Category: self-compassion

• From External Authority to Self-Trust: Healing Religious Trauma and Reclaiming Your Inner Compass with IFS

  

  Healing religious trauma means learning to trust yourself again. Discover how IFS helps you reclaim your inner compass and live in alignment with your truth.

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  June 25, 2025

  Change, Codependency, CPTSD, IFS, Inspiration, LGBTQIA+, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Sexual shame, sexuality, trauma

  authenticity, authoritarian, CPTSD, healing, IFS, inner compass, interview, mental health, podcast, Religious trauma, self-compassion, self-connection, trauma

• 🎙️ New Podcast Interview: Porn is Not the Problem on the Divorcing Religion Podcast

  

  Discover Forest Benedict’s powerful new interview on the Divorcing Religion podcast: “Porn is Not the Problem.” Explore porn addiction myths, ethical porn, Internal Family Systems, and healing from religious trauma and sexual shame in this honest, hopeful conversation.

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  June 23, 2025

  Addiction, Anti-Pornography Movement, Faith, IFS, Inspiration, LGBTQIA+, life after lust, pornography, Recovery, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Sexual Addiction, Sexual shame, sexuality, Shame

  Authenticity And Freedom, deconstruction, Divorcing Religion, Ethical Porn, healing journey, IFS, Internal Family Systems, mental health, Podcast Interview, recovery, Religious trauma, self-compassion, self-connection, Sex Addiction Recovery, Sex Positive Therapy, Sexual Empowerment, Sexual Healing, Sexual shame, Shame Free Sexuality, Therapist Interview

• 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

• Oh Mother, My Self! – A Dr. Seuss-Style Poem on Self-Mothering

  

  A heartfelt Dr. Seuss-style poem honoring all forms of motherhood—offering healing, validation, and a powerful reminder that the love we longed for can still be given by the one who knows us best: our Self.

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  May 11, 2025

  Attachment, Connection, CPTSD, IFS, Inspiration, Parenting, Poetry, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Shame, writing

  Attachment Repair, Dr. Seuss Style Poem, emotional healing, Gentle Parenting Yourself, Healing from Childhood Wounds, Healing Through Poetry, IFS, inner child healing, Inner Nurturing, mental health, Mother’s Day Healing, Motherhood and Self-Compassion, Reparenting Yourself, self-compassion, Self-Compassion Poem, self-connection, Self-Love Practices, Self-Mothering, trauma, trauma recovery

• Changing Your Niche & Improving Self-Connection Skills: Consultation Now Available

  

  Discover two newly added areas of expertise to my consultation offerings—Changing Your Niche and Self-Connection Skills. Learn how these powerful additions, along with updated focus on betrayal trauma and purity culture, reflect my deep experience supporting therapists and healing professionals.

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  April 22, 2025

  IFS, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Therapists

  coaching, consultation, guide, IFS, mental health professionals, Religious trauma, self-connection, therapists

• Afraid to Set Boundaries? Why People-Pleasing Is Costing You More Than You Think

  

  Afraid to set boundaries? Discover how people-pleasing and self-silencing are trauma responses—and how healing through IFS therapy can help you reclaim your voice, set healthy limits, and live more authentically.

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  April 18, 2025

  Anxiety, Change, Codependency, Connection, IFS, partners, Recovery, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Shame, trauma

  codependency, fawning, healing, IFS, mental health, people-pleasing, recovery, Religious trauma, self-compassion, self-connection, trauma

• A Poem for the Children Who Survived

  

  A Poem for the Children Who Survived Trauma

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  April 16, 2025

  children, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Shame, trauma

  ACA, CPTSD, mental health, poem, Religious trauma, trauma

• 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

• Solo Sex as Self-Love: Healing Shame and Reclaiming Pleasure

  

  Struggling with shame around masturbation due to religious or cultural conditioning? Learn how to reframe solo sex as an act of self-love, self-connection, and healing. Discover the science-backed benefits of mindful masturbation and how to overcome sexual shame.

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  February 17, 2025

  Health, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Sexual shame, sexuality, Shame

  health benefits, masturbation, Religious trauma, self-compassion, self-connection, Sexual shame, solo sex

• Why Politics Feels Like Church Again: Religious Trauma Triggers and How to Cope

  

  If politics is triggering your religious trauma, you’re not alone. The fear, control, and oppression you left behind in fundamentalism are showing up in today’s political landscape. Learn why this happens, how it impacts your mental health, and what you can do to reclaim your power and heal.

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  February 15, 2025

  Anxiety, Faith, IFS, Politics, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, trauma

  IFS, mental health, political anxiety, Religious trauma, self-compassion, self-connection