Join us as we engage collectively in healing from trauma and grief with somatic and experiential practices lead by a highly experienced facilitator.

At a time when queerness remains both a deep source of joy and connection and a persistent source of trauma, grief and exile - we are reminded of one of the magical qualities of queerness - our radical ability to heal and thrive in community. 

This Somatic Re-Storying retreat will be a highly experiential, narrative-changing healing space where we address our family- and culture-of-origin wounds in a small group environment with other 2SLGBTQIA+ folx. During our time together we will engage in somatic and embodiment exercises to prepare our bodies, hearts and nervous systems to engage in Structures, a powerful modality for healing and transforming the wounds and stories we carry. Structures are born out of Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor (PBSP) and I continue to evolve this work as I have spent years studying and practicing with Bessel van der Kolk, Licia Sky, Gus Kaufman and Jim Amundsen. I often incorporate parts work, a variety of somatic practices and other modalities to allow the Structures work to be increasingly expansive to meet the needs of individuals and groups, and to tend to cultural uniqueness.

This practice is a highly collaborative, deeply experiential, profoundly transformative and innovative approach to healing relationship patterns and embodied narratives that no longer serve us.

In this workshop we will recreate in three dimensional space a representation of something we would like to heal. We do this in order to step into the deep longings and hidden wounds of our inner child/ren and then re-imagine new possibilities that become somatically imprinted with the help of group members and a highly experienced facilitator.

We often joke that this transformation of your relational templates and possibility maps “is like doing ten years of therapy in one hour.”

Workshop Details

• Room for 10-12 participants 

• Participation open to 2SLGBTQIA+ identified folx.

• Cost: $1800 (if cost is a barrier to attending, please reach out and we can discuss payment plans and other possible options). Cost includes retreat attendance, accommodations, all meals and two post-retreat group integration calls.

• Throughout our time together we will:

  • Engage in a variety of exercises and activities aimed at building connection, creating a cohesive container for the group, processing grief and trauma, and stepping into joy and play

  • Each person will have the opportunity to participate as supporters/accommodators in others’ structures and we will have space for 7-8 participants to engage in their own structure as a protagonist

  • Eat delicious meals together prepared by a local chef with locally-sourced ingredients

  • Red Clover Ranch will be hosting us! The ranch is located on 79 Acres in The Driftless Region of Southwest Wisconsin. Untouched by the glaciers, the area is renowned for it’s unique beauty with ridges, valleys, and spring fed creeks.

  • During free time you can enjoy hiking trails, the sauna, natural swimming pond, bonfires, games and more.

• If you are interested in joining, please complete this form

Learn More

If you are interested in learning more about Somatic Re-Storying, you can read about it in chapter 18 of The Body Keeps the Score written by Bessel van der Kolk where it is referred to as “psychodrama structures”.

“Queer people are not taught to think about our future. We spend so much of our lives digging up our history, focused on the legal and sexual economy of our present. Queer people are not taught to think about our spirituality. We spend so much of our lives banished from religions and focused on our bodies. In this time of plague, climate and economic crisis, when making plans feels futile and overwhelming, remember this: Imagining your Queer future is a form of prayer.”             

~ Leo Herrera