client stories

“i wanted to move forward on my path to be myself but i was slowed down. something just dropped off me. i got clarity and i feel peaceful within myself. having this big support i was able to move on easily.” (+)

"i was concerned about my love relationships. people loved me who i didn’t love and the people i loved didn’t love me. everything was painful and even my meals didn’t taste good. this was preventing my happiness and my life didn’t feel meaningful. i wanted to move forward on my path to be myself but i was slowed down or even stopped. i wanted someone i love to love me and to have a happier life.

in session i was surprised to discover that my childhood relationship with my parents impacts this love situation, work situations, and many other experiences i have. after the sessions i experienced a shift. i felt like something just dropped off me. i got so much clarity and i feel peaceful within myself. its amazing. i now see that my process can shift much more easily.

usually feeling so much is too hard for me. being together with forest and misa i had a big sense of safety. it was safer to see my past self together than going by myself. it was new for me to place representatives in the constellation and to see my inner world outside of me. it felt easier having the field carry it than me and i could move forward easily. i’m remembering how fun it was and interesting!

now i focus on this new point of view. i witness even small emotions. i don’t pass them, i notice them. i want to understand and that feeling is getting bigger. after our sessions i liked someone and he loved me back. i could see there was a clear difference. he was honest and sincere. i learned that if things are sincere, even if it doesn’t work out, i feel clear and it is a happy and grateful experience. i see this with deep understanding. i wonder what it will be with the next person?

i really love that being together, the three of us, i calm down. i love when forest offers words for what i am sensing and feeling when i am not able to and i love how misa expresses her feelings honestly. this heals me. i’m so grateful and happy. having this big support in which i’m not alone i was able to move on easily. for those who are trying to do it yourself, i would love for you to get to experience this support."

m.h. | hokkaido, japan

“i wanted deeper relationship with my mom. i experienced safety to touch my unhealed wound. i felt our connection get deeper and closer as we shared our vulnerability. i started to relate with my mother deeply and now i am so happy i can see her humanity.” (+)

"a sadness i was not fully aware of was talking to me and i was so scared to touch my unhealed wound. i wanted deeper relationship with my mom and others but i was hesitant to step in: i tried not to touch others’ wounds and i had to pretend i didn’t see their pain. i wanted to deeply connect with and heal this part of myself and i needed an essential safety. with forest and misa i experienced safety to touch my unhealed wound. my mother and i had only one pattern for expressing and receiving love. when one of us would feel pain we would disconnect and have distance. this was the only way i had ever known and i considered it healthy boundaries. but i felt sadness when i tried to step into deeper relationship with my mother and there was a strong sense of “no, don’t touch there.” it was like a taboo. i began to question “is this really like a parent and child relationship?” it didn’t feel like a right fit and i wondered why my mom and i couldn’t share.

in my work with forest and misa i experienced being welcome to express my feelings as they are including those feelings the world calls “negative.” i started to feel i might be able to do this with my mother. i began to share what i was feeling in the moment with her then my mother started sharing her feelings too. i felt our connection get deeper and closer as we shared our vulnerability. i started to relate with my mother deeply and now i am so happy i can see her humanity. i am now aware of my deeper self: i check in, ask, and connect with myself. my body is saying “that’s not the truth,” and “the truth is this way.” my authenticity is coming up and i can only say yes to the right feeling of speaking directly. i have been surprised to be able to feel and express my anger authentically with a friend and to take action and find a partner.

i feel relief that all of my parts, even my slightest emotions i hadn't noticed myself, are received, respected, and treated as important in a deep safety. it is like sinking into a warm hot spring. i’m so grateful to be welcome to share and be heard with forest and misa. being met in this way is very different and makes a huge difference in my life. i have come to love myself more and to feel my importance. i highly recommend this work to people who are holding their wound by themselves, who aren’t able to heal their wound alone, and who want to have deep connection. this experience will give you connection with yourself and others. i so much want people to have this warm and happy experience.

masumi sadakane | fukuoka, japan

“it wasn’t possible to be safe with people. being accepted and received here for who i am, my nervousness melted... and changed the outer world to be a sweeter place. my sense of relief and safety was enormous. i was able to be with my heart.” (+)

