Women’s Christian IFS
Soul Care Retreat
Friday, September 27th – Sunday, September 29th
Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia at Peaks of Otter Lodge
Retreat Experience
Join us and a group of about 10 women on a journey toward healing in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. 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.
Want to attend?
We would love to host you! Based on the nature of this intimate and contemplative retreat we are asking our potential guests to consider the following criteria before registering:
- No less than 6 months of experience as a client in IFS therapy
- Have recently read or listened to an IFS book
- Interest in growing in your ancient Christian contemplative prayer practices in community with other like-minded women, including the Examen, Lectio Divina, Breath Prayers, etc.
How do I Register?
You haven’t missed registration! We have not opened registration for this retreat yet. Please sign up here to receive e-mail updates about when registration will open.
learn more about the retreat leaders below.
Retreat Duration
The retreat will begin on Friday, September 27th at 10 am at the peaceful and serene Peaks of Otter Lodge. Our journey and time together will end Sunday, September 29th at 2 pm.
Plan to arrive a day early to enjoy the surrounding area and explore the mountains and Blue Ridge Parkway near the lodge.
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 room’s porch with views of the beautiful and serene lake.
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 for a special time of community and prayer.
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. Relax and walk around the property or take a short drive to access trails on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
preparing the table, group blessing, and group dining
An intentional time of creating beauty at the place where 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 room for rest and sleep.
Amenities & Food
- Private lakefront room
- 7 nutritious and delicious meals that you don’t have to cook or clean up
- Walking trails and fire pit
- Places to sit and journal and reflect
- Nearby outdoor amenities for hiking and viewing the landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains
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.
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
The retreat cost is $1630 which includes 2 nights and 3 days at the Peaks of Otter Lodge. You will have a private room and bathroom which overlooks the lake.
Your investment includes retreat materials and therapeutic activities, 7 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 learn more about the lodge’s food services.
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.
payment options
You may pay in full $1630, at the time of your registration or make two, $815 installments. The first installment is due at the time of registration and the second installment is due by July 28, 2023. Registration will remain open until the retreat is full or July 28th, 2023.
cancellation policy
If you have to need to cancel, you will be issued a full refund of the amount you have paid minus 4% processing fee- IF you cancel before July 28, 2023.
Due to the reservation policies of Peaks of Otter, cancellations after July 28, 2023, your reservation fee is non-refundable. These non-refundable fees cover facility rentals and contracted expenses to Peaks of Otter.
travel arrangements
You can plan to travel to Roanoke or Lynchburg on Thursday the 26th
Some direct flights may be available to the Roanoke airport. ROA is a scenic 55-minute drive to the retreat.
Flights into the Lynchburg airport (LRA) will come in from Charlotte, NC so there are no direct flights into Lynchburg. LRA is a beautiful 40-minute drive to the retreat center.
The Peaks of Otter Lodge can help you book extra nights on the front and back end of the retreat.
Join Us! Space is Limited.
Click the ‘Contact Us’ button below to complete the contact form indicating your interest in attending. We will contact you when registration is open and provide you with instructions on how to register.
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.”