San Diego, CA - 2-Day Minimum Intensive
Sometimes 50 minutes a week isn't enough room to actually get somewhere. A retreat gives you and your partner a real stretch of uninterrupted time to do the work that keeps getting pushed to next session.
Days minimum - longer formats available for couples who need more time
Private - just you, your partner, and Maring
Built around your specific dynamic, history, and goals
More progress in a weekend than months of weekly sessions can sometimes hold
Keep landing in the same cycle - the same fight, the same shutdown, the same distance - and are ready to actually break through it.
Are navigating a neurodiverse relationship where different wiring keeps creating friction neither partner wants.
Have been in weekly therapy but feel like they need more time and depth to move the needle.
Are at a real crossroads and want to make an informed choice about their relationship - with support rather than alone.
Are ready to treat their relationship like something worth a real investment of time and energy.
Who It's For
A retreat isn't for every couple - it's for couples who are ready. Ready to be honest, ready to be uncomfortable for a bit, and ready to come out the other side with something real.
I work with all couples and bring EFT, somatic, IFS, and attachment-based approaches to every retreat. The work is adapted to how you actually are as a couple - not dropped into a template.
A retreat requires both partners to be willing participants. If there is active domestic violence, substance dependence, or an undisclosed ongoing affair, a retreat isn't the right first step. Reach out and we'll figure out what is.
How It Works
Every retreat is built around your couple specifically - your history, your dynamic, what you need to shift. Below is a sample 3-day schedule to give you a feel for how the work unfolds. Yours may look different, and that's by design.
Day One
Morning Session (2 hrs) - Arrival & OrientationWe start by slowing down. Setting intentions together, establishing safety agreements, letting your nervous systems settle into the pace. No rushing into content - we build the container first.
Somatic BreakA guided grounding practice between sessions - breath, body awareness, or gentle movement - to help you stay regulated and present.
Afternoon Session (2 hrs) - EFT Cycle MappingWe identify the negative cycle driving disconnection - what triggers it, what each of you is protecting, what you're both actually longing for underneath the conflict. For a lot of couples, this is the first time the pattern has ever been clearly named.
Evening ReflectionA gentle closing prompt to carry into the evening - time for rest, connection, and integration before Day Two.
Day Two
Morning Session (2 hrs) - Communication DialogueWe build on the cycle work with structured communication tools - the Communication Wheel and guided dialogue - so each partner can begin expressing their deeper experience and actually hearing each other.
Somatic BreakAnother body-based pause - tracking what's shifted, settling the nervous system, preparing for the afternoon.
Afternoon Session (2 hrs) - IFS Parts Work & Reactivity RecoveryWe go beneath the surface behaviors using IFS-informed parts work - exploring the protective parts that drive reactivity and what's underneath them. We also build a personalized Reactivity Recovery Plan: what each partner can actually do when the cycle gets activated at home.
Evening ReflectionA closing prompt on what each partner is beginning to understand about themselves and each other.
Day Three
Morning Session (2 hrs) - Rupture & RepairWe work through repair together - acknowledging past hurts, practicing accountability, building the repair rituals your relationship needs going forward. For many couples this is the most emotionally meaningful session of the retreat.
Somatic BreakA grounding practice designed for after deep emotional work - helping both partners settle before the closing session.
Afternoon Session (2 hrs) - The Love List & Forward PlanWe close with the Love List - each partner articulating specifically how they feel loved and seen, and how to offer that to each other with precision. Then we build your forward plan: the tools, rituals, and agreements you take home to keep the work going.
ClosingA real closing - to honor what it took to show up, the work you did together, and the relationship you're continuing to build.
The Approach
The retreat weaves together several approaches, chosen based on what your couple actually needs - not a fixed curriculum.
Emotionally Focused Therapy to identify and shift the negative cycle driving disconnection.
Body-centered tools to help partners stay regulated and process emotion beyond words.
Parts work to understand protective behaviors and access the softer emotions underneath.
Understanding how early patterns show up in your relationship - and how to build something different.
Adapted pacing, communication, and sensory considerations - built in for every couple, essential for neurodiverse ones.
Communication frameworks, repair rituals, and regulation strategies - things you actually take home and use.
Investment
A couples retreat is a real investment of time, energy, and money. It's also one of the most concentrated things you can do for your relationship - because you actually get to stay in the work long enough for something to shift.
Retreats run a minimum of two days - typically three - with a morning and afternoon session each day and somatic grounding built in between. Extended formats are available for couples with more complex dynamics or specific goals. We'll figure out what makes sense on our inquiry call.
Spots are limited. I hold them with a deposit on a first-come basis.
2-day minimum - extended formats available - Private - San Diego, CA
Pre-retreat intake call to understand your history and set real goals
Two or more full days of private, focused couples work
Custom retreat plan built around your specific dynamic and needs
Take-home roadmap - tools and practices to continue the work after
Post-retreat integration session to support continuity
Pricing discussed on your free 20-minute inquiry call.
Questions
Still wondering if this is right for you? These are the questions I hear most. And you're always welcome to just reach out and ask directly.
Get In Touch
Reach out and I'll be in touch within one business day to schedule a free 20-minute call. No commitment - just a conversation to see if this makes sense for you.
By email, phone, or the booking link. Tell me a little about what's happening and what you're hoping for.
We talk about your relationship, your goals, and whether a retreat makes sense right now. I'll share pricing and availability.
If it feels like a good fit, we confirm dates with a deposit and start the intake process.
All inquiries are confidential. Reach out however feels right - I'll be back to you within one business day.
