Returning to Ourselves: The Wisdom of Trauma
A 4-Day Online Retreat

The event is SOLD OUT and registration is now closed. 

For many of us, the global crisis has reactivated old fears, depression, dissociation, feelings of isolation and numbness. We live in times of uncertainty that awaken old traumas and reactions in us. When we are under stress and feel challenged, we resort to old patterns of survival. 

Join Dr. Gabor Maté & Betsy Polatin for a 4-day Live, online retreat July 16–19, 2020 from 9am-12pm Pacific Time. In this unique workshop we will learn to:

• Apply Dr Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry technique to access early traumatic event and uncover unconscious feeling states
• Trace and uncover repressed emotional states through body awareness
• Utilize meditation and breathing practices to generate calm and stability
• Express what has until now remained unexpressed from early trauma
• Cultivate self-acceptance and self-compassion, being with what is
• Access implicit memory through body sensations and emotions
• Cultivate patience, respect and choice in the healing process
• Find a balanced stance in ourselves

Many turn to spirituality to alleviate pain and suffering. The internal discomfort of anger, sadness, fear, shame, or self-loathing is soothed by pleasant or blissful experiences encountered through meditation, yoga, chanting, prayer and connecting in community. Spiritual bypass occurs when we use our spiritual beliefs, practices, community and way of life to avoid experiencing, revealing and processing emotional pain. The original wound can remain unhealed, despite years of dedicated spiritual practice. We may even intensify our practice in a disciplined effort to suppress difficult emotions.

Spiritual bypassing can be addressed through compassionately guided self-inquiry supported by bodywork, which, together, invite pain, discomfort and repressed emotions to come to the surface to be experienced, witnessed and worked through in a safe, supportive setting. Acceptance, allowing, non-judgement, expression and self-compassion are the ingredients needed for resolution.

This moment of crisis and uncertainty provides a potent opportunity to recognize old trauma dynamics and create new ways to respond informed by trauma education.

Resources

Find a complete list of resources here

Why Attend?

• to be introduced to the process of Compassionate Inquiry
• to understand your own triggers and their origin
• to recognize mental-emotional patterns and drivers, and how they limit your wholeness, choice and freedom
• to bring healing and integration to traumatic events from the past
• to participate in daily, live inquiry sessions with Dr. Gabor Maté

This program will feature Dr. Gabor Maté’s unique therapeutic work and teaching, Compassionate Inquiry, enhanced by movement and breathwork led by Betsy Polatin. We will explore emotional realities and traumatic imprints that spiritual modalities often ignore. It will be an in-depth program, suitable for therapists, spiritual seekers and anyone looking for a profound, experiential understanding of their traumatic imprint and the hidden beliefs that sustain it.

The teaching will be articulated in four main themes:

      1. Recognizing Trauma Dynamics
      2. Staying Grounded and Connected
      3. Expanding Compassion
      4. Developing Resilience 

Who is this online retreat for?

This will be an in-depth program, suitable for therapists, spiritual seekers and anyone looking for a profound, experiential understanding of their traumatic imprint and the hidden beliefs that sustain it.

Workshop structure: July 16–19, 9:00–12:00 PDT

This 4-day live, online retreat consists of one daily 3-hour session, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM PDT. Gabor will be offering a mixture of didactic presentation and Q&A sessions with participants.The event is structured like a live retreat, and all participants are invited to participate live to all sessions on all days. 

Having a webcamera is strongly recommended. Gabor is asking participants to have their video turned on. Priority to questions will also be given to those that have their video enabled.

Sessions will take place through the Zoom platform. A link will be sent to participants upon registration.

Daily structure:

Betsy Polatin - Breath and Movement	9:00 – 9:10
Gabor Maté - Presentation and Q&A	9:10 – 10:35
Betsy Polatin - Breath and Movement	10:35 – 10:45
Break	10:45 – 11:00
Gabor Maté - Presentation and Q&A	11:00 – 11:50
Betsy Polatin - Breath and Movement	11:50 – 12:00

 

See this event in your time zone

Workshop container:
 

• PLEASE NOTE that by participating in this live event and speaking with your camera on or off, you agree for your voice and image to be recorded and included in the video to be distributed to participants after the event.
• Having a webcamera is strongly recommended. Gabor is asking participants to have their video turned on. Priority to questions will also be given to those that have their video enabled.
• Confidentiality is an integral part to the container of this event. Please do not share any session content with anyone.
• Questions by Gabor are to be considered an invitation to participate, and not a demand. If you don't feel like participating, you don't need to. Even if you have agreed to an exchange with Gabor, you can back out any time you want.
• We encourage you to be open about any concern you may have, when it arises.
• Questions are to be asked live, with video on, using the raise your hand button.
• If something about the process disturbs you, don't talk to other retreat participants or to someone outside the course without talking to someone who can do something about it. Talking to other participants might bring release, but does not necessarily bring the change you can experience from the process.
• For any technical questions, or any questions or comments about the container, please do not talk to Betsy or Gabor directly. Please talk to facilitators/organizers privately through the zoom platform chat window or by email.
• If you have a question and feel uncomfortable sharing directly, you can write to facilitators and have your comments/questions answered anonymously.
• Facilitators will moderate the chat window and alert Gabor/Betsy if anything needs attention.
• We encourage you to use the chat feature to respond to and get involved with the process that is happening, and not for social chatting.

Currency

Prices are in United States Dollars.

Scholarships

The general scholarship application period for this event has ended. We have awarded over 600 partial and full scholarships already. If you missed this application window, we invite you to join our newsletter to know about these opportunities for future events.

Refund Policy

The registration fee for SAND’s online events is non-refundable*. Please note that your registration includes access to all recordings of the event, so any missed sessions may be watched at a later date.

*SAND will consider refund requests due to an extraordinary circumstance or emergency on a case by case basis. Please contact us at [email protected]

Continuing Education

12 CEs are available for an additional $40 via Cassidy Seminars. Purchase CEs here upon completion of this course.  All sessions must be attended live in their entirety in order to receive CEs.