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!
Recovery from sexual addiction is very hard but very possible. Those who feel caught in the cycle of addiction often have difficulty believing in a way out, let alone knowing what it is. Fortunately, many sexual addicts have found their way to freedom; there truly is life after lust. I am excited to announce a new resource soon to be published that will provide powerful strategies and motivating stories for those seeking recovery from sexual addiction.
My first book is soon to be published, entitled “Life After Lust: Stories & Strategies to Strengthen Sexual Addicts in Recovery“. This book is a practical and inspiring guide for sexual addicts seeking change. It is a collection of stories and articles aimed at challenging, equipping, and energizing all readers. In this book, I share deeper details about my personal recovery journey. The book is also packed with recommendations for fueling successful recovery.
I look forward to sharing this new resource with you soon. I believe this book will be a life-changing catalyst for long-term change.
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements about publication date and availability.
-By Forest Benedict, LMFT, SATP-C
Please FOLLOW my blog and find me on Facebook and Twitter for future posts and announcements about my UPCOMING book!
It should be no surprise that my first book will be a resource for sexual addicts. What may be surprising is that 1.5 weeks ago I decided that if I can binge watch Netflix, then I can certainly binge write my first book and now it is nearly done! I look forward to sharing more as it progresses but I can tell you the following about my soon to be self-published book:
I look forward to finishing and sharing this creative work of art & love with you soon!
-By Forest Benedict, LMFT, SATP-C
Please FOLLOW my blog and find me on Facebook and Twitter for future posts and announcements about my UPCOMING book!
Need inspiration and hope today? Take 5.5 minutes to watch this video. Be encouraged. Then share this with someone else who needs it.
-By Forest Benedict, LMFT, SATP-C
Please FOLLOW my blog and find me on Facebook and Twitter for future posts and announcements about my UPCOMING Workbook!
Over a decade ago I checked into a treatment program hoping to heal from a serious sexual addiction. A transformed life was Plan A. Plan B was a secret plot to escape to Las Vegas and drown myself in addictive self-destruction. My contingency plan never materialized because Plan A became my life’s mission. Ironically, my recovery path led me back to Las Vegas last weekend. I was not there to indulge an addiction but to train therapists to treat those who do. This is one of many mind-blowing miracles I’ve savored in my recovery. Out of my past pain has come my present purpose. This is the hope of healing.
When we are deep in addiction and trauma, we are blind to future hope. We cannot imagine living in the light when we feel lost in the night. It takes a bold imagination to take steps forward in recovery when we can’t predict where that path leads.
I cannot tell you where your recovery path will take you but I can promise you one thing: Through your recovery you’ll connect with your purpose. Healing is about far more than just managing triggers, but about stepping into a meaningful life. When we are no longer handcuffed by our impulses, we are free to love and live fully.
Are you willing to do the deep and difficult work of recovery today, holding tightly to the belief that you will benefit tomorrow?
Are you willing to postpone present pleasure and persevere through present pain for the promise of future satisfaction?
If you answer “yes” then I welcome you to a courageous journey of faith. Here we begin to believe in the unseen. We imagine a different future while persistently pursuing it. When our purposeful future find us, we will truly see that we’ve sacrificed nothing and gained everything. We wrestled for our recovery and it was worth it. We were healed for a purpose.
-By Forest Benedict, LMFT, SATP-C
Please FOLLOW my blog and find me on Facebook and Twitter for future posts and announcements about my UPCOMING Workbook!
For those who are ready to replace the constant negativity in their social media newsfeeds, I have a challenge for you. For the next 90 days, I challenge you to ONLY post that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy.
NOTHING ELSE.
Can you imagine how the online social world would change if we did this? What would happen if we collectively refocused out attention on that which is beautiful, meaningful, and purposeful? What would shift if we stopped starting conflict and spouting senselessness? What would change if ALL of our online activity was a source of light, love, and inspiration to others?
Let’s find out.
Regardless of the results and ripple effect in cyberspace, this challenge is sure to change at least one person – YOU!
If you’re joining the challenge please comment below. I would love to hear how this experiment plays out for you. For continuous inspiration, join our Inspiration Community.
-By Forest Benedict, LMFT, SATP-C
Please FOLLOW my blog and find me on Facebook and Twitter for future posts and announcements about my UPCOMING BOOK!
What’s your recovery anthem? You know, “your” song that inspires you to rise higher and fight harder?
