Event Details - 7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy & Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat

Imagine returning home from Costa Rica with more than memories—you leave with practical, evidence-informed somatic therapy skills you can immediately integrate into your work with trauma, PTSD, complex trauma, anxiety, and stress-related disorders.

Throughout this immersive training, internationally renowned somatic trauma expert Manuela Mischke-Reeds, MA, MFT, will guide you through the principles, techniques, and clinical applications of somatic psychotherapy and trauma-sensitive movement so you can confidently bring the body into trauma treatment while maintaining safety, regulation, and therapeutic effectiveness.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Blue Spirit Retreat Center in Nosara, Costa Rica, this experience offers far more than a traditional classroom training. Perched above the Pacific Ocean and overlooking a protected white-sand beach, Blue Spirit is internationally recognized as a destination for healing, wellness, and transformational learning. Here, you'll have the rare opportunity to step away from the demands of daily life and fully immerse yourself in both professional growth and personal renewal.

Through interactive lecture, live demonstrations, guided experiential practice, movement-based learning, and real-world clinical application, you'll learn how to assess readiness for body-based interventions, recognize trauma through nervous system and movement cues, and apply somatic strategies that help clients move from survival and dysregulation toward resilience, embodiment, and lasting healing.

And because the retreat itself is designed around the principles you're learning, you'll experience firsthand the power of embodiment, mindfulness, nervous system regulation, and restoration.

Between training sessions, enjoy nourishing meals, stunning ocean views, time for reflection, and the natural beauty of Costa Rica's Pacific coast—allowing you to deepen your learning while reconnecting with your own sense of presence, balance, and well-being. Plus, you'll meet a supportive community of clinicians committed to advancing trauma-informed care.

You'll Leave Costa Rica With:

Practical somatic psychotherapy tools you can use immediately with clients.
Greater confidence integrating body-based approaches into trauma treatment.
Clear strategies for assessing client readiness and avoiding overwhelm.
Enhanced ability to recognize trauma through posture, breath, movement, and nervous system cues.
Renewed energy, resilience, and inspiration for your clinical work.

Earn up to 19 CE hours, expand your trauma-treatment expertise, and experience the restorative beauty of Costa Rica while gaining skills that can transform your work—and the lives of your clients—for years to come.

A Note from Manuela

Early in my career, I discovered that talk therapy alone was not enough for many trauma survivors. To support transformative healing, I needed to help clients decode what their bodies were saying. This realization sparked my lifelong exploration of somatic intelligence and its extraordinary power in trauma integration.

I know you are deeply committed to relieving the pain of clients healing from trauma, or perhaps you are working with your own personal trauma. Somatic therapies tap into the body’s natural intelligence, the innate capacity to self-heal, and bring a dynamic, effective dimension to integrative care.

Wherever you are in your journey in integrating somatic therapies and movement in your clinical practice—this retreat will give you the tools to help your clients get unstuck and finally make real progress in therapy.

See you in Nosara! Pura Vida!

- Manuela

What if you had the confidence to recognize trauma as it unfolds in the body and the skills to respond in ways that foster safety, regulation, and lasting change?

This immersive retreat training will provide you with practical, evidence-informed somatic psychotherapy and trauma-sensitive movement strategies that can be immediately integrated into your current clinical approach. You will learn:

How to assess client readiness for body-based interventions
Identify trauma responses through observation of the body
Apply safe, effective techniques that promote stabilization, emotional regulation, resilience, and trauma integration.

You'll leave able to recognize trauma through the lens of the nervous system, work safely and effectively with the body, and help clients move from survival and dysregulation toward resilience, embodiment, and lasting healing. Along the way, you'll deepen your own capacity for presence, regulation, and renewal in the tranquil setting of Blue Spirit Costa Rica.

