People of all types in search of improving the quality of their lives would benefit from Possibilities. Many people feel that in some aspect of their lives they lack fulfillment and meaning or are troubled by events in their past that continue to interfere with living a truly satisfying existence. They are seeking personal growth, healing, development, and lasting positive changes but feel stuck, lost, confused, or psychologically challenged in certain facets of their lives. People from diverse backgrounds and disciplines including professionals, executives, managers, healthcare workers, helping professionals, business owners, spouses, adults, and family members all share the desire to achieve greater personal happiness, inner peace, balance, intimacy with others, and overall well being.

Possible reasons for attending Possibilities include issues with intimacy, interpersonal dissatisfaction or conflict, relationships and family, anger, career, creativity, motivation or apathy, spirituality, meaning of life, depression, anxiety, trauma, and post-addiction recovery.

Many people who have achieved material, financial, and occupational success complain that they still do not feel connected to others, cannot trust people or give and receive love, and are emotionally closed-off or guarded. They often feel that something in their life is missing or that they have been emotionally scarred by others in the past. Some are in life transition, feeling a loss of personal meaning or satisfaction in personal relationships or careers, while others are survivors of neglectful and abusive home environments or difficult life circumstances.

Indicators to see if Possibilities is right for you:

· I am too stressed or anxious and don't properly enjoy life.

· I get depressed moods or feel indifferent to others and the world.

· I feel that something is lacking in my life.

· I feel chronic dissatisfaction, meaningless, or emptiness.

· I am angry and resentful inside.

· I have intense guilt or shame that won't go away.

· I have not been successful in maintaining intimate or close relationships.

· I don't really know my true feelings or how to feel.

· I am mistrustful, suspicious, cautious, and guarded around others.

· I don't confide or let people into my life because I have always been hurt by others.

· I have been abandoned, rejected, invalidated, criticized, or judged by those most important or closest to me.

· I am lost or confused about what direction my life is going.

· I am easily intimidated, manipulated, coerced, or exploited by others.

· I can't stand up for myself or assert my needs.

· I am too self-absorbed and this hurts people closest to me.

· I cannot feel the full depths of my emotions, and as a result cannot express honest or loving feelings.

· I work compulsively, often to the detriment of my life.

· I can't seem to juggle work, family, recreation, and personal interests. I don't know how to achieve a balance.

· I am losing meaning, warmth, and connection in my marriage.

· My career has lost all purpose or satisfaction.

· I don't feel I have a spiritual aspect to my life.

· I don't know what it means to be intimate with others.

· I have failed in most relationships and don't know why.

· I am overwhelmed by my emotions most of the time.

· I realize that certain scars or wounds from childhood have never gone away and need to be addressed.

· I was deeply affected by the way I was treated by my parents growing up.

· I feel I was not given the love, acceptance, validation, support, or recognition that I need and deserve.

· I see that I am passing on my own suffering to my children and don't know how to change things.

· I have never really come to grips with my past.

· I have suffered abuse or trauma but have not properly dealt with it.

· I am in recovery from substance abuse, have been clean and sober for at least 3 months, and am now ready to deal with the original pain that led to my addiction.

What can I expect?

This is a psychological therapeutic retreat weekend and not some form of new age psychobabble, encounter group, or alternative therapy that boasts quick-fix solutions to life's problems. This is an interpersonal process in the form of group therapy that will be intense, emotionally powerful, psychologically healing, and socially open, honest, and respectful. Conducted by a licensed psychologist, this process will involve an intimate exploration of each members' life in a safe, sensitive, supportive, and reflective setting. Conflicts of many kinds will be addressed in the effort to find some meaning, resolution, integration, and healing while empowering members to take steps to actualize their possibilities which can lead to more fulfilling and rewarding lives.

Members do not need to be familiar with therapy nor have had previous group experience in order to attend. This process is not intended to be a substitute or alternative to psychotherapy but it could be seen to be an adjunct to current treatment or supplement other therapeutic modalities. Members may have previously been in therapy or they may have never had any therapy at all.

People from different backgrounds with different experiences make for the most honest and spontaneous interpersonal encounters that lead to increased insight, group cohesion, mutual connection, and emotional expansion. This is an intimate experience where you will likely feel close and bonded to those around you.

The retreat takes place in a beautiful private setting in central Ontario overlooking a 25 acre lake surrounded by 50 acres of woods and bush away from the distractions of the outside world. The group is conducted in a large open-concept house underneath a cathedral ceiling looking though a thirty-foot glass wall onto the lake and forest. This scenic environment is conducive to personal reflection and healing and adds an aesthetic and spiritual dimension to the process.

Retreat Schedule

The group will convene on Friday afternoon and end Sunday afternoon. Members will arrive between 4-5 pm and will be responsible for their own transportation. All food and lodging will be provided, however members will need to drive to and from their place of lodging held close to the retreat. The retreat schedule follows the following format:

How big is the group?

Between 6 to 8 members plus the facilitator.

Will I be intimidated to talk in a group setting?

Because the group is so small and personal, members need not be concerned about the social anxieties that can transpire in larger group environments. Members are conjoined in focus and purpose, and because of their mutual needs and desires, group cohesion, trust, closeness, connection, warmth, and emotional bonds are often quickly established. The facilitator will engender the therapeutic atmosphere necessary for emotional security, understanding, acceptance, validation, and healing that all members require.