Trauma Retreat Italy For women
Led by Trauma Psychotherapist Tess Hunneybell.
Private. Individual work. Maximum five women. Seven days.
A quiet look at San Flaviano
A short walk through the monastery where the retreat is held.
Trauma Retreat in Italy — How the Week Is Held
This is not a timetable you follow. It is a week you inhabit.
The work unfolds through relationship, presence, and careful attention to what is actually happening — not what was planned in advance. One-to-one sessions with me are woven through the week, alongside small group workshops where things often click in ways they don’t in individual work, somatic practice with Eszter, yoga with Viktoria, time outdoors in the hills, and the particular rhythm of daily life at San Flaviano.
You will not be asked to share your story with the group. Each woman is met privately and individually. The group is simply there — a quiet, human backdrop of women who understand, without needing to explain themselves to each other.
Life here is simple and unhurried. The monastery has been standing for over 1,100 years. Life changes, but here it often feels like Sunday. The days follow the light. There is space to walk, to sit, to think, and to do very little for a while — which, for many women, turns out to be its own kind of work.
Some days are quieter. Others go deeper. Each person moves at a pace that feels steady and manageable. There is no pressure to arrive at anything before you are ready.
Most women arrive not quite knowing what they need. By the end of the week, most have a fairly clear sense. Something has settled. Something has shifted. The first signs of real internal movement have begun — and they can feel it.
When I first arrived, sitting in the car with three women I didn't know, I couldn't help but think: what have I done. Looking back now, I smile at that moment — because what awaited me was one of the most meaningful and life-changing experiences I've ever had.— Mireille, Switzerland
Why There Is No Group Sharing
You won’t be asked to share your story with the group.
Therapeutic work takes place individually — privately, carefully paced, and with full attention to what is actually happening, rather than what needs to be said. Time together is used differently: for learning, orientation, and the quiet ease of being alongside women who understand, without needing to explain yourself.
You stay with your own process. You’re not pulled into someone else’s experience or asked to carry anything that isn’t yours. Most women find this a relief they didn’t expect.
And sometimes the most important moments aren’t in a session at all. They’re on the garden bench after lunch, when something you hadn’t quite found words for begins to make sense. I’m there for those moments too — available for things to unfold naturally, not only within a set structure.
For many women, much of life is spent looking after others. This week offers something different — a chance to step out of that role for a while, and to allow yourself to be looked after instead.
There were chats around the table, exercises in looking into ourselves — but we did not have to share. There is no group work. But my fellow retreatants were also warm and open. That was a great bonus.— Mary, Ireland
I know this is a significant step. Book a call with me and let’s talk it through. Tess
Tess Hunneybell
Trauma psychotherapist · Retreat lead
I lead the therapeutic work of this trauma retreat Italy and hold responsibility for the clinical frame, pacing, and psychological safety of the week.
For over twenty years I have designed and facilitated small-group residential retreats for women. During this time I have held more than 14,000 hours of residential retreat work.
Individual therapeutic work is woven through the week — through dedicated sessions, workshops, shared meals, and the steady relational presence that sustains the retreat environment.
I remain onsite for the full duration of the retreat and available throughout each day, not only during scheduled sessions.
Further information about my clinical background and work can be found at
https://tesshunneybell.com
But it is Tess that you really go for. Her one-to-one sessions are hard to describe but brilliantly, inexplicably powerful. You sort of become more empathetic towards yourself.— Ellie
Eszter Balázs
Somatic Therapist · Yoga Teacher · Reflexologist
Eszter’s work gently supports the body in releasing patterns of tension, protection, and long-held fatigue at a pace that feels safe and manageable. Her approach is grounded in nervous-system awareness, allowing regulation to emerge gradually rather than being pushed.
Through breath-led movement and somatic attention, she helps guests reconnect with bodily signals that may have been muted by years of coping and carrying on. Her presence is calm and attentive, and sessions are adapted to what each person needs on the day.
Many guests describe her work as quietly steadying — something shifts in the body that makes the rest of the week’s work feel more possible.
Reflexology is available as an optional extra during the week · 60 minutes · €70
For the first time I felt seen, understood, and realised all of my screwy childhood experiences are actually more common than I realised. Nothing dramatic has changed, yet everything has changed.— Lauri, UK
Viktoria Varga
Senior Yoga Teacher & Holistic Massage Therapist
Viktoria’s yoga sessions are gentle, grounding, and entirely invitational, meeting each guest where she is without any pressure to push or perform. Her work supports the body’s natural capacity to soften, settle, and gradually return to a sense of ease. Earlier in her career, Viktoria worked in the circus, developing a deep understanding of balance, alignment, and the body in motion. Today that knowledge is expressed through careful attention, sensitivity, and quiet care. Her warmth and good humour bring a lightness to the week that many guests find deeply reassuring.
Holistic massage and Aerial Thai Massage are available as optional extras during the week · 75 minutes · €90
The Healing Trauma Workbook
Each participant at the trauma retreat Italy receives a 97-page Healing Trauma Workbook written by trauma psychotherpait Tess Hunneybell to accompany your retreat.
It is written in clear, straightforward language — an experienced guide to how the body and mind respond to trauma. No prior knowledge or clinical background is needed. There is also no expectation to read it from beginning to end. Guests are simply invited to dip into the sections that feel relevant at different moments during the week.