"i wondered if it was ok for me to be myself. i felt nervous being with people. the only time i could relax was when i was alone. my only choice was so sad and so lonely. i wanted to be open and accept who i am and who everyone is. i needed to be able to be with people because i needed to survive, but it was just so hard. it wasn’t possible for me to be safe with people. i would get overwhelmed, my body would freeze if emotional things happened, and i’d want to scream. i wanted relief. if i didn’t address this i would have had to continue to bite my teeth so tightly, go through it, and lose my emotions.

forest and misa created this space in which i was held and i could relax. they were with my feelings every moment even with emotions others may see as small or unimportant. in my regular world we have to do things in a particular way and in particular timing. the mind is the guide and we stick with our minds. but in this space we stick with the heart. even if it’s a slight emotion, or shift, or movement it is caught. my sense of relief and safety was enormous, i can’t even describe how big it is. i was able to be with my heart. i learned that my experience was connected to my family’s actions. i realized that my family and i have the same experience, we are connected.

being accepted and received here for who i am, my nervousness melted a little bit and changed the outer world to be a sweeter place. i was surprised to notice that people were kinder and sweeter to me than before. my smile has also changed. before only one corner of my lip would go up but now both sides of my smile go up. i was surprised when i saw it: “oh what is this?!” i received such a big gift... i’m so grateful. thank you. i wish for all people to have a place like this where they can feel safe to be who they are and be more happy. i recommend this work to people whose emotions are stuck and those who want to liberate their heart. this is the place, just go for it. it will make you happier to live and you can survive."

h.m. | kumamoto, japan

"i was feeling alone and separate. i was fighting with the world by myself and being tossed. feeling my love the world opened up. i’m so grateful i didn’t hesitate to jump into this work when i felt something calling me." (+)

"i was feeling alone and separate. i was fighting with the world by myself and being tossed around by my jealousy, fear, anxiety, and judgments. i connected with source, something big, but if i got nervous it was hard to feel. i wanted to be whole and calm in my center. i wanted to feel my connection with this something great in my daily life more strongly and deeply so i would not get thrown around with my emotions.

in my sessions i experienced gratitude and acceptance for my mom. i reconnected to a feeling i wasn’t aware of: i love my mother so deeply from the bottom of my heart. through this love i feel reconnected to the universe in a very deep stable place. mother is universe. i’m part of the universe, or i’m universe itself. the more i feel this being, this “something great” big energy, even though i will be unstable on the surface i come back to my center.

now when feelings come up i accept them as all that is part of me too. they come and go. i keep on doing what i need to do while feeling the connection with the something great. i witness the reality and i have acceptance: “today its like this and its ok.” i feel stable and energized. i feel happy working and i work more. people give me gratitude, but it doesn't feel like my power or energy.

i was able to feel the something great alone before. but with forest and misa it was new for me because we shared in our experience of being with the great being together. now i can ask and receive inspiration. i follow it and have a sense i am being taught. i was born with this story to experience what i am experiencing so its just like spirit wants to experience it. i do what i want to do. i feel more clear.

in my work with forest and misa i connected with my love for my mom in a way i wouldn’t have been able to touch as deeply alone. i am in deeper connection with the universe. i can feel this is more real for me. feeling my love the world opened up. i’m so grateful i didn’t hesitate to jump into this work when i felt something calling me. if you have a call: follow your feeling that is calling you."

yumi. niigata, japan

“forest is a midwife of authenticity. their presence offers a safe place of gestation i go back to with myself. they help me bring forth what i want. forest being in relationship with me mentored me to midwife myself.” (+)

"i worked with forest to find my authenticity and reengage with life. i was separate from life and lonely. i lost my creativity and was not able to put things in motion. i was denying my no and my resentment and judgment were keeping me from family. forest’s presence created a warm safe place where i was invited to come as i am and go where i need to go. my authenticity was welcome to emerge and there was space to breathe in the relationship. my expression came out in a very organic way and i knew i was being heard. forest was with me, understood the space i was in, and acknowledged me. it was so beautiful.

