If you often wake up feeling like you don’t know how to pick up the pieces, join us for this meaningful retreat. You will leave knowing you are not alone, that healing is not only possible but already beginning with simple, daily practices to anchor you when the waves hit.
Today is the day you put yourself first and begin to turn the page. At this retreat, you’ll be supported as you release the quiet weight of trauma and grief, tend to the wounds you’ve carried alone, and slowly reconnect with the woman you’re becoming. You’ll find space to reflect, reclaim your voice, rediscover meaning in your life, and begin to shape a future that feels more purposeful – one step, one breath at a time.
focuses on taking deliberate and supported steps to:
Healing is a challenging process that requires effort and courage.
Through Group EMDR, guided reflection, powerful group discussions, peaceful sound healing, gentle movement, healing massage, willow weaving, good nutrition and time spent in nature, you’ll begin to soothe your nervous system whilst understanding how to step forward into a life you couldn’t imagine possible with those that truly understand.
Envision being part of a supportive circle of brave women who have come to face their grief where you’ll feel genuinely seen, heard, and understood. Together, you’ll gain authentic connections and holistic tools to break free from the guilt, stigma and shame and move forward in life, prioritising yourself.
Your healing community is ready.
These small-group sessions are guided by the principles of EMDR therapy – an evidence-based practice – adapted to support you gently through traumatic grief.
We begin with resourcing — helping you connect to inner calm, strength, and safety using grounding tools, guided imagery, and nervous system regulation. From there, we may move into light processing, supporting your mind and body to begin releasing stuck emotions and memories in a safe, contained way.
You’ll never be asked to share anything you’re not ready to. This is a space to reconnect with yourself, witness your own healing, and feel held by the presence of others who truly understand.
Take part in gently guided sessions that invite you to practically learn how to manage your grief, reconnect with who you are now, explore what matters to you, and begin to imagine a future shaped by your truth — not just your loss.
Together, we’ll make space for what still lights you up, even in the midst of grief, and begin to notice what might be holding you back from fully engaging with life again.
You’ll leave with a deeper sense of what living fully means for you — in your own time, in your own way — grounded in honesty, self-compassion, and the quiet courage to honour what your heart truly wants.
Gentle movement sessions aim to help release the physical weight of trauma grief, focusing on slow, intuitive practices that foster safety and relaxation. These sessions are accessible to all, prioritising feeling over fitness and encouraging participants to show up as they are.
Meditation sessions provide a gentle way to reconnect with oneself, focusing on creating space to breathe, feel, and be. They include guided meditations, breath awareness, and moments of silence to soothe emotional overwhelm, regulate the nervous system, and foster a sense of presence, all at an individual pace.
Sound is healing. Gong baths create a cocoon of sound that allows the nervous system to soften and reset. The deep, resonant vibrations bypass the thinking mind and reach the body directly – helping to release emotional tension, regulate the stress response, and create space for rest and integration. You don’t need to do anything. Just lie back, listen, and let the sound move through you. Grief doesn’t always need words – sometimes, it simply needs to be felt, softened, and held.
Our gentle singing workshops invite you to use your voice as a tool for healing. Through simple, soothing songs and mindful breathing, you’ll release tension, calm your mind, and reconnect with your inner strength. No experience needed – just bring yourself and an open heart.
You will have the opportunity to weave a bowl to honour your grief and loved one. Using traditionally harvested willow, this hands-on practice invites quiet reflection, presence, and ritual. As each strand is woven, you are gently invited to connect with memory, love, and the strength it takes to carry loss. The finished piece becomes a symbolic vessel – an offering, a tribute, or simply something beautiful made in honour of your healing journey.
Together we’ll make raw, refined sugar–free chocolate by hand – a simple, nourishing ritual to soothe the nervous system and feed the soul. Raw cacao is rich in magnesium and antioxidants, supporting mood, heart health, and emotional balance.
This isn’t just a wellness retreat – and it’s not here to replace yoga or cacao ceremonies. Those have their place. But this retreat offers something different.
Here, science meets soul. We combine the proven power of EMDR – an evidence-based trauma therapy – with holistic practices like sound healing, movement, and meditation to support deep, lasting nervous system repair.
