Intensive Therapy Retreats

Healing and Transforming Retreat— Psychotherapy, Mindfulness & Yoga Combined with a Sunny Holiday in Lanzarote

This includes a minimum of 9 hours of Therapy, 7 hours of mindfulness (which is mixed with therapy techniques) & 16 hours of yoga. Therapy & mindfulness alone is 16 hours & then the yoga which helps in the total process going more deeper and effective. There is also an open questions session about therapy and mindfulness — how to take it into your everyday life as an extra session.

TRAVEL: Flights direct from Luxembourg (4 hours — you need to book and pay for your flights and transfer)

LEADERS: Sharon Mills MA CBT, Jessica Janusz for Yoga & Esmee Chengapen another therapist specially for this retreat.

RETREAT DETAILS: 7 days at the retreat center, with 5 days of full intensive therapy, yoga and mindfulness with some meditation optional (if desired as an extra). This is proven now by research to `fast track` therapy — the studies taken suggest that it can be equivariant of up to a year, or 2 of once a week therapy. This is because you are in a relaxed and healing environment and not going straight back to work/life, so your defence mechanisms are relaxed and you remain more open to the process. There are 2 free days (the first and last day, except for a meeting and greeting session). Wednesday afternoon is free for other activities and there will be 2x evening yoga activities and for those who prefer 2x mindfulness and with some time for questions. Full board 3x meals a day which are vegetarian and gluten/dairy free. You have the use of the grounds with it`s secluded areas for contemplation and relaxation areas, swimming pool, the group room, and the individual therapy room.

AIMS: We aim to give you an experience that can help you change your life, with long lasting affects. Psychotherapy can help you heal yourself after difficult situations, difficult or complicated relationships and to achieve your goals and therefore helping you to live a deep, rich and fulfilling life. Also we aim to help you become more connected to yourself, move forward with confidence and full of love, energy and passion for yourself and life. When we are at peace with ourselves we are feeling free, we let go more easily the things that don`t resonate with us any more. When we heal, we see more clearly in the now, live more fully and transform ourselves into our true meaning (into the best version of ourselves). We three therapists will give you total support going through the whole process, we are all passionate about your individual process.

THEME: Reconnecting to yourself and healing past difficulties which are hard to let go of. Overcoming any blocks that can hold you back. Then finding the best version of yourself and moving forwards with joy and confidence.

OBJECTIVES: To achieve your goals and not let the past hold you back, we will focus on psychotherapy and yoga techniques, combined with mindfulness and some light meditation. In the first meeting session, we will find out your aims for the retreat and then we work together to achieve these objectives.

The whole package is combined in a unique way, that includes all the therapy sessions, mindfulness and yoga sessions. Also if you wish to share a room, there is a discount of €150 or €200 depending on the room taken. This is an exceptional offer, which is a unique opportunity as it`s at a reduced price for the 3 professional and well experienced therapists & yoga teachers. You will also receive a free consultation first appointment before you book, to make sure that this is the right place and retreat for you — here you can ask me any questions, which you may have and we discuss fully your requirements and goals for the retreat.

WHAT`S INCLUDED: This includes your room with amenities etc., 3 meals a day, all the daily group/individual therapy sessions, all the yoga workshops and mindfulness/meditation sessions. The questions and answers session. This includes also equipment and the estate to walk around, with use of the swimming pool all day, every day. It includes resources for the week such as: note pads, pens and a welcome pack etc. You will need to arrange and pay for your flights and transfer separately, that's all. You can get a taxi, or if you prefer hire a car from the airport for the week. You can pay in 2x instalments if you prefer, but a deposit of 25% is needed to confirm and hold your place, after we have had an online or face to face appointment together, to make sure that this is the right retreat and process for you. All the loving kindness, and heart felt encouragement is free!

Immerse yourself in a totally relaxed and healing environment. The therapy is focused mainly for one to one deeper therapy sessions, with small group sessions, where we will talk about issues, techniques and the process in general. We dedicate ourselves totally to your experience and journey through therapy, yoga, mindfulness, meditation & self-discovery with indulgent time off relaxing around the pool, or in the peaceful haven of the retreat centre.

With qualities of joy, happiness and inner peace, helping you to be free from past events. People often ask me “how do I live freely in the now, in my busy life” — I often reply with awareness, patience and learning to be free inside yourself. I love to help people heal, regain control and not be blocked, this will allow you to become the best version of yourself. Feel what life is like, feel the richness of being free with yourself. I have a burning desire to help people reach this point, because it feels fantastic and it`s hard to put it into words, it can be empowering, uplifting, light, harmonising, peaceful………...

