Praying with Parts
An experiential, non-religious retreat exploring the interplay between prayer & parts-work
lead by Alexander Kugler with guest dance movement therapist, Sarah Hellman
May 16-18th 2025 Sebastopol, CA
Have you ever made a big prayer and found yourself dissatisfied, frustrated or resentful that it wasn’t being answered in the way you wanted?
Are you excited by the idea of weaving together the magic of prayer with the power of parts-work?
Have you ever felt like you had to leave Parts of yourself at the door with certain communities?
At the Praying with Parts retreat, we will explore the subtle and dynamic impact upon our inner realms when we engage in significant prayer.
We will focus on inviting forward our frightened or concerned Parts, committing to treat them as sacred - to listen to them and to support their progress.
Our practice involves being present with our Parts instead of dismissing, invalidating, or spiritually bypassing them. This approach releases long-held tensions and encourages more ease, beauty and joy in our lives.
Rather than living lives motivated by pain, we learn to attune to inspiration and allow ourselves to be drawn forward by vision.
Signs this retreat is for you:
You might be struggling with feelings of isolation, anxiety, loneliness, frustration, irritability, or anger.
You believe that only certain parts of you are welcome or safe to share with the world.
You feel intimidated, scared, or nervous about being your authentic self.
You catch yourself arguing with critical inner voices.
You long to feel more authentically expressed but don’t know how to go there.
You love to pray but something feels stagnant.
You are prayer-curious and want a safe spaces to explore what prayer means to you.
You’ve heard of parts-work and it makes sense to you. You’re ready to dig in.
The question of “who do I want to become” excites and scares you a little.
You are hungry for more but not sure what it is, exactly.
Your Guides
Alexander Kugler, comes to retreat facilitation with a decade of transformation oriented training, years of experience facilitating groups, expertise in leading workshops, as well as initiation in indigenous wisdom traditions and psychedelic supported transformational work.
You can read more about Alexander’s journey on his bio page.
Sarah Hellman is a Somatic Psychotherapist who is passionate about incorporating the body and movement into the healing process as a way to build increased awareness and integration of the psyche.
You can read more about Sarah’s offerings on her webpage.
The Work
Internal Family Systems: IFS, pioneered by Richard Schwartz, is a game-changer in inner healing. Together, we’ll get to know your internal landscape without making your Inner Critic, or any of your Parts, a problem - cause they’re not. From there we can do the truly miraculous work of helping our internal Parts learn new behaviors that build us up rather than tear us down. It almost sounds too good to be true, but this magic is real so let’s get you some.
Sculpting: As we open to our personal material on retreat there will be moments where Alexander will guide a sculpting, or externalization of someone’s Parts. This can look a lot like psychodrama or Family Constellation work but is deeply rooted in the IFS map and cosmology. The gift of sculpting is the expanded perspective one gains when seeing what’s happening inside expressed outside. We do this work always with the loving support of facilitator and community.
Prayer work: Each morning we will begin the day with grounding and centering practices. We will invoke the healing presence of Water, the Earth, trees and ancestors. We will collaboratively create an altar to help guide our healing journey with our nights spent around the fire, making offerings and listening to our prayers as they move through us.
Embodiment & Dance: Healing doesn’t count for much if it’s not grounded in the body. With the skilled leadership of Sarah Hellman we will devote time to unwinding old patterns stuck in the body and create space for more presence and pleasure through the healing process.
Community Support: You're not alone on this journey. Our circle of participants will be guided to offer empathy and compassion while relaxing the impulse to care-take or give advise. With each other's support, we'll celebrate victories, confront challenges, and uplift each other every step of the way.
Empowerment and Liberation: Get ready to reclaim your power and liberate your true self. Through the power of prayer and the transformative principles of IFS, we'll break free from past traumas and limiting beliefs, embracing our innate brilliance with confidence and clarity.
Enhanced Navigation of Life's Challenges: Gain invaluable tools to navigate life's challenges with grace and clarity. With a deep understanding of your inner landscape, you'll approach obstacles with resilience, discernment, and aliveness.
What’s included:
Meals:
Friday dinner; Saturday breakfast & dinner; Sunday breakfast
Participants will feed themselves lunch on Saturday. Light snacks will be provided.
Lodging:
There will be space indoors to setup sleeping areas.
Outdoor camping on this beautiful retreat land is welcome.
Participants need to bring all sleep materials for their comfort.
Retreat Flow:
Friday May 16th
Late afternoon arrival
Orientation, dinner and altar activation
Saturday May 17th
Morning prayers
Parts-work explorations, embodiment & dance practice, nature connection and rest
Evening prayer time around the fire
Sunday May 18th
Morning prayers
Closing circle and reflections
Break down of camp and altar
Logistics
When: May 16th - 18th
Where: beautiful retreat center in Sebastopol, CA
Why: Cause you want to be free to be yourself
How much: Sliding Scale options below
For those with greater financial capacity, helping to support the sustainability of this event and our ability to offer the lower tiers.
For those who can cover the basic costs and contribute to supporting the facilitators.
For those with limited financial resources.