It’s a space designed specifically for the layered grief of suicide loss. A place to safely process trauma, reconnect with your inner strength, and rediscover the parts of you that got left behind in the aftermath.
Nourishing Vegetarian Meals to Support Your Healing
At the retreat, you’ll enjoy fresh, wholesome vegetarian meals crafted to nourish your body and soothe your soul. Our menu features vibrant, seasonal ingredients—think colourful salads, hearty grains, comforting soups, and satisfying plant-based dishes bursting with flavour. Each meal is designed to provide gentle energy and support your emotional and physical well-being throughout your healing journey.
“I cook with the seasons, guided by nature’s hand. Each dish is a love letter to the land — vibrant, nourishing, rooted in simplicity. Local ingredients, honest flavours, food that feeds both body and soul — this is my way, and my joy.” To find out more about Djamila and her cooking please visit https://feastsdonegood.com/
This year’s retreat takes place in exclusive beautiful, lovingly restored stone barns on a peaceful family farm tucked away in the hidden countryside of Herefordshire.
You’ll have space to unwind — whether that’s soaking in the hot tub, curling up on one of the many comfy sofas, or wandering the private gardens and farmland. You might find yourself meandering through apple orchards, meeting the gentle Ryeland sheep and pedigree Hereford cattle, or exploring the nearby ancient village with its black-and-white timbered buildings.
Your en-suite room — whether private or shared — will offer all the comforts you need: spa towels, robes, slippers, and thoughtful touches like a hairdryer and essentials. With underfloor heating and a welcoming farmhouse kitchen stocked with hot tea and coffee, you’re free to relax and truly make yourself at home.
Herefordshire, on the border of Wales and nestled near the Shropshire hills, is known for its rolling landscapes, small market towns, and the famed literary haven of Hay-on-Wye. The peaceful village of Lyonshall is the perfect base to rest, reflect, and reconnect — surrounded by beauty at every turn.
You’ve carried your grief quietly for a long time — and though life has continued, something inside you still feels paused, waiting for space to exhale.
You function well enough on the outside, but inside, you’re weary – longing for true rest, reflection, and something deeper than just coping.
You’ve done your best to keep going, but now you’re wondering who you are beyond the loss – and what life might look like if healing felt less lonely.
You’re ready to meet your grief with compassion, not resistance – and to explore how it has shaped you without letting it define you.
You don’t want surface-level fixes – you want honest connection, meaningful support, and practices that help you feel grounded in your body and soul.
You’re open to something more – EMDR, sacred ceremony, sound, stillness – not as answers, but as invitations back to yourself.
You’re no longer content just getting through the days – you want to rediscover purpose, and you’re willing to take that first quiet, light step.
And perhaps you’re longing to be somewhere that mirrors what you’re seeking inside – a place of stillness, beauty, and quiet strength – where you can finally listen to what your heart has been trying to say.
Arriving Friday 3pm – Settle into your accommodation and meet your companions for this journey over a nutritious meal – followed by an evening group sharing circle.
Each morning we will have a guided movement or yoga class.
Saturday – Group EMDR stabilisation and ceremonies to honour our loved ones.
Sunday – Group EMDR, time for nature and optional time for massages, followed by an evening singing workshop.
Monday – Group EDMR, psychoeducation sessions followed by an evening gong bath.
Tuesday – Group EMDR, willow weaving workshop and an evening fire ceremony.
Wednesday – Singing and resourcing for the future, making raw chocolate delicacies followed by an evening of ceremony.
Thursday – Breakfast followed by a sharing circle and a ‘moving on’ ceremony – saying our goodbyes (with connections you will have made for a lifetime) – leaving by midday.
This is an example itinerary and is open to change. All activities are open as an invitation – you are free to come and go as you please.
All workshops and healing sessions are included, and you’ll be nourished throughout the retreat with delicious, vegetarian freshly prepared meals — from Friday dinner to Thursday breakfast — lovingly cooked by our Djamilla, our private chef.
You’ll have a one-on-one online planning session before the retreat and a group online follow-up session two months after the retreat.
