NOTE: Please direct any enquiries regarding this event to the workshop organiser, Marie Bloomfield at marie@bloomfieldpsychology.com.au

Presenters: Marie Bloomfield and assistant teacher Marianna Lolas, Clinical Psychologists
Dates: 30 November - 5 December 2022 (arriving 4 pm on Wednesday 30 Nov. and finishing at 4 pm Monday 5 December 2022)
            
Location: 2184 Springbrook Rd, Springbrook QLD 4213

Cost: 

Extra early bird (24th July): $1,750.00

Early bird (24 Oct): $1,975.00

Regular: $2,225.00

The fees will include teaching fees, accommodation, and meals.

Click here to register

Further information is available here

You are invited to join us for five exquisite days to come home to yourself with kindness. We will gather at a beautiful place in the spectacular Gondwana Rainforest in Springbrook National Park on the Gold Coast.  There you can enjoy privacy, peace solitude to de-stress, to meditate,  to engage in forest bathing and to reconnect with yourself.

This is a wonderful opportunity to unwind, away from the demands of work and family life to re-charge. This will be a time to care for yourself, to refresh your practices in mindfulness and self-compassion, to cultivate your inner resources.  You can pause, to better relate to yourself in your own mind and in this way improve your relationships with others. Again and again, you can attend to yourself like you would attend to a dear friend, giving yourself what you need to thrive, to flourish, so in return, you can better support others. Your well-being and positive engagement will benefit everyone.

Self-Compassion,  mindfulness and forest bathing greatly increase our ability to deal with difficulties with balance, to protect us from burnout and caregiver fatigue.

Why a silent self-compassion retreat in nature?
Maintaining silence in a retreat frees you from the distraction of engaging with others so that you can begin to meet yourself anew, with a kind awareness. You can let go of doing and striving, to allow yourself simply to be. In addition, when we are silent, in nature, engaging in forest bathing,  our senses are more open, we are more present, we feel more alive, we open to something that is greater than us, greater than our difficulties, pain and drama. Nature gives us a sense of space, allowing us to be in touch with our spirituality, connecting with a compassionate inner knowing, that is uplifting and empowering.

Who it is for?
This retreat targets professionals and caregivers, such as psychologists, social workers, counsellors, occupational therapists, teachers, nurses, medical practitioners, and anyone else who is in a helping role. It is an opportunity to stop, to re-charge, to fill our cup so we can give back. 

This retreat is also for anyone who is interested in teaching Mindful Self-Compassion, and other mindfulness-based programs (MBP) such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.  The five-day retreat meets the requirement to have attended a five-day, silent, teacher-led retreat to become a Mindful Self-Compassion Teacher.

What to expect?
The retreat aims to present tools and practices to enable participants to respond to the difficult moments in their lives with kindness, care, courage, and wisdom. The content of the retreat will consist of topics, guided meditations, walking meditation, self-reflective exercises in self-compassion, compassion and mindfulness to promote wellbeing and resilience. 

We wish to take full advantage of the picturesque surroundings by providing ample opportunities to go on mindful walks for contemplative reflections where you can immerse yourself in nature. You will be introduced to different aspects of forest bathing.

We aim to provide a peaceful and relaxing retreat for a small number of participants (15). You will be staying in a room of your own with a single bed using shared bathroom facilities with three others. Delicious healthy vegetarian meals will be served with vegan/gluten-free/dairy-free options. 

Retreat schedule
On the first afternoon, there will be an orientation session to meet and greet. For the next four days, we will ask you to mostly maintain a friendly silence.  At the beginning of the 5th day, there will be opportunities to talk, to reflect and farewell everyone. Each day we will present topics, exercises and guided meditations in the mornings and afternoons. We will alternate between sitting, lying down, and movement/walking meditation practices. The aim will be to deepen your personal practices in mindfulness, loving-kindness, compassion, self-compassion, joy, gratitude, and equanimity.

In the early morning at 7 am, before breakfast, you have the option to join on a mindful walk/movement and a compassionate guided wheel of awareness meditation.  

 Short individual interviews with Marianna or Marie can be scheduled throughout the retreat for clarification or support. During the retreat, at any time, if issues arise, you will be able to communicate with the manager.  
       
Retreat Training objectives
After participating in this retreat, you will be more able to:   
     - Understand and practice forest bathing
     - Practice mindfulness and self-compassion in daily life
     - Extend feelings of goodwill, kindness and warmth towards self and others
     - Motivate yourself and others with encouragement rather than harsh self-criticism
     - Handle difficult emotions with greater balance
     - Manage stress, anxiety, anger, guilt and shame with greater ease 
     - Meet difficult relationships with compassion
     - Manage burnout, caregiver fatigue and vicarious trauma
     - Become more aware and able to attend skilfully to your needs and the needs of others
     - Promote positive emotions in yourself and others
     - Teach self-compassion practices to patients, clients, students, and children
 

Accommodation
The Retreat is located in peaceful surroundings, with panoramic views of tropical rainforest, mountains and waterfalls. It is located 30 minutes inland from Mudgeeraba and 50 minutes from the Gold Coast airport and is accessible only by car.  It is perfect for a mindfulness retreat in nature.   Situated in a National Park area, great care has been taken to reduce the impact on the environment. Only vegetarian meals are to be consumed in the location of the retreat and no smoking/alcohol is allowed anywhere on the property.  Each participant will have a room of their own but will share a bathroom with three others. Delicious healthy vegetarian meals will be served with vegan/gluten-free/dairy-free options. 

Continued Professional Development (CPD)
A Continuing Professional Development (CPD) certificate providing the number of hours attended will be given to everyone to provide evidence of professional development training (i.e. psychologists, social workers, counsellors, teachers, medical practitioners, nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, yoga teachers etc.). The 5-day retreat will provide 30 CPD hours.

Prerequisites

There are no strict prerequisites. It is recommended that prior to the retreat, you already have been introduced to mindfulness and meditations.  It would help also if you have an understanding of  Compassion-Focused Therapy (Paul Gilbert) and/or Mindful Self-Compassion (Kristin Neff and Chris Germer). Prior to the retreat, you will be sent an Information Registration questionnaire to help us to get to know you more before the start of the retreat.