Guided Retreat – May 22-24, 2026
In this guided retreat, we will explore the rhythms of time, time held within you and in your world. We will honor sand scenes you create that reflect the unique beauty of who you are, the tapestry of your identity. You will explore your sense of meaning and purpose in life.
Who have you become? What life stories will emerge in your sand scenes? How might your identity, life meaning, and your personal sense of time call your attention? How might your sand scene evolve over three days?
Through guided poetics, sand scenes, journaling, and drawing, the emerging stories give way to meaningful turns in one’s life path. It is a time to empower the wisdom of your intuitive, instinctual self, so essential in every aspect of daily life. It is a time to strengthen healing stories and reconnect with parts of you that may be lost in the rush of everyday stress. It is a time to pause for Being rather than Producing.
Our retreat is grounded with safe boundaries, paced to balance creative flow with reflection, nourishing meals with our small cohort group, breaks to walk the meditative grounds of Bon Secours, commune with nature, and laughter to balance solitude with community.
Time. Time to pause. A respite to focus on meaning, purpose, and new ways of being.
We pause the rush of time, to reflect, to consider life’s meaning, to center, to ground.
We pause to find joy despite pain.
We pause time to honor the gifts of who we are, and who we can be.
In time, we seek hope, giving ourselves space to reclaim, repair, and enhance our flow of being, becoming, and belonging.
Registration Fee of $1,100 Includes:
- 16 hours of deep therapeutic engagement
- A 16-hour CE Track is Available!
- Read More about earning CEs at this event.
- Private room with queen bed
- 6 hot meals prepared fresh each day in Bon Secours’ kitchen
- Optional payment plan
Co-facilitated by:
- Dr. Preston-Dillon, founder and director of the Center for Culture and Sandplay and co-founder of The Sand Therapy Training Institute.
- Tim Mewmaw, MS, co-founder of The Sand Therapy Training Institute.
Accommodations and Amenities:
- Hosted at the Bon Secours Conference & Retreat Center in Marriottsville, Maryland.
- Each participant will have a private single room with a queen-sized bed, a full, private bathroom, desk, and chairs, cable Internet, and Wi-Fi access.
- Meals are served daily in communal dining rooms. Light refreshments are available throughout the day in hospitality lounges, which also have refrigerators.
- There is a quiet chapel for private prayer/reflection, a beautiful landscape with a footbridge that crosses a pond, a peace garden, a labyrinth, and comfortable benches for your rest and quiet reflection.
Testimonials:
Attending the retreat organized by Dr. Dee and Tim was a transformative experience. The narrative symbol work provided profound insights. The balance between personal introspection and group connection fostered a supportive and respectful environment. Dr. Dee and Tim’s impeccable organization and dedication made the entire experience enriching and inspiring. – Ringo
I would definitely recommend this sand tray retreat at Bon Secours. This weekend was just what I needed – transformative! Dr Dee’s and Tim’s reflections, the many miniatures, figures and materials, the beautiful and peaceful venue, and the openness of the participants allowed me to delve into emotions and conflicts in a safe, supportive space … feeling held, seen and heard. The gentle, caring, compassionate and intuitive insights, suggestions and guidance offered by Dr Dee and Tim in individual sand trays plus the prompts, teachings, consultations, and group meditations made this retreat experience especially beneficial and enriching. I felt at peace and blessed to have their counsel and find myself lighter and more centered … replenished. – Pascale
I attended the sand tray therapy training institute retreat/training, which was a transformative and illuminating experience. It provided a much-needed pause, allowing me to reflect on life and resolve internal struggles in a serene, nature-rich setting. The combination of therapeutic activities, relaxation, and nourishing meals helped me to physically and mentally recharge. This retreat perfectly blended personal growth, relaxation, and connection with others, rejuvenating and inspiring me. – Alejandro
This weekend truly felt like a pause in time, allowing me to process my own feelings around recent events in my life as well as some of my client’s cases in a safe and nurturing environment. Dr. Dee and Tim guided and modeled in such a way that made deep reflection and relaxation possible. I left feeling more grounded and connected with self and others than I could have imagined going into the retreat. – Yvan
I came to this retreat not as a therapist, but as a writer, seeking both inspiration to create new work and the courage to deepen and expose some of my existing work. But the sand therapy, along with Dr. Dee and Tim’s generous guidance went so far beyond these expectations that I can’t yet find the words to describe its effects. I just know that I am forever changed by the experience. – Heather
Agenda:
The retreat runs from 2:00 pm on Friday, May 22, to 2:30 pm on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Room check-in with Bon Secours is at 4:00 pm. Please place luggage in the luggage closets until 4:00 pm.
Earn CEs:
It is not necessary to follow the CE track at this event, but it is an option available for anyone who attends. Learn more about earning CEs at the retreat.
Friday
2:00 to 6:00
Introductions, participant goals – The two-symbol exercise to ground retreat process
A poetic invitation on our theme, The Metaphor and Poetics of Time by Dr. Dee
Beginnings and Endings: Time flow, stopping time, pausing time, capturing time, stillness in time, deepening experience in time, waiting in time, stepping into time/ stepping outside of time, developmental time, partnering with time, agreements with time.
Mindful Existential Time
Create a personal sand scene reflecting your experience of time
Movement through time in your sand scene
Individual reflections from Tim and Dr. Dee
6:00 – 7:00
Dinner
7:00 – 7:30
Private time, walk, stretch, journal, reflect, meditate
7:30 – 9:00
Entering Dream Time
Saturday
7:30 to 9:00 am
Breakfast
9:00 to Noon
Activating Your Imagination
Voices in the Sand: Dialogues, I-Thou Conversations, Relationships
Individual reflections from Tim and Dr. Dee
Noon to 1:00 pm
Lunch
1:00 to 3:00 pm
Private time, walk, stretch, journal, reflect, meditate
3:00 to 4:30 pm
The Companion: Connecting a Partner from the Sand Scene
The One, the Two and the Three – Strengths, Vulnerabilities
Relationships in Time with Deep Listening
Individual reflections from Tim and Dr. Dee
4:30 to 5:30 pm
Collective Group Voices
6:00 to 7:00
Dinner
7:00 to 7:30 pm
Private time, walk, stretch, journal, reflect, meditate 7:00 to 7:30 pm
7:30 to 9:00 pm
Healing wounds of time, reclaiming time
Private Reflections and validations in small groups with Tim and Dr. Dee
Sunday
7:30 to 9:00 am
Breakfast
9:00 to 9:30 am
Private time, walk, stretch, journal, reflect, meditate
9:30 to 11:30 am
Transformation of life through time and final transformations in sand scenes
Noon to 1:00 pm
Lunch
1:00 to 2:30 pm
Closure for individual sand scenes
Group closure
Payment Plan:
A payment plan is available for individuals who desire to pay over time. The plan requires 4 equal payments of $275 before May 7th, 2206. Make your first payment.
Cancellation Policy:
Cancellations must be requested in writing by emailing us at admin@sandtherapytraining.com. For a full refund, written cancellation needs to be received 30 days before the event. Cancellations received between 15-30 days prior are eligible for a 50% refund. Cancellations received fewer than 15 days prior are not eligible for a refund.
