforgiveness and the hurt associated with that event. By giving them this "mid-way" option, the hope is to provide them with some action to move them from the pain of the event, even if not all the way to forgiveness.
For more information on this option, see page 139 in the Grief Recovery Handbook.