HSPconnect presents

A Retreat For Highly Sensitive People

Finding belonging and meaning together as the world asks more of our tender hearts

21st-23rd August 2026

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Why Come ?

You will leave this retreat with a stronger sense of belonging, clarity, and connection. Not because anything about you needs fixing, but because you’ll rediscover the inner resources and collective strength that were always there.

You’ll feel less alone, more grounded, and deeply nourished — ready to move through the world with more steadiness and hope. Surrounded by others who understand what it means to move through the world with a sensitive heart, you’ll discover that community itself is a source of strength.

Who's It for ?

Are you one of the 20 - 30% of people who are highly sensitive? Yes — it’s a real trait, validated by scientific research. Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) process more deeply, notice subtleties others miss, and often feel more attuned to both beauty and suffering.

This retreat is for HSPs who:- Value depth, gentleness, and authenticity over small talk or surface-level positivity- Long for meaningful connection with others who ‘get it’- Carry grief, anxiety, or overwhelm about the state of the world- Want to feel resourced, grounded, and inspired again

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Grounding Practices

Meditations, body scans, and mindfulness to soothe your nervous system

Connection Circles

Heartfelt sharing where your voice is heard and your feelings are welcomed.

Nature Immersion

Mindful walks and experiential practices in nature

Inspiring Guidance

Guest facilitators including a creative arts guide, an HSP author and mentor, and an HSP researcher offering fresh insight and inspiration

In this sacred gathering, we step beyond our human selves and listen with the whole of our being. Through imagination, reverence, and quiet communion with the living world, we allow other voices to speak through us — the trees, the rivers, the winds, the creatures with whom we share this home. Grief and gratitude mingle here, as we give voice to what has been silenced and open our hearts to the wisdom that surrounds us.

Before entering the Council, we’ll spend time in gentle, creative exploration — letting the natural world inspire images, textures, and symbols that arise from our intuition and play. Then, together, we’ll cross into sacred space to speak for the Earth and remember our belonging within the great web of life.

This ritual was created by Joanna Macy and John Seed. We’ll also weave throughout the three days other practices from The Work That Reconnects transformative lineage — helping us rediscover the strength that comes from connection: to ourselves, to one another, and to the living Earth.

Through creativity, imagination, and ceremony, we deepen our sense of belonging to Earth and each other.

What's included

● All meals (vegetarian & vegan options)
● Accommodation (residential tickets)
● All workshops and activities
● Materials for creative work
● Access to grounds and quiet spaces

What's not included

● Travel to and from the venue – if arriving by train we’ll help you coordinate shared taxis
● Personal items, extra snacks, special food and toiletries

HSP Friendly Assurances

● Quiet spaces available for rest and solitude
● No pressure to join every activity — optional participation
● Balanced time for connection and solitude
● Gentle, trauma-informed facilitation
● Scent-free environment requested
● Flexible schedule with plenty of breaks

Refund policy

We understand that plans can change. Full refunds (minus payment processing fee) are available up to 60 days before the retreat. After that date, we can offer a 50% refund or transfer your booking to a future retreat, subject to availability.A separate refund schedule will be applied to payment plans.

Cindy Gale

Cindy is an internationally renowned depth psychotherapist who has spent over fifteen years working exclusively with Highly Sensitive People (HSPs). A Certified Transactional Analyst with an MSc in Psychotherapy and an MBA, she is a speaker and teaches about the HSP trait in counselling and psychotherapy training colleges and universities. She also coordinates the therapeutic team at the Climate Psychology Alliance.For many years, Cindy has also been a facilitator of The Work That Reconnects, having trained with root teacher Joanna Macy. Her work is grounded in reverence for the natural world and a deep understanding of our ecological and relational selves. She is a trustee of Heal Rewilding.Mentored for many years by Malidoma Patrice Somé, the West African teacher, author, and elder known for bridging Indigenous wisdom with Western psychology and spirituality, Cindy weaves ancient animist and ancestral wisdom into modern therapeutic and community practice.Deeply engaged in decolonisation work, Cindy brings a reflective focus to the role of white people in co-liberation and collective healing. She believes that as the world grows harder, the antidote lies in one another—reclaiming belonging through true community.

Priyal Shah

Priyal Shah’s life has been a journey of turning sensitivity into strength. Raised in the UK within a Jain family guided by ahimsa — non-violence in thought, word, and action — he learned early that gentleness could be a radical act. That understanding became the thread through years of seeking: from Hinduism and Buddhism to Tantra and Taoism, each path revealing new ways to live with awareness and compassion in a turbulent world.Now known as an HSP Yogi and Yoga Ācārya (spiritual teacher), Priyal’s work bridges ancient wisdom with modern sensitivity research. Trained in Hatha (Sivananda), Tantric, and Kundalini Yoga, as well as Yoga Nidra and Yoga philosophy, he has studied with Dr Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Mantak Chia, and been mentored by elders in yogic and ecological-spiritual lineages who model humility, justice, and service.Through his HSP themed workshops Radical Rest and B.A.L.A.N.C.E., Priyal helps Highly Sensitive People find steadiness and belonging — restoring harmony in body, awareness, lifestyle, attention, nervous system, connection, and energy.As a facilitator of The Work That Reconnects, he uses sensitivity as a compass for collective healing. Priyal has co-led Co-Liberation workshops with Molly Young Brown, co-author of Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide to The Work That Reconnects, and Mutima Imani, addressing race and equality as gateways to empathy and shared liberation.Rooted in Sangha — community and interdependence — Priyal’s work amplifies the voices of the Global South and Global Majority, weaving spiritual practice with social awakening. His teaching invites people to slow down, feel deeply, and remember: gentleness is not retreat — it’s revolution.

HSPconnect presents

You Don't Have to Navigate This World Alone

Finding belonging and meaning together as the world asks more of our tender hearts

• Book your space now