Somatic therapy retreats
Retreats /
Therapeutic immersions
in the beautiful Azores
Who is this retreat for?
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Despite whatever efforts you‘ve made, you cannot fully recover from trauma following a car accident, concussion, or surgery.
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Unexplained symptoms have disrupted your daily life, such as persistent headaches, loss of balance, numbness in your limbs, bodily pain, or overwhelming fatigue. Your doctor cannot determine a clear cause and provides you with a hardly useful piece of advice: “You need to learn to live with this.“
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You’ve been told you have a neurodegenerative condition for which there is currently no cure, such as Parkinson’s, MS, or fibromyalgia.
If mainstream medical treatments have not resolved your ailments — if relief has been temporary and your symptoms tend to return — this may mean that they have not addressed the root cause. To heal truly, you may need to go deeper.
Why somatic therapy?
But how do you know where to look? You may have tried many approaches, visited multiple specialists, each focusing on a separate aspect of your condition: physiotherapists and massage therapists deal with your muscles, osteopaths with your fascial system; psychologists with your emotional landscape.
Somatic therapy addresses body, mind, and soul in concert. It views the physical, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of a person as threads of one interwoven fabric.
This approach may help you realize that pain and illness are not just failures of your body, but rather, the bodily felt signs pointing toward genuine healing.
Why Azores?
Since time immemorial, people have sought places of power with majestic natural features radiating potent energy for physical and spiritual restoration. It is easier to break the chains of old habits when you step outside your familiar daily life and give your soul an elixir of beauty and joy.
For me, São Miguel is — the largest island of the Azores Archipelago — is one of such places. Here, steep verdant mountains plunge into clear turquoise ocean waters, and roads lined with hydrangeas wind across the landscape like decorative ribbons.
Between sessions, you will have plenty of time to experience the island’s wonders: the rugged shoreline, waterfalls, lookout points where the breath catches and the body whispers, “Yes… I feel it too.”
One-to-one or small group healing mode
I believe that healing requires human connection — sincere, trusting, and unfiltered.
It can be cultivated through one-to-one work with a therapist or in a small, intimate group. One advantage of the group format is that collective sessions and discussions may help reveal certain parts of yourself you may overlook alone.
Families are welcome as well.
The program is shaped around the specific needs and abilities of participants, clarified during preliminary consultations. Each participant will receive an individual session every day.
Planning Your Stay
Each recovery intensive is designed around your individual needs. Rather than offering a standard "all-inclusive" retreat, I prefer to create an experience that fits your personal rhythm, physical condition, and preferences.
Accommodation, meals, and transportation are arranged individually, with my guidance if needed. Depending on your wishes and budget, you may stay in a quiet village cottage, a spacious apartment with your family, or a hotel overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
You may eat out in charming Portuguese tavernas, or, if you enjoy cooking, you may prepare your own meals using the island's exceptional local ingredients. If you prefer, I can also prepare fresh, home-cooked meals tailored to your individual nutritional needs and preferences, using seasonal produce, locally caught fish, artisan cheeses, and other regional specialties.
For those who wish, we also offer private excursions beyond the usual tourist routes, discovering some of São Miguel's hidden landscapes and quiet places. These outings are not simply sightseeing—they are an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with nature, and support the process of recovery in a relaxed and inspiring environment.
The duration of each intensive is individualized. While the program can be adapted to your circumstances, I generally recommend staying for at least one week, allowing enough time for both the therapeutic work and the natural integration that the unique environment of the Azores makes possible.
Stories from the Azores
Experiences from individual recovery intensives
"This trip was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I travelled to the Azores with my partner and our 18-month-old son. The islands themselves are extraordinary — beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, hot springs, dramatic coastlines, and endless opportunities for adventure. We were initially nervous about travelling so far with a young child, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions we have ever made.
I had already worked with Tatiana for my chronic pain and had experienced changes that no other form of therapy had been able to achieve. What made this experience unique was the opportunity for Tatiana to work not only with me, but with our entire family. Through observing our family dynamics, she helped us better understand ourselves, improve communication, and strengthen our relationship.
One of the most unexpected parts of the experience involved our son. Since his traumatic birth and NICU stay, I had ongoing concerns about his breathing and overall wellbeing, despite repeated reassurance that everything was fine. Remarkably, Tatiana noticed some of these concerns without me even mentioning them. Over the course of our stay, she worked gently with him while he slept, and we witnessed changes that brought tears to my eyes. The improvements we saw affected not only him, but our entire family.
Combining this deeply personal work with the beauty and restorative atmosphere of the Azores created an experience unlike anything we had ever known. The impact of this journey will stay with us for the rest of our lives, and we remain profoundly grateful for the opportunity to work with Tatiana."
Gillian R., Canada