- 1:1 ‘First emergency retreat’: Making it through stress, burnout, meaninglessness or a dark night of the soul
This offering is for you who need a change and to get away from your normal circumstances, NOW. We have been there, so we know how urgent it can be to have a place to land when your whole world is falling apart around you. And how healing it can be to have a pair of hands to catch you in your fall, not least if those hands are in beautiful, sunny Guatemala.
We offer a calm place full of bird song, sunny days, good, healthy meals, pristine nature, someone to talk to and absolutely no agenda other than helping you get back on your feet in a soft and gentle way.
Stress, burnout or dark night of the soul – is this you?
Our soul is constantly trying to get us to the place of absolute bliss and contentment with our life that is our birthright. When we are off track, it guides us in different ways, one of them being to ‘hit the wall’. Below here you can read more about the different ways this can look.
Hitting the wall has many stages. It can start with a feeling of meaningless and like you are just an actor in someone else’s play. You feel that no matter what you do, you don’t seem to keep up with your workload or get the results you want. You have done all the right things, but you still don’t feel the level of contentment with your life that you know deep inside is possible. You look at your life and see that it has a lot of good elements – but you don’t feel it all the way into your bones and the core of your being, and it’s like your life is losing it’s colours. Something is missing and you just don’t seem to be able to figure out what it is. You start to wonder if being truly happy is just an impossible illusion, if this is really all that life is.
From here it can get much, much worse. It’s your body and soul telling you that you need to adjust. The longer you silence and sugarcoat these voices, the louder they speak. Physical symptoms start showing up. Depression. A feeling of not wanting to live anymore.
It will not ‘just blow over’. You have to deal with it. But how?
We have both experienced all this and more on our own body, mind and soul, and we know how hard it seems to get out of. But there is a way, and it will bring you to a better place, maybe even to a life beyond your wildest dreams, if you deal with it correctly.
No matter where you are at, we will be happy to help you pass this important threshold in your life.
.
Stress - what does it feel like & what to do about it
Stress is your body and brain’s natural response to being under too much pressure for too long. Your brain doesn’t seem to be able to decide about anything, and everything seems urgent. You can’t figure out where to start, so you just try to get more and more and more done – with the result that more loose ends keep piling up.
When this state becomes permanent, you have come too far out, and you must make a change. But how?
What does severe stress feel like?
There may be physical symptoms like rashes or low immune defense, as your body can only re- or degenerate. When it’s stressed it spends all its resources ‘running from the lion’, aka the perceived threat that the stress response sends signals to your body about. Your mind starts racing to ‘find a solution’ and your blood pressure raises to get ready to run. The only problem is – you can’t run from the endless emails or demands you can’t meet, and you can’t think your way out of the situation. You may self-soothe with alcohol, Netflix or doom-scrolling, and it helps you for a little while. You probably can’t sleep at night, and your mornings frequently start with anxiety-attacks.
Probably people around you try to tell you to slow down. But it’s easy for them to say, you think, because first you need to do this, this and that. Afterwards you can slow down, you resonate. Your relationships are probably strained.
Maybe your body stops you when you are not able to - you get sick or get stopped by a serious illness or heart attack. Sometimes this has fatal consequences. If the lines above resonate, we strongly advise you to make the decision before your body does.
The sooner you make a full stop – the faster your recovery will be.
What to do about it
The ‘cure’ for severe stress is not something you do. It is a lot of things you don’t do. You need to be completely let off from responsibilities for a while and only focus on what feels good from moment to moment. When your nervous system allows for it, you may slowly start looking at your life and find the root cause of the situation, you are in. Usually, it’s a variety of different factors that led your body, mind and/or spirit to pull the emergency breaks.
It can be very difficult to figure out how to loosen the grip about your many responsibilities when you are under a lot of stress, and therefore you need to ask for help. Use these lines as your permission slip to go to someone and say ‘I need you to help me get rid of all responsibilities for a while.’ We know it may seem impossible, especially if you are self-employed, but it’s not. You need to trust that everything that seems so important to you right now will be handled, although in reality it probably will not, and that’s fine too. You will see that most of it was not that important anyway, when you return back to life with a whole new perspective on things.
What we offer
When you join us for an emergency retreat with severe stress, we encapsulate you in an environment of ease and beauty. You don’t have to think of anything practical, and we may even keep an eye on your phone for you, so you can be sure to be advised if anything important demands your attention. We feed your body with healthy, highly vibrant natural foods and herbal remedies, maybe we teach you to meditate and we encourage you to spend lots of time in nature. We ask you questions like ‘what are your true values?’ and ‘what lights you up?’ Slowly you start getting back in sync with yourself, your life and your place in the cosmos. You can breathe deeply and think again, and you can start making some healthy new choices for your life.
See more details about the retreat below.
Burnout - what does it feel like & what to do about it
Burnout and stress can be related, but burnout happens more in the mind and spirit than in the body.
