Grief Alchemy
Our five day grief tending retreats have been held in Cornwall, Somerset and Portugal. The retreat blends community ritual practices with deep embodiment and grief tending workshops.
waitlist only
This profoundly life-shifting experience is centred around the exploration and integration of grief, in all its forms. Together we will explore how to cultivate a new relationship with grief, creating the space to feel it all and welcoming in transformation and alchemy.
Originating from the Latin root word ‘tener’ meaning soft and gentle; grief tending invites us to bring gentleness, compassion and kindness to our grief. Tend to your grief in circle and ceremony as a way to honour loss in community, move your body with gentle yoga and nervous system somatic practices, breathe new life and freedom into your heart with breathwork, and welcome grief as a gateway to a deeper connection to yourself and life itself.
We have designed the retreat for you to move fluidly between group workshops, embodiment practices and individual support. We intend to hold a space for you to allow your grief to be stirred, feel safe to express and release, and invite in the potential for healing and transformation.
This is a holistic experience for mind, body and heart. You will be nourished with incredibly delicious organic food and invited to soak in the healing lands of our beautiful venue partners, enhancing your connection to nature and self.
Rest, release and soften into the welcoming arms of this Grief Alchemy retreat.
– Helen
“I can’t describe to you what has happened to me since and because of our Grief Alchemy retreat. I keep referring to is as transformation, but actually I think it’s liberation.”
– Amber
“One of the most incredible experiences I have had in a long time, if not ever. Nici and her amazing team held a space that felt as safe as they come.”
Meet the team
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Nici Harrison
Core team facilitator
Nici Harrison is founder of The Grief Space offering grief circles, retreats, and trainings. Her work to remember the lost art of grief tending and to create a space where grief can be deeply acknowledged, witnessed and welcomed. Nici has curated this retreat to support you experience grief tending as a gateway to the raw and vulnerable wonder of being alive.
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Veronica Stanwell
Core team facilitator
Veronica is a multidisciplinary healing arts practitioner and founder of Rooted Healing, weaving her love for land, ceremony, somatics and song into intimate explorations for connection, healing and growth. Her MSc studentship in Transpersonal Psychology is driven by the remembrance of ancient wisdom in our quest towards belonging.
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Charlie Gavins
Core team facilitator
Charlie has apprenticed with grief tending and supported on many of The Grief Space retreats and rituals. Having recently returned from many years in Sad Ghuru’s ashram his daily life is a devotional offering. Charlie is also an artist manager believing that it is the role of the artist is to make revolution irresistible. Charlie’s presence on the retreats is invaluable and grounding.
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Sienna Richardson
Core team facilitator
Sienna is a highly regarded Somatic Therapist, Clinician and Speaker. She has lived experience and clinical expertise in the areas of trauma, addiction, recovery and healing. Her work draws on the modalities of body psychotherapy, trauma theory, somatic processing, yoga and mindfulness and she is passionate about supporting her clients to live an embodied, meaningful life.
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Deborah Maddison
Guest workshop
Deborah will be sharing TRE® (Tension & Trauma Release Exercises) with the group. She is beautiful at holding safe spaces for people to reconnect to themselves. She still uses these practices daily to come home to herself, as they support nervous system regulation, release from tension and a deeper connection to herself and life.
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Ciara Sherlock
Bodywork therapist
Ciara will be supporting retreat participants by offering individual BioDynamic Bodywork sessions. She is passionate about her holistic approach to enquiry and healing, with particular interest gentle, nurturing yet powerfully therapeutic massage that helps to unblock physical, emotional and energetic holdings as they manifest in the body. Her eclectic training and experience includes working with those suffering from PTSD and grief.
These sessions are at an additional cost of £85 paid directly to Ciara.
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Jess Abis
Retreat chef
Jess co-founded her health brand, Natural State, in 2012. When not busy working with farmers or consulting on regenerative sourcing, Jess cooks for retreats and events. Her menus are based on the principles of macrobiotics and Ayurveda, eating to balance and harmonise. The food is organic as much as possible and bought from local farmers, many of whom Jess knows personally through her work.
“We only grieve for what we love; so in this way grief is evidence of our love. Grief becomes an act of love that breaks our hearts open to the vast and beautiful landscape of gratitude and aliveness.”
— Francis Weller
A typical day
8am – breakfast
9.30 – Grief tending circle
12.30pm – Lunch
1.30pm – Free time or bodywork sessions
3.30pm – Embodiment workshop (TRE / Breathwork)
6.30pm – Dinner
8pm – Group integration
Booking
Register your name for the waitlist.
