Psychology, Healing & Inner Development

Internal use ONLY

Starting the New Year Meditation Retreat: Self-Love and Kindness That Benefits All

With Mark Abramson

January 4 - 9, 2026

This retreat is a quiet, reflective New Year celebration with the opportunity to discover a deep, centered place within and brings together the rich, sensual experience of Esalen — the sounds of the ocean, the feeling of the air, and the beauty of its colors and textures with an opportunity to deeply connect with oneself […]

Luminous Coherence: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, Lasting Freedom

With Rod Stryker

January 12 - 16, 2026

Even after years — even decades — of practice, many of us still find ourselves caught in loops of fear, self-criticism, or reactivity. Old wounds and unconscious triggers live in the body and mind, silently shaping our perception and choices. In a world increasingly defined by disconnection, distraction, and overwhelm, the need for practices that […]

Working in Three-Dimensional Space: Psychodrama for What Was Missing

With Bessel van der Kolk and Licia Sky

January 19 - 23, 2026

In this experiential workshop, pioneering trauma researcher and author of The Body Keeps the Score Bessel van der Kolk and somatic educator and co-founder of the Trauma Research Foundation Licia Sky apply psychodrama and theater techniques to create virtual experiences of safety, belonging, and protection. While trauma treatment tends to focus on “What happened to […]

Nurturing Connections Through the Art of REPAIR

With Hazel-Grace Yates

January 19 - 23, 2026

An apology will shut a conversation down. A good repair opens one up. — Dr. Becky Kennedy Conflict is inevitable. The health of a relationship depends not on whether conflict happens but on how skillfully we repair. The Art of REPAIR is a practical, embodied, and deeply relational process that transforms rupture into connection, clarity, […]

Stop Holding Yourself Back

With Justin Michael Williams

January 23 - 25, 2026

This workshop will give you the tools to help you stop holding yourself back. Whether you have a desire to lose 20 pounds, write a book, launch a business, start a side hustle, open your heart to love, shift your relationship with money, or figure out your next chapter — whatever goal you set — […]

The Alchemy of Awareness: Transforming Burnout into Meaning and Purpose

With Eve Ekman and Alejandro Chaoul

January 30 - February 1, 2026

What lies behind today’s evidence-based mind-body practices for well-being, resilience, and purpose? This three-day workshop explores the deep lineages and sacred traditions from which many modern methods arise, guided by teachers who walk both worlds of rigorous science and timeless wisdom. At MD Anderson Cancer Center, Alejandro Chaoul pioneered programs to support patients with chronic […]

Being With the Body in Depth Psychology: Trauma and its Transformation in the Unspoken Realm

With Barbara Holifield

January 30 - February 1, 2026

The body is a portal to the numinous dimensions of the soul’s life. It can lead us to healing and wholeness far beyond simple relief of traumatic symptoms — and to increased access to our feelings and a renewed sense of soulful aliveness. Jungian and depth psychology orient to the deepest currents of the soul, […]

Personal Empowerment Through the Wheel of Consent®

With Betty Martin and Marcia Baczynski

February 2 - 6, 2026

When you engage with another — whether a lover, friend, or colleague — are you doing what they want you to do or what they allow you to do? What is the difference, and why does it matter? Betty Martin's Wheel of Consent is a groundbreaking model of relating that brings greater clarity and authenticity […]

Awe, Compassion, Gratitude, and Beauty: The Science and Practice of Self-Transcendence

With Dacher Keltner

February 9 - 13, 2026

Deep in the human mind and body are vast capacities for self-transcendence, felt in experiences of awe, compassion, gratitude, and profound beauty. These emotions enable us to gain perspective on our stresses, quiet the voice of the transactional self, orient to the well-being of others, and find a commitment to all sentient beings. These emotions […]

Designing the Life We Want: Self Renewal in the Winter

With Mark Nicolson

February 16 - 20, 2026

Have you created the impact you want? Are you showing up the way you’d like? Are you going in the right direction? You have never before been where you are right now. You have never been the age you are today, never had the experiences you now possess. This is your time to pause and […]

Encounter: Meeting the Moment

With Andrea Juhan

February 16 - 20, 2026

To encounter someone, something, or someplace implies that it’s unexpected or a surprise. Encountering the moment means coming face-to-face with the unknown. In movement practice, we train ourselves to stay open, curious, centered, and responsive at the front edge of any encounter — counterbalancing those innate primal reactions to fight, flee, freeze, or please.   Rather […]