Leave with a Practical Toolkit That Includes:

Somatic interventions for trauma, stress, anxiety, PTSD, and complex PTSD.
Body awareness and tracking methods to assess trauma responses and treatment progress.
Grounding, regulation, boundary, breath, and mindfulness practices you can immediately use with clients.
Trauma-sensitive movement exercises designed to build emotional resources, resilience, and embodiment.
Clear guidelines for determining when body-based and movement interventions are appropriate, and when they are not.

Start the new year surrounded by the natural beauty of Costa Rica's Pacific coast. January's warm temperatures, abundant sunshine, and vibrant tropical landscapes provide the ideal setting to deepen your learning, restore your nervous system, and reconnect with yourself in a truly transformative retreat experience.

As part of one of the world’s rare Blue Zones, Nosara offers an invitation: move your body daily, rest deeply, and return to what truly matters.

At Blue Spirit Retreat Center, you’ll find delicious vegetarian food that has been carefully crafted to fuel the body. You can spend your free time easily going back and forth between the warm ocean and saltwater pool... or experience a world-class spa treatment.

Live like a local and ride into Playa Guiones for their famous artisan farmers market, take a surf lesson, or book a once-in-a-lifetime nature excursion. The options in Costa Rica are endless.

Your Journey to this Costa Rican Paradise Includes*:

A robust training experience with lectures, demonstrations, and practical real-world applications
Up to 19 CE hours and course manual
Stunning views, peaceful environment, and saltwater pool
Pristine mountain jungle walking trails and 3 miles of white sand beaches
Private lodging for the duration of your stay
Luxurious room accommodation of choice, including scenic mountain or ocean view options
Free time for relaxation & excursions
All Standard Blue Spirit Amenities-
- Gourmet Vegetarian Cuisine (3 meals/day)
- Saltwater Infinity Pool
- On-Site Spa** (on-site reservations required)
- Direct access to Guiones Beach
- Deeply Relaxing Environment within the Costa Rican jungle
- Blue Spirit Cafe & Store**
- Convenient Travel – Blue Spirit Airport Shuttle Available & Highly Recommended**

Blue Spirit Costa Rica has a world class spa on site. Whether you’re experiencing underlying tensions in your tissues, seeking energetic balance, or simply in the mood to be pampered – all Blue Spirit bodyworkers, therapists, and counselors are highly qualified, excel in what they do, and enjoy being of service.

The Nosara Longevity Center at Blue Spirit offers a variety of health protocols and treatments to restore and maintain your state of optimal well-being and enhanced vitality. Developed by Blue Spirit founder, Stephan Rechtschaffen, MD.

Spa and longevity services can be booked once you arrive at the retreat center.

Guests rave about the treats at the café. If you like to start your day with a healthy superfood smoothie, fresh coconut water or fresh vegetable juice, or prefer to indulge in an afternoon cappuccino with an assortment of freshly made gluten-free and vegan snacks, the Blue Spirit Café is your spot. In the evening, guests like to mingle in the relaxing atmosphere while sipping excellent organic wines or refresh with a chilled artisanal beer or kombucha.

Whether you forgot your sunscreen at home or wish to treat yourself or friends at home with a little gift from Costa Rica: the Blue Spirit Store offers women’s and men’s apparel, spiritual books, gift items and snack foods, as well as personal and sundry items.

Session 1: Opening the Embodied Journey: Understanding Trauma Through the Body

Embodied Practice

Somatic arrival practice

Clinical Learning: The Essentials of Trauma, Stress, PTSD, and Complex PTSD

Overview acute stress, PTSD, and Complex PTSD
Post-traumatic growth
Understanding the Stress-trauma continuum and nervous system responses
Key body indicators of stress and trauma
Assess for dissociation & nervous system resilience
Understanding the Window of Tolerance as a guide for clinical decision-making

Experiential Practice

Understanding the soma from the inside out
Mapping your own nervous system

Clinical Demonstration: Trauma-informed somatic assessment to determine readiness for body-based interventions.

