Healing the Healer: A Mind-Body Retreat for EMDR Therapists

If you spend your days holding space for others' deepest wounds, who holds space for yours? This transformative weekend retreat, held at the serene Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, MA, invites EMDR therapists to turn the healing lens inward—to tend to their own somatic capacity, emotional resilience, and wellbeing. Led by Erika Tsoukanelis, an accomplished EMDR trainer, psychotherapist, and Kripalu yoga teacher, this November retreat addresses a truth too often overlooked: sustainable clinical practice begins with a healer's commitment to their own healing.

Trauma work demands presence, attunement, and emotional availability. Over time, that generosity of spirit can deplete without intentional renewal. This retreat creates a sanctuary where you can explore the qualities of a mindful, grounded therapist while developing a personal roadmap for self-care that actually sticks. You'll move through gentle yoga, breath practice, and structured EMDR work—all designed to help you identify and reprocess the obstacles that pull you away from attending to yourself.

Grounded in the future vision protocol within EMDR therapy, this retreat transforms the peer community into a container for real change. You'll leave with concrete practices woven into both your personal life and clinical work, embodying the principle that those who heal must first tend to their own garden.

What to Expect

This retreat weaves together somatic practice, breathwork, and therapeutic reprocessing into a cohesive healing arc. Each day opens with gentle yoga and pranayama to settle the nervous system and reconnect you with your body's wisdom. Small-group and individual EMDR sessions help you identify patterns, beliefs, and somatic responses that may be limiting your capacity for sustainable practice. The future vision protocol—a forward-looking EMDR technique—becomes a framework for exploring what you truly want from your professional and personal life, and what stands in your way.

Throughout the weekend, you'll benefit from the supportive presence of fellow clinicians who understand the particular demands of trauma work. Erika's dual expertise in EMDR therapy and yoga creates a rare blend of clinical rigor and embodied practice. By retreat's end, you'll have practical tools and a renewed sense of possibility for your own wellbeing and your work with clients.

Venue & Logistics

The retreat takes place at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts—a welcoming, peaceful retreat center nestled in the Berkshires. The weekend begins Friday, November 20, 2026. Wear comfortable clothing suitable for gentle movement; Kripalu provides meals and accommodations. The center is accessible and designed for rest; inquire directly about specific accessibility needs.