For many years I had felt lost, a wanderer in the fog, caught in a limbo state, a marionette in this game of life. After many phone calls to clinics and hours of manic research, I found Intensive Therapy Retreats, filled out an online form and waited for my phone call to see if they would be a right fit for me. In a day or so, I received a phone call from Shannon and in all honesty I had to go through my notes to see which clinic was calling I had put out so many inquiries. After about an hour or so chat with Shannon, she had recommended Dr. Afua Forson for me and set up a phone call for me a few days later to see if the doctor would be a good fit for me. Afua and I spoke for a little over an hour on the phone and felt we would work best for each other. We confirmed dates of my retreat that was originally going to last for 4 days in Beacon, NY. With my affairs in order and securing the funding, as at the moment this is an out-of-pocket expense, I could not wait to head out east and upstate. As a pre-retreat ritual for myself, I timed it to see one of my best friends down in the city for dinner and some much needed girl time before I would head up early the next morning for a drive upstate. The timing of my retreat could not have been more perfect to be where I was. The end of summer in the Hudson Valley is a magical time to be there. My first session was due to start at 10 am and I rolled into town around 8 am to find the building, explore Main St. (I was a daily supporter of Beacon Bread Company and their Golden Milk Latte w/ OatMilk & their banana & pumpkin breads), and went down to the river to meditate. From the moment I met Afua as I reached the top landing of the stairs, the life I thought I knew was about to change forever. She showed me into my private room that was equipped with a love seat, two sitting chairs, a desk, restroom and a balcony (in my picture I posted of the house) over looking the parking lot and faced towards the river. The practice of EDMR will be an individual journey for each person. Afua and I connected in these exercises in a way I had never thought possible. With both of us coming from indigenous backgrounds, our beliefs in science and a deeper respect for the life forces around us, I for what felt like the first time in this life had been seen and understood. Though I had been scheduled for 4 days of my retreat, we came to a meeting point where I would be in a good place by the end of my third day. This therapy is not for everyone, it will not work for everyone, but it did work for me and I will advocate and patronize this company as well as Afua. This is not like weekly therapy, you have to be ready to face whatever "demons" may be tormenting you. For my work, we worked on healing specific points of my trauma. There were a handful of parts of me that had been damaged in my life. The "man-child," my sixteen year old self, was my biggest wound I had. It was a wound that never healed until this past weekend. It was a poison I carried for over twenty years and affected many aspects of my life. If you are a someone who may be wandering in the clouds like I was just a week ago, I offer prayers that this may be the place you find true healing and grounding. The feeling that I am feeling today, I never before thought it was a possibility. For lack of a better description, I have HOPE and I write it in all caps because its broad in its meaning for myself. My gratitude and my aloha towards Afua cannot be fully put into words. To me, she was the high priestess I had long been searching for. No other tonics or remedies I had used all these years could extract that dark poison I had mentioned earlier. Now per the doctors orders, time to take a period to convalesce. *My side notes on Beacon, NY* -Check if Maloufʻs Mountain House is available for your stay, highly recommend it for its specific location and the proximity to the retreat. -All the food is amazing on Main Street but Beacon Bread Company holds a special place for me, try their Beacon Burger, get the fries extra crispy and add a fried egg on it, me not thinking to add it was the only complaint I had. -If youʻre a Doctor Who fan, go check out The Pandorica, I am hoping her alligator will be available my next trip, but her fish and chips washed down with her recommendation of the Czech beer, Budweiser Budvar, was a perfect way to end my day on Friday. -Check out Notions & Potions if they are open, if able, pay it forward and add to their crystals for those in need. Use cash if able, read the flyer on her window on why, those though who know know and those you donʻt think they do. But the shoppe itself attracts those it is intended for. Take from this what you will. read more

Intensive Therapy Retreats - A current photo (12/Sept/24) of 6 Commerce St. Beacon, NY. Google Maps gives a picture from 2019. - Counseling & Mental Health Near Me - Beacon, New York