What does burnout feel like?
It may include you feeling like nothing makes sense anymore. You love your work, you are living in accord with your values, and you did all the right things, yet none of it led you to feeling as fulfilled and happy about your life as you had hoped for. You are probably still struggling in some area of your life that you thought would be ‘fixed’ when you ‘got there’. It may be your relationship, your finances, your business or your health.
What to do about it
Whatever has led you to feel you are at a dead end, the remedy is removing yourself from the situation and finding the perspective needed to find the way out. Something is blocking your energy, and it needs your attention. Become the quiet witness to what’s going on in your life and find the solutions from there. Being mentored or learning something new may be the thing that can get you back on track and moving forward. Maybe it’s a new health routine, maybe it’s a new way to organize your business, maybe it’s something completely different you can’t even think of as frustration and doubt is clouding your perspective. When you are again connected to yourself and your higher purpose, the path will show itself and the tools will start appearing – you are back on track.
What we offer
During your time with us we make sure to feed you well. You are surrounded by simple beauty, and by wild, undisturbed nature that you can ask for a guiding vision for your life. You have lots of time to finish your thoughts, and we will help you ask yourself the right questions. You can’t rush the process, you must be so quiet that the answers start coming to you. We can also help you with practical tools, as it can sometimes be a habit or an outdated way of working that is blocking your happiness. Maybe you need input on your budget or marketing strategy. Maybe it’s a health routine you need to change. Maybe you need to cut some draining people out of your life. Whatever the ‘rock in the shoe’ is, we will help you find it with different tools like mentoring, walk-and-talks or a vision quest with or without help from the plant kingdom.
See more details about the retreat below.
Dark night of the soul - what does it feel like & what to do about it
A dark night of the soul feels both like stress and burnout but has a significant spiritual dimension too. You are at a very important part of your life’s journey, one that may, with the right tools, catapult you into a whole new level of satisfaction with and success in your life. But it takes courage, support and usually some very big decisions to make it to the other side.
What does a dark night of the soul feel like?
It may feel like god forgot about you. You maybe feel suicidal, without actually wanting to end your life. But you just don’t see a point in any of it anymore. If the people around you don’t know what you are going through and give you unhelpful advice, the consequences can be very big. Many people who are on forever-medication are actually stuck in a dark night of the soul misunderstood as depression. People also do end up in life-long ‘dullness’ – living life but not really feeling alive and able to participate in what happens. And some people end up ending their life, as a dark night of the soul can be extremely uncomfortable if it is not understood and dealt with. Unfortunately, society and even many therapists don’t understand the nature of this very natural rite of passage.
A dark night of the soul may also come with physical symptoms such as your body shutting down and not functioning – like you physically can’t get out of the bed in the morning. It is also very normal to fall into addiction during the process, something that is rarely helpful.
What to do about it
The only way out is in. A dark night of the soul is your soul’s cry for you to look at the dark and hidden parts of you that stop you from fully embracing, honoring and loving the divine being you are. We are all super scared to look at the things that make us feel shameful, afraid, small and like we are not enough.
Spending time in nature is one of the best remedies during the process, as nature calibrates us with our natural frequency of love and abundance – of ‘enoughness’ no matter what. Calming herbs and micro/macro doses of plant medicine can also help some. And spending time around people who know what is happening is extremely powerful. Like with stress and burnout you need to let go of all or most of your obligations for a while. You may even want to separate yourself from your normal life, as your dark night of the soul is most likely related to the roles you were born into and chose to play along the way, and that those around you would like you to stay in for their own comfort.
What we offer
During a stay with us we make sure that everything you surround yourself with and put into your body is nourishing for your soul. We help you stay away from your addictions and encourage you to be with your pain, as it has an important message for you. You are around people who know what you are going through and who don’t judge in any way while you go searching in the most hidden places of your being for the things that will set you free. We help you ask the questions that you are most afraid of, like what you are ashamed of and where you feel too small to handle life. We also stand by your side as positive examples of where it can take you if you dare to look at your own darkness and brokenness long enough for it to turn into your biggest blessings.
See more details about the retreat below.
About our 1:1 first emergency retreats
What to expect from a 1:1 emergency retreat
There is no quick fix to healing, but here is a short-cut: To be around people who fully hear you, who have walked the path and who models what it’s like to be back on track in your life. Who can ask you the right questions as they have done the search for themselves.
We will be happy and honoured to be there for you on your journey back to health, empowerment and happiness.
During an ‘emergency retreat’ we offer you a safe place to land, to feel embraced and at home. You are among people who don’t judge any part of you. We help you with tools to get your nervous system back on track – healthy food, grounding routines, herbal medicine, lots of time spend in nature, deep and encouraging conversations.
Through 1:1 sessions and/or walk-and-talks we help you find back to the essential answers to questions like who you are and what you want.
We can help you set up any kind of healing modality you feel may help you on your journey. Almost anything is possible here by the lake.
