Honoring Your Loss: A Retreat for Bereaved Mothers

April 30-May 4, 2025 | Whispertree Retreat center

Boonville (Mendocino County), Northern California
 

Join us for a transformative retreat designed specifically for mothers who have experienced the heart-wrenching reality of pregnancy or infant loss, whether recently or in the past. This will be our 8th retreat hosted at the beautiful Whispertree Retreat Center in Northern California.

The retreat is 5 days / 4 nights from April 30- May 4, 2025.

Attendees are invited to arrive to the retreat center Wednesday evening, April 30, 2025 between 4:30-6:30pm PST for check in, dinner, and casual opening and introductions. Gentle movement will be offered on Thursday morning, May 1, 2025 between 8:30 - 9:30 am followed by breakfast. Formal retreat opening with story sharing will begin at 10:30 am on Thursday.

At our retreat, you will:

  • Shed the pressures of everyday life. Leave behind the worries of meal preparation, dirty dishes, and external obligations.

  • Take off the mask you’ve worn to survive the outside world while grieving, and reconnect with you inner self.

  • Focus on yourself in a space designed for your well-being.

  • Find understanding and compassion among a community of women who share similar experiences.

  • Engage in supportive workshops led by trained professionals who specialize in grief, trauma, perinatal mental health, holistic movement, and loss.

  • Participate in group discussions, share your story, listen to others, and form meaningful connections.

  • Embrace daily Yoga and Nia classes tailored to all skill levels, allowing you to connect with your body and mind.

  • Set aside time for reflection and journaling, fostering a deeper understanding of your thoughts and emotions.

  • Participating in beautiful rituals that allow you to acknowledge your baby/ies, express your grief, and honor our shared losses.

  • Experience the soothing benefits of quiet time amid nature, giving yourself permission to simply be.

You do not have to walk this path alone.

Together, we can honor your loss/es, celebrate the love you hold in your heart, and reignite the spark of hope for the future. Attendees of previous retreats have said the experience was profoundly transformative. Please see our Testimonials to learn more.

Space is limited to ensure an intimate experience. Register now to secure your spot at this healing retreat.

There are 20 spaces available. See below for more details and to Register today!

Location

Activities

Accommodations & pricing

Travel

Registration info

Facilitators

Nurture Yourself

Our lives are always busy. When we have experienced losses on the journey to parenthood, it is hard to find time and space to tend to ourselves. Therefore, we imagined this retreat as a break from all of that—a chance to practice unconditional love for yourself. This is a gift you are giving yourself, to honor you, your loss experience, and your journey. Come and be taken care of. Let yourself rest. Nurture your body and spirit.

Find Connection

Many people connect with their loss experience through grief and pain, however there are other ways to find this connection. No matter your beliefs, finding ways to connect with your love, loss, and your baby are supportive to the grieving process. Everyone has their own unique ways to connect with their loss experience and babies. This retreat is a place to explore this connection.

Find Community

It is an essential part of the grieving process that you do not feel alone or isolated. You will have the opportunity to make connections in a brave and sacred environment with others who have been through a similar experience—whether it be infertility and recurrent loss, miscarriage, stillbirth, termination for medical reasons, infant death, or toddler death. This is a time for you to take off the mask you wear every day and be your true self. You will form friendships that will support you and your journey long after the retreat is over.

FAQ

Our goal is to offer unconditional support for all parents who have experience losses on the journey to parenthood, no matter what their age, situation, or stage of their grief journey.

If you have other questions that have not been answered here please email us.

  • Yes. We have had women who are pregnant attend the previous retreats. Pregnancy after loss can be filled with anxiety, and we hope that you can connect with others at the retreat who have walked this part of the journey and can share their experiences with you.

  • Yes. Although the majority of the people attending the retreat have experienced the death of a child during or shortly after pregnancy, we know that grief of a young child is similarly heartbreaking.

  • Yes. We know that if you have terminated a pregnancy, it was the hardest, most painful decision of your life. You are grieving the death of your baby.

  • No. We have had people attend the retreat whose loss was as recent as 3 weeks and as long ago as 35 years.

  • No. The pain from the pregnancy and infant loss never goes away. If it has been a long time since your loss but you feel like it's the right moment to dedicate special time to your healing, please join us.

  • Our goal is to create a space for people of all faiths to process their grief. We do not bring a specific religion into the retreat curriculum, however all participates are free to include their belief system in their own experience. There will be elements of spirituality available in connecting with your self and your loss experience, but it is up to each participant on how they do this.

  • Unfortunately, this is an adults-only retreat.

  • Unfortunately, at this time the retreats are currently for women only.

  • If you have any special requests, please write them in the "Additional Comments" section of the registration page. We will try our hardest to meet your expectations but cannot make any guarantees.