The workbook offers gentle reflection prompts, practical explanations of the nervous system, and material that many women return to long after the retreat has ended. It often becomes something people reach for months later, when life brings new challenges or when something from the week begins to make deeper sense.
Anything written in the workbook remains entirely private. It belongs to you.
Food & Nourishment at the Trauma Retreat Italy
Guests are nourished with lovingly prepared Italian meals made from seasonal ingredients, rooted in vegetarian and pescatarian cooking.
The food is generous, comforting, and supportive — designed to care for the body while the therapeutic work unfolds. Dietary requirements are warmly welcomed and accommodated.
Yes, chocolate. Yes, espresso.
San Flaviano sits above a natural mountain spring, and the water flowing through the house comes directly from this source — cold, clear, and unprocessed.
It is safe to drink and used throughout the house for drinking, tea, and daily use, so there is no need to buy bottled water during the week. Many guests notice the quality of the spring water and comment on it as one of the quiet details that contributes to the sense of ease during the retreat.
“The supporting team created an atmosphere that felt genuinely supportive. I left feeling lighter, calmer, and more energised than I had in years. People around me noticed immediately.”
Anita, Switzerland
A Gift for Booking Direct
Bagni Triponzo Terme Spa — included with every direct booking
Triponzo Thermal Baths sit in the Valnerina valley, built over ancient Roman foundations where river water meets natural sulphur springs. Warm mineral pools, woodland, mountain air, and complete stillness.
During the retreat there is time to spend a half day here — resting in the warm pools, unwinding in the sun, and briefly stepping outside the rhythm of the week. It also becomes a relaxed moment to get to know one another a little better and enjoy some lightness together within the retreat bubble.
For many women it becomes one of the most remembered afternoons of their stay.
Complimentary spa pass included · €52 value · Direct bookings only
2026 Retreat Dates
- 20–26 May 2026
- 3–9 June 2026
- 17–23 June 2026
- 8–14 July 2026
- 22–28 July 2026
- 5–11 August 2026
- 26 Aug – 1 Sept 2026
- 9–15 September 2026
All trauma retreat Italy dates run Wednesday arrival to Tuesday departure.
Everything included in your trauma retreat Italy booking:
This is a fully held, residential retreat. From the moment you arrive, the practicalities of daily life are taken care of — allowing your attention to settle into the work of the week.
6 nights at San Flaviano Monastery
Individual therapeutic work with Tess, woven throughout the week
Small group teaching, workshops, and guided practices
Somatic work and gentle yoga with Eszter and Viktoria
Guided meditation and nervous-system regulation practices
The 97-page Healing Trauma Workbook
All meals, refreshments, fruit, tea, coffee, and snacks
Complimentary Triponzo Thermal Spa pass
Chauffeur transfer from Spoleto Station on arrival and departure
Italian toiletries, fresh towels and linens, hairdryers, and laundry available
There are no additional costs once you arrive.
Places at this trauma retreat Italy are limited to five women
Places are limited to five women per retreat and are confirmed on a first-come basis.
A deposit secures your place, with the remaining balance due four weeks before the retreat.
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Prefer to speak before booking? You can talk it through with Tess.
I left the retreat feeling energised, confident, and filled with a renewed sense of hope.— Sue T, UK
Private Room in the Monastery
A quiet, private bedroom within the monastery walls with ensuite bathroom — a calm personal space to rest, withdraw, and return to yourself between sessions.
€2,695 €2,995 Early booking rate — save €300 ·
Ends 30 April 2026 · All-inclusive
By booking you agree to our Terms & Conditions.
🔒 Pay secure card deposit
Shared Room — Church Mezzanine
A spacious 90m² room within the restored 15th-century church mezzanine, shared with one other woman only — carefully matched by Tess. Exposed stonework, beamed ceilings, access to two bathrooms.
€2,495 €2,795 Early booking rate — save €300 ·
Ends 30 April 2026 · All-inclusive
By booking you agree to our Terms & Conditions.
🔒 Pay secure card deposit
Getting to the trauma retreat Italy is straightforward.
San Flaviano is most easily reached by train from Rome or Florence.
Fly into Rome Fiumicino (FCO) or Florence (FLR) and take the train to Spoleto — a straightforward journey through some of Italy’s most beautiful countryside. From Rome Termini, Spoleto is approximately 1 hour 20 minutes by direct train. From Florence, allow around 2 hours with a change at Foligno.
Chauffeur pick-up is provided from Spoleto Train Station at 13:50 on arrival day, with drop-off in time for the 09:38 train to Rome on departure day.
If preferred, a private chauffeur can also be arranged for direct airport transfers from Rome or Florence.
If you are travelling from further afield or would like help planning your journey, I am happy to assist with route suggestions, overnight accommodation in Rome or Florence before or after the retreat, and any practical travel questions. Just get in touch.
Many women arrive unsure. A little wobbly. Often carrying more than they’ve been able to put into words.
They leave feeling more like themselves. Lighter. Clearer. With a sense that something has shifted — not forced, not pushed, but allowed.
The fear that once lived in the body settles into memory, where it belongs.
If you’re considering this trauma retreat Italy, the best place to start is a short conversation. You can ask questions, get a sense of the week, and see whether it feels right for you.
I’m here to take your call