Why Is a Retreat Better Than Couples Therapy?

It’s no secret that life is stressful as it is. The thought of piling a divorce on top of everything else only adds to that tension.

Divorce is one of life’s most stressful changes, but couples on the brink of a split have options that can take them away from the stress that is putting a strain on their relationship. A couples retreat is one such way of reconnecting and saving a marriage.

Could it be the right step for you and your partner? Keep reading to find out. 

Is a Couples Retreat Really Worth It?

Between 40 and 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. That statistic alone should make it clear—it’s worth trying every method out there for saving your marriage. 

As you can likely gather, a couples retreat sends you and your husband or wife to a relaxing locale. For the length of the trip, you’ll spend your days with a professional to guide you. In a few days, you’ll get several hours’ worth of sessions — sessions that can change the course of your marriage much more quickly than traditional counseling can. 

On that note, a counseling retreat offers you a handful of benefits you can’t get from other types of relationship therapy. But is it a worthy expense and time commitment for you and your partner? Here are four of the pros to consider.

1. You’ll Escape Your Normal Environment

A couple’s counseling retreat gives you and your spouse the chance to step outside of your day-to-day lives and refocus on yourselves and your partnership. The rest of your anxieties and responsibilities disappear—you have no choice but to focus on one another again. 

For so many couples, this fact alone makes it a life-changing experience. Your everyday stressors will fade away. You will slow down and enjoy a rustic setting—deep breaths and fresh air can really do wonders for you when you feel like you’re in a pressure cooker. 

2. You Get More Time With Your Counselors

You might think you should stick with your weekly therapy sessions—a once-a-week commitment to a one-hour counseling session means you’ll spend 52 hours a year with your therapist. That sounds like a lot, but it ends up being just over two days’ worth of time, and it takes you a year to get there. 

Now, let’s say you go on a five-day couple’s retreat, and you spend eight hours each day with your counselor. The total amount of time you spend with your therapist is just about as much as you’d get in a year’s worth of therapy. And you get all of that done in five days. 

So, a marriage retreat seems like a big-time commitment on the surface. But you get so much out of it in a shorter amount of time overall. 

3. Your Therapists Work With You Separately and Together

If you go to the same counselor each week, they end up in an awkward position. They have to remain impartial to either side of your issues. They may have to step in and stop you and your partner from arguing. 

On a counseling retreat, though, you get so much time with counselors that you don’t have to spend it all together. Yes, you and your spouse will speak to a therapist together. But you’ll also get time to reflect one-on-one, which can help you talk about tough topics—ones you haven’t been able to discuss or reveal to your partner. 

It can be especially helpful to do your own work in the context of a couples retreat because so much of what drives a wedge between us and our partner are the issues we are carrying from our own lives. Processing old trauma and conditioning may be exactly what you need to reconnect with your partner in a healthier, more fulfilling way. 

4. You Can Salvage a Relationship on Life Support

Not all couples can wait for therapy to work over the course of several months or years. If you feel like your relationship is in crisis, then you need help—and you need it now. 

A counseling retreat emphasizes just that—counseling. You get hours’ worth of time to talk and reflect. In your everyday lives, you might not be able to dedicate this much of your schedule to better understanding your relationship. 

You don’t want to spend a lifetime wondering what would have happened if you tried. And even if it seems like things are at a breaking point, there could be something to salvage. 

With this point and the other three in mind, it’s clear that a couples retreat has so much to offer you. And it’s not just the prospect of salvaging a relationship—you could truly save your marriage with just a few days of counseling. 

You May Find the Right Answers

Our clients have spent five days on our retreats in Western Massachusetts and walked away with the hallmarks of a solid relationship. They report improved communication and a stronger bond between them after putting in the work. 

Or, they get another gift, and that’s clarity. Perhaps a week-long retreat would help you to realize where you stand and where you belong. 

No matter what, you need a way forward, and that’s what you will get if you put in the time. So, click here to contact us today and get started on your journey to answers. It all starts with a couples retreat with An Affair of the Heart.