An ERT retreat is a four-day live-in immersion in Emotional Release Therapy for a group of no more than 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 November 12–15, 2026 in Sebastopol, California. Everyone arrives on Wednesday the 11th, and the work begins the following morning.
How the four days run
Everyone arrives the day before — Wednesday the 11th. The four days below begin the following morning.
- Day one — settling in. Introductions, ground rules, and an easy start. Nothing heavy — 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 and feel what they do, with Pat and the facilitators moving in between.
- The deep day. The longest sessions of the four days — there is room to take the time something needs, without the day running to a clock.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- You will eat well and you will be tired in a way that feels earned.
Who comes
Many 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. Many others 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 the full training. Both are good reasons, plenty of people are somewhere between the two, and nobody is asked to declare which they are.
No experience is needed. Many people arrive having never done hands-on work of any kind.
Questions and concerns
This work brings strong feeling to the surface on purpose, and a live-in retreat concentrates it. Before you register, talk to Pat about what is going on for you and about anything physical that pressure should account for — an injury, a surgery, a pregnancy, a condition, medication. She will tell you honestly whether this is the right moment, and the work adapts. If you are under the care of a doctor or therapist, it is worth asking them too. More on whether this is your moment.
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
The next retreat
- Retreat
- Opening the Heart — Inner Child
- Dates
- November 12–15, 2026
- Location
- Sebastopol, California
- Format
- Four days, live-in, in person
- Arrival
- Arrive Wed Nov 11; the work begins the morning of the 12th
- Group size
- Up to 12 people
- Cost
- $2,450 — food and lodging included
- To hold a spot
- $600 deposit, non-refundable
Sebastopol is in Sonoma County, about an hour and a quarter north of San Francisco. Santa Rosa (STS) is the nearest airport; SFO and OAK are both straightforward drives. Retreats also run elsewhere 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 in a shorter form 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.