Carlos Santana Reveals How He Learned to Forgive the Man Who Sexually Abused Him: 'Open Your Hands and Let It Go' (Exclusive)

After his childhood was stolen from him by two years of sexual abuse, Carlos Santana eventually found forgiveness.

The legendary guitarist, 75, opens up to PEOPLE in this week's issue about the ways in which he was able to make peace with his situation, years down the line.

"My son and I were talking about this yesterday, how acceptance and forgiveness are really spiritual," he says. "I learned to look at everyone who ever went out of their way to hurt me, demean me or make me feel like less, like they're 5 or 6 years old, and I'm able to look at them with understanding and compassion."

Santana — whose experiences will be chronicled in the upcoming documentary Carlos, which will premiere on June 17 at the Tribeca Film Festival — first went public with his abuse during an interview with Rolling Stone in 2000. He said that he was abused "almost every day" between the ages of 10 and 12 by a man who’d cross the border into Mexico and bring him toys and gifts; he told The Guardian in 2014 the man was an American tourist who'd befriended his parents.

Now, the musician says he's able to see the situation from a new perspective, one that allows him grant his abuser grace.

"For example, this person who abused me sexually, instead of sending him to hell forever, I visualized him like a child, and behind him there was a lot of light," he says. "So I can send him to the light or send him to hell knowing that if I send him to hell, I'm going to go with him. But if I send him to the light, then I'm going to go with him also."

He continues: “There's this saying, 'Hurt people hurt people.' It's my pain. It did happen to me. But if you open your hands, and you let it go, then you don't feel that anymore."

Related: Carlos Santana Recalls Being 'Higher Than an Astronaut's Butt' at Woodstock Thanks to Jerry Garcia: 'It Was a Real Test' (Exclusive)

Elsewhere in the interview, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer discusses the pitfalls of fame, and how he's learned to enjoy the success it has afforded him, despite feeling suffocated by it in earlier years.

"Now everything's a fun time because there’s still a 7-year-old Carlos in me that looks at life like, 'What are we going to get into today?'" he says. "I'm just starting, and everything has prepared me for this."

The 10-time Grammy winner adds that his goal is to offer "hope and courage to people," and that he sticks to a lesson he learned as a child: "Offer a heartfelt tug to the listener and validate their existence."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

For more on Carlos Santana, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

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