Make Peace with your Judging Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Help Free You from the Inner Critic

With Mark Coleman

February 20 - 22, 2026

Have you noticed the painful effects of self-judgment? Do you feel tormented by negative critical self-talk and the harsh words of the inner critic?  Are you prone to judging everything you do as not good enough, not quite right, or not up to some impossibly high standard? Do you find yourself harshly judging your meditation, […]

Trauma, Memory and the Restoration of One’s Self

With Bessel van der Kolk and Licia Sky

February 22 - 27, 2026

This workshop explores ways of representing and befriending our inner experience. Therapies that work all start from a basic sense of calm and safety. The calmer we are, the more we can allow ourselves to know what we know, and to feel what we feel. Trauma changes the way the brain processes information and the […]

The Values Based Path to a Life of Purpose and Meaning

With Robert MacPhee

February 23 - 27, 2026

If your thoughts, decisions and actions are not being determined by your own highest values, they are certainly being determined by someone else's. — Living a Values Based Life  Join this engaging, interactive experience designed to support the discovery, clarification, and meaningful application of your highest personal values. It's a surprising fact of life that […]

Stages of Tranquility and Insight

With Dustin DiPerna

February 27 - March 1, 2026

Asanga’s Nine Stages of Staying is one of the oldest and most comprehensive systems of concentration in the Buddhist tradition. Sometimes called the Elephant Path, this approach was originated by the great Buddhist master in 506 A.D., and it is now the main method of training the mind in the Tibetan tradition.  In this weekend […]

Relational Gestalt Practice: The Transformative Power of Emotion

With Dorothy Charles

March 2 - 6, 2026

Our sense of self develops in connection with others and our experiences in early relationships. They shape our beliefs — about ourselves, other people, and what is possible for us in our lives. While we cannot change the past, we can change the parts of our lives that we find difficult or unfulfilling through new […]

Soma and Soul: Come Home to Self Through Somatic Wisdom and Embodied Relating

With Ash Witham

March 13 - 15, 2026

What if personal power is not harnessed by doing more but reclaimed by coming home to your body? How might your relationships shift if you could speak your truth in the moment? What if your body became your inner compass — a trustworthy guide through life? Somatic research affirms what embodied traditions have long known: […]

Embodied Belonging: Weaving Together Self, Community, and Earth through 5Rhythms and Ecopsychology

With Douglas Drummond and Jeanine M. Canty

March 16 - 20, 2026

At the very heart of “belonging” is the word “long.” To be-long to something is to stay with it for the long haul. It is an active choice we make to a relationship, to a place, to our body, to a life because we value it. Even knowing that it may not be all that […]

The Ecology of Being: Gestalt Practice, Somatic Intelligence, and Embodied Awareness

With Steven Harper

March 30 - April 3, 2026

At the heart of Gestalt Practice lies the understanding that we can grow into greater wholeness and interconnectedness, both inside and out. Gestalt is an awareness practice that invites us to focus on the present moment as a path toward authentic growth, resilience, embodiment, and aliveness. Its core principles are: Cultivating embodied presence and awareness […]

Healing Through Creativity: Merging Art and Psychology for Personal Growth and Change

With Pamela Hayes Malkoff

April 6 - 10, 2026

This workshop is more than a learning experience — it’s an invitation to connect deeply with yourself and others in a supportive and creative space. Together, we’ll explore the profound potential for healing and growth that arises when art and psychology converge. No artistic experience is necessary; this workshop is about creative expression, not perfection. […]

The Mandala of Emotion: Where Science Meets the Sacred

With Chandra Easton and Eve Ekman

April 13 - 17, 2026

In every wisdom tradition, emotions are gateways to awakening. Joy, sorrow, longing, irritation, compassion — each carries insights that open us to clarity and equanimity. Within the mandala of our inner life, nothing is left out. Every emotion holds a teaching and a wisdom quality — and because emotions are relational, this retreat emphasizes self-reflection […]

The Power of Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

With Shauna Shapiro

April 24 - 26, 2026

Learn how mindfulness and self-compassion can change everything about how you feel, how you relate and how you live ― for good. In this workshop, Dr. Shauna Shapiro ― a leading scientist studying the effects of mindfulness + compassion on well-being ― shows us that acting with compassion toward ourselves is the key. She explains […]

