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The Green Shoe Retreat focuses on healing the pain from childhood dysfunction in your family of origin. We work with individuals to raise awareness of how past unhealthy family roles and family systems influence their current behaviors and relationships. Our 5-day retreat is based on Pia Mellody’s Post Induction Therapy (PIT) which originated from the treatment strategies developed to alleviate and heal the impacts of childhood relational trauma. These strategies were developed through her work at The Meadows inpatient treatment center. Pia defines codependence as a disorder of immaturity caused by relational trauma which impacts our relationships today.

Retreat Focus

You will learn how childhood relational trauma impacted your nervous system and how to live emotionally regulated and present in your body. Your social engagement and survival systems did not learn how to regulate yourself in ways that created a feeling of safety. To create a feeling of safety current triggers from traumatic memories must be released through mindful awareness and integration of present moment experiences. The goal is not to relive the past but to reset your nervous system and not overreact to everyday life circumstances or underreact to any current adult abuse.

During your retreat week at the Green Shoe, we will address the five core issues which create the symptoms of codependent behaviors. These symptoms are experienced as having difficulty with appropriate levels of self-esteem, difficulty setting functional/healthy boundaries, difficulty owning and experiencing your reality, difficulty taking care of your adult needs and wants, and difficulty experiencing and expressing your reality in moderation. By identifying these core issues, healing past wounds, and practicing living as a functional adult, recovery from the five core issues is attainable.

  • Self Esteem

    It is the internal experience of one's preciousness in the face of one's humanity. Self-esteem comes from embracing the concept of inherent self-worth and applying it to oneself.

  • Boundaries

    Boundaries are a system of limit setting that helps protect a person from being a victim and contains a person so they are not offensive to others.

  • Reality

    Our reality is influenced by our history and our childhood trauma. You create your reality through what you think, how you feel, and how you choose to behave.

  • Dependency

    Dependency is becoming aware of your needs and wants, getting them met in healthy ways, and also being appropriately interdependent with others.

  • Moderation

    Moderation is about expressing our spontaneity in healthy ways. We are not being too contained or uncontained in our behaviors. Our boundaries help us practice our moderation.

If you are experiencing...

A life that lacks joy
​​A life that is out of balance
Experienced childhood adverse events
​Less than nurturing childhood
Current relationship struggles
Family members with mental health challenges
Family members with addiction challenges
Past or current personal addiction struggles
If you feel unmotivated, stuck in life
Your goals feel unobtainable

Expected Outcomes…

Self-compassion
Acknowledging the reality of our childhood experience
Resolving childhood shame and wounding
Learn how to self-regulate
Practice tolerating intense emotions without acting out
Create healthy self-care
Living with balance, moderation, and maturity
Increased emotional stability
Greater insight into your patterns
Transformational life change

  • Identify

    By identifying past dysfunctional or unhealthy family roles and patterns, you can move from “just surviving” to living abundantly. Your recovery is a process going forward and we are here to help you learn self-awareness, self-discovery, and embrace your inherent worth.

  • Process

    Participating in a Green Shoe Retreat is about understanding the impacts of your childhood experiences and connecting the patterns of relational dysfunction you see in your life today. You will explore in a safe and supportive environment the origins of self-defeating behaviors such as addictions, mood disorders, and troubling relationships.

  • Living

    According to Pia Mellody, recovery is not about changing who you are, but about letting go of who you are not. Life is not about being perfect, no one is perfect. It is about having the resources and tools for personal growth, transformational change, and realizing it is okay to be perfectly imperfect. That just means you are a part of humanity.

When are the retreats and what may I experience?

Retreats are held Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm for adults 21 years of age and older. Each day you will receive intensive group therapy, learning how to connect to your emotions with awareness of your thoughts, practicing healthy boundaries, and learning how to identify and express healthy internal dialogue within the group process.

The primary focus of this workshop is identifying, processing, and releasing the negative messages and emotions that were rooted in painful experiences from the past. This allows you the freedom to embody your authentic self.