We live in a world that’s louder, faster, and more distracted than ever. Social media, overstimulation, and constant comparison keep our minds busy while our hearts grow silent. Many people feel disconnected, numb, or deeply alone, even when surrounded by others. The modern pace leaves little space to feel, to pause, or simply to be. And yet – the longing remains. The longing for real contact, truth, and depth. For something that touches us beneath the surface. 

For me, this longing led me to Path of Love in Portugal in February 2020. I didn’t know then how profoundly this experience would change my life. It opened a space in which I could feel myself again — body, mind, and soul connected. It was as if a whole new dimension opened up within me (and in the world around me). 

One of the most powerful moments wasn’t dramatic or loud. It was subtle. I realized I had lived most of my life inside an invisible prison, ruled by my mind. I had minimized my pain, dismissed my trauma, and learned to function. “It wasn’t that bad,” I used to think. But here, for the first time, I felt understood. I felt held. I remember how Rani held me, how Rafia placed his hand on my shoulder. These moments still live in my body. And in that exact moment, that’s what I needed. To be met: gently, honestly, without force. And something in me softened. 

It allowed me to let go of some of my defences, to slowly lower the walls I had built. I had learned to protect myself from closeness. But this time, something was different. The power of touch, when offered with awareness and care, goes far beyond words. It reaches into places we can’t access with logic. It anchors us in the body and invites us to truly feel. Each of us in our own way, in our own rhythm. Touch, used wisely, is one of the most powerful gateways to healing. 

What makes this process so deeply transformative is its holistic nature. It’s not a retreat for the mind. It is a journey of the whole being. You move, you breathe, you share, you cry, you shake – and slowly, the numbness begins to  melt. You remember what it feels like to be alive. 

At Path of Love, body, mind, and soul come together again. You begin to see,  hear, understand, and feel. Not just separately, but as one. This is where wholeness becomes real. It’s not just about insight. It’s about reconnecting with yourself in a complete, embodied way. Many of us are cut off from our senses, from our emotions, from the deeper layers of who we are. And here, in this space, you begin to feel yourself as a whole again. 

You are never alone with what comes up. The container is incredibly safe. A large, highly skilled team holds the space with integrity and presence. There are no phones, no outside distractions. Just you and the process. And while everything important is clarified in a personal conversation before the re treat, the power of not knowing what exactly will happen is part of the pro cess. It anchors you in the here and now. It keeps your attention on what’s truly here and not what’s next. And that’s where change begins. 

As someone trained in Somatic Experiencing (SE), I now understand more clearly what I experienced. Trauma is not stored in the mind! It lives in the body. You can’t think your way through it. You have to feel it, slowly and safely. You have to sense what was once frozen, silenced, or too overwhelm ing. That’s why traditional talk therapy often reaches a limit. The body and the nervous system need their own language and pace. The mind may move quickly. But the nervous system moves much slower. And inside that slowness, in the quiet intelligence of the body, lies a deeper truth. 

When we learn to listen again – not with the head, but with the heart and the gut – something changes. In that deeper knowing, healing begins. Slowing down, tuning in, and reconnecting with our somatic intelligence is not just emotional – it’s neurological. Healing begins when the body feels safe enough to feel. 

I’ve had the honor of staffing many Path of Love retreats since then. Every single one is different, but they all have one thing in common: people remember who they truly are. Some come after years of therapy. Others arrive without words, just a quiet ache inside. What many people unites them is the same: the pain of separation: from themselves, from others, from life. And what heals them is connection. 

Path of Love is not easy. It requires courage. But there is no safer place I know to do this kind of work. And no greater gift than rediscovering your own heart. 

To anyone who feels something stirring while reading this: follow that feeling. Your mind may try to talk you out of it. But there is a part of you that already knows. That part deserves to be met. You deserve to be met. 

Because wholeness is not something we achieve — it is some thing we remember.

The Science Behind

Recent research in neuroscience and trauma therapy confirms what many ancient traditions have always known: the body holds the key to emotional healing. According to experts like Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score), Dr. Stephen Porges (Polyvagal Theory), and Dr. Peter Levine, trauma is not just stored as memories in the brain, but as physiological im prints in the nervous system. 

Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing (SE), developed a method based on the observation that animals in the wild recover naturally from traumatic events by completing their survival responses. His work shows that trauma is less about the event itself and more about the body’s incom plete reaction to it. By restoring the body’s innate ability to regulate and discharge energy, SE helps release deep-seated tension, fear, and freeze responses without retraumatization. 

The autonomic nervous system, responsible for our survival responses (fight, flight, freeze), often stays stuck in dysregulation long after the actual threat is gone. That’s why talk therapy alone may not access the full depth of trauma. Embodied approaches – such as breathwork, movement, and at tuned, safe relational contact – help complete those unfinished responses and support true integration.