A Journey to Wholeness
This is a non-residential retreat running from Thursday evening through Sunday morning.
Each day, we’ll come together for extended periods of process work, then break in the evenings so you can return home or to your own space. This creates a different kind of rhythm—one that allows the work to deepen over multiple days while staying in contact with your real life.
Across the weekend, we will work directly with parts of the psyche through experience. Protectors, exiles, and the deeper organizing intelligence of your system will be approached with curiosity and respect.
There will be guided exercises, live facilitation, and group process. At times you may be working directly. At other times, you may be witnessing and tracking what unfolds in the room.
As the work deepens, a psycho-spiritual dimension often emerges. This can include questions of meaning, purpose, and contact with something larger than the individual narrative, approached in a grounded and experiential way.
This is not a training. It is a space to be in process.
What Is Parts Work?
Parts work, often rooted in Internal Family Systems (IFS), is a therapeutic approach to connecting with the diverse aspects of your psyche. These aspects—or 'parts'—represent distinct emotions, beliefs, or roles within us. Parts work helps us navigate these inner dynamics and fosters healing, clarity, and peace.
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What Is Internal Family Systems (IFS)?
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a pioneering therapeutic approach that views the mind as a system of distinct “parts,” each with its own role, emotions, and motivations. These parts are not merely metaphors but deeply embedded aspects of our psyche that influence how we think, feel, and act. Core Principles of IFS: Every person has a Self, which is the compassionate, calm, and centered core of who they are. Each individual also has parts, which can include inner voices, roles, or even conflicting emotions. These parts often serve as protectors, managers, or exiles within our inner system. Healing occurs when the Self takes the lead, creating a harmonious relationship with these parts. Examples of Parts: The Inner Child: Holding vulnerabilities, joys, and early experiences. The Protector: Keeping you safe from perceived harm, often by creating defensive behaviors. The Critic: Enforcing self-discipline, but often in a harsh or judgmental way. The Exile: Parts that carry pain, shame, or other emotions too difficult to face directly. By working with these parts, IFS helps you shift from internal conflict to internal harmony, creating a greater sense of peace and wholeness.
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Parts Works In Addressing Growth and Trauma
Parts work is a powerful tool for fostering personal growth and healing from trauma by addressing the complexity of human experiences: For Trauma: Trauma often fragments our inner system, leaving parts stuck in painful memories or extreme roles. Parts work offers a gentle and non-pathologizing way to meet these parts, allowing them to heal and release burdens. It helps reduce the intensity of triggers by addressing the parts of you that are carrying unresolved emotions, such as fear, shame, or grief. For Personal Growth: Parts work provides insight into your internal world, helping you understand why you might feel stuck, conflicted, or resistant in certain areas of life. By fostering dialogue between parts, you can reduce self-sabotage and cultivate a more compassionate relationship with yourself. For Emotional Regulation: Parts work helps you identify the inner voices or emotions that drive reactivity, making it easier to respond to situations with balance and clarity. For Building Self-Compassion: By recognizing that every part of you—no matter how difficult or negative it seems—has a positive intent, parts work naturally encourages self-acceptance and compassion.
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Outcomes Shown from the Use of Parts Work
Research and clinical practice have demonstrated that parts work can lead to profound and lasting changes: Emotional Resilience: Individuals who engage in parts work often report a stronger ability to navigate emotional challenges without feeling overwhelmed. Healing from Trauma: Parts work has been shown to effectively reduce symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression by addressing and healing the root causes of emotional distress. Improved Relationships: Understanding and healing your inner parts can help you communicate more authentically and resolve conflicts in a healthier way. Self-Leadership: One of the central goals of parts work is to strengthen the Self’s ability to lead your internal system, creating a sense of confidence, calmness, and clarity in your life. Integration and Wholeness: As fragmented parts are reintegrated, people often feel a renewed sense of wholeness, purpose, and alignment with their authentic self. Clinical Evidence: Studies on IFS have shown its effectiveness in reducing symptoms of trauma, improving mental health outcomes, and increasing overall life satisfaction.
Why Group Retreats?
This weekend intensive is a sacred container for self-discovery and transformation. Grounded in the principles of parts work and depth psychotherapy, it offers a safe and nurturing environment where participants can explore the many facets of their inner world. Through gentle curiosity and guided exercises, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with and understand the parts of yourself that carry emotions, beliefs, and roles. This process fosters deep healing, allowing you to integrate these parts into a cohesive and harmonious whole. Whether you're encountering unresolved pain, seeking clarity, or simply yearning for a deeper sense of self, this intensive creates a space to honor your journey with compassion and care. In this shared group setting, the collective energy amplifies individual insights, creating profound opportunities for growth and connection.
Workshop Details
What to Expect
What You’ll Experience
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Extended time to move beyond surface-level insight into lived experience
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Direct engagement with protector parts and the strategies that organize your system
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Accessing and tending to more vulnerable or exiled material at a workable pace
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Live facilitation within the group, with opportunities for both personal work and witnessing
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The body as a guide: sensation, impulse, and emotional tone
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Space for reflection and integration across multiple days
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Contact with deeper layers of meaning as they naturally arise
Who This Is For
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People with some experience in therapy or personal growth work
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Therapists or facilitators who want to be in their own process
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Anyone feeling the pull toward something deeper than a single session or workshop
No specific modality experience is required. A willingness to engage honestly with your inner world is.
Pricing
This retreat is offered with tiered pricing to support accessibility while sustaining the work.
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Supported Rate: $300
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Standard Rate: $550
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Supporter Rate: $750
You’re welcome to choose the rate that best fits your financial reality.
Higher tiers help make lower-cost spots available.
Limited to 10 participants to allow for depth and real contact.
Schedule
- TBD
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Thurs Evening 5pm-8pm
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Friday 9:30am-5pm
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Saturday 9:30am-5pm
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Sunday 9:30am-1pm
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Location
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A serene private residence in San Anselmo, CA.
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This is a non residential retreat, each participant must account for their own lodging or transportation.
About the Facilitator
Hi I'm Grady
I have been deeply involved in group retreat settings for over 20 years, both as a participant and a facilitator. Throughout this time, I have witnessed the profound power of group work to foster connection, create a sense of belonging, and provide the space for shared healing and growth.
Group work has the unique ability to bring people together in community, where they can feel seen, heard, and supported in their journeys.
My love for parts work stems from its ability to address core material in a way that is deeply compassionate and non-shaming.
This approach allows us to meet ourselves with understanding, to honor every part of who we are, and to move toward greater inclusivity and a profound sense of wholeness. It’s a process that embraces both the vulnerable and the protective aspects of our inner world, helping us build a more cohesive and compassionate relationship with ourselves.
As someone who values the power of shared experience, I strive to create a safe, nurturing, and inclusive space where each participant feels empowered to explore their inner landscape. My hope is that this work not only supports individual growth but also deepens our collective understanding of the beauty and complexity of being human.
I’m honored to walk alongside you in this journey of self-discovery, healing, and integration.
