In the fourth chapter of the first season of the very sharp series Fleabag, The protagonist and her sister go to a women-only silent retreat in the countryside. It’s a gift from their father, who wants their relationship to be good or something like that, but the thing is that they don’t arrive convinced, quite the opposite. The whole experience seems ridiculous to them: from the prohibition of using the cell phone to the ‘therapeutic’ activity that consists of scrubbing the floor on their knees and in silence (“it’s very simple, we have paid them to clean their house in silence,” says the Phoebe Waller-Bridge character). Of course, this is hyperbole, but it is increasingly easier to find proposals for collections of this type thanks to the success of this sector of the market. From those with a more spiritual content to the most traditional, most share concepts such as disconnection, self-knowledge or growth.
The global wellness retreat market is valued at $180.5 billion (about €171 billion), according to the latest report from the consulting firm Allied Market Research, corresponding to 2022. By 2032, it is estimated to be $363.9 billion, with annual growth of 7.4% between 2023 and 2032 worldwide. The company divided the sector into several categories: yoga retreats, meditation, bootcamp (fitness), personal development, adventure and nature. Of all of them, yoga predominates and prices range between 100 and 500 euros.
With a simple search on the Internet, you can see that it is the most abundant offer. Yako is 62 years old and is an expert in the field. “The ones I have attended and will attend are related to the world of yoga and personal growth. They consist of stays of two, three or four or more days in environments far from the hustle and bustle,” he tells elDiario.es. “I have attended exclusively spiritual retreats in Bordeaux and India, and others where we have also worked on asanas (yoga postures), chi kung (martial arts postures and movements), conscious eating, silence and vipassana meditation,” he maintains.
The money you have invested in each one depends on the organization: there are some non-profit ones that are worth 150 euros with only accommodation and food “plus the contribution” and the others, which are around 350 euros. For Lorena, 41 years old, they were a little more expensive, around 500 euros. She has gone to several, one of them for training to be a yoga teacher and the others as a practitioner “among which there have been some simpler ones, where the retreat was lived from a spirituality more linked to India and others with a more Western mood.” ”, he adds.
In addition to the concepts of disconnection or self-knowledge, there is another one that abounds and that gives clues about the percentage of scientific evidence that can be found in their activities: healing
Yoga is sometimes complemented with another activity that has nothing to do with spirituality. For example, Helena, who is 42 years old, has attended two three-day retreats taught by her regular yoga teacher. One was in Girona and the other in Menorca, both with accommodation, vegetarian food and activities for a price of around 300 or 400 euros. In the one in Catalunya, the house had a swimming pool that they could use in the free time they had between yoga and the other points of the program such as the conscious walk through the forest. The one on the island included beach practices such as Sup Yoga, a combination of paddle surf and yoga.
Beyond yoga
In addition to the concepts of disconnection or self-knowledge, there is another one that abounds and that gives clues about the percentage of scientific evidence that can be found in their activities: healing. In this field there is a varied salad of listed pseudosciences by the Ministry of Health or that are on the way such as family constellations. Heba, for example, has gone to more or less conventional yoga retreats and more “underground, not very cute”, which are more related to spirituality or alternative therapies. The ones she frequents are usually organized in a house in the mountains and can cost between 60 and 80 euros per day. At Christmas he went to one of this type that included “food, a gong bath, family constellations, lots of fruit and vegetables, a little pool, and they accepted children,” he lists.
Of course, at a time when believing in astrology and tarot has become normal, astral retreats could not be missing. Like horoscope memes, Instagram offers plenty of weekend offers exploring solar and ascending positions to find well-being. This is how Diana, 43, found hers, which cost her 111 euros. “Previously, an astrological chart study is carried out and systemic therapy techniques (constellations) are used to clarify patterns that prevent our healthy growth in different areas of our life, based on the position of the stars in the chart, in addition to meditations with therapy. sound and minerals,” he comments. He signed up because he was looking for knowledge and well-being. “I was open to learning and although I had my prejudices about it, the experience was better than I imagined,” she says. There are also organizers who offer workshops on ‘high magic’, shamanism or psychedelic experiences with mushrooms or ayahuasca.
I was open to learning and although I had my prejudices about it, the experience was better than I imagined.
Diana
— 43 years
There are also peculiar retreats that have nothing to do with spirituality even though they are carried out in centers such as monasteries. For example, Laura, 54, took a vow of silence at the Monastir de les Avellanes (Lleida). “At that time, I needed it on a personal level and it was great for me. There was no type of luxury, but you were with your books, your silence and the company of some silent men in a super nice space, with a super nice garden,” he remembers. She declares that she is not Catholic, but every year she meets with her entire family on the magical mountain of Montserrat, although “more than silence, we take some beautiful excursions.” The price of this experience is 110 euros per day per person with full board and in Les Avellanes approximately 50 per day.
