Selgars Mill Estate, Devon
Research tells us that 20-30% of the population are HSPs. We are born into this world with a unique set of traits that offer us depth of processing, empathy, and sensitivity to subtleties. We have great capacities and gifts to share with the world, but unfortunately, because of the fast-paced and overstimulating world we live in, many HSPs can struggle with overwhelm and anxiety and feel like they don’t quite belong. It can be difficult to articulate how we really feel and what our unique needs are.
There are so many retreats and workshops available for social-emotional well-being and spiritual development, yet they are not built for the temperament of high sensitivity. They can often feel overwhelming with not enough ‘downtime' and can leave you feeling more exhausted than when you started!
This is why we founded and created the HSP Retreat UK and are now expanding our offering to include regular in-person day retreats and workshops for our community.
'It was such an uplifting experience, conversations and connections flowed so naturally, because we could all relate to and understand each others interests, needs and desires, so instantly. The space was beautifully held, with so many nurturing activities, and amazing food, all really well paced and considered.
(Alex Wilding - Child Arts Counsellor / Entrepreneur, London)
The HSP retreat was a life changer for me. I walked into the retreat feeling that I have suffered from social anxiety, and walked out realizing that I don't have a problem after all.
(Betsy, US)
Jules and Genevieve, the way you hold space, the quite, soft strength you both radiate, the unconditional respect and love you offer flowed throughout the entire weekend - and before and after. Your thoughtfulness in the poems, the words spoken, the meditations and music you both shared that were so beautifully in alignment with each element of the sessions, were what I am most grateful for/enjoyed the most. I also loved the dance session held by Josh, which was also hugely awakening for me.
(Lottie, UK - Breathwork Facilitator & Wellness Mentor @naturallylottie)
‘Thank you to everyone for the part you played in making this weekend what it was 🙏🏻 I’m so grateful to each and every one of you for helping to co-create the incredibly nourishing, healing and transformative experience that it was’
‘What a journey. What a rollercoaster. What an experience. Thank you so much everyone, sending so so soooo much love to you all’ 💛💛
‘Thank you to everyone for the part you played in making this weekend what it was 🙏🏻 I’m so grateful to each and every one of you for helping to co-create the incredibly nourishing, healing and transformative experience that it was’
The scheduled events will vary each day but include the following: ecstatic dance, sound baths, breath work, nature activities, wild swimming, singing, yoga, meditation, workshops on High Sensitivity, sharing circles and cozy fire-side gatherings in the evening. All activities are optional and you'll also have plenty of time to relax in nature.
8.00 - 9.15am - Yoga or Breathwork
9 - 10.30am - Breakfast
10.30- 12am Community sharing circle (small pod sharing)
12.30 - 1.30pm - Lunch
2 - 3.30pm - Afternoon Activity
4.30 - 6.00 - Yoga/Dance or Breath work
6.00 - 7.30 - Dinner
7.30 - 9.30 - Evening activity
You'll leave the retreat feeling:
Validated about your lived experience of being a Highly Sensitive Person
Clear on what it means to be a HSP and able to communicate this with your loved ones
More attuned, relaxed and realigned with your authentic highly sensitive self
More confident and able to express your authenticity with the world
Connected to a supportive community of other like minded people
Resourced with a range of trauma-informed tools for navigating overwhelm and regulating your nervous system
As the founders of the HSP retreat’s UK, Dr Genevieve von Lob and Jules De Vitto are two of the leading global experts in high sensitivity and have spent decades researching and studying the trait of high sensitivity.
Clinical Psychologist and Parenting Coach
Genevieve is one of the leading experts in the UK on high sensitivity in children, with regular appearances in the media including BBC Woman’s Hour, Channel 4 and The Guardian and has appeared on webinars with Sensitivity Research. Genevieve specialises in working with highly sensitive children and their parents. She is the author of “The Resonant Parenting Project,” and “The HSP Revolution.”
In the 20 years since Genevieve qualified as a psychologist, Genevieve has helped hundreds of people from all walks of life transform trauma and stress into a greater sense of confidence, ease and flow.
But her own healing journey has taught her that a supportive community can be the catalyst for transformation on a whole new level.
Born to a single mother in an alternative community in the east of England, Genevieve’s earliest experiences of feeling safe and protected in a village-like atmosphere laid the foundations for her later professional interest in community healing spaces.
While earning her psychology doctorate, Genevieve wrote a thesis on the psychological benefits of group singing. But it was only in her late 20s, when she was starting to confront unresolved traumas and losses from her own past, that she began to discover the true power of healing in community.
