Retreats given by Mary Treacy O'Keefe

One-Day Retreat for Cancer Survivors and Caregivers: Sample Retreat Schedule
Developing a Strategy for Thriving, not just Surviving, When Our Lives are Touched by Cancer

8:00- Breakfast

9:00am: Presentation: Introduction to Mind-Body Skills: How to Manage Stress and Maintain a Strong Immune System

• Discussion of the importance of developing coping tools
  and techniques for managing the stress and anxiety that inevitably
  affects both survivors and caregivers.
  
• Short discussion of biofeedback. Participants will be given 'bio-dots' to measure stress levels throughout the day
  
• Meditation and 'soft belly' breathing: discussion of the benefits and various types of meditation, including transcendental, mindfulness meditation, "relaxation response", Centering Prayer, labyrinth
  
• Demonstration of the power of imagery and visualization
  Experiential activity: 5-10 minutes of Mindfulness meditation time

(Optional: Participants could be given an exercise to be completed by journaling or drawing. If they wanted to share their work, we could have an optional small group discussion from 11:30am-12:00.)

10:00am Free time to meditate, pray, enjoy amenities of retreat center

12:00pm Lunch
Optional: Take a group photo

1:00pm Presentation: The Immune Power Personality
A discussion of research contained in Henry Dreher's book, Immune Power Personality, concerning traits possessed by people with strong immune systems-all things we can duplicate in our own lives
Handout: Eating for Optimal Health

2:00pm Possible Optional Activities: Massage, Tai Chi, Healing Touch, Accupressure, Qi Gong, Yoga

3:00pm Free Time

6:00pm Dinner

7:00pm Presentation: Support Groups to Soul Friendships: The Healing Power of Relationships, with Others and God:

• discuss research demonstrating the importance of expressing our feelings to others and the role of support groups
  
• explain the concept of "thin places" and soul friendships as a means of sharing stories and receiving spiritual support.
  
• the importance of prayer and maintaining hope, both for our health and for eternal life.

Exercise: done in triads: after a guided imagery, share stories of spiritual experiences and discuss how doing this impacts our journey towards healing-of the spirit, even when there may not be a physical cure.

• Living Fully through "Forness"
  
• Living Fully through Soul Friendships
  
• Soul Friends: Past, Present and Forever
  
• The Healing Power of Soul Friendships
  
• Healing Through Feeling: The Importance of Mind, Body Skills
  
• The Face of the Surviving Spirit
  
• Mothers as Spiritual Directors
  
• Foster Parents as Spiritual Directors
  Celtic Spirituality
  
• The Spiritual Dimension of Breast Cancer
  
• The Importance of Incorporating Mind, Body Skills in Healing

Keep in Contact

Share a story, ask a question, or just send comments to mary.treacy.okeefe@gmail.com.