Shadow Work Retreat
A 4-day residential immersion exploring the unconscious patterns shaping identity, behaviour and relational dynamics in a safe, facilitated container.
About Shadow Work
Shadow work at Samyama is a structured, facilitated process for meeting the parts of yourself that usually remain hidden from view. These are the patterns, beliefs, emotions and identities that operate beneath conscious awareness, quietly shaping how you think, feel, react and relate.
It is not therapy, although it can be deeply therapeutic. It is a practice of honest self-encounter, undertaken in a safe and carefully held environment with experienced, trauma-informed facilitation.
The retreat creates a sustained container for this work. Over four days you step out of the rhythms of ordinary life and into focused, supported exploration. All facilitation, accommodation and meals are included, so that your only task is to be present with what arises.
Who This Retreat Is For
This retreat is for those who sense that something beneath the surface is shaping their life in ways they no longer want to repeat. That might show up as recurring patterns in relationships, a persistent inner critic, low-grade anxiety, burnout, emotional reactivity, or the quiet sense that an old version of themselves is still running the show.
It is also for people already engaged in inner work, meditation, therapy or coaching, who are ready for a more sustained period of focused depth than weekly practice can usually offer. No particular technique or background is required. What matters is honesty, willingness, and a readiness to be present with whatever arises.
Shadow work tends to be especially relevant for those entering a new chapter — a change of work, the end of a relationship, the loss of a parent, becoming a parent, or simply the recognition that an old way of being is no longer sustainable. The retreat offers a structured space to meet that transition with clarity rather than reactivity.
It is not suitable for those currently in acute mental health crisis, in active addiction without support, or in need of clinical intervention. If you are uncertain whether this work is appropriate for you at this time, we warmly invite you to speak with us before applying, so we can explore it together.
The Four-Day Arc
The retreat unfolds in a deliberate arc, designed to take you safely into deeper territory and bring you back with the means to integrate what you have met. Each day builds on the last, so that the work emerges in its own time rather than being forced.
Day One is about arrival, orientation and resourcing. We establish the working agreements, the rhythm of the days, and the somatic foundations that allow honest work to take place. The opening session begins the descent gently, with the nervous system supported throughout.
Day Two moves into the inner-child layer. Guided process, journaling, self-inquiry and movement open the space for parts of the self that have been carried, often silently, for many years. A demonstration session shows the work in practice before participants move into their own process.
Day Three turns to family-system dynamics, exploring the mother and father wound, inherited loyalties and the patterns that travel down through generations. This is some of the most relational and revealing work of the retreat.
Day Four is integration. A guided breathwork session helps the material settle into the body, followed by a closing water ceremony and circle that mark the return to ordinary life with what has been gathered.
Explore the Retreat in Depth
Open each section below to explore the philosophy behind the work, the practices used during the retreat, how a typical day unfolds, how the space is held, and how to prepare and integrate.
Practical Details
Duration. Four days and three nights. Upcoming dates: 7–10 December 2026.
Format. Fully residential at Samyama, with accommodation and all meals included throughout the retreat.
Investment. IDR 44,000,000. A non-refundable deposit of IDR 13,000,000 secures your place, with the balance payable closer to the start date. International cards accepted. Your card provider will handle any currency conversion.
Group Size. A maximum of twelve participants, ensuring the depth, safety and individual attention this work requires.
Location. Samyama Self Healing Centre, Ubud, Bali.
What to Bring. Comfortable clothing, a journal, a refillable water bottle, and an open willingness to meet yourself honestly.
Private Shadow Work Retreats
A private format is also available for those who would prefer to undertake this work individually, with the structure shaped around their own timing and needs.
This allows for better pacing, greater privacy, and one-to-one facilitation. It can be particularly supportive where the process is more personal, or where there is already other professional support in place.
If this approach feels more appropriate, you can explore the Private Retreats page for further detail, or simply mention it in your enquiry below and we can discuss what would suit you best.
Enquire About the Shadow Work Retreat
Tell us what draws you to this work. We'll be in touch to arrange a conversation and make sure the retreat is the right fit.
Meeting the earlier self who first learned to adapt — with patience, not correction.
Seeing the inherited patterns and loyalties that quietly travel between generations.
Extended stillness that lets what has surfaced settle beneath thought, into the body.
A closing Balinese rite that marks the return — carrying less, more clearly held.
Meeting the earlier self who first learned to adapt — with patience, not correction.
Seeing the inherited patterns and loyalties that quietly travel between generations.
Extended stillness that lets what has surfaced settle beneath thought, into the body.
A closing Balinese rite that marks the return — carrying less, more clearly held.
Meeting the earlier self who first learned to adapt — with patience, not correction.
Seeing the inherited patterns and loyalties that quietly travel between generations.
Extended stillness that lets what has surfaced settle beneath thought, into the body.
A closing Balinese rite that marks the return — carrying less, more clearly held.