Session 2: Somatic Perspective of Trauma and Stress Symptoms

Embodied Practice

Developing somatic literacy through sensory exploration

Clinical Learning

Developing the clinician’s somatic eye
Limitations and risks
Reading posture, breath, gesture, movement, and sensory orientation
Somatic markers of nervous system regulation and protection
Five key trauma movement impulses: fight, flight, freeze, fawn and submit
The flow impulse: restoring adaptive capacity beyond survival

Practice Laboratory

Observation and body tracking

Clinical Demonstration: Accurately understanding somatic indicators and nervous system responses.

Session 3: Somatic Psychotherapy Fundamentals for Working with Trauma in the Body

Embodied Practice

Embodied safety through impulse movement

Clinical Learning: Somatic Psychotherapy Fundamentals

The Therapist’s Seat: embodied presence and therapeutic attitude when working with the body
Resource and resilience
Observing trauma body indicators as a diagnostic tool
Key somatic techniques: grounding, orienting, pendulation

Practice Laboratory

Safety-building exercises
Backbody Practice

Clinical Demonstration: Tracking present-moment somatic experience using mindfulness, contact statements, and body awareness to support therapeutic process without overwhelming the client.

Session 4: Tracking the Living Process

Embodied Practice

Movement for mindful awareness and nervous system regulation

Clinical Learning: Developing Present-Moment Awareness

Tracking present-moment experience
Following sensation and embodied experience
Using contact statements (Hakomi technique)
Supporting innate somatic intelligence
Learning when to stay with experience rather than intervene

Clinical Demonstration

Tracking the unfolding process in session

Practice Laboratory

Tracking and contact practice in small groups

Clinical Demonstration: Focus on extending tracking and contacting and discerning when to deepen the process safely.

Session 5: The Somatic Psychotherapy Toolbox: Interventions for Enhanced Effectiveness in Trauma Treatment

Embodied Practice

Micro-movements for nervous system regulation

Clinical Learning: Building the Somatic Psychotherapy Toolbox

Participants learn practical body-based interventions that support regulation, stabilization, and trauma resolution.

Grounding techniques for activating trauma states
Somatic orientation
Somatic resourcing techniques
Language and the somatic experience of the body (Hakomi techniques)
Pendulation & Titration techniques
Boundary interventions

Clinical Demonstration

Applying somatic interventions to support nervous system regulation

Practice Laboratory

Practicing somatic interventions in dyads

Clinical Demonstration: Applying somatic intervention, including grounding, orientation, pendulation, titration, resourcing, and boundary support, to regulate activation and restore nervous system stability.

Session 6: Breath, Voice, and Movement

Embodied Practice

Restorative and fluid movement practice

Clinical Learning

Introducing breath as a regulatory tool in the therapeutic process
The clinical use of voice modulation to support nervous system co-regulation
Reading Breath patterns as indicators of arousal states
Integrating breath and voice skills into somatic interventions

Practice Laboratory

Small-group breath and voice practice
Small-group discussion and integration

Clinical Demonstration: Applying somatic intervention, such as breath and voice, to regulate activation and restore nervous system stability.

Session 7: Restoring Adaptive Capacity Through Movement

Embodied Practice

Extended trauma-sensitive movement practice

Clinical Learning: Bringing Movement into Trauma Treatment

Principles of trauma-sensitive movement
Why movement transforms trauma: the neuroscience of motor memory and embodied change
Restoring self-agency through the body-based interventions
Completing interrupted defensive responses
Expanding resilience and embodied resources
What to avoid: risks, contraindications, and limitations

Practice Laboratory: Movement in trauma treatment sequences

Clinical Demonstration: Facilitating trauma-sensitive movement to support completion of defensive responses, restore self-agency, and integrate movement into psychotherapy treatment planning.

