Not everything we carry can be understood through personal history alone. In this four-day advanced retreat with Dr. Laurel Parnell, you’ll investigate a multidimensional approach to healing that considers psychological, somatic, relational, ancestral, energetic, and spiritual influences alongside EMDR-based work. Drawing from the principles of Multidimensional Integrative Healing, you’ll gain a broader framework for recognizing what may be shaping an experience, discerning what truly belongs, and supporting release with greater clarity, sovereignty, and clinical confidence.
Starting at $695 (Tuition) + $966 (Lodging + Meals) plus tax
SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.
Energetic Sovereignty
Strengthen your ability to maintain energetic clarity while remaining present, compassionate, and connected in demanding clinical and relational environments.
Clinical Discernment
Develop a broader lens for recognizing psychological, somatic, relational, ancestral, and transpersonal influences within complex healing work.
Ancestral Insight
Consider how lineage and inherited influences may shape present experience while connecting with ancestral resources that support healing.
Spiritual Resources
Expand your capacity to draw upon nature, contemplative awareness, and spiritual resources as grounded sources of resilience and support.
Intuitive Trust
Refine your relationship with dreams, intuition, and non-ordinary experiences while maintaining thoughtful clinical discernment.
Integrated Practice
Return to your work with an expanded framework you can thoughtfully incorporate into Attachment-Focused EMDR and your existing clinical approach.
Expand Your Clinical Lens
Within an intimate community of experienced clinicians, you’ll have room to approach complex and non-ordinary material with curiosity rather than urgency. As the retreat unfolds, you’ll sharpen your capacity to differentiate personal, relational, ancestral, and transpersonal influences while strengthening the grounded presence needed to work responsibly across these dimensions. The spacious retreat environment allows insight to settle before you return to your caseload, leaving you with broader resources, renewed perspective, and greater confidence navigating experiences that may not fit neatly within conventional clinical frameworks.
Engage directly with Multidimensional Integrative Healing practices that explore energetic clarity, relational patterns, spiritual resources, and expanded dimensions of experience.
Observe Dr. Parnell demonstrate advanced concepts and approaches, bringing nuanced Multidimensional Integrative Healing principles into practical clinical context.
Use guided meditation and reflective practices to deepen awareness, support integration, and strengthen connection to internal and spiritual resources.
Investigate lineage influences and ancestral resources while considering how inherited patterns may intersect with personal and clinical healing.
Explore dreams and intuitive perception as potential sources of insight while developing greater discernment around non-ordinary experiences.
Bring clinical material into a supportive small-group setting to deepen understanding, broaden perspective, and consider multidimensional approaches to complex cases.
SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.
This experiential retreat offers a well-balanced schedule that combines structured educational sessions with flexible time blocks–ensuring you have ample opportunity to engage in learning while also allowing personal time to explore the retreat center, participate in activities, and enjoy moments of reflection and relaxation.
Check-in Begins 4:00 pm
Dinner 6:00–7:00 pm
Orientation 7:00–7:20 pm
Session 1 7:30–9:00 pm
Breakfast 7:30–9:15 am
Session 2 9:30 am–12:30 pm
Lunch 12:30–1:30 pm
Session 3 2:00–4:00 pm
Free Time 4:00–6:00 pm
Dinner 6:00–7:30 pm
Breakfast 7:30–9:15 am
Session 4 9:30 am–12:30 pm
Lunch 12:30–1:30 pm
Session 5 2:00–4:00 pm
Free Time 4:00–6:00 pm
Dinner 6:00–7:30 pm
Breakfast 7:30–9:15 am
Session 6 9:30 am–11:30 am
Room Checkout 11:00 am; luggage may be held at Reception.
