Based on Senior Fellow Pia Mellody’s pioneering work in her book, Facing Codependence, Survivors I is our signature workshop and an essential element of our Meadows’ inpatient treatment programs. Because we’ve seen firsthand how beneficial it is in that setting, we decided to offer it year-round as a standalone workshop, open to all interested individuals. This weeklong workshop delves into childhood trauma that impacts our present-day life.

In a safe, supportive environment, Survivors I explores the origins that fuel self-defeating behaviors such as addiction, trauma, mood disorders, and troubling relationships. Childhood wounding is approached with compassion, and new skills are taught in order to “re-parent” yourself. The primary focus of this workshop is processing and releasing the negative messages and emotions rooted in painful experiences from the past, allowing you to embody your authentic self and move forward in freedom.

We do this in three phases:

Informational Phase – Through psychoeducation, participants are introduced to the concept of developmental immaturity and the impact of the profound relationship between the child and the major caregivers. As perceived through the eyes of the child, the wounding is highlighted, without placing blame on parents. Participants discover the impact their childhood experiences have had on their self-esteem, boundary system, level of dependency, and ability to be moderate in all things.

Debriefing Phase – Participants explore the less-than-nurturing and/or abusive recollected childhood experiences with a focus on the accompanying associated feelings and imprinted messages, and consequent self-defeating patterns.

Experiential Phase – Participants re-examine their childhood relationships in a safe and nurturing environment through the application of Pia Mellody’s techniques for addressing childhood relational trauma. This phase typically serves to release painful emotions, with participants beginning the process of re-parenting the parts of themselves that have been shamed, neglected, or abandoned, and reclaiming their rights and personal power.

Cost: $3,950 (Workshops are private pay, but most are now eligible for reimbursement through most insurance plans.)

This workshop includes:

• meals
• evening activities (yoga, tai chi, auricular acupuncture, live music, equine experiential)
• 12-Step meeting
• Brain Center access
• gym access