An ERT retreat is a four-day live-in immersion in Emotional Release Therapy for a group of eight to twelve people — guided hands-on sessions, inner child work, breath, movement and shared witness, with meals and lodging handled so nothing pulls you out of your own process. The next one is September 26–30, 2026 in Gore, Virginia.
Four days is not an arbitrary length. Release tends to arrive after the nervous system has decided it is safe, and that decision is not something you can hurry. A weekend gets most people as far as arriving. The fourth day is where the work usually is.
How the four days run
- Arrival and settling. Introductions, ground rules, and the first gentle work. Nothing heavy on day one — the day is about the room becoming a place where you would be willing to fall apart.
- Opening the doors. Hands-on ERT with a partner. You learn a few of the foundational points, feel what they do, and take turns giving and receiving with Pat moving between pairs.
- The deep day. The longest sessions, and usually the biggest movement. Held by the whole group, because by now the group is capable of holding it.
- Integration and closing. Making sense of what moved and building something you can take home. Nobody leaves the property wide open.
What to expect — honestly
- You will work on other people and other people will work on you. This is not a retreat where you receive treatments from staff.
- It is often loud. People shout, sob and shake, and you will be in the room for other people's turn as well as your own. Being witnessed, and witnessing, are both part of the method.
- You stay fully clothed for all hands-on work.
- Sleep is uneven for some people. Emotion tends to keep working overnight.
- Phones go away during sessions. Most people find by day two that they had stopped reaching for them anyway.
- Days three and four are frequently the ones people remember. If day two feels like nothing is happening, that is the ordinary shape of this.
- You will eat well and you will be tired in a way that feels earned.
Who comes
Roughly half come for their own healing — people carrying grief, anxiety, chronic tension, old injury, or the particular exhaustion of having understood their patterns for years without being free of them. The other half come because a retreat is the first step toward practitioner training, and want to know from the inside whether this modality is theirs before committing to a year. Both are good reasons and nobody is asked to declare which one they are.
No experience is needed. Many people arrive having never done hands-on work of any kind.
Before you book
This work deliberately brings strong feeling to the surface, and a live-in retreat concentrates it. Please read who this work is not for first — in particular if you are in acute crisis, live with a psychotic or dissociative disorder, are in early recovery, or would be returning to an unsafe home afterwards. Tell Pat before you register about any injury, surgery, pregnancy, bone-density condition or blood thinner, so pacing and points can be adjusted rather than discovered mid-session.
What to bring
- Comfortable clothes you can breathe, move and lie down in — layers, because bodies swing hot and cold during release
- A journal, if you are someone who writes
- Any medication you take, and a note of it for Pat
- A water bottle
- Nothing scheduled for the day after you get home, if you can manage it
Next retreat
- Retreat
- Opening the Heart — Inner Child
- Dates
- September 26–30, 2026
- Location
- Gore, Virginia
- Format
- Four days, live-in, in person
- Group size
- 8–12 people
- Cost
- $2,450 — food and lodging included
- To hold a spot
- $600 deposit, non-refundable
Gore sits in the northern Shenandoah Valley, about an hour and a half west of Washington Dulles (IAD) and close to Winchester, Virginia. Retreats also run outside California and Virginia when a group forms — if you have a group and a space, ask about hosting one.
Questions about retreats
Is $2,450 all-inclusive?
It covers the retreat itself, all meals and your lodging for the four days. Travel to and from the location is your own. The $600 deposit comes off the total and is non-refundable.
Do I get my own room?
Lodging depends on the property, and shared rooms are common at this group size. Ask when you register — if a private room matters to you, say so early rather than late.
Can you accommodate dietary needs?
Usually, yes. Tell Pat when you register so it can be arranged with whoever is cooking.
What if I do not want to be worked on?
Then this is not the right format. Receiving hands-on work is central to the retreat, though you always control depth, pace, and when to stop. If you want to meet the work more gently first, the one-day workshop is the better door.
Do I need to have done ERT before?
No. Retreats are open to complete beginners, and a good number of people arrive with no prior experience of hands-on emotional work.
Does the retreat count toward the practitioner school?
Yes. A retreat satisfies the direct-experience prerequisite for the ERT practitioner training.
What is the cancellation policy?
Let us know as early as you can. Deposits for retreats are non-refundable — if you cancel or do not attend, the deposit is forfeited.
Can I bring my partner?
Couples have done retreats together and it can be powerful, but it changes what each of you is willing to show in the room. Talk it through with Pat before you both register.
Emotional Release Therapy is not a substitute for medical or psychological treatment, and does not diagnose, cure or treat any condition. Results vary from person to person.