A recovery anthem is highly personal. The song that speaks to you may not speak to me. Some songs stir us more deeply than others, based on our beliefs and backgrounds. Oftentimes, our anthem finds us when we are most desperate for reassurance and strength.
For me, a song worthy to be hailed as a “recovery anthem” must be one that courses through my veins, stirs up emotion, calls me to action, increases my passion, and raises my intention to both battle and heal. I have created playlists of such songs in the past.
Yesterday, I found my newest recovery anthem. How did I know this was MY song? One hint was that it repeatedly brought me to tears. It also gave me a wider perspective and increased the intensity of my commitment.
I would like to share my anthem with you. Maybe it will profoundly speak to you. Maybe not. Regardless, my hope is that it will inspire you to find your own recovery anthem.
My Recovery Anthem
My new recovery anthem is Switchfoot’s recent song “If the House Burns Down Tonight.” The lyrics resonate deeply with me, as I think about the prospect of fighting for love and letting everything else burn away. In it, Jon Foreman writes:
“Ashes from the flames
The truth is what remains
The truth is what you save
From the fire
And you fight for what you love
Don’t matter if it hurts
You find out what it’s worth
And you let the rest burn”
To me, this means passionately pursuing my relationship with my Divine Abba. This means deepening my loyal love for my bride. This means daily communicating my affection to my kids. This means prioritizing the love of my family and friends. This means holding onto love while letting all of the distractions, addictions, and meaningless attempts to impress anyone or prove anything burn away [TWEET THIS]. This means loving like that and letting others love me in the same way.
In real recovery we find the commitment and courage to fiercely hold onto those things we value the most, abandoning everything that competes for life’s most precious virtue -love.
I invite you to invest a few minutes in listening to the above song. Imagine the love you want to pursue and what you’re willing to give up to get it.
Find Your Anthem
Then, start looking for your personal recovery anthem. Our recovery anthem sparks strength in us when we feel depleted and ignites hope within when we feel defeated [TWEET THIS]. We can listen to them daily and in times of urgent need.
The recovery anthem is a powerful tool for those seeking recovery from anything.
What’s your recovery anthem? I would love to hear it.
(Please comment below with the title of your recovery anthem and share this post with others)
-By Forest Benedict, LMFT, SATP-C originally posted here
Please FOLLOW my blog and find me on Facebook and Twitter for future posts and announcements about my UPCOMING BOOK!
Four days ago I published the powerful piece entitled “What My Wife is Worth“. It inspired many, steadily rising to over 800 views in this short time. Today, I was honored when a blogger who writes to betrayed partners reflected on how my post impacted her. She said:
“My work is to believe that I am truly worth everything on this remarkable list. I need to live and act in a way that others can see that I know my true value. I can do this by maintaining my personal boundaries, practicing self-care, and having faith in my ability to forgive. I need to know that I am enough and that my worth is “innate and can’t be tarnished.” I think I will read this list and replace the words “she deserves” with “I deserve” and change other words, as needed, to make this a message for me.”
She then shared two downloadable resources that she created based on my work.
To download the PDF for husbands to print and display, click here: What My Wife Is Worth
To download the PDF for wives to print and display, click here: What I Am Worth
I am thankful that Avalon Vic created these PDF documents for others to use. It is my hope that those who print and post them will find daily strength as they remind themselves of their innate and infinite worth.
–By Forest Benedict
Please FOLLOW my blog and find me on Facebook and Twitter for future posts and announcements about my upcoming BOOK.
Live it Well – Switchfoot
Take the burden from my arms
Take the anchors off my lungs
Take me broken
And make me one
Break the silence and make it a song
Life is short I want to live it well
One life, one story to tell
Life is short I want to live it well
And you’re the one I’m living for
Awaken, oh my soul!
Every breath that you take is a miracle
Life is short I want to live it well
I want to sing with all my heart a lifelong song
Even if some notes come out right and some come out wrong
’Cause I can’t take none of that through the door
I’m living for more than just a funeral
I want to burn brighter than the dawn
Life is short I want to live it well
One life, one story to tell
Life is short I want to live it well
And you’re the one I’m living for
Awaken, oh my soul!
Every breathe that you take is a miracle
Life is short I want to live it well
I got one life
And one love
I got one voice
But maybe that’s enough
’Cause with one heartbeat
And two hands to give
I got one shot
One life to live
One life to live
Every breath you take is a miracle
Life is short I want to live it well
-Switchfoot
Please FOLLOW my blog and find me on Facebook and Twitter for future posts and announcements about my UPCOMING BOOK