Sadly we cannot include:
Grief — especially traumatic grief — has a way of silencing us. Of stopping time. Of making the world feel unfamiliar.
I know this because I’ve walked through it myself . I lost my mother too soon… and later, my brother died by suicide at just 44. That kind of loss changes you. It breaks things open. And in time — if you allow it — it can also become the soil where something new, something meaningful, begins to grow.
As a counselling psychologist, EMDR therapist, and single mum of 4 children, I’ve spent years supporting others through their own grief journeys. Many clients have shared with me how healing a retreat like this could be, and have asked me to create one. I’ve also come to understand that real healing doesn’t always happen in a clinical setting. It happens when we step away — from our routines, from expectations, from the noise — and make space to listen inward.
That’s why I created this retreat.
Release, Rise, Reclaim isn’t just a few days away. It’s a sacred container. A pause. A soft place to land for anyone carrying the deep, long-lasting, complicated pain of suicide loss with other women. And it is the first one in the world because more research is showing the effectiveness and power of group EMDR.
Here, we gather not to be fixed or to fix others — but to be witnessed, to remember who we are beneath the weight, and to gently reawaken the parts of us that still long to live.
Through EMDR-informed sessions, somatic practices, nature, ritual, and shared story, we begin to release what no longer serves, rise toward what might be possible, and rediscover a sense of self that feels grounded, real, and alive again.
If your heart is quietly whispering “it’s time” — to be held, to feel, to find your way back to yourself — I’d love to welcome you.
With care and love,
Dr. Sue Egan
Counselling Psychologist | EMDR Therapist | Traumatic Grief Coach
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based psychotherapy developed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. Recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Psychological Association (APA), and NICE (UK), EMDR is widely recognized as a frontline treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex grief.
Unlike traditional talk therapies, EMDR targets the neurological roots of trauma. Through bilateral stimulation it helps the brain reprocess traumatic memories, reducing their emotional charge while integrating them more adaptively. Research shows that EMDR can significantly decrease symptoms of anxiety, flashbacks, guilt, and emotional numbness.
Suicide loss often includes trauma responses: shock, unresolved questions, and intrusive memories. These can remain stuck in the nervous system long after the event. EMDR supports the body and brain in completing the processing that didn’t happen at the time of the trauma.
At the retreat, we use a modified group EMDR protocol informed by the latest research in trauma therapy. It allows for deep, contained emotional work without requiring participants to speak about their loss in detail. This approach offers both the benefits of EMDR and the healing power of community – within a safe, supportive space.
To our knowledge, this is the first EMDR grief retreat in the world specifically created for women bereaved by suicide. Because this kind of loss needs a different kind of healing – and you’re not alone.
Katie brings deep presence and compassion to her work as a celebrant, end-of-life doula, and sacred song leader. She offers grief-tending rituals and community song circles that invite people into shared healing and remembrance.
Whether working with children, guiding families through loss, or singing in harmony with others, Katie creates spaces that are gentle, sacred, and full of light. Her original songs carry the wisdom of grief and the possibility of peace – and she believes deeply in the power of shared voice to help us find our way home again
Sophia Campbell Shaw is the founder and creative force behind Woven Farewell Coffins, a Devon and Lincolnshire based company crafting environmentally responsible coffins that honour lives with dignity and purpose. With a background in basketry and a lifelong connection to the natural world, Sophia brings an artisan’s touch to rituals of death and remembrance. Started in 2018, Woven Farewell sells coffins and weaves with bereaved families from around the country and abroad. Here is a link to find out more: Woven Farewell Coffins
Sarah is a physiotherapist and massage therapist who works at a local hospice supporting families through some of life’s most tender transitions.
At the retreat, Sarah will offer gentle, body-based grief support to help you reconnect with your body, soften the weight of loss, and find moments of grounding and relief. Her calm presence and skilled touch create space for deep rest, safety, and release – when words are not enough.
You will be able to book a private massage with Sarah in advance of the rereat for a private fee – more details will follow.