Session 8: Clinical Applications of Trauma-Sensitive Movement

Embodied Practice

Somatic explorations

Clinical Learning: Applying Movement Interventions

Anxiety and depression, PTSD, complex trauma, developmental trauma
Modulating client overwhelm while expanding relational capacity
Integrating movement with psychotherapy sessions
Evidence-based approaches that incorporate the body: Somatic Experiencing, Hakomi, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, EMDR, and journal writing with the body in mind
What to avoid: risks, contraindications, and limitations

Partner Practice and Case Applications

Clinical Demonstration: Facilitating trauma-sensitive movement and integrating movement into psychotherapy treatments. Integrating modalities.

Session 9: What Clinicians Need to Know: Vicarious Trauma, Countertransference, and Building Resilience

Embodied Practice

Practices for therapist nervous system regulation and presence

Clinical Learning

Somatic countertransference: recognizing and working with your own body’s responses
Vicarious trauma and burnout prevention
Embodied resilience practices for sustainable clinical work
Grounding strategies during difficult sessions
Common therapist somatic triggers
Building a sustainable trauma practice

Clinical Demonstration: Applying somatic intervention, such as boundary support, to regulate activation and restore nervous system stability and Co-regulation techniques.

Session 10: Integration, Clinical Application, and Closing

Embodied Practice

Closing movement and integration practice

Clinical Learning

Bringing the framework together: a somatic case conceptualization model
Treatment planning with somatic and movement interventions
Developing an individualized plan for integrating somatic psychotherapy and trauma-sensitive movement into clinical practice
Translating learning into everyday clinical practice
Questions and peer consultation

Closing Ritual

Reflection
Integration
Completion

Manuela Mischke-Reeds, MA, MFT, is a somatic trauma psychotherapist, author, international teacher of somatic psychology, and senior Hakomi trainer. She is the founder of Embodywise, an international learning community offering professional training in trauma therapy, somatic psychology, and the Hakomi Method, and is a co-founder of the Hakomi Institute of California.

She is the developer of the Innate Somatic Intelligence Trauma Therapy Approach (ISITTA), an integrative somatic psychotherapy framework that supports trauma recovery through nervous system regulation, embodied awareness, movement-based integration, and relational therapeutic processes.

With over 30 years of clinical experience, Manuela has taught professional training programs internationally across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In the field of psychedelic therapy, she offers specialized somatic approaches, including somatic therapy techniques, movement-based integration, and ethical touch practices, to support psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy through a trauma-informed, relational lens.

She is the author of several books, including Embodied Psychedelic Therapy: A Somatic Guide (W. W. Norton, with Joshua Sylvae), Somatic Psychotherapy Toolbox (PESI), Trauma-Sensitive Movement (PESI), and 8 Keys to Practicing Mindfulness (W. W. Norton).

www.manuelamischkereeds.com

Click here for information about Manuela Mischke-Reeds

If you have mobility concerns, please contact both PESI and Blue Spirit before registering to discuss whether this retreat is a good fit for your needs and to review available accommodation options.

PESI Retreats Team
retreatinfo@pesi.com
800-844-8260

Blue Spirit Retreat Center
info@bluespiritcostarica.com

The main building includes an elevator, providing access between guest rooms, the dining area, and classroom spaces. However, other areas of the property—including some accommodations, the beach, and the pool— requires navigating stairs, steep hills, and gravel pathways.

Please review the mobility notes carefully in the Program Pricing and Accommodations section. Because accommodations are located throughout the property, each room type has unique accessibility considerations. For the most convenient access and overall experience, we recommend booking early and reserving a room in the main building whenever possible.

The facility does not have access to golf carts, motorized wheelchairs, or manual wheelchairs.

Airport shuttle is NOT included in your package price.

Please arrange for this directly with Blue Spirit.

Blue Spirit offers airport pick-up services for guests at Liberia International Airport (LIR), aligning with most major U.S. flight arrivals.”

Upon arrival, there will be a person to greet you and guide you to your shuttle. He will have a Blue Spirit sign. When you arrive you should allow 30 – 60 minutes to go through immigration, customs and baggage claim.

