Women’s Christian IFS
Soul Care Retreat
September 29-October 1, 2023 |The Retreat Center at Lake Logan
25 Wormy Chestnut Lane, Canton, NC, 28716
Retreat Experience
Sorry we missed you! Registration is full for 2023 retreat.
Click here to join the Interest list for 2024 Retreats!
Join us and a group of about 10-14 women on a journey toward healing in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. Together we will spend time creating space for the parts of your soul needing attention and care. Our thoughtful and Certified-IFS clinicians will guide you through a weekend of experiences grounded in the Christian faith. You will have plenty of time to rest and restore by the serene mountain lake while reconnecting with God.
If you’re considering this retreat, we are praying for your discernment of whether this is the time for God to meet you where you are through this place set apart from everyday life. In the practice of soul care and exploring one’s inner landscape, Vanessa and Julie have trekked their own journey’s by utilizing IFS as a vehicle to grow in their relationship with the Lord. They are honored to guide you where the Lord is nudging you, gently yet deeply, because they know what it’s like to seek health and wholeness through painful experiences with Christ at the center. They’re passionate about taking Biblical principles and making them practical for everyday living.
learn more about the retreat leaders below.
Retreat Duration
Arrive between 12PM-1PM on Friday, September 29, 2023, at the peaceful and serene Lake Logan property. A boxed lunch will be available to give you time to explore the grounds and settle in the main gathering lodge. You will be able to check-in to your cabin at 3PM.
We will journey our way through the weekend and depart on Sunday, October 1, 2023, by 11:00 AM after breakfast and a closing circle.
A Peek at the Weekend
Imagine what a refreshing experience this will be for your body and soul!
wake up
Ease into your day sipping coffee/tea resting on your cabin’s porch with a babbling brook of the Pigeon River or facing the beautiful, peaceful Lake Logan.
breathwork, movement, and stretching
Doxa Soma (Christian Yoga) trained leader will guide participants through a series of gentle stretches and breath prayers.
breakfast and group dining
Join the group for an intimate breakfast at the retreat lodge, gathering around the handmade farm table surrounded by natural light and views of the lake.
contemplative prayer
Contemplative prayer is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of being with God and interior silence with the aim of nourishing and deepening your relationship with the Indwelling Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
christ-centered ifs meditation and prayer
Participants will be led through a meditation that will cultivate grounding and spaciousness for the soul. After journaling, you will have time to collectively share your experience. This will be a pressure-free space where you will be given the option of how much you share in the group gatherings.
authentic movement
Authentic movement is a space where no one is telling you how to be in your body and no task is telling you to move in a particular way. This spaciousness sometimes leads participants to access pre-verbal and/or non-verbal parts of your soul. Oftentimes, these unseen and unheard parts are driving our decisions without our awareness. We’re telling our bodies how to move, here in Authentic Movement we learn how to listen to how our bodies need to move.
lunch and group dining or on your own in nature
Join back at the retreat lodge for lunch or choose a special location on the property to nourish your body and spend time in nature.
lectio divina
Lectio Divina is Latin for “divine reading.” It is an ancient practice of praying the scriptures where you will listen to the text of the Bible with the “ear of the heart.” You will be guided through moments of hearing scripture, reflecting and meditating on that scripture, and resting in the Word of God which is intended to deepen your relationship with our loving Lord, Jesus Christ.
parts sculpting/psychodrama
By externalizing the inner landscape, we gain perspective which allows us to have a kinder relationship with ourselves.
relax, restore, and reconnect in nature
Leaders will have journaling prompts and expressive art offerings available during personal time. Relaxing and walking around the property of Lake Logan are encouraged.
preparing the table, group blessing, and group dining
An intentional time of creating beauty at the place we gather to ‘break bread’ while blessing one another.
campfire
A collective unburdening exercise will be facilitated using rocks, art, etc. You’ll have time to reflect on the day’s experience under the stars and by the sounds of the peaceful rhythms of the lake along with time of worship & prayer.
wrap up and retire to bed
Retire to your cozy cabin for rest and sleep.