The experience of Jaime, 31 years old, has nothing to do with yoga, nor with silence nor with spirituality but with dance. He had already given lessons before and a friend encouraged him to sign up. He has already gone to two calls. “It’s like an intensive dance course in different styles in a rural house,” he declares. “In the first one, on Saturday morning there were three classes, one of classical dance, another of contemporary and another of musicals. And apart from that, on Friday and Saturday night there were also more sessions of dance, improvisation and more related a little to things about well-being, personal growth and that kind of thing.” His goal was to enjoy dance, learn and meet people and he had such a good time that when he returned he took up dance classes again. In addition, he maintained contact with the people from the first and signed up for the second. The price for each weekend was 250 euros.
Should everyone try it?
For Pati, the experience of a three-day silent retreat had quite a strong impact. It was just outside of Barcelona and the experience package included accommodation, food and round-trip bus transportation, all for 120 euros. There were things that seemed strange to him, like the fact that the people who had already been there had duties such as serving the food: “The meals were already prepared, but the people who had been there before, as they already had experience, were the ones who served you the food.” and the water,” he recalls. Another striking aspect for her was that attendees could not have their cell phones or watches with them. “There was no clock in the whole house, you never knew the time and this for me was a bit disturbing, to be honest. It seemed a little unnecessary to me, but hey, it was part of the process,” he says. That complete disconnection destabilized her. “It’s a very brutal stoppage. Emotionally it shocked me quite a bit, and then I was quite shaken for a few weeks. I kind of connected more with my emotions, the stress and anxiety that I had accumulated for a long time came out,” he says.
There were no clocks in the entire house, you never knew the time and this for me was a bit disturbing, to be honest. It seemed a little unnecessary to me, but hey, it was part of the process
Father
— silent retreat attendee
The health psychologist and founder of Alcea Psicología Lucia Camin maintains that wellness retreats, “under the right conditions, can have benefits for mental health, especially for problems associated with stress.” In fact, psychology has been evolving towards what are known as ‘third generation’ techniques that include relaxation, meditation or mindfulness, explains Camín. But it also specifies that “these techniques have scientific evidence as long as they are done in safe environments and under professional supervision.”
The platform of psychologists We are great Together with psychologist Adri Gimeno, he organizes the so-called VAM Retreat (Coming Back to Me). Isabel Reoyo, clinical psychologist and member of the project, explains that it is a four-day experience of therapeutic work. During that time they carry out “different dynamics, both theoretical and more experiential and practical, to be able to integrate everything that is being worked on. And there is also time to rest and have fun, of course,” he says.
The number of attendees ranges between 25 and 50 people (they do not provide the exact data) and the profile is very diverse. “They are of different genders, ages, bodies, with different life stories and different wounds. That is something that, on a therapeutic level, we feel is very powerful. Because, the more diversity there is in the group, the more mirrors we have to look at ourselves,” says Reoyo. “As a psychology space that we are, we wanted to do a therapeutic retreat. What makes it different is that the program is entirely created and taught by psychologists, and in which, rather than disconnecting (as perhaps happens in other retreats) it comes to connecting,” he says. The price varies in each edition because it depends on the accommodation: the next calls will cost 950 euros (550 for the program and 400 for accommodation).
Psychologist Lucía Camín warns that the benefits of retreats focused on mental well-being depend on several factors and can be counterproductive ‘when they are used as the only way to treat underlying problems that require a professional and in-depth approach.
Camín warns that the benefits of retreats focused on mental well-being depend on several factors – “like any self-care tool” – and can even be counterproductive. The psychologist explains that these practices can have effects contrary to those desired “when they are used as the only way to try to resolve underlying mental health problems that require a professional and in-depth approach, such as depression, anxiety disorders or phobias.” . Depending on your point of view, it may be tempting to believe that psychological problems can be resolved in a few days of meditation, but the reality is not so simple and requires longer processes.
In addition, he points out that experiences of this type can be harmful depending on the moment in which a person is. For example, for someone who has very high anxiety levels, retreat may contribute to raising them rather than calming them. “It is important to carefully select the type of practices that will be carried out in the retreats, ensuring that they have scientific evidence and are taught by qualified professionals,” emphasizes Camín.
#prejudices #imagined #retreats #succeed #disconnect