The Transformational Enneagram: Mindfulness, Insight and Experience

With Russ Hudson

April 26 - May 1, 2026

More and more, people are discovering the Enneagram as an accurate and profound map of personality. In this workshop, we’ll explore the full scope of its power to illuminate our greatest wisdom, become our truest selves, and face life’s challenges with fortitude and grace. The nine Enneagram types are based on the three primary centers […]

Hidden Patterns: Restoring the Flow of Love with Systemic Constellations

With Zita Tulyahikayo

April 27 - May 1, 2026

Journey into the root of shame and guilt and the need to belong. Through the lens of Systemic Constellations, we will examine how these emotions function not as personal flaws but as an aspect of the systemic intelligence of love itself.  At the heart of Systemic Constellations lies an understanding that all humans have a […]

Designing The Life We Want: Self Renewal in the Spring

With Mark Nicolson

May 1 - 3, 2026

Have you created the impact you want? Are you showing up the way you’d like? Are you going in the right direction? You have never before been where you are right now. You have never been the age you are today, never had the experiences you now possess. This is your time to pause and […]

Holotropic Breathwork®: Expanded States of Consciousness

With Stacia Butterfield

May 4 - 8, 2026

For thousands of years across many cultures, enhanced states of consciousness have been used as a strategy for meaningful transformation and self-exploration — marking life’s major transitions and rites of passage and deepening one’s connection to self, community, and the natural world. In this workshop, we will gather in the rich field of community for […]

Ordinary Mysticism: Reclaiming the Landscape of Your Life as Sacred Ground

With Mirabai Starr

May 8 - 11, 2026

As organized religion begins to lose its relevance, a fast-growing community of the spiritual but not religious rises to take its place. We are thirsty for the sacred and long to experience it within the heart of our everyday lives. In this experiential workshop, we will cultivate a mystical way of seeing to reclaim awe […]

The Heart of Relationship: A Weekend of Gestalt Inquiry for Couples and Friends

With Johanna Holloman and Perry Holloman

May 8 - 10, 2026

Fostering close and connected relationships is one of the most important things affecting the quality of our lives. Cultivating trust and openness with a loved one, whether with an intimate partner or friend, is an essential aspect of any successful, supportive relationship. This weekend, Perry and Johanna Holloman, intimate partners and friends for over 30 […]

Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Doorway to Joy, Wisdom, and Wonder

With Mark Coleman and Lori Schwanbeck

May 15 - 17, 2026

...how easily you can belong to everything simply by listening. — David Whyte Held by the cliffs, verdant gardens, and vast Pacific horizon, this workshop invites you to slow down, awaken your senses, and rediscover your connection to the living world.  Listening deeply to the life within us and around us, we are able to […]

Body Process: Soul Motion® and Embodied Gestalt

With Zuza Engler and Scott Engler

May 18 - 22, 2026

The body is a dense and visible aspect of a unified field. It can’t be separated from the field in which it lives. The whole body accepts. — Stephen Schwartz  If you have ever danced, you know the power of movement to unlock the hidden places within — the shortcut faster than years of talk […]

Pathways to Partnership: Scientific Strategies for Healthy Relationships

With Amy Chan

May 18 - 22, 2026

Discover research-backed tools to create a loving relationship. Together, we’ll engage in a comprehensive exploration of the psychological and scientific aspects of dating and healthy relationships. We'll delve into the science of attraction, unlocking the mysteries of chemistry and creating and sustaining meaningful connections — all grounded in the latest research on relationships. Our key […]

How We Change and Why We Don't: The Art and Science of Transformation

With Cassandra Vieten

May 25 - 29, 2026

Have you ever worked hard to make a change, only to find yourself slipping back into old habits? Want to supercharge your ability to stimulate behavior change in others when it comes to the issues you care about the most? Is it time to break free from old patterns and build your next chapter? This […]

Cultivating Vitality in Body, Mind, and Spirit: The Ecosystem of Mental Well-Being

With Cassandra Vieten and Elissa Epel

May 29 - 31, 2026

What is vitality? Exuberance, vibrance, sparkle, spirit, and verve — terms rarely found in psychology textbooks. Vulnerability to depression and anxiety is widespread, and our culture traditionally emphasizes reducing symptoms with drugs that alter certain neurotransmitters, which is only part of the picture. We are living in a new era where vulnerabilities can become strengths, […]