Retreat for 3 days - Self-Exploration through Expressive Arts
This retreat is held over three consecutive days in Cartron House in the beautiful West of Ireland. The focus is on personal awareness and growth and is explored in a group context through creative means.
Each day involves workshop-style activities from 10:00am-5:00pm. A willingness to openly explore and share with others will be essential. Each group will have between eight and twelve participants and for some retreats I will have a co-facilitator.
The venue provides a perfect environment for gentle walks and peaceful moments in nature during the lunch break and at other times. Overnight accommodation is highly recommended and can be arranged directly with the venue.
There are three different retreat programmes available, the cedar, the willow and the oak. Although the activities in each are different, the overall experience will be very similar and equally powerful.
Progression
This course does not lead to a qualification. It is designed for personal growth.
Assessment
There is no assessment in this retreat; however, activities to consolidate the learning will be discussed and encouraged. Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance.
Anticipated Outcomes
- greater self-awareness and sense of personal power
- greater capacity to express oneself
- greater compassion with self and others
- greater connection with self and greater congruence
Retreat content
Within a safe and confidential, person-centred environment, participants are encouraged to use the space for their own exploration and healing. Utilising drama, art, music, storytelling and play, participants process their own material as well as support others within the group. As the retreat can be highly emotive, it is designed for those with a high level of personal awareness and resilience. It can be powerful, healing and fun! See feedback below from others who have attended a retreat with me.
A number of retreats have been organised for specific groups, for example, therapists in training. It is a fabulous way for groups with a common interest to deepen their connections and work together.
Cost
The full cost of this retreat, including a lunch and dinner each day, is €390. A deposit of €90 is taken to hold a place and three further instalments of €100 will be required before the retreat commences. Overnight accommodation can be arranged with the venue and is not included in this fee. (Details below)
Included in the fee:
- Three days of therapeutic workshops and all materials needed
- Lunch and dinner each day, with a special goodbye dinner on the last night (please let me know as soon as possible of any dietary requirements and our chef will be delighted to accommodate your needs)
- Snacks and teas and coffees throughout the three days
Overnight accommodation and breakfasts are not included in this fee and should be arranged directly with Ann at Cartron House in County Galway once your booking with me is confirmed. Please check out Ann’s website below.
In addition to the middle two nights, I would recommend considering arriving the night before the retreat commences so that you are well-rested and well-fed on the first day. You may also choose to stay on the final night so that after our special meal, you can have a gentle evening and opportunity to absorb the retreat experience.
When booking with Ann, be sure to let her know that you are attending this retreat.
Delivery Format
The retreat is delivered in a physical space in County Galway in the West of Ireland. (Eircode H62 YR59)
Three consecutive days (Workshop times: 10:00-5:00pm Irish Standard Time)
If you would like me to bring this retreat to your area or your group, please email to discuss this possibility.
Dates and booking
- 16-18 February 2025 (two spaces remaining)
- 25-27 August 2025 (private group booking)
- 29-31 August 2025 (booking now)
- 24-26 November 2025 (booking now)
If you are interested in attending a retreat, please let me know and if we haven’t met yet, we can arrange a brief chat via Zoom to check your readiness for the retreat experience.
N.B. All courses are subject to a minimum enrolment of eight participants.
Retreat feedback
“Each activity was enriching and intriguing and obviously created with so much heartfelt desire to facilitate others in opening up”
“I never felt required or pushed externally to “go” to hard places within me, but the inspiration and invitations you so tenderly created gave me such a feeling of safety that I was open to explore and what I found; the view of myself, my circumstances, and my choices from 50,000 feet, was revolutionary”
“This experience has genuinely changed me and my perspective on my life. It was radical and my gratitude still persists a year later”
“I am so grateful to have gotten to attend one of your weekends and met you with your warmth and softness and gentle guidance through all the tears and snots and hollering that arose in that time”
“All of us who held each other and our bleeding hearts in that sacred space, what a dynamic gathering of loving, giving souls, wow – and what a testament to you that these are the kind of people who gather at the sound of your name”
“Thank you so much, Paula. I hope to see you and experience your unique magic again soon”
“Sending so much love and gratitude from the lady who walked into your space only half-seeing and left with so many scales fallen from her eyes”
“I am wistful at the whole experience I had – it was wonderful”
“The retreat has left me feeling nurtured, fulfilled, accepted, peaceful, hopeful, and full of gratitude!”
“Paula’s skills as a facilitator, as well as her kind compassionate presence, provided a safety net where I could feel vulnerable and supported”
“I want to thank you for helping my heart crack open and for helping me see parts of myself and my life that I had never considered before”
“Paula, the three days were the most insightful, magical, deeply moving, and, most importantly, interesting and fun days I’ve had in a long time”
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'Cedar' or 'Willow' or 'Oak' Retreats
As each retreat has a slightly different selection of activities, please remind me which retreat/s you attended previously (The new ‘Oak’ retreat will commence February 2025)