i run on intuition and i was lonely not being understood with others. forest understands, but having resonance freed my need to be understood. the resonance is permanent and i’m finding that i can nourish myself with resonance. i’m no longer looking for acceptance or understanding and i’m becoming ok not having to explain. as i stop looking for loved ones to go along with me my judgments are dropping. i honor where they are. i am becoming my own safe container: if i feel lonely i can be with it; i honor my intuition more; i’m more at peace. i say to myself: “of course you feel like this right now.” my acknowledgment of myself has deepened and become a way of being. i now have a deep stability in honoring all that’s going on inside me with an inner sacred resource. i have a more potent knowing of my limits and the ability to say no: “i can not do that,” “i can not give you this,” “no i need this, can you work it out?” and they figure it out. i am patient with myself and i am allowing life as it appears.

forest is a midwife of authenticity. their presence offers a safe place of gestation i go back to with myself. they help me bring forth what i am wanting. they breathe with me through it. they help through the hard part. because i relate with midwifery i was able to give myself permission to allow things to gestate until they are ready to come forth. i have come to a place where i can do this without assistance but support is there if i need it. forest being in relationship with me mentored me to midwife myself. forest imparted gifts to me that stay with me: a place of gentle nurturing ; an invitation to play; freedom for exploration and seeing where it leads; a safe space which allows what wants to emerge when its ready. thank you, forest, for being here to resonate with it all with me. thank you for doing this work. you are a gift."

elaine finn | albany, wisconsin

"I learned the sacredness of being myself. I have awe, respect, gratitude for forest’s work which reminds me and takes me back to my depth." (+)

"I was in a transition beyond what i could hold alone: deciding whether to move to a new relationship and a new country. My heart was in a storm, I was drowning in an ocean of panic, and my body was dropping in pieces. I was pushing down my authenticity and sexuality and it was rising up. I didn’t have community, culture, or friends who could hold this and it was hard to stand up. I didn’t know how to connect with or express my strength, power, or rage and I didn’t feel the world welcome it. When I felt the power of rage I felt scared. I wanted a safe place to express my power and to know that I and the world are safe as I hold my rage. I needed empathy, warmth, and understanding for all my pieces so I could go deep into my heart, integrate my power, see what I truly wanted, and claim it.

forest welcomed all parts of me: they respected my smallest voice and my slowest pacing. We acknowledged depth connected to my culture, ancestors, and lineage. We saw, very deeply, a rage which had never been held in the history of my life, the land, or my ancestors. Finding this depth in my experience showed me myself in the world in a whole new way. I learned the sacredness of being myself with huge depth and meaning, the sacredness of people, and each single thing having their sacredness. I began to live more fully: welcoming, integrating, and embodying my authenticity, sexuality, and rage. I began to feel deep forgiveness for my new self, my process, and my impact on my beloved one.

With warmth and understanding I connected with myself and made a conscious choice. I mourned the death of my old life and I connected with huge loss and death from my childhood. I mourned all the loss of my life and gave acknowledgment to those parts of me for what they went through - in order to fully live myself. Little by little, I see more clearly what is happening, feel more grounded, and have power to choose. I am being with my power and creativity with care and love. I now have huge respect toward every part of me. Those parts who never thought to be heard or treated ok can feel it is ok to breathe, talk, and say yes to what they are feeling. I got the courage to stand up for myself. It was such a gift to know 'I matter.'

I have awe, respect, and gratitude for forest’s work which reminds me and takes me back to my depth. I recommend forest’s work especially for those who have parts saying “you are not welcome” or “you have to be different.” Because of forest’s deep love, respect, trust, and honor, I was able to let them be with my most vulnerable part in me, and I could touch that part in me too. It is one of the biggest gifts in my life. Enjoy!!"

anonymous

"i began our work in tremendous pain, confusion, and anguish. forest’s quality of presence enabled me to find... clarity, self-understanding, and self-compassion which has enabled me to find a way forward." (+)

...I began our work in tremendous pain, confusion, and anguish in one of my most important relationships. This was keeping me from seeing a way forward in my life. forest brings resonance to my brain and body, helping me calm. forest listens deeply, discerns, and reflects. Together we bring what is implicitly alive for me into explicit naming. This helps me see myself. We connect dots, something clicks into place, and I go deeper into fresh insight. forest’s quality of presence has enabled me to find far more clarity, self-understanding, and self-compassion which has enabled me to find a way forward. Experiencing their precision, care, and tenderness supports me to be able to provide more care and tenderness for myself. The relationship I was focusing on is now far more harmonious. Less frequently do I believe and take on other’s stories or get defensive or angry about being blamed. I engage in relationship with a sense of differentiation. I see other’s pain and feel compassion. This feels like freedom. Another gift is that with support I now have the bandwidth to be far more functional in other projects in my life, like the college class I’m teaching. I am more connected with my true self and the wholeness of all my parts. Knowing I have this resource where my unvarnished authenticity will be consistently caught with deep, gentle, and illuminating attunement provides so much more ease and confidence than I had known heretofore. I share this with you out of the fullness of my heart and my desire for forest’s work to be known. The thought of more people having this quality of support fills me with aliveness and inspiration."

