Category: trauma

• Watch: A Therapist’s Therapist & What It’s Like to Work With Me

  

  I’m genuinely excited to share this. A colleague of mine—someone who has known me not just professionally, but personally and through my own therapy process— offered his perspective on me and my work. Hearing someone reflect back what they’ve seen in you, especially someone who understands the depth of this work, lands differently. Not as…

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  April 27, 2026

  Connection, CPTSD, IFS, Recovery, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Therapists, trauma

  compassion fatigue, IFS, inner work, mental health, self-compassion, self-connection, Therapist, therapy for therapists

• This Song Feels Like Therapy: Unearth the Hurt by Mosaic Heart

  

  This Song Feels Like Therapy: Unearth the Hurt by Mosaic Heart

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  March 23, 2026

  Attachment, Change, Codependency, Connection, CPTSD, IFS, Inspiration, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Therapists, trauma

  attachment, connection, CPTSD, IFS, intimacy, longing, love, music, music therapy, patreon, relationships, self-compassion, self-connection, trauma, trust, unburdening, unearth the hurt

• Self-Compassion and Burnout: A Research-Based Path to Healing and Renewal

  

  Self-Compassion and Burnout: A Research-Based Path to Healing and Renewal

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  March 17, 2026

  Attachment, Connection, CPTSD, IFS, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Sexual shame, Shame, Therapists, trauma

  burnout, compassion fatigue, CPTSD, IFS, Religious trauma, self-compassion, self-connection, Sexual shame, Therapist burnout, trauma

• From Acting to Authenticity: The Courageous Journey Back to Your True Self

  

  From Acting to Authenticity: The Courageous Journey Back to Your True Self

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  March 2, 2026

  Change, Codependency, CPTSD, IFS, Inspiration, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, trauma

  authenticity, IFS, Religious trauma, self-connection, trauma, true self

• Reconnect, Restore, and Come Home to Yourself: Join Our Transformational IFS Retreats in the Santa Cruz, CA Area

  

  Reconnect, Restore, and Come Home to Yourself: Join Our Transformational IFS Retreats in the Santa Cruz, CA Area

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  February 2, 2026

  IFS, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Therapists, trauma

  community, IFS, mental health, retreat, self-compassion, self-connection, trauma

• I No Longer Consent to My Own Harm

  

  I No Longer Consent to My Own Harm

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  January 23, 2026

  Attachment, Codependency, Connection, CPTSD, IFS, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, trauma

  codependency, IFS, Religious trauma, self-compassion, self-connection

• Self-Sacrifice Is Not Love: Why the Part of You That Endures Is Exhausted

  

  Self-Sacrifice Is Not Love: Why the Part of You That Endures Is Exhausted

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  December 13, 2025

  Codependency, CPTSD, IFS, Religious trauma, trauma

  codependency healing, fawning trauma response, IFS, IFS therapy, Religious trauma, self-abandonment, self-sacrifice, therapy

• Sexual Shame, Desire, & IFS: A New Interview with Forest Benedict

  

  I’m thrilled to share that my latest interview just dropped! 🎙️✨ In this deeply personal conversation with my colleague and friend Gilbert Romero-Mewharter, we explore the healing of sexual shame and the reclaiming of authentic desire through Internal Family Systems (IFS). Together, we talk about how culture, religion, and trauma often disconnect us from our sexuality,…

  Forest Benedict, LMFT

  September 17, 2025

  IFS, LGBTQIA+, Religious trauma, self-compassion, Self-Connection, Sexual shame, sexuality, Shame, trauma

  desire, IFS, mental health, Religious trauma, self-compassion, self-connection, Sexual shame, trauma

• 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

• 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