Kait gently guides others in releasing stored grief and trauma through the body using authentic movement practices. Her sessions draw from a rich blend of disciplines including Butoh, Awareness Through Movement, Skinner Releasing, Body-Mind Centering, and contemporary dance.
At the retreat, Kait will lead you through grounding, expressive movement workshops that invite you to listen to your body, soften held emotion, and move through grief with care and curiosity.
A percentage of all profit will be donated to SoBS bereavement charity – more information supplied below.
This retreat isn’t the right fit for everyone. It’s designed for women who have moved beyond the very early stages of grief and feel stable enough to gently process remaining memories, while also beginning to look toward the future. Please trust your intuition about whether this retreat feels like the right step for you.
You’ll need to feel ready to face your feelings and be open to exploring how to transform your pain into purpose. If you hear a strong “Yes” inside, please complete the form on the next booking page. We’ll then get in touch to confirm your spot and share details about the deposit, or reach out to arrange a call if we feel a conversation would be helpful before moving forward.
If you have a friend that is also experiencing the same loss, yes of course – just let me know when booking who you wish to be roomed with/next to and we will do our best to ensure your accommodation is managed appropriately.
The sessions during the retreat are designed to gently support you in reconnecting with your truth and beginning to shape a life that feels more aligned, meaningful, and uniquely yours.
You’re always welcome to take part — but you’ll never be pressured. If there’s a session you’d rather sit out, that’s absolutely okay.
We’ll invite you to stretch a little beyond what feels familiar, because often that’s where the healing starts.
But more than anything, we want you to feel safe, supported, and at ease during your time here. This is your retreat, and your well-being comes first.
While everything will be taken care of once you arrive at the retreat, please note that travel to and from the venue isn’t included and will need to be arranged separately. In order to reduce our footprint, a WhatsApp Travel Group will be started where anyone who wishes to join can request offers of shared transport. Details of how to get to the retreat will be provided closer to the date.
The 2026 Release, Rise, Reclaim Retreat will be offering a percentage of all profits to SoBS – Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide – A UK Based charity that provides safe, confidential environments to individuals experiencing suicide loss in the UK.
Any other questions please get in touch
This retreat offers a unique approach to EMDR, blending trauma-informed group EMDR practices with a nurturing, retreat-based environment.
During the retreat, you’ll take part in structured group EMDR sessions that follow core principles of standard EMDR therapy — helping your brain safely reprocess traumatic memories, reduce emotional overwhelm, and make space for healing.
This retreat offers trauma-informed pre-retreat planning and group EMDR sessions designed to help you gently reprocess painful memories, release emotional overwhelm, and begin to heal after suicide loss.
All EMDR work is delivered under my accreditation with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), ensuring that these sessions are safe, ethical, and grounded in clinical expertise.
While traditional EMDR therapy is usually delivered one-to-one — and often costs between £90–£150 per session — this retreat gives you access to the same core process in a carefully facilitated small group setting, at a significantly lower cost.
You’ll experience multiple EMDR-based sessions throughout the retreat, meaning you could receive the equivalent of several weeks of 1:1 therapy — all while being supported in a peaceful, nourishing environment.
Alongside EMDR, you’ll also take part in holistic, non-clinical activities such as coaching, creative expression, and gentle movement. These are not therapy and are not delivered under BPS/HCPC regulation, but they are designed to support your nervous system and emotional wellbeing during the healing process.
Many women find that the combination of expert-led EMDR and community-based support not only accelerates their healing, but also saves them time, money, and emotional burnout from trying to do it alone in weekly sessions.
If you’re unsure whether group EMDR is right for you, you’re welcome to reach out for a private chat.
Your Next Chapter Begins Gently
You don’t have to stay in survival mode.
You deserve moments of peace… real connection… and a future that feels possible again.
If something in you is stirring — a quiet pull toward healing, toward hope — trust it.
This retreat is a safe, sacred space to begin again.
Spaces are limited, and I would be honoured to walk alongside you.
— Dr. Sue Egan
Need a custom payment plan?
Not sure if this trip is for you?
Want to know about retreats serving different cohorts?
Feel free to connect with me on DrSue@suicidegriefsupport.com to discuss options.
