Burnt Out? Escape to Sechelt

Sometimes a girl’s just gotta get away. When that time comes, do like we did and head to the healing oasis owned by Cynthia Miller at her sprawling 3,000 square foot Pacific Peace Healing Arts Retreat in Sechelt, BC.

Here, the spiritual mentor and hypnotherapist will welcome you into her home, cook nourishing meals for you, organize activities in the area and will perform a number of treatments, from Reiki to hypnotherapy, that will help wash your cares away.

Proof? We left the city feeling drained and returned to work the following Tuesday more energized and motivated than we’ve been in months. Here, a play-by-play of our experience:

Day 1: Upon arrival (via BC Ferries and a fun half-hour drive along the Sunshine Coast in our rented Acura RDX), Cynthia welcomed us with a warm cup of tea and a chat in the retreat’s living room. Next, she led us down to her expansive treatment area for a Reiki session. Here, with the lights down low and aromatherapy oils infusing the air, we reclined on a bed of pillows next to a crackling fireplace while Cynthia channeled healing energy onto us through various pressure points, kick-starting our own physical and emotional healing processes. Only a couple of hours after arrival, we felt a million miles away from our worries, and experienced one of the best sleeps in weeks.

Day 2: Waking up in the second floor master bedroom to panoramic views of the aqua blue Sechelt Inlet and surrounding mountains was a perfectly peaceful start to Saturday. After downing a berry smoothie, we were off for a two-hour kayak tour with Pedals and Paddles (launch point is five minutes from Pacific Peace) along the jaggedly stunning Sechelt coastline, maneuvering between inhabited islands to take in the beauty of Arbutus trees, blue herons and seals. City, what city?

Post-lunch (homemade lentil soup and salad made using organic greens from the retreat’s garden), Cynthia led us down to her treatment room for another fireside healing sesh. This time, after a brief discussion to assess our goals, she communicated with our subconscious via hypnosis to replace our not-so-constructive thought processes with empowering ones that would help us kickstart our new life.

Initially developed in 1973 and known to help people overcome everything from nicotine addiction to labour pains, hypnotherapy is a client-based treatment that works to promote behavioural and psychological change. Short-term at least, it seemed to work for us because we awoke from the session feeling refreshed, positive and uplifted.

Day 3: After a leisurely lunch of artichoke and sundried tomato pizza on the retreat’s sun-drenched terrace (again, those views!), Cynthia asked us to write down three things we were ready to psychologically release (a.k.a burn in her backyard bonfire) after the weekend. A final cleansing sage burning ritual (Justin Trudeau participated in a similar ceremony to kick off National Aboriginal Day on Parliament Hill in June) and we were ready to head back out into the world.

With the attention and care Cynthia gave us throughout the weekend, taking the time to get to know us and sharing her own stories at mealtime, we left feeling like we had not only reconnected with ourselves, but had also made a new friend. Whether you’re feeling burned out from work or just need some R&R, Pacific Peace Healing Retreat comes highly recommended. —VITA Daily

A one-on-one healing retreat like the one above costs $695 for two nights including meals and treatments. Whether you want a detox weekend or a couple’s retreat, Cynthia can create a bespoke experience for you. For more information visit www.pacificpeace.ca