For most people, the primary template for our intimate relationships is the example provided by our parents. While this template remains unchallenged, what we witnessed them do (or not do) in their own relationship and the ways they related to others will influence our own relationship choices. So when we face relationship struggles in our own lives, we can often get a sense of ‘Groundhog Day’ and feel ill-equipped to deal with them…

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Matthew Pruen has built on a fifteen years of working with couples in one-to-one and group settings. He’s also worked as a Hoffman facilitator since 2008. Emma Pruen is a Family Constellations Facilitator and shamanic practitioner. 

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For this specially-developed relationship retreat in France, Matthew and Emma will draw on their vast experience, as well as a wider range of wisdom traditions, including the teachings of psychotherapist David Richo and Harville Hendrix’s Imago Relationship Therapy.

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Who is the workshop for?

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The four-day retreat is designed for anyone wanting to develop their ability to enjoy life in their intimate relationships. It aims to support attendees in achieving real breakthrough. The intention of the course is to get couples connected again – through clear communication, witnessing each other and rebuilding respect, trust and intimacy and for individuals not in relationship to resource themselves for their next partnership.

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Couples seeking to part well will also gain from the experience. After all, the skills required to find respectful closure are the very same needed to create a healthy future together – communication, understanding and trust.

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A large proportion of this workshop’s content is experiential (rather than theoretical). It provides a unique opportunity to learn and grow by experiencing tools and practices, and sharing in a group setting.

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What will the workshop cover?

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The course will look at:

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• Healthy versus unhealthy relationships – recognising co-dependency and addiction and how to be an adult in relationships

• Setting healthy boundaries in relationships

• Communication skills – learning how to express your needs healthily, and how to really listen and be heard

• Intimacy and commitment – fears we all share and how to overcome them

• How the past is present in relationships – exploring the impact of our past and learning ways to do things differently

• Healing our unmet needs from childhood – learning how to ‘self-parent’

• The introvert/extrovert or ‘maximiser/minimiser’ dimensions of relating

• From Transference to transformation – the role of Transference in relationships and how to work with it

• Developing our spiritual resources to support and guide us.

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The practicalities​

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• The cost for the retreat is £699 per person or £1200 per couple which includes all accommodation, meals and refreshments. It includes transfers from Bordeaux airport or Chalais train station but does not include flights. You can reserve your place by paying a £300 deposit, with the remaining balance to be paid by 1 July.

• Arrival between 2-4pm on 27th July and departing from 2pm on 30th July (for flight leaving Bordeaux after 5pm.)

• Breakfast is at 8am and we start work at 9.00am. We break for lunch at 1pm. Afternoons are free to lie by the pool, take a massage, take a walk  or borrow a bike and explore the local vineyards. We will commence at 5.00pm and work until supper at 8pm. The retreat is fully residential.

• There will be short refreshment breaks and a longer break for meals. All special dietary requirements can be catered for (at an extra charge).

• The workshop content spans four days; there is not the option just to do one day on its own. 

• The fee for this workshop is non-transferable. Last-minute cancellations may be subject to an admin fee. Bookings cancelled within fourteen days of the start of the course will not be refunded.
   

To benefit fully from your workshop, please do make sure that the course you are booking reflects your current circumstance. Details of other relationship workshops and retreats in London, France and elsewhere can be found here.