God-Images and Trauma-Informed Spiritual Direction

As Spiritual Directors, we serve the prayer lives of our directees, support their growth in holiness, and cultivate their relationship with our Triune God. In the process, the director may discover tangled, distorted, or fear-based images of God born of trauma that interfere with the directee’s capacity for spiritual intimacy.

The Listening Collective at Rolling Ridge invites you to join us Tuesday, February 16 to Thursday, February 18, 2027 for a retreat as we explore God-images and trauma informed spiritual direction.

This three-day, two-night training retreat is grounded in three depth psychological frameworks which directors can leverage in navigating their directee’s distorted God images. Participants will learn depth psychological approaches for working with trauma, including how to:

 establish emotional-spiritual safety at the beginning of and throughout the

session

 help directees attune to their body-held wisdom and calm their nervous system

 support the directee’s self-regulation through forming the habits of asking

permission and checking in, and

 facilitate continued somatic integration insights between sessions

Led by experienced spiritual director and retreat facilitator Liz Walz, the retreat will also address how to recognize non-traditional symbols for God as they appear in dreams, fantasy, reverie, and meaningful coincidences, thereby reducing the risk of missing important signposts in the directee’s spiritual growth.

The retreat’s training modalities will include presentations and experiential learning through journal reflections, facilitated creative expression, small group sharing, poetry, music, and ritual, providing avenues for Spiritual Directors themselves to recognize and open more fully to The One Who Calls. Directors will leave the retreat with a menu of trauma-informed ideas for strengthening their directee’s ability to receive Divine love, consolation, and invitation.

Come spend three days onsite at Rolling Ridge or join us ONLINE for the teaching sessions with Liz.

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COSTS:

* Full-time overnight = $390 includes all programming, recording of sessions, two overnights in a single room, and seven meals. (Tuesday lunch to Thursday lunch with the option "to go" or eat in)  Members of The Listening Collective should have received a discount code for 20% off or $78 off.

* Commuter = $290 includes all programming, recording of sessions, and five meals. (Tuesday lunch and dinner, Wednesday lunch and dinner, Thursday lunch)  Members of The Listening Collective should have received a discount code for 20% off or $58 off.

* ONLINE ONLY = $90 includes four 3-hour sessions (approximately 12 hours total teaching time) and recording of sessions.  Members of The Listening Collective should have received a discount code for 20% off or $18 off.

There is no part-time rate.‍

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SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, February 16th

12pm Arrival

12:30 pm Lunch

1:30 pm Welcome and introductions

2:30 pm Session 1 with Liz

6pm Dinner

7pm Optional evening activities

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Wednesday, February 17th

8am Breakfast

9am Session 2 with Liz

12:30pm Lunch

2:30 pm Session 3 with Liz

6pm Dinner

7pm Community Connections‍

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Thursday, February 18th

8am Breakfast

9am Session 4 with Liz

12:30 pm Lunch (with option to-go or in-person)