Category: Grief

• The F-Word Was Father’s Day: A Poem of Reclamation

  

  A healing poem about reclaiming Father’s Day from trauma through self-love, fatherhood, and inner reparenting. A tribute to self-fathering and growth.

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  June 14, 2025

  Addiction, Attachment, Change, children, Codependency, Connection, CPTSD, Fun, Grief, IFS, Inspiration, Parenting, Poetry, Recovery, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Sexual Addiction, Shame, trauma, writing

  breaking generational cycles, compassionate self-love, emotional healing, father wound, father’s day, fatherhood journey, forest benedict, grief and growth, healing, healing from childhood trauma, healing poem, IFS, IFS therapy, inner child healing, Internal Family Systems, LMFT blog, men’s healing, mental health, parenting and trauma, poetry for healing, recovery, Religious trauma, reparenting, self-compassion, self-connection, self-fathering, trauma, trauma recovery

• The Flame Within: A Hope Ritual for Troubled Times

  

  A powerful, non-religious IFS ritual to awaken hope, reclaim power, and stay grounded through the chaos of today’s political climate. We are not alone.

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  April 14, 2025

  Change, Faith, Grief, IFS, Inspiration, Politics, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, trauma, writing

  hope, IFS, inner compass, inner flame, inner power, inner strength, innercompass, inspiration, mental health, political anxiety, politics, power, Religious trauma, ritual, self-compassion, self-connection, trauma

• Transgender Day of Remembrance: Honoring Lives Lost to Hate and Violence

  

  Learn about the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day to honor lives lost to anti-transgender violence. Discover its significance, the impact of transphobia, and ways to show love, compassion, and solidarity. 🌈

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  November 20, 2024

  Change, Grief, Religious trauma, Self-Connection, trauma

  allied, End Transphobia, Equality For All, Honor Their Memory, LGBTQIA, Love And Compassion, mental health, Religious trauma, self-connection, solidarity, Stop Trans Violence, TDOR, Trans Rights Are Human Rights, Trans Visibility, Transgender Day of Remembrance, trauma

• WTF Do We Do Now? Finding Strength & Self-Compassion After the Election

  

  Feeling heartbroken, angry, or unsafe after the election? This compassionate guide offers validation, understanding, and encouragement for those struggling with the resurgence of intolerance and harmful beliefs. Find strength in self-connection, honor your feelings, and explore ways to heal amidst the uncertainty.

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  November 6, 2024

  Grief, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection

  election, IFS, mental health, Religious trauma, self-compassion, self-connection

• Pay Attention to Your Pain (It’s Worth It)

  

  We are great at running from our pain. Distracting. Numbing. Scrolling. Working. Doing. Intellectualizing. Researching. Analyzing. Avoiding. Critiquing. Judging. But none of those strategies give our pain what it needs from us. Our pain needs someone to pay attention. Gentleness. Compassion. Listening. Care. Comfort. Connection. Presence. Attunement. Love. May we all take the time to pay…

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  January 30, 2024

  Addiction, Connection, Grief, IFS, Recovery, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Sexual Addiction