Background on Sharon: She has a Masters Degree in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, is accredited with BACP UK, and is practicing Buddhism since a very long time. She was born and raised in UK and lives now in Luxembourg since 2009. She has had her professional psychotherapy practice for over 20 years and is working in Luxembourg face to face and online with clients throughout the world. She also supervises other psychotherapists and teaches mindfulness and meditation within her practice. Her passion is to help people heal from their past traumas, current difficulties and transform themselves into the best version of who they truly want to be. She helps people to face every day life in the best way possible, using well known strategies from many different therapy models, as well as mindfulness and meditation. Helping clients reach their goals and dreams. She has practiced meditation for more than 25 years and teaches mindfulness within her therapy practice. “I just love to see people heal, transform and moving forwards becoming the best version of themselves”. It never ceases to amaze me the ability of people to heal, solve their problems, and move forwards reshaping their lives”. Lets go, we can do magical things when we come together and feel supported. Feeling free is a state of mind and it`s intoxicating — we always want more!

Background on Jessica: Born & raised in Chicago and based in Luxembourg, Jessica is an internationally certified yoga teacher, wellness connoisseur, and owner of Luxembourg-based studio & empowering retreat program, Anushia. Her true passion lies in facilitating growth in others. She teaches from the heart and draws inspiration through overcoming fears and getting out of comfort zones. It’s something she knows well after leaving home for a solo adventure around the world to pursue her own journey eight years ago. She’s known for bringing a sense of playfulness, positivity and vulnerability into her sessions, allowing everyone to feel at home. Through her sessions, you’ll experience a holistic approach where yoga is used as a guide for uncovering emotions and living deeper from the heart.

Background on Esmée: She is Mauritian and British. She grew up in Mauritius, studied in Australia before moving to the Continent and is now based in Luxembourg City. She has worked in the corporate sector for 25 years. She studied therapeutic counselling when she was living in Amsterdam and Brussels to support her in the work she did with refugees and the underprivileged. She decided to deepen her knowledge in psychotherapy 7 years ago and is now a UKCP and EATA registered clinical psychotherapist. She is passionate about accompanying her clients in their respective journeys to recovery. She practises Hatha Yoga on a regular basis, grounds herself through contemplative prayer, and enjoys mindful walks. She offers sessions in English and French and has extensive training and experience in working with childhood trauma, grief and loss, burnout and relationship difficulties. She can also offer EMDR if anyone would be interested while on retreat — this method is exceptionally good for trauma.

This retreat is organised for no more than 8 people for the therapy (with the possibility to have 2x people doing just the yoga at a reduced price and maybe sharing a room together and therefore having more reductions too). There will be small therapy groups of no more than 4 people in the group therapy. Lots of focus on healing, connecting to the self, growth and moving forwards throughout the week and through the yoga sessions too. Set on a mountain top in central Lanzarote, in total tranquillity and peace, this retreat center is ideal for healing and relaxing. We are the only people there in the center, with plenty of space to be, hide away from everyone else if you wish and digest the therapy in your free time. All year round sun and generally between 22–30 degrees depending on when you go.

Therapeutic personal retreats are some of the most innovative and effective healthcare treatments currently available. Focused on your wellbeing. Producing long term changes and effects. The model comes from theory and research suggests that intense therapy over a short period of time can produce deep, long lasting results. Your wellbeing is at the top of our list! We want you to achieve the things you want for yourself.

QUALITIES of RETREAT: Be in an atmosphere of change, relaxation and total support, helping you to reach your goals quickly and effectively. We will help you understand underlying issues, how the mind works and how our past can sometimes cause us pain and `stuckness`. We will help you develop tools to regulate distress, reconnect to yourself more fully, so that you can make better choices and have more fun and fulfilment. We will help you focus on your unique goals, work through your blocks and challenges, making change happen as comfortably and smoothly as possible. We will be following you all the way through and with total professionalism. We want you to feel nurtured and held throughout the process.

The Retreat Center has:
• A large, light and impressive Group Room • A Mongolian Yurt Group Room • A Spiral Labyrinth for outdoor ceremonies • A Fire Circle for gatherings • A Therapy Room for private healing sessions • Extensive gardens for exploring, meditation and reflection • A salt water, solar-heated swimming pool • 8 comfortable self-contained apartments with kitchens

These retreats are designed for people who have many different problems: Anxiety problems, depression, relationship issues, stress & burnout, reconnecting to the self, confidence and self-esteem problems, starting over after a relationship ends, finding your way in life/reaching your goals, living with pain and disabilities or a new diagnosis, past traumas, childhood abuse, and much more.

