14 May Why you need a Retreat?

The idea of a retreat brings to mind far-flung getaways; sweat-lodges in the Amazon, Himalayan mountain temples. But not all retreats require extensive travel, in fact some of them are designed to be accessible, affordable and fit easily into your life, such as day, afternoon or evening retreats.

The definition of the word retreat is the act of pulling back or withdrawing. It comes from the Latin verb “retrahere”, meaning to pull back. The act of withdrawing from something can allow us to gain perspective, letting us make connections and see the bigger picture.

Some people attend retreats simply because they want to get away from it all, others might have an issue they need time to reflect on, blocks and anxieties they wish to remove. Often, on a conscious level, we don’t realise just quite how fatigued we’ve become, immersed as we are in the myriad obligations and frenetic stimuli of the world in which we are so deeply immersed. On a subconscious level, however, we know deep down that something or some aspect of our lives needs addressing.

It’s possible you might be thinking that you have far too much to address and a quick fix won’t work. This might be the case, ultimately you might need more than just a few hours, but does that mean you’re just going to hold onto all that that shit you’ve been carrying around with you? A day retreat, or even one of just a few hours offers you space out of your busy life to focus on you, allowing you to dump whatever it is you’re holding onto in a safe, nurturing and peaceful place. Taking this opportunity allows you space for reflection and to make some sense of what you usually just ignore or accept, find some perspective and leave taking with you only what you need.

Liza and Trudy at Working Therapies run a number of day retreats, from healing meditations and creative visualisation to hypnotherapy and past and future life retreats. Whichever retreat appeals to you, our aim is to give you back a sense of self, where you can simply be yourself. A day or part day will consist of a number of simple techniques to help you manage the challenges presented in your daily life and find your own answers. We believe that you have the answers you need and just need the space and support of a therapist to reconnect and bring these to the surface.

Retreating from the everyday allows us to retain the energy we usually expend on various areas of our normal daily life. We are able to pull this energy together, re-energize and focus it into something else in a space that’s perfect for inspiration and creativity. We are more able to tap into our natural inspiration and focus on what it is that truly inspires us.

Silence and space are essential for any form of self-development. Silence comforts, nurtures, nourishes and heals, it opens us up and feeds the soul and relieves stress. In silence we can hear ourselves, get in touch in a deeper more meaningful way and start to remember who we are. Our retreats are designed to include a number of relaxation exercises that allow you to move into a deeper, more peaceful state of being.

“Silence is an empty space. Space is the home of the awakened mind ~ Buddha”

When we actively participate in a retreat we begin to leave behind fear. We drop those everyday roles we assume and become who we really are, who we are meant to be. It might not be easy at first to just be ourselves in a room full of strangers, without our attachments to life, but when we realise everybody else attending is just the same we become part of the flow.

We are not promising everybody attending our events will be your cup of tea, but you’re more likely to find like-minded people who have the same or similar interests on retreats that you’re interested in. You could find your tribe or just maybe make friends that will last you a lifetime.

We know from the feedback we’ve received that our retreats enable those who attend to feel better about themselves. As therapists we are focused on providing sessions where those attending benefit on a therapeutic level. It is important to us that if you attend one of our events, you leave feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, full of energy and with an understanding of what it was that was holding you back.

“I think it is essential sometimes to go into retreat, to stop everything that you have been doing, to stop your beliefs and experiences completely and look at them anew, not keep on repeating like machines whether you believe or don’t believe. You would let fresh air into your minds” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti