Vital Cycles Retreat Healing Guidelines

The healing environment at Vital Cycles meetings and events is everyone’s responsibility. To attend our retreats, each of us needs to be willing to do our part to maintain the Healing Environment for everyone. We do this by:

Respecting Others

      At all Vital Cycles events, and especially at retreats, respecting the safety, needs, feelings, and beliefs of others is central to maintaining the healing environment. At Vital Cycles events, we show this respect by:

• Listening to the direction of workshop leaders, facilitators, and healing environment nurturers.
• Always allowing others the freedom to choose when they are up for touch, such as hugging and holding hands.  Please gain other members permission before making physical contact.
• Alerting others before sharing graphic trauma information. Each of us can leave the room at any time in order to stay grounded.
• Engaging in healthy discussions in search of healing while avoiding proselytizing and attacking religious and political beliefs of others.
• Ensuring that our contacts and our conversations are always safe and non-sexual.

Witnessing Others

Healing through sharing is an integral part of Vital Cycles meetings and events. We support this healing process by:

• Quietly witnessing the sharing and healing work of others and allowing them to share free of interruption.
• Asking other members’ permission before offering positive responses to their sharing.
• Listening without judgment or criticism- We will not discount any memories any member has.
• Maintaining Confidentiality:  What is said here must stay here.

Exercising Self-Care

When we strive towards proper self-care, not only do we remain more relaxed, and grounded, we progress further in our own healing, and do our part towards creating a healing environment for everyone. Some parts of self-care at a retreat are:

Choice

• Members are free to participate at a level that is comfortable for them.  For example: We can pass the literature to the next person without reading.  We can say “pass” instead of introducing ourselves, or we can introduce ourselves in a manner that is most healing to us. 

• Using grounding techniques can sometimes help us to stay emotionally present.

• Members are encouraged to step outside the room at any time to prevent becoming overwhelmed or shutting down. We find it much more helpful to be outside the room for a while and be able to feel safe, rather than be in it and not feel safe. 
• We recommend sharing in a way that keeps you balanced and healing.

Additional Note on Maintaining the Healing Environment

Everyone maintains responsibility for their own actions. We have no one in the role of therapist at our retreats and events.  The information shared at this retreat is simply the sharing of Strength, Courage, Hope and Joy of the workshop leaders, one member to another.

Some members may fill the roles of healing environment nurturer or facilitator. The members in these roles will be introduced during the opening meeting as well as during workshops. At times, the HEN or facilitator may step in to support the Healing Environment. Members who are not able to adhere to the guidelines may be asked to step out for a private discussion,  asked to leave the retreat, and/or be prevented from attending future events.