Over a period of several years, Genevieve explored countless healing modalities, investigating everything from nature connection to shamanic drumming, sound bowls and ecstatic dance. When she stumbled upon a sweat lodge ceremony in Oxfordshire in southern England, she finally understood what it meant to feel truly safe and held. The community there was so supportive that for the first time she truly felt comfortable being vulnerable in front of others, and never felt judged. Nobody stepped in to try to fix or rescue – but they did bear witness, and it was in that space that Genevieve did some of the most profound work on herself.
Running retreats for highly sensitive people represents the fulfillment of a vision that Genevieve has held ever since that time – of creating healing spaces where people can find sanctuary, connect and learn from others on the same journey, and rediscover who they really are.
Transpersonal Coach, Trainer and Educator
She is a published author and wrote one of a series of books on Resilience, Navigating Loss in a time of Crisis. Her research has also been published in the Transpersonal Coaching Psychology Journal and Journal of Consciousness, Spirituality, and Transpersonal Psychology.
In addition to her academic and coaching pursuits, Jules has spent years engaging in deep transformative healing work. She is a Reiki Master and Teacher and has completed Michael Harner’s Shamanic Practitioner Training through the Foundation of Shamanic Studies and a Grief Ritual Leadership Training with Francis Weller. She offers holistic sound baths with Tibetan Singing Bowls, a ancient healing modality she studied in a monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Jules is passionate about creating community for Highly Sensitive People and embracing the full spectrum of our emotional and sensory capacities rather than trying to ‘fix’ ourselves. Deepening the connection to our sensitivity enables us to open our hearts and form better relationships with ourselves, others and the world.
As an expert in the field of high sensitivity, her writing has been featured in SAND and Highly Sensitive Refuge and she has been invited to speak on the Sensitive SEO Podcast, Quiet and Strong Podcast and the Healthy Sensitive Podcast.
Read below to find out about our guest facilitators who will be offering sessions, workshops and sharing circles on the retreat
with Peter "Chippy" Grant and Bogdan
Breathwork Sessions & Group Space Holder
Conscious Dance Session
Yoga Teacher & Highly Sensitive Person Coach
Simone will be hosting daily yoga classes and is available to book 1-1 coaching, emotional support or personalized somatic or meditative sessions on the retreat and you can find out more @simone__dacosta or www.simonedacosta.org
Book a 1-1 Reiki Session*
Please select your chosen accommodation below.
The Highly Sensitive Person Retreat Cancellation fees and refunds:
If you cancel 2 months (or more) before the retreat start date, the cancellation fee will be £20.
If you cancel 1-2 months before the start date, the cancellation fee will be 50% of the cost of your retreat.
If you cancel less than 1 month before the start date, the cancellation fee will be the full amount paid.
Cancellation requests can be made by email ([email protected]). Please note that cancellations can only be accepted from the named retreatant and not from third parties. Any refunds can take up to 7 working days to be processed
The retreat facilitators reserve the right to cancel any bookings that are deemed unsuitable or inappropriate.
Consumption of drugs (except prescription medications), cigarettes and alcohol is not permitted on the retreat. There is a smoking area near the entrance of the retreat centre that you can use for smoking.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner is included, and we'll be providing Homemade Vegetarian cuisines using healthy ingredients such as handpicked wild food, fresh fruit and vegetables and high-quality whole foods. Gluten-free and dairy-free diets can be catered for. If you have any other allergies or requests - you can let us know. We will ask you to fill out a form after you've purchased your ticket where you can list any requirements you have.
Swimwear- there will be an opportunity for swimming in the nearby lake.
Ear plugs - if you're sharing a room, you might want to prepare with ear plugs!
Reusable water bottle.
Sunscreen and sun protection.
Journal for writing in and taking notes during the workshops.
Comfortable clothes for moving around in, dance and yoga.
If you have a musical instrument, please bring it along for the evening sharing circles and fireside gatherings.
Warm clothes for the evening in case it gets cold.
A hot water bottle if it gets cold at night
You might want to bring some small snacks, or something for in-between meals. We will supply coffee and tea - but feel free to bring your own!
The Selgars Mill Estate is only a short 5 min drive, a 10 min bike ride or a half hour walk from Tiverton Parkway train station. You can reach Tiverton Parkway by train from London Paddington in 2 hours and Bristol Temple Meads in 44 min. We have good relationship with local taxi drivers and can arrange pickups for you: Jolly Jaunts - 01884840979, Cost £12 to/from Tiverton Parkway. Parkway Taxis - 0188438899, A2B Taxis - 01884251252, [email protected], Frankie's Taxis - 01884255333