What does it cost?
You can choose to travel solo or come with a friend, family member or partner. You are also welcome to bring your children. We offer nanny service and lots of kids’ activities here. It can be very healing to have loved ones around you, also so they understand what you are going through, but it’s important you remember to put yourself first. A healing retreat is no holiday.
Usually a week goes from Saturday-Saturday, but we can be flexible around this.
Price per room, all-inclusive for 1 person: GTQ 25.000 per week
Price per extra adult in the room: GTQ 10.000 per week.
Price per extra child in the room (3-16 years): GTQ 4.500 per week
Additional days/weeks can be added with a 10% discount.
What’s included in the price:
Accommodation for 7 nights in a room set with organic bed linen and all-natural toiletries provided.
Breakfast, optional lunch/picnic bag and a simple, delicious dinner every day.
All beverages including herbal tea, good coffee, homemade/curated local alcohol-free drinks, and kombucha.
We offer herbal cigarettes, tinctures and other kinds of herbalist remedies for well-being for those who want.
Walk-and-talks and/or 1:1 therapy sessions are offered each day, as needed
What’s not included in the price
Transport to and from Guatemala/San Pedro.
Activities and transportation according to interest can be arranged, some at an additional price.
Kids’ activities and nanny service can be organized at an additional price.
How to book
You book by sending us an email on mail@thebeautifulsolution.com with the number of guests and preferred dates for your visit.
We will confirm your booking or suggest other dates. When we have an agreement, we send you an invoice on 50% of the total amount of your booking.
You pay the invoice by bank transfer. This is your deposit, that cannot be refunded, but it can be used for another week if you need to re-schedule.
The rest of the amount you can pay via bank transfer, or cash at arrival. We will be happy to make an invoice for your accounts, of course.
Do you have any questions?
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or want to book a discovery call. You can email us on mail@thebeautifulsolution.com or send us a text on WhatsApp (+502) 5069-6584.
More information / FAQ’s
About the hotel and our food
Highly vital, organic food is our specialty. We spend a lot of time searching for and selecting the very best ingredients to use in our kitchen. We also grow some ourselves. Our all-natural dairy products and ’criollo’ eggs are from a 5-cow-farm, most of our veggies are from IMAP, a project focusing on introducing permaculture to local farmers, and our lettuce and leafy greens are picked up daily at Eugenio’s – a guy who never learned to write or read. But his father taught him to grow food. His organic garden in the middle of San Pedro doesn’t have a name, homepage or phone number. You come and he harvests for you. Easy. The same goes for meat – chicks are from a regenerative farm and the beef is from cows who had a good life grazing on the mountains.
We apply the same attention to detail to our interior design. All our fabrics for the rooms are organic and/or handmade by local weavers and seamstresses. We work with local potteries, furniture makers, basket weavers and other craftsmen for a personal, natural feeling in all design details.
About the area around the hotel
Hotel San Pedro La Laguna is situated in a tranquil part of the village with a 15-minute walk to the centre of town and a short walk to wild, undisturbed nature with endless hiking- and running paths.
Each village around Lake Atitlán has a strong and real market culture with Mayans selling and trading local produce, fabrics and other things needed for daily life. The lake is also one of the hotspots in the world when it comes to all kinds of healing modalities. Everything you can or can’t imagine is offered here: From a good massage to yoga sessions, herbalism classes, plant medicine journeys, akashic records readings, cacao ceremonies, kirtans – you name it! A short but scenic boat ride will take you to most of it.
We are only 2 hours from the Pacific Coast which makes it easy to combine the retreat with tropical adventures, wave surfing and much more. A longer drive will take you to areas with jungle, Mayan pyramids etc. Guatemala is a small country with a very big diversity in both nature and culture.
About the weather
The area around Lake Atitlán is called ‘The land of eternal spring’ because the weather is always nice here. Rainy season is usually in the months of June, August, September and October – but really there are no days here that are not nice in their own way. We like to say that every day is a beach day – at least for a few hours if not the whole day. The temperature is always around 20-25 degrees at daytime and 5-10 degrees lower at night. The rain showers and thunderstorms during rainy season can be quite spectacular, but they don’t last that long, usually. For us, they are a nice way of having the air cleared and the dust washed away once in a while. The rainy season is also when everything is most lush and green.
About safety
Many people are worried about safety in Guatemala. While some areas in the capital are dangerous and a few of the roads around us are not recommended to use by night – we will say that San Pedro is probably one of the safest places to be in the entire world. The Mayan culture and slow pace of life is infused into the DNA of the town, which makes traffic flow easily and criminal rates at an absolute minimum. In addition to the local, very friendly police, the Pedranos (people from San Pedro) also have their own law-enforcement system that still use e.g. public embarrassment and eviction from the town as some of the very strict means of keeping the town free of thefts and burglary.
The trip from the airport to the lake is done by professional shuttle services. There are no dangers on the way.