Lunch 12:00–1:30 pm
Breakfast 7:30–9:15 am • Lunch: 12:30–1:30 pm • Dinner: 6:00–7:30 pm
Optional activities include
Yoga • Meditation • Kirtan • Bonfire • Labyrinth • Nature Trails
Dr. Laurel Parnell is a clinical psychologist, author, and executive director of the Parnell Institute for Attachment-Focused EMDR. One of the world’s leading experts in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), she is the originator of Attachment-Focused EMDR and Resource Tapping, two approaches that have expanded the application of EMDR in working with attachment and relational trauma.
Prices include daily vegetarian meals from dinner on the night of check-in through lunch on the day of checkout. (Rates below are per person.)
Ideal for individuals, couples, or friends seeking hotel-style comfort and amenities.
Ideal for friends seeking hotel-style comfort and amenities.
Ideal for individuals, couples, or friends seeking simple surroundings for peace and clarity.
Note Room may contain extra single beds.
Fully furnished 665 sq.-ft. apartment (max: 2 persons)
Note Furniture may vary; each apartment is different.
Fully furnished 995 sq.-ft. apartment (max: 4 persons)
Note Furniture may vary; each apartment is different.
Free activities include
Interactive Nature Hikes
Cooking Demos
Meditation & Movement Classes
Wellness Workshops
Paid activities include
Pottery Classes
Ayurvedic Wellness & Healing Arts Treatments
Take your rejuvenation to another level. Our spa offers treatments and therapies that integrate ancient Ayurveda with contemporary wellness.
Call to check availability during Shankara Ayurveda Spa business hours; seven days a week, 9:00 am–6:00 pm.
For room reservations, Ayurveda Wellness Retreats, and Art of Living Retreat Center (AOLRC) signature retreats, we have the following cancellation policy:
AOLRC reserves the right to cancel a program at any time. If AOLRC cancels a program, you will receive a full refund. Some programs may have special cancellation policies; see individual workshop descriptions. For all other retreats, please be sure to check the registration page specific to that retreat.
Unless otherwise indicated, our programs are open to participants 18 years of age and older.
To encourage a healthy environment, we ask that guests not consume alcohol or meat in our public spaces. However, guests may enjoy these items in their rooms.
Our property is always smoke-free.
Yes, we ask that guests with food allergies simply inform us so we can communicate those needs to our chef. Typically, we label potential allergens such as gluten, dairy, and nuts. You may email us at info@theartoflivingretreatcenter.kinsta.cloud.
Thanks to the cool climate of the Blue Ridge Mountains, air conditioning is rarely needed. For the occasional warm day, there is a fan in each room to help keep you comfortable.
We do have lodging and event venues that are ADA-compliant. Due to the topography of our mountain campus, some are easier to access than others, so please speak to Guest Services (800.392.6870) prior to registering to ensure we can best accommodate your needs. We also have shuttles that run frequently throughout the campus.
We are committed to the safety of our guests and staff. Our mountaintop location and the surrounding areas are spacious, remote, safe, and secure.
You can help!
Transportation Options Between Charlotte and the Center
Hickory Hop Shuttle Service Book online hickoryhop.com The Hickory Hop shuttle goes from Charlotte airport to Boone five times daily. Reservations are required, so book ahead online and be sure to confirm shuttle times coordinate with your travel plans.
High Country Limo 828.898.9595 highcountrylimo.com
Oscar’s Car Service 704.965.5800
Edwardo’s Car Service 704.949.6775
Blue Bird Transportation 828.989.7286 Blue Bird of Boone
Abby Cab 828.475.2988 abbycab.com
Uber or Lyft Book in app on arrival.
Other airports within driving distance from the Art of Living Retreat Center include
Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) in Johnson City, TN (80 miles)
Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) in Greensboro, NC (110 miles)
Visit our directions page for more information.
Step into a world where mindfulness meets beauty. Our gallery captures the essence of the Art of Living—from serene moments of reflection to vibrant celebrations of life, wellness, and connection.
SAVE! Add a day or two and save 20% off our R&R rates. Select your added day(s) on the Registration page.