Once you have retrieved your luggage and passed customs, your shuttle organizer will be waiting outside the only terminal exit at LIR. The organizer will be wearing a Blue Spirit T-shirt and will greet you with a sign that says BLUE SPIRIT.

The shuttle will depart when it is full, and all the arriving guests are in the shuttle – we don’t leave anyone behind – so you may need to wait a few minutes until everyone is in the shuttle.

The ride from Liberia Airport (LIR) to Blue Spirit is approximately 3 hours.

You can find additional shuttle information HERE.

US Citizens must present a passport with a validity of at least 6 months past your return date of January 17, 2027 to enter Costa Rica. If you do not have a current passport or your passport will be expiring prior to March 16, 2027, we suggest applying as soon as possible as processing times are taking up to 3 months occasionally. Costa Rica requires you to carry your passport with you at all times. Some individuals prefer to make a copy to carry and leave their original passport in the safety box at Blue Spirit.

If you have a passport other than a U.S. Passport, it is your responsibility to verify what documentation you need to enter Costa Rica. If you fail to bring your required documentation, you may be denied boarding your plane or denied entry to Costa Rica.

Is there a sundries or souvenir shop nearby?

Whether you forgot your sunscreen at home or wish to treat yourself or friends at home with a little gift from Costa Rica: the Blue Spirit Store offers women’s and men’s apparel, spiritual books, gift items and snack foods, as well as personal and sundry items. All purchases can be paid with a credit card or cash.

Does Blue Spirit accommodate special dietary requests?

Upon request, Blue Spirit will do its best to provide for special meal needs and food allergies. They require that these requests be communicated at least 2 weeks in advance. Please communicate your request to PESI. Please keep in mind that a huge variety of alternative food options are not as easily available in Costa Rica compared to the US.

Blue Spirit offers a Pure Food Option as an additional way of satisfying special meal needs. This option is a part of their daily lunch and dinner buffets and offers greens, grains, and legumes (beans) without oils or seasoning.

Does Blue Spirit have food options available outside of the dining hall hours?

There is an on-site café open daily (hours vary). The café offers fresh juices, smoothies, freshly baked goods, raw food snacks, coffee specialties, and locally brewed kombucha. In the evening, organic wines and artisanal beers are available.

Food and beverages purchased at the café are not included in the cost of the program. All purchases will be charged individually and can be paid with cash or charged directly to your room.

Is the water at Blue Spirit drinkable?

All the water at Blue Spirit is filtered and safe to drink. We suggest you bring your travel water bottle to reduce single-use plastic during your retreat.

Does Blue Spirit have a spa?

Blue Spirit Costa Rica has a world class spa on site. Services such as massages, bodywork, astrology, and more are available.

Blue Spirit also offers treatments at the Nosara Longevity Center. The center offers a variety of health protocols and treatments to restore and maintain your state of optimal well-being and enhanced vitality.

Spa and longevity services can be booked at the front desk once you arrive at the retreat center. Payment can be made in cash or charged to your room when the services are scheduled. Charges for services are not included in the cost of the program and are the responsibility of the individual.

Are there things to do outside of the educational seminar?

Blue Spirit Costa Rica’s magnificent property and idyllic location present a multitude of options for rest, relaxation, exploration, and adventure.

Saltwater infinity pool
Jungle walking paths
Direct beach access
Spa & Longevity Center
Café & Store
Excursions & Activities

What credit is offered on this retreat?

You can earn up to 19 CE hours. Credit hours may vary by board and profession. Please review the retreat’s credit information by clicking any of the “Click here for CE credit details” links found above, or by clicking here.

PLEASE NOTE: Most licensing boards require full attendance to the entire program to receive any credit.

Please review the retreat’s schedule above and plan your travel accordingly to ensure full attendance to the program.

Can I bring a colleague, friend, or partner?

