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A trauma-informed retreat is one that’s designed around safety, choice, and trust, so that women with all kinds of life experiences can take part without being pushed past what their nervous system can comfortably hold. The phrase has become popular, though, and it now appears on many retreat listings without much explanation of what it means in practice.
I’m Veronica Mirzac, founder of Reconnect Retreats, and I’ve been running trauma-informed and somatic based women’s retreats at Sharbot Lake for about five years. In this guide I’ll explain where the term comes from, share the questions I’d ask any retreat before booking, and describe a few signs that a retreat may not be the right fit for you.
What does trauma-informed actually mean?
Trauma-informed means a program is built with the understanding that many people carry experiences of trauma, and is set up so it doesn’t recreate the conditions that made those experiences harmful. The most widely used definition comes from SAMHSA, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, whose 2014 guidance describes six key principles (SAMHSA’s framework on youth.gov).
| Principle | What it can look like at a retreat |
|---|---|
| Safety | A small group, clear agreements about confidentiality, and a calm, predictable setting where you know what’s happening and when |
| Trustworthiness and transparency | A published schedule, clear pricing, and plain answers about who the facilitators are and how they’re trained |
| Peer support | A circle where women support one another, with as much room to listen as to share |
| Collaboration and mutuality | Facilitators who work alongside participants rather than presenting themselves as the ones with all the answers |
| Empowerment, voice, and choice | Every activity is optional, practices can be adapted, and you decide how much you share |
| Cultural, historical, and gender issues | An awareness that women arrive with different backgrounds and histories, and that a women-only space can feel different from a mixed one |
Being trauma-informed isn’t the same as offering therapy, and it doesn’t mean you’ll be asked to revisit painful memories. It describes how the whole experience is set up, from the first email you receive to the closing circle.
Questions to ask before you book a retreat
A retreat that takes these principles seriously will be happy to answer the questions below, and the way they answer can tell you as much as the answers themselves.
- Who are the facilitators, and how are they trained? Look for named people with specific training in trauma-informed, somatic, or mental health work, rather than general wellness titles with no detail behind them.
- How big is the group, and how many facilitators will be there? A smaller group with more than one facilitator means someone can support a participant who needs a moment while the session carries on.
- Is every activity optional? You should be able to sit out, adapt, or step away from any practice without having to explain yourself.
- What happens if something difficult comes up? A thoughtful retreat can tell you how they’d support you in the moment and what options exist afterward, including a referral to a registered professional when that’s appropriate.
- How are intense practices adapted? Some styles of breathwork aren’t suitable during pregnancy or with certain health conditions, so ask whether you’ll be asked about your health beforehand and how practices are modified.
- Can I see the schedule ahead of time? Knowing what each day holds helps many people settle, and a published schedule is a good sign of transparency.
- What exactly is included in the price? Ask about meals, accommodation, taxes, and activities, since two retreats with different prices can include very different things.
- Is there any support after the retreat? Coming home can feel like a big shift, so it helps to know whether there are follow-up emails, a group chat, or 1:1 sessions available afterward.
Signs a retreat may not be the right fit
No retreat is perfect, but a few patterns are worth pausing on before you book:
- Promises of a breakthrough, a healing, or a transformation within a set number of days
- Encouragement to push through discomfort, or an expectation that everyone shares in the circle
- Facilitators who aren’t named, or credentials that stay vague when you ask about them
- No clear answer about what happens if someone becomes overwhelmed
- Intense practices offered without any health questions or preparation beforehand
- A schedule that runs from early morning to late at night with little time to rest
- Extra costs that only appear after you’ve paid a deposit
If you come away from your questions feeling rushed or unsure, that’s worth noticing, and it’s completely okay to keep looking until a retreat feels right for you.
How we approach this at Reconnect Retreats
At Reconnect Retreats, all of our facilitators are trained, experienced and certified and/or licensed, with thousands of hours of practice and more than 30 years of experience between us.
Here’s how we answer each of the questions above.
| What you might ask | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| Who facilitates? | I lead each retreat with Jinny Jacinto, a Compassionate Inquiry mentor and practitioner, and meals are prepared by Irine Dubinski, a private chef, Registered Social Services Worker, and certified mindfulness practitioner |
| How big is the group? | Small and women only, with two facilitators |
| Is everything optional? | Every practice is guided and adaptable, nothing is mandatory, and sharing in circle is always an invitation |
| Can I see the schedule? | A day-by-day schedule is published on each retreat page before you book |
| What’s included? | One price covering HST, all workshops, facilitation, private chef meals, and lakeside cottage accommodation, with no extra charges once you arrive |
| What about afterward? | Integration workbook, plus 1:1 psychosomatic sessions and psychotherapy through our team if you’d like ongoing support |
I’m also starting original research into how trauma-informed retreat experiences affect nervous system regulation and well-being, because I want to understand this work as carefully as we offer it. You can see the full schedule and pricing for our weekend retreat and our immersive retreat.
Frequently asked questions
What is a trauma-informed retreat?
A trauma-informed retreat is designed around safety, choice, transparency, and trust, often following principles such as SAMHSA’s six key principles, so that participants are never pushed past what feels manageable for them.
Is a trauma-informed retreat the same as therapy?
A trauma-informed retreat isn’t therapy and doesn’t diagnose or treat mental health conditions, though a good retreat can point you toward a registered professional if you’d like that kind of support.
Will I have to talk about my trauma?
You never have to share your history at a trauma-informed retreat, and sharing in any form is always optional.
Are trauma-informed retreats only for people who have experienced trauma?
They’re for anyone, since the approach simply makes the space feel safer and more respectful for everyone, whatever they’ve lived through.
How can I tell if a retreat facilitator is qualified?
Ask for their names, their specific training, and how long they’ve been leading groups, and look for certifications in trauma-informed, somatic, or mental health work rather than general titles.
Where can I find a trauma-informed women’s retreat in Ontario?
Reconnect Retreats runs trauma-informed, women-only retreats at Sharbot Lake, about 3 hours from Toronto and 1.5 hours from Ottawa, in both a three-day weekend format and a five-day immersive format.
If you’re new to retreats, you might also like my guide, What to Expect at Your First Women’s Retreat in Ontario. What to Expect at Your First Women’s Retreat in Ontario
About the author
Veronica Mirzac is the founder of Reconnect Retreats Inc. and has led women’s retreats at Sharbot Lake, Ontario, for about five years. She is dual certified in Somatic Life Coaching, Emotional Processing & Nervous System Regulation Practitioner through the Mind Body Food Institute, is a certified breathwork facilitator and yoga teacher, and is completing professional training in Compassionate Inquiry, the approach developed by Dr. Gabor Maté.
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