Retreats will be designed to focus on certain topics as a main theme, however we will incorporate many topics within.

There will be a mix of yoga, individual and group psychotherapy sessions, with some mindfulness and/or meditation — the choices are yours what you participate in. Then take time out in between to digest, process, relax and enjoy the sun. This mix together can be a magical combination for deeper down healing and long term change. Intensive therapy can help you create a new you, or find the inner you that you lost along the way. It can also be helpful in many more ways than healing, changing, overcoming problems — you have time to put it all in practice, to experience total inner peace, to start to become the person you wish to be. Starting, or continuing the process in this way, means that on your return into normal every day life you`ve already made some change happen, you feel it, you know it and then you`re clearer how to keep it going. Support after the retreat is also an important part, which can be done in many different ways.

Lots of people are so busy these days and often say to me that they’ve lost themselves in the hectic every day Life. This is an opportunity to be peaceful and connect to yourself more deeply, with the right support, education, encouragement etc., we can become the best that we can be.

THIS RETREAT IS FOR YOU IF:

You feel lost, distracted from yourself or your goals and want to become more connected.

If you want to participate in yoga and therapy, or one or the other (you don`t have to do every session, you can also chose).

You feel that you are not coping with your life either in relationships, at work, generally, getting a balance, or just feel down, depressed, unhappy, or confused about what your next step might be

You question yourself all of the time, can`t make decisions, have a low self-esteem, confidence, or self-respect

You make the same mistakes and repeat patterns

You are unable to focus on your current situation or future goals, move forward or just feel generally stuck

You feel lost, or hopeless

You want change and you want it NOW, but find it difficult to achieve, or you`re not sure what change you want

You feel people don’t listen to you or you feel not heard, if you think people don`t notice you, care about you, or just want to be more connected, seen and vocal

You want more from life

You want to achieve your goals and live your dreams

(I`m still in progress of writing up this information for the retreats — I will supply dates of all the different types of retreats that will be running).

The next one is on 14th June 2020 it will run from Sunday 14th until Sunday 21st. The therapy work will take place from the Monday morning until the Friday evening. The first Sunday and then the Saturday is totally free for you to chose, except for a meeting and greeting session. Also you will have some evenings free and one afternoon, we will have breaks throughout the day.

AN EXAMPLE OF A TYPICAL DAY ON RETREAT:

07:30–07:50 Mindfulness outside in the early morning sun

08:00–08:45 Light & Healthy Breakfast

09:00–10:00 Small Groups Therapy Session (in groups of no more than 4, other than the first and last information meeting, greeting)

10:00–11:30 Yoga session

11:30–12:30 Individual Therapy Session (for others the group room is free for practice and creative writing, drawing — using resources)

12:30–13:30 Lunch

13:30–14:30 Individual Therapy Session (for another person)

14:30–15:30 Individual Therapy Session (for another person)

15:30–16:30 Individual Therapy Session (for another person)

16:30–18:30 Yoga Session

18:30–19:30 Dinner

Wednesday is the half day, afternoon free for other activities such as swimming, own meditation, drawing, or join in a session of open questions & conversations of therapy combined with mindfulness — how to take it into your every day life, in a relaxed style.

Two evenings there will be a yoga session allowing for reflection of your journey and welcoming in change. There will be one mindfulness walk around the retreat and around the circle of letting go (the day when the yoga session is in the evening). We will do an extra therapy session of watching the sun go down, another evening towards the end of the week also for the therapy process — this enhances the process of change, letting go of the past and anything that holds you back (anything else you wish to not carry forwards)! These are very powerful sessions.

There will be the use of the group room throughout your stay for meditation, mindfulness practice, drawing, creative writing and other activities. There will be the use of some books, resources and aids to help the therapy process and mindfulness practice — this I will identify when we do our assessment session before the retreat begins. We all have our own unique process to work through and so each and everyone will be focused on individually.

You will also get an assessment session to understand if this is the best retreat for you at this point. After the retreat there is the possibility to have some more sessions, via skype or face to face for ongoing support. You can also continue yoga sessions with Jessica in Luxembourg.

This retreat is for individuals who would like to do the mix of therapy, yoga and mindfulness, you are able to chose which you would like to do and also miss sessions. It`s relaxed and we are fully engaged with your process.

The couples therapy retreat will follow next — dates to be arranged.