HEALING IS A CHOICE: MEN’S WINTER RESET RETREAT
When Survival Mode Becomes the Norm
If I were to do a collective mental health check-in right now, the results would not be great. What I’ve been hearing, over and over, from clients, friends and family is how “broken” people feel. Exhausted. Disconnected. Numb. Stuck in survival mode. Lately, I’ve been feeling it too.
Choosing Spirit Over Ego
A few weeks ago, my brother sent me a podcast that really resonated with me. It’s an interview with Dr. Edith Eger, a Holocaust survivor. If you listen to the last fifteen minutes, you’ll hear her speak about the power of choice, about spirit triumphing over ego, even in unimaginable circumstances. Before listening, I had been hearing Luisa, my ego, far more than I wanted to. I was in a trance of control: holidays, birthdays, logistics, expectations. I wasn’t in a good place.
Dr. Eger reminded me of something essential: healing and happiness are choices.
A Lesson in Choice and Connection
She talks about an experience she had at Auschwitz that wrecked me. At sixteen, and starving, a Nazi guard gave her a piece of bread. Instead of devouring it, she chose to share it with the other girls. Later, during a death march, those same girls carried her when her body could no longer go on. The way she sacrificed herself for others ultimately saved her life.
She chose spirit over ego. Connection over fear. And she survived.
That story centered me. Yes, our bodies matter. Yes, our minds need care. But it is never worth sacrificing our spirit for the illusion of control. A sixteen-year-old girl transcended ego and physical suffering through choice. That’s not a coincidence. That’s wisdom.
Why This Men’s Retreat Exists
Here’s where my Men’s Retreat comes in.
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The Courage to Step Into Healing
We don’t arrive at joy, clarity or freedom by staying comfortable. We don’t get there by white-knuckling life or resting on our laurels. We get there by being brave enough to share the bread, to step outside what feels safe and familiar.
What the Men’s Winter Reset Retreat Offers
The choice to participate in the Men’s Winter Reset Retreat may feel hard. It takes time. It takes money. It asks for vulnerability. It invites you into deep work with yourself, with others and with the medicine in a supported, intentional container.
But liberation from suffering lives on the other side of ego. We don’t just survive by tending the body and mind; we heal by choosing spirit.
Healing Begins With One Brave Choice
Being human is exhausting. And yet, we always have a choice. We can stay small and disconnected, or we can listen to each other, to our bodies, to the wisdom available when we slow down and show up. We can co-create the lives we choose to live with the medicine of plants, community and the wisdom in our bodies. It’s a symbiotic relationship. The work requires participation, courage, and trust.
Someone from our recent retreat shared this:
“Thank you for such an amazing experience. I was very nervous to try macrodosing for the first time, but you both made me feel very safe and comfortable. It was a wonderful experience being surrounded by such great [people], meaningful conversations, amazing food and two very gentle, caring leaders.”
That safety, care, and depth are what we offer the men who feel called to live a more integrated life.
The spark of healing begins with one brave choice.
I implore you: if something in you is stirring, if you’re tired of living from ego and ready to choose spirit, there are still limited spots available for the Men’s Winter Reset Retreat. Please feel free to contact me to learn more about the retreat or...
[CHOOSE YOUR SPIRIT OVER EGO HERE]
Rachel Gordon, MA, MEd, is a psychotherapist and founder of Humble Warrior Therapy, where she supports individuals in the Denver area with heart-centered, trauma-informed care.