Amenities
You will be assigned to an adorable, rustic cabin with one other participant. Each person will have their own room and share bathroom and kitchenette amenities including a mini-fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. Most of the cabins do not have a common space so the kitchenette is in one of the large bedrooms. Linens and towels are provided. Wi-fi is NOT available.
We chose this venue not only for the beauty of God’s creation but also for the simplicity of the space. Please care for yourself and bring any items that will make your experience more comfortable. Cabins are not well insulated so they recommend bringing an extra layer of clothing or an electric blanket for the cooler evenings.
Retreat Leaders
Vanessa Crisp, LCSW and Julie Honeycutt, LPC are the retreat leaders and are excited to host you for a weekend of restoration.
vanessa crisp
Vanessa is a certified IFS therapist (2021) and completed level 3 IFS training in 2022. Over the past 9 years, Vanessa has focused her clinical attention on the integration of Christianity, IFS, and complex trauma. She helps clients learn how to heal the traumas from their past and restore their relationship with God and Self.
Vanessa is honored for you to attend this retreat and create opportunities to connect to yourself and God. She will help you engage in healing by offering a trauma informed and rhythmic approach that will cultivate self-awareness, compassion, and inner peace. A native of Western North Carolina, Vanessa is excited for you to explore the place she calls home!
You can learn more about Vanessa by clicking the button below.
julie honeycutt
Julie is a certified IFS therapist (2011) and completed Level 3 IFS training in 2008 under the teaching of the founder and creator of IFS, Dr. Schwartz. Julie’s integration of IFS and the Judeo-Christian worldview began in 2004 while finishing her integration of faith & counseling degree at Reformed Theological Seminary.
Julie’s the wife of an Eastern Orthodox priest and they moved to Lynchburg, Virginia a couple of years ago to enter into a slower lifestyle. She’s looking forward to making space for you in this retreat for spiritual practices of slowing, savoring and soaking. Through stillness-of-mind exercises, she guides her clients in learning how to listen to God, and themselves, by learning what it means to ‘take your thoughts captive’ with compassion and radical self-acceptance.
You can learn more about Julie by clicking the button below.
Investment
Fees includes 2 nights in a cozy cabin with either 2 twins or a double bed. Each room can accommodate two guests so unless otherwise specified, you will have a room to yourself.
If you’re interested in coming to the retreat with friends, please ask us about the options for sharing a room/cabin.
Your investment includes all materials for creative activities, 6 meals you don’t have to cook or clean up, healthy snacks, and beverages. You are encouraged to bring your favorite snacks and drinks. Click here to see the retreat center’s sample menus.
Your investment also includes retreat leaders who are certified-IFS therapists who have learned from an array of mentors in helping professions including pastors, priests, spiritual directors, fitness instructors, and leading psychotherapists in the field of counseling. Their experience reaches far beyond the classroom or workshops to bring you a unique experience of deepening your faith while fostering emotional and relational healing. Vanessa and Julie have committed their professions to be aligned with their faith in spirit, mind, and body, thus providing a high quality experience of the therapeutic IFS model firmly grounded in the Christian faith as it is understood with peace and grace. They are devoted Christians committed to seeking truth in the Scriptures, church history and the collective experience of the human condition.
Retreat is Full! Learn How to Join the Waitlist
Click the ‘Contact Us’ button below to complete the contact form indicating your interest in attending. You will then receive information about how to join the waitlist.
until we meet, we offer you a blessing with the words of john o’donahue from his work, to bless the space between us : a book of blessings.
“Blessed be the longing that brought you here
And quickens your soul with wonder.
May you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire
That disturbs you when you have settled for something safe.
May you have the wisdom to enter generously into your own unease
To discover the new direction your longing wants you to take.”