Prices listed in the Program Pricing and Accommodations section above are per person for either single or double occupancy. If you are interested in adding a non-participating guest to your room, please contact us HERE or by calling 800-844-8260 (Ask for our Retreats Team) for double occupancy rates.

PESI will not partake in or be responsible for roommate matching.

Please Note: Blue Spirit Costa Rica is an all-inclusive retreat center. All reservations are per individual, not per room. All individuals staying at the retreat center incur a room and board charge whether or not they are participating in the PESI educational training.

IMPORTANT: Online registration will only allow you to select single or double occupancy. If you select double occupancy, you must add the second member to your order before completing your registration. If interested in registering a non-participating guest, please register yourself through the online registration process via this website FIRST in order to secure your room. NEXT, contact us HERE or by calling 800-844-8260 (Ask for our Retreats Team). A PESI customer service representative will assist in registering your guest. Securing your room first will reserve your room and provide you time to reach out to PESI without fear of rooms being no longer available.

You'll Leave Costa Rica With:

7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy &Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat

Before this Retreat, You Might:

7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy &Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat

Your Retreat Center

Gourmet Vegetarian Cuisine

Saltwater Infinity Pool

Spa & Longevity Center*

Guiones Beach

Nature

Extra Activities/Excursions*

Blue Spirit Cafe and Store*

Convenient Travel and Location

Program Pricing and Accommodations

Superior Ocean View Room w/AC

Single Occupancy: $5,575Double Occupancy: $4,350 per person

Ocean View Room w/AC

Single Occupancy: $5,150Double Occupancy: $4,250 per person

Mountain View Room w/AC

Single Occupancy: $5,050Double Occupancy: $4,150 per person

Garden Suite w/AC

Single Occupancy: $4,875Double Occupancy: $4,100 per person

Pacifico Cottage w/ AC

Single Occupancy: $4,750Double Occupancy: $3,925 per person

Nature Suite w/AC

Single Occupancy: $4,750Double Occupancy: $4,000 per person

Hermitage w/AC(Queen & Twin variants available)

Single Occupancy: $4,300Double Occupancy: $3,600 per person

Eco Cottage

Single Occupancy: $3,625Double Occupancy: $3,300 per person

Platform Tent

Single Occupancy: $3,225Double Occupancy: $3,100 per person

Cancellation Policy

7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy &Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat

What You’ll Discover, Practice, Refine, and Leave Ready to Use

Who Should Attend?

7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy &Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat

Why clinicians trust Manuela Mishke-Reeds, a somatic trauma therapy expert, international Hakomi trainer, movement educator and bestselling author

What’s Included in Your Retreat Tuition

What does the program fee NOT include?

Retreat Schedule

Saturday, January 9, 2027

Sunday, January 10, 2027

Monday, January 11, 2027

Tuesday, January 12, 2027

Wednesday, January 13, 2027

Thursday, January 14, 2027

Friday, January 15, 2027

Saturday, January 16, 2027

Travel/FAQs

What if I have mobility concerns?

Air Arrangements

Shuttle Information

Passport Information

Health & Safety Information

7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy &Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat

Our Satisfaction Guarantee

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7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy &
Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat

7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy &
Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat

Single Occupancy: $5,575
Double Occupancy: $4,350 per person

Single Occupancy: $5,150
Double Occupancy: $4,250 per person

Single Occupancy: $5,050
Double Occupancy: $4,150 per person

Single Occupancy: $4,875
Double Occupancy: $4,100 per person

Single Occupancy: $4,750
Double Occupancy: $3,925 per person

Single Occupancy: $4,750
Double Occupancy: $4,000 per person

Hermitage w/AC
(Queen & Twin variants available)

Single Occupancy: $4,300
Double Occupancy: $3,600 per person

Single Occupancy: $3,625
Double Occupancy: $3,300 per person

Single Occupancy: $3,225
Double Occupancy: $3,100 per person

7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy &
Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat

7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy &
Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat

7-Night Somatic Psychotherapy &
Trauma-Sensitive Movement Retreat