Portugal’s quiet beauty speaks for itself — especially in the Algarve, where the land meets the ocean in dramatic cliffs and wide open skies. Being in this landscape opens space for time in nature — walking along coastal paths, resting by the sea, and taking in the raw simplicity of the surroundings. It’s an invitation to slow down, reflect, and reconnect.

Monte Velho is a peaceful retreat space surrounded by nature, with views stretching toward the Atlantic Ocean. During our time together, the entire centre will be reserved just for our group. The retreat center offers accommodation in private rooms, shared doubles, or dorms. We’ll gather for sessions in Casa das Pinhas — a spacious, light-filled workshop space with a warm corkwood floor. There’s also a small spa area with a sauna, steam bath, and space for massage.

Jory Agate, LMHC, MDiv, MA, is an IFS Lead Trainer, therapist, and consultant with a private practice in Cambridge, MA. She brings a trauma-informed, culturally responsive lens to her work, and has trained therapists and healing professionals internationally through the IFS Institute and other organizations.
 

Celeste Lebak, DMin, Certified IFS Practitioner, is a UU minister, therapist, and consultant with a private practice in Tulsa, OK. As the founder of the Restorative Justice Institute of Oklahoma, she brings an IFS-informed, trauma-responsive, and culturally competent approach to spiritual care, relational healing, and systems work, teaching and supporting practitioners and organizations internationally.

Pre-retreat support: Once you register, you’ll receive access to Jory Agate’s on-demand course, IFS is Grief Work: Healing Unattended Losses (valued at $237), as well as a 12-day program, Introduction to IFS, designed by Michał Pasterski (valued at $147). About a month before the retreat, you’ll be invited to join an Online Preparation Circle, connect in triads for a Holding Space Practice with fellow participants, and receive our PDF Preparation Guide.

Post-retreat support: Following the retreat, you’ll be invited to two group Zoom integration circles – held one month and two months after the retreat – to help you deepen and integrate your experience.

Being human means navigating a landscape of pain, loss, and grief. At times, both we and our clients may feel profoundly misunderstood, unseen, or unvalued, leading to moments of deep aloneness. These emotional experiences, though universal, can overwhelm us. Often, even the well-meaning support from loved ones may not address the core of our healing needs.

This retreat creates a space – a place to pause, reflect, and deepen your capacity to attune to both your own inner parts and the inner systems of your clients.

Through teachings and guided experiential practices, we will embark on a journey of “being with” the parts of our inner system that need it most. Using the transformative lens of Internal Family Systems (IFS), we will:

• Explore and attend to the protective systems that shield us and our clients.
• Navigate the complex emotions held by vulnerable parts.
• Delve into the impact of legacy burdens—historical, familial, and cultural—that impact our capacity to be with them.

After organizing and facilitating over 30 retreats, we’ve developed a format that balances depth, structure, and space for integration. During this retreat, you will:

• Be guided by an IFS Lead Trainer Jory Agate, LMHC, MDiV, MA.
• Join a group of professionals and practitioners from around the world with a shared interest in IFS and inner work.
• Engage in multiple ways of exploring your internal system — including IFS-based teaching, small group exercises, movement, and sound-based practices.
• Take part in a Conscious Connected Breathwork group session led by a certified facilitator, supporting connection with inner body wisdom and emotional integration.
• Learn practical therapeutic tools and deepen your connection to Self-energy, supporting both personal and professional growth.
• Enjoy a variety of local experiences that complement the retreat process — including a drum circle, visiting a nearby town, time in a local restaurant, sound healing, and more.
• Spend time in a natural setting that supports rest, reflection, and informal connection with peers.
• Step away from daily routines, with time for relaxation, movement, shared meals, and spaciousness.

Time at Praia de Bordeira — a wide, quiet beach known for its golden sand and rolling waves — creates space to rest, take a swim, or simply sit and listen to the ocean. There’s no rush — just space to be with the sea and the sky.

A live drum concert with Ana Costa and her band Yemadas, brings an evening of rhythm and movement. Let the music carry you — whether you feel like dancing, swaying, or simply listening. It becomes a joyful moment to share energy, presence, and connection with others.

In this retreat, you’ll develop advanced skills for working with protectors, creating space for exiles, and bringing a steady, compassionate presence to pain and loss. By turning toward your own vulnerable parts, you’ll strengthen your ability to support clients, loved ones, and communities with greater clarity and care. Together, we’ll create a structured space for reflection, integration, and growth. Key areas of focus include:

Deepening Understanding of Inner Systems:

• Exploring the parts of yourself that seek to avoid pain, loss, and grief.
• Identifying protective parts that resist vulnerability.

Expanding Your Healing Skills:

• Learning tools for negotiating with protective systems.
• Accessing Self-energy during times of overwhelm.
• Differentiating burdens that can be released from experiences that need to be witnessed.

Cultivating a Sustainable Healing Practice:

• Reflecting on cultural narratives that avoid engagement with pain and loss.
• Applying IFS’s “healing steps” protocol for navigating pain and grief.

Integrating Personal and Professional Growth:

• Practicing advanced techniques for creating inner healing spaces
• Enhancing your ability to support others by working with your own system.

Conscious Connected Breathwork will be an essential part of this retreat. It’s a powerful and safe way to get in touch with our inner body intelligence. It activates and facilitates the healing process by calming the thinking / rational mind (our protector parts) and allowing for our emotions to surface.

With guided support, allowing emotions and other experiences of mind and body can be highly transformative. The practice of connected breathing causes shifts in our physiology and can support exploration of altered states of consciousness.

Conscious Connected Breathwork takes place in a group setting, lying on mats in a circle. Each process lasts around 90–120 minutes and is guided by a certified breathwork facilitator.

The essence of this practice may be different to each group member. For some it will be the integration of previous experiences and closure, for others it may be deepening of the work done during the retreat, or experiencing embodied connection to heart and Self.

Monte Velho is a retreat centre set on a quiet hilltop in the Algarve, with wide views reaching toward the Atlantic Ocean. Surrounded by vineyards and open skies, it offers a peaceful base for rest and reflection. The Algarve region is known for its golden cliffs, whitewashed villages, fresh seafood, and a warm, easy rhythm of life by the sea.

The Main House includes a common living room used for informal gatherings in the evenings, an interior dining room, and an exterior breakfast veranda. There is also a spa area with a sauna, steam bath, and a massage room. Massage and sauna sessions are available to book on-site for an additional fee.

Accommodation is arranged separately with the retreat center and depends on the chosen room option. The amounts below reflect the total cost of accommodation and meals at the venue.

When registering, please let us know your preferred room type. Here are the available room options and their accommodation rates:

Joanna Skrzyszowska

Retreat Coordinator

retreats@lifearchitect.pl

or call us +48 500 700 857

8:00 am – 4:00 pm (BST, UTC+1)

3:00 am – 11:00 am (EDT, UTC-4)