Life Beyond Trauma

Barbara Collier

Life Beyond Trauma

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Barbara Collier

Trauma, chronic stress, and distress can profoundly shape how we experience ourselves, others, and the world around us. What happened in the “there and then” can continue to influence the “here and now,” narrowing our capacity to respond freely, connect deeply, and fully inhabit our lives.

Dr. Peter Levine often speaks of trauma as a loss of response-ability—our natural capacity to meet the present moment with flexibility, choice, and authenticity. Trauma can also diminish our capacity to be touched.

Touched by beauty.
Touched by grief.
Touched by joy.
Touched by another human being.
Touched by nature.
Touched by our own inner knowing.
Touched by wonder.
Touched by love.
Touched by aliveness.

Many of us learn to survive by becoming disconnected from aspects of ourselves and from the living world around us. Others learn to amplify certain aspects of themselves—making them more prominent in a bid for safety, acceptance, or belonging. While these adaptations may once have been necessary, they can leave us feeling defended, disconnected, or isolated.

This retreat is an invitation to gently restore our capacity to return to rhythms that nourish and sustain us.

Together, we will create space to slow down, listen, and notice. Through movement, touch, reflection, nature, and relationship, we will explore what becomes possible when we meet ourselves with greater gentleness and curiosity.

This retreat is an invitation into self-discovery. We come to know ourselves through relationship—with ourselves, with others, with nature, and with life itself. As we cultivate the capacity to witness our experience without immediately needing to change, fix, or improve it, something unexpected often emerges.

Whatever arises becomes welcome.

Moments of insight.
Moments of grief.
Moments of beauty.
Moments of connection.
Moments of wonder.

In creating space for our experience rather than striving to manage it, we may discover a deeper sense of belonging—to ourselves, to one another, and to the living world around us.

As we learn to welcome our experience with greater honesty, curiosity, and care, we may discover that what we have been seeking is not something to achieve, but something already here, waiting to be noticed.

The path is not always easy. At times it can be gritty. Yet when met with presence and compassion, something often begins to soften.

As John O’Donohue beautifully wrote:

“The self does not awaken to find itself trapped in an isolated subjectivity. Rather, it awakens to ultimate participation; it is a living threshold between nature and divinity, a presence that is wild, free, diverse, and indivisible.”

Perhaps this is the deeper invitation: Life Beyond Trauma is not simply about healing trauma. It is about restoring our capacity to be touched by life and to be participants in it.

This retreat is not organized around achieving a particular outcome. Rather, it is an invitation to create the conditions in which something can emerge, be noticed, and given enough room.

Embedded within the natural beauty of Croatia’s Istrian peninsula, and set amidst a small working village where daily life remains closely connected to the land, Casa Maya is a living ecology. The rhythms of nature, the changing light, the gardens, and the surrounding landscape invite us to slow down and reconnect with ways of being that are often forgotten in modern life, yet remain deeply remembered within the body.

Nature does not hurry. It does not force. It unfolds in its own timing.

In much the same way, this retreat invites spaciousness and curiosity.

At Casa Maya, we are held not only by community, but by place. The land itself offers an invitation to slow down, pay attention, and reconnect with the rhythms of life.

Come be here.
Come notice.
Come be touched.
Come discover.
And then see what emerges.

What to Expect

This retreat will weave together experiential learning, somatic principles, touch, movement, reflection, nature, relationship, and time for rest and integration.

Participants can expect:

* Guided experiential exercises
* Somatic touch practices
* Movement and embodiment explorations
* Teachings on developmental, relational, and complex trauma
* Opportunities for self-reflection and inquiry
* Time in nature and connection with the surrounding landscape
* Space for rest, integration, and simply being

This retreat is designed for anyone curious about what becomes possible beyond survival. Together, we will explore Life Beyond Trauma—not as the absence of difficulty, but as a return to aliveness, connection, and belonging.

Dr. Peter Levine often says that trauma separates us from our capacity to respond—our “response-ability.” Put another way, what happened in the “there and then” can influence the “here and now,” preventing us from being fully present and accurately responding to the moment. Trauma can limit our ability to inhabit a more complete and whole presence—a presence where we can fully feel ourselves and deeply connect with others. There is a state of deep connection and attunement available to us all.

Join us for a transformative retreat in the stunning Istrian region of Croatia, where we will explore pathways to rediscover Wholeness—for yourself and your clients. As John O’Donohue beautifully wrote: “The self does not awaken to find itself trapped in an isolated subjectivity. Rather, it awakens to ultimate participation; it is a living threshold between nature and divinity, a presence that is wild, free, diverse, and indivisible.” Through experiential practices and teachings on complex developmental and relational trauma, framed within the lens of Somatic Experiencing®, we will explore how to access the deep wisdom that lives within us all. This wisdom is both medicine and guidance—for ourselves and those we support. What you can expect:

Somatic touch practices
Movement explorations
Tools and maps to work with cPTSD
Secure, relational container for deep healing
Demos and case consultations
Opportunities for individual sessions
Professional development and SE certificate signatures upon request

This retreat is designed to help you feel the mutually healing flow of these practices and deepen your capacity to hold space for others. Facilitator: Barbara Collier Important Details: Small group, maximum of 20 participants. Spaces are limited, so reserve your spot early!

Barbara Collier

Guest Facilitator

Trained as a nurse and worked in the Intensive Care Unit in the early and mid-nineties, she has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and several post-graduate three-year training certificates, such as:

Post-graduate studies in Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s DIR/Floortime model
Collaborative Counseling Social Inclusion and Bullying and Teasing certification
Attachment across a lifespan certificate
Biographical counseling certificate
Infant mental health
Sensory processing challenges certificates
Somatic Experiencing® Fascia

For years she has been working with children, adults, and families to build resilience and capacity within their systems, partnering with the wisdom that animals have taught her over five decades to join with and support clients in deepening and broadening their connection with Nature in honor of our mammalian heritage.

Our Pricing

20

Max. Participants

50 €

Non-Refundable Deposit

390 €

Full Price

3.5

Days Retreat

WHO?

Max 20 participants, places are limited, so book your place on time

WHERE?

Casa Maya Triban, Istria, Croatia

WHEN?

6-9. August 2026.

3.5-day retreat

COST

Full price is 390 €

DEPOSIT

The non-refundable deposit is 50 €

INFO

For all the information on the retreat and prices and please contact us: udrugasomatiq@gmail.com

Add To Calendar

Life Beyond Trauma

Barbara Collier