Okay, so my wife and I, we’ve been hitting a rough patch lately. It’s nothing major, but just felt like we were talking past each other, not really connecting, you know? So I thought, maybe we need a change of scenery, some dedicated time to work on things. That’s when I started looking into this whole couples therapy weekend retreat thing. I typed “couples therapy weekend retreat near me” into the search bar and started digging.
First off, I looked at a bunch of different places. A lot of them were in kinda remote locations, which is cool, but we didn’t want to spend half the weekend driving. Eventually, I found a few options that were within a reasonable distance, like a couple of hours away.
Next, I started comparing what each retreat offered. Some were super focused on the therapy part, with like back-to-back sessions all day. Others were more about the “retreat” aspect, with yoga, nature walks, and stuff like that, and then a little bit of therapy mixed in. It felt like choosing a resort, it was a bit overwhelming.
- We read a bunch of reviews from other couples. That was super helpful. Some places had amazing reviews, others, not so much. You really get a feel for a place from what people are saying in the reviews.
- We checked out the therapists’ credentials. We wanted to make sure they were legit and had experience with couples. That’s important, you don’t want some quack messing with your relationship.
- Then there’s the cost. These things ain’t cheap. Some were a few hundred bucks, others were like thousands of dollars. We had to figure out what we could realistically afford.
After a lot of back and forth, we finally settled on a place called “Eden West.” It had good reviews, the therapists seemed qualified, and the price was within our budget. It was a nice place, not too far away, and they had a good balance of therapy and relaxation activities.
The Actual Retreat
We drove down there on a Friday afternoon. The place was beautiful, kind of like a fancy lodge in the woods. We checked in, got settled into our room, and then the sessions started. It was intense, I’m not gonna lie. We had group sessions, individual sessions, and couples sessions. They had us doing all these exercises to improve our communication and work through our issues. We even had homework!
But you know what? It was actually really good. The therapists were great. They helped us see things from each other’s perspectives and gave us tools to communicate better. We even had some fun, they had these activities like trust falls, and couples games that helped us reconnect.
There was another couples retreat offered in a place called “Eden East” in Bora Bora, which is where the movie “Couples Retreat” was filmed, but we thought it’s a bit too far for a weekend getaway. But if we had more time, we definitely would love to go.
By the end of the weekend, we were exhausted, but in a good way. We felt closer than we had in a long time. We weren’t “fixed” or anything, but we had a better understanding of each other and a plan for how to keep working on our relationship.
So, if you’re thinking about doing a couples therapy weekend retreat, I’d say go for it. Just do your research, find a place that’s a good fit for you, and be prepared to put in the work. It’s not a magic bullet, but it can definitely help. A lot of places even have customizable options for lodging, meeting spaces, and activities, so you can pick what you need. In the end, I feel we’re empowered with knowledge to improve our relationship.
