Skill to Master #14: Self-compassion
How self-compassionate are you? I challenge you to make self-compassion a daily recovery practice. Click here for ideas on how to do this.
Forest Benedict, LMFT, SATP, author of Life After Lust: Stories & Strategies for Sex & Pornography Addiction Recovery. Please follow Forest on the following platforms: Newsletter, Youtube, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and SHARE this valuable content with others. Thank you!
For those wanting to deepen their healing from trauma, addiction, or pain, I want to share a life-changing new event with you. So you’ll more fully understand its value, let me first introduce you to Troy Love and his book.
Troy Love is one of my once-in-a-life-time friends. He is an experienced and gifted therapist in Yuma, Arizona. Troy is constantly creating quality content, with a passionate drive to improve the lives of others. Last year he came out with his first book called Finding Peace: A Workbook on Healing from Loss, Rejection, Neglect, Abandonment, Betrayal, and Abuse. If you haven’t read it yet. I urge you to. I had the privilege of endorsing the book, sharing that “Finding Peace is an essential workbook for anyone ready to heal from life’s hurts. Using creative storytelling, skilled therapist, Troy L. Love, shares a powerful attachment-based process of deep wound work. Finding Peace is a gift to all who are suffering and I am certain that it will be a catalyst of change for many.”
Now that you know who Troy is, let me tell you about his latest creation. He has designed a powerful new resource called The Finding Peace Retreat. Trust me, this is an unprecedented event you won’t want to miss. Here’s a short description:
“The Finding Peace Retreat is a 3-day, intensive, experiential training based on the Amazon Best-Selling Book, Finding Peace. The weekend creates a place of healing for individuals with past wounds of loss, rejection, neglect, abandonment, betrayal, and abuse who are looking for greater joy, happier relationships, and deeper fulfillment in their lives.
Whether you’re just becoming aware of how these wounds have impacted your life or are exhausted with the constant cycle of trying to do your best and still feeling like a failure, the Finding Peace Retreat will give you the skills to heal from the past, change the internal negative messages that drive feelings of shame, and develop mindful, compassionate habits leading to greater contentment and peace. Discover your truth! Connect with your inner light that ignites your power, connection, and purpose.”
The retreat will take place on October 18 – 21 of this year. It will be held in Payson, Arizona (90 minutes from the Phoenix International Airport).
A 3-day retreat like this could run thousands of dollars. Troy is offering this event at a fraction of what he could charge (especially since the cost includes meals, lodging, and training materials). If you’re wanting to take your growth to the next level, I hope you’ll consider investing in yourself in this way.
Click here for more information and to register for this life-changing event. There are 21 spaces left!
I am grateful for Troy and his relentless efforts to uplift the world with his gifts. He is a true light to all of us. When you attend the retreat, you’ll know for yourself.
Whether you can make the retreat or not this year, I urge you to check out Troy’s other resources (his website, book, Reader’s Group, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube channel, and blog) and share this post with others who would benefit.
Spending 3 days with this skilled and compassionate master teacher is a great investment in personal healing and growth. You are SO worth it. Who knows? I may just see you there.
Forest Benedict, LMFT, SATP, author of Life After Lust: Stories & Strategies for Sex & Pornography Addiction Recovery. Please follow Forest on the following platforms: Newsletter, Youtube, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and SHARE this valuable content with others. Thank you!
“Something is under the surface, can you feel it? You’ve sensed it many times, yet still don’t know what it is. You keep moving forward, keep staying busy, keep ignoring it, keep pretending everything’s fine. But it’s not. Something is unsettled inside but you’re too busy to feel it. It’s moments like this when addiction whispers messages like “escape there” and “run here.” And all of this is for what purpose? To keep running, keep escaping, keep distracting? This is the cycle of disconnection from self. For some, this pattern was learned at a very young age. For many, this pattern is instinctual.
Stopping and turning toward yourself, connecting with what is inside, and being kind toward whatever is hiding in the shadows of your soul requires great courage. This is scary, uncharted territory. Yet, for those who never take this risk, distraction becomes their drug of choice. Self-neglect and self- abandonment continue as the self-defeating norms.
Yet some of the most profound moments in life will be those times when you stop, see your pain, feel the surfacing emotions, and respond with care, compassion, and nurturance. This is tending to your wounds. This is attuning to the cries of your heart.”
-Life After Lust, pages 118-119
May we all pay attention to our pain.
Forest Benedict, LMFT, SATP, author of Life After Lust: Stories & Strategies for Sex & Pornography Addiction Recovery. Please follow Forest on the following platforms: Newsletter, Youtube, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and SHARE this valuable content with others. Thank you!
Have you ever wondered if what you do in the world matters? I have struggled with this for a long time, especially when it comes to creating and sharing content with others (which I do A LOT). What complicates this further is that my worst traumas came when I offered my strengths and love to others and my efforts were met with rejection, abuse, and abandonment. I am currently taking a Facebook sabbatical to figure all of this out as I dive into therapy and writing my Memoir.
If you’re like me and wonder if anything you do online or offline matters in the grand scheme of things, I invite you to listen to the podcast episode called A Brief Guide to the Undernet. Listening to this episode brought me a measure of healing as I realized that how many people notice me is not the measure of my worth. With the strong emphasis on views, followers, and likes in the online environment, it is a breath of fresh air to realize how none of this is a true reflection of value.
May we all know that who we are and what we do matters, no matter how much outside applause we receive.
May we all learn to applaud our own efforts.