marilyn mullen, ma | natrona co. restorative justice lead facilitator

"this work connects me with my integrity. as i get clearer i know what feels congruent and i feel authentic. I am learning to trust my vulnerable expression. I am getting to have myself back after years of hiding." (+)

"My family history left me isolated, unsure if I could trust myself, and wondering if I was 'crazy.' I created safety by rushing so I didn’t stay long enough to connect. I often responded so quickly that it was hard to know what was going on. I couldn’t step into myself or my leadership because I didn’t want people to find out how “alone and crazy” I was. forest created space in which I felt held and safe to go slow, to trust, and to connect with myself. My whole system relaxed. We worked with painful events from my past that my family had judged, negated, or falsely agreed with... the people who I would have loved to have kept me safe. forest welcomed, heard, and received me in my experience. In this space to go deeper, there was room for all of me. I was surprised to exist and to survive speaking my truth with another. I experienced getting to have my reality and knowing who I am. I became more grounded and authentic in communication with family: I check in with myself, share my truth, and ask what feels true for them. We have now had conversations we had never had before. Where I used to have anger I now have more shared experience and compassion for family. This work connects me with my integrity. As I get clearer I know what feels congruent and I feel more authentic. I am learning to trust my vulnerable expression and connect with people. I am getting to have myself back after years of hiding. I see and appreciate forest’s gifts and integrity in holding space, hearing, sensing, and seeing. Connecting with forest I get to be warmly accompanied and we have authentic exchange in which I feel met in a more embodied experience of being who I am."

anonymous | los angeles, ca

"being in touch with core parts inside me and becoming more empathetic toward them... i'm showing up in relationships more in integrity with the essence of who I am." (+)

"I came from a family in which I received, gave, and witnessed abuse. These traumas left me angry, struggling with the burden of painful thoughts, destructive with my body, worried about my health, and unwilling to take time to give myself.

Coming from a childhood where I didn't get to share my feelings, this work has given me the confidence to express myself without being scared of doing so. I feel completely safe sharing my emotions with forest which is essential to me being able to do the work. forest is extremely skillful at navigating in our sessions and I'm learning things about myself I didn't know about, had forgotten, or had suppressed. I am experiencing significant growth in how I relate to myself by being in touch with these very core parts inside me and becoming more empathetic toward them.

It is an amazing turn around. I am able to dive into centered groundedness to know what's important to me and what I hold dear. I can be relaxed enough that I don't have to be in my head. I can have safety, comfort, love, warmth, true connection, and a sense that someone is really there for me. I'm more curious about myself and I treasure discovering this little person inside. As a partner in a longtime relationship, I've gone from not speaking up because of various fears to being able to listen with an open heart and to share my heart. The same goes with my relationship with my family. The ways I'm showing up in relationships are more in integrity with the essence of who I am and I can't wait to see where this journey goes."

steve | washington, dc

“I offer my highest recommendation to work with forest. Their level of attunement, care, reflection, and intentionality is profoundly healing to receive and simply to know exists in this chaotic world... (+)

...Their understanding of constellations, IPNB, NVC, and the power of nature sets an incredibly safe container. I invite you to reach out to them if you're ready to heal the precious parts of you who've been waiting so long to be held, honored, and supported."

angela watrous | restorative empathy

"I trust forest implicitly - as someone with capacity to be with all the parts of a being and their histories, with love, presence, empathy and transformative resonance... (+)

...forest's offerings feel like magic to me, and I have no doubt that working with forest can welcome big miracles into your life.”

ocean love (they/them) | healing earth

about me →

non-binary & trans rights are human rights. all black lives matter. indigenous landback. aapi justice.

i welcome gender, sexual orientation, racial, ethnic, national origin, ability, financial diversity.

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