he Returning Warriors™ Retreat is a method of deep treatment and teaching. It is an experiential intensive that uses ancient practices to address the deeper levels of the individual through training, ritual and ceremony.

The techniques used are by no means new or exclusive to this program. For the most part, they are more than 10,000 years old, though updated to be compatible with our culture and time.

Through the week, participants are taken into a progressively deeper journey into the soul. Along the way, a safe container is created within which soldiers can "tell their story," the dark stories that are at the root of the nightmare.

Once the Warrior in the individual has been brought out through military training, it can never fully be "put away." However, it can be refocused into more productive and effective action ... the time-honored Warrior's Path.

Throughout the week, the soldiers learn about the Warrior's Path and what it can mean to them as they change from being a fighting soldier to an effective Warrior in their families and community.

If the retreat is held in the local community, on the last day, participants can be joined by their families for a "warriors return" celebration and welcome home.

Also during the week, participants are taught a variety of practices they can do themselves to help when the going gets difficult. These practices, also part of the Warrior's Path, can be done individually or with the family or support group.

Treatment of PTSD is an ongoing struggle for the sufferer. It is said that it can't be cured, just managed. However, our understanding is that by using these ancient techniques in addition to traditional therapies, it may well be possible to cure the individual.

For more information or to register:

Phone: 512-586-2736

Key Program Elements

The Shamanic Journey
The drumming journey is a fundamental aspect of ancient practices, and has been practiced for thousands of years. Participants will learn how to journey and will take part in several journeys throughout the retreat.

Rituals for Letting Go
There are many varieties of Ritual Burial in which people learn how to construct representative symbols of their wounds and let them go: in earth, fire, and water. Ritual Burial is letting go of attachments, including attachments to the past and to fear.

Curses and Healing
Engagements with the enemy involve the entire being – body, mind, emotions, and soul. During battle, soldiers engage all of themselves in the struggle for survival. In that process, curses are sent and received, as well as blows and bullets. The extraction process identifies and removes the curses.

Soul Retrieval
In ancient cultures, soul loss is considered a central cause of illnesses of the mind, body, and spirit. Pieces of the Self are lost through encounters with Power. Soul Retrieval is an ancient practice in which the healer journeys to find one or more of these lost pieces and return them in order to re-integrate the person – the Whole Self.