I often teach meditation practices when conducting a retreat, and yet, it's always good to know why you're doing anything - whether during a retreat or otherwise. When a therapist or teacher recommends meditation, it's important to know what the intention is- why is it "good" for you. This video lays out four basic intentions or purposes, of meditation and why it can be beneficial during a retreat and afterwards as a regular practice.

One of the greatest threats to your sense of self-control, self-regulation and general sanity is hiding in plain sight. You might even be reading this on it. 

It's increasingly clear that our smartphones and other devices are creating as many problems as they are solving. According to a recent article from the Harvard education department, “studies are beginning to show links between smartphone usage and increased levels of anxiety and depression, poor sleep quality, and increased risk of car injury or death.”

When college students have serious difficulty coping with school and social stress, or other mental health challenges, they may find themselves backed into a corner without a lot of good options. Often, the school counseling center isn't equipped to provide support beyond once-weekly appointments.  What other options are there? A personal, intensive counseling retreat can fill this gap in services.

One of the first things that can happen upon admission to a psychiatric facility is surrendering your belt and shoelaces. While an important safety norm for people who are severely depressed, it's a symbol of how impersonal institutional psychological care can be. Psychiatric hospitals are staffed by skilled and kind people, for the most part. But the system makes it very difficult to provide personalized care. Unfortunately, instead of personal counseling, the focus tends to be on prescribing medication.

On an individual counseling retreat, you're going to need your shoelaces…