Email: contact@souliology.com

STEP 1 - SOMATIC IFS RETREAT WITH SUSAN MCCONNELL IN CHESTER, CONNECTICUT, USA
SEPTEMBER 20TH - 26TH, 2025

What to expect from a Somatic Internal Family Systems Retreat (SIFS)?
Susan McConnell’s amazing Somatic IFS retreat is a retreat not to be missed.
Somatic IFS is a branch of IFS that blends the principles of somatic therapy - like movement, touch, sensation and breathwork – with the traditional tools of IFS. Somatic IFS explores the embodiment of the internal family with the goal of restoring the client’s SELF to leadership and allowing parts that express through the body to come into relationship and alignment with the client’s SELF.
On this retreat, you will be invited to explore your internal system with the practices of Somatic IFS. Through guided exercises, journaling, live demonstrations and small group interactions you will listen to your parts through sensations, movement and touch. Your experience of the Embodied Self can transform your personal and professional life.
During the retreat you will experience for yourself the five practices of Somatic IFS -
1: Somatic Awareness
2: Conscious Breathing
3: Radical Resonance
4: Mindful Movement
5: Attuned Touch
Susan, through Somatic IFS, incorporates the five practices to help you heal parts's burdens in the body, using the IFS model.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This Step 1 Program is an experiential retreat designed solely for your personal growth and to provide you with a personal experience of the 5 steps of Somatic IFS. It is NOT a didactic training, nor is it an official or accredited training program of the IFS Institute or its model. This retreat is intended exclusively as a personal growth experience and should be understood as such in all respects.
The retreat is open to IFS graduates only.
30 IFS-CE credits are available for this Somatic IFS Retreat which can be used towards IFS certification or recertification.
A completion certificate will only be offered to participants who attend all 30 hours of this retreat. If, for any reason you cannot attend the full 30 hours, you will not be issued with a completion certificate. You will also require a completion certificate from a Step 1 Program to be eligible to attend a Step 2 54-hour Somatic IFS Training Program.
This retreat is limited to 32 participants.

A Little more about Susan....
Susan McConnell, MAPD, CHT, is a senior trainer for the IFS Institute and has taught Internal Family Systems in the US and internationally since 1997. Somatic IFS is the culmination of her experience and teaching of various bodywork, movement, spiritual, and psychotherapeutic modalities that facilitate the embodiment of the internal family—the subpersonalities as well as the essential core Self—to bring compassionate witnessing to the implicit body stories of our individual hurts and societal burdens.
Somatic IFS is a branch of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) Model. IFS is a psychotherapeutic model that normalizes multiplicity of the mind and views each person as having a Self that the therapist helps to uncover so that it can fully lead the system of parts, or subpersonalities.
IFS holds that all parts, regardless of how they currently manifest, hold positive intent and can be helped to contribute their wisdom and gifts to the person’s system. Somatic IFS explores the embodiment of the internal family with the goal of restoring the client’s Self to leadership and allowing parts that express through the body to come into relationship and alignment with the client’s Self.
Recommended Reading
Susan McConnell is also the author of Somatic Internal Family Systems: Awareness, Breath, Resonance, Movement and Touch in Practice.
You can purchase this book at https://www.embodiedself.net/book and it is also available on Amazon UK and US.
t would be really beneficial to read her book in its entirety prior to the beginning of the retreat so you can get the very most out of your experience but it is not essential and there is no obligation to do so.
For more about Susan see
The Retreat Location
The Retreat will take place at the Guesthouse, in Chester, Connecticut.
The Guest House was built as a country inn and offers beautiful and comfortable ensuite accommodations while maintaining a feeling of serenity throughout.
Our Retreat Participants enjoy the convenience of meeting rooms, dining halls and guest rooms located under one roof, while enjoying the comfort and privacy of individual spacious guest rooms, each with their own full bathroom.
Every guest room is decorated with elegant and functional furnishings, and no two rooms are exactly alike. High-speed WiFi and air conditioning are available in all guest rooms and throughout the building.
The Guest House is a beautifully renovated country inn that combines functionality with comfort. It has many features that you can enjoy throughout the retreat week such as:
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Facility-Wide High Speed WiFi
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Private baths in each of Guest Rooms
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Fully air conditioned and heated guest rooms, with most using environmentally friendly, individually controlled HVAC units
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A fitness center featuring aerobic exercise equipment, free and fixed weights, a ping pong table, and a sauna.
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The Guest Amenities Closet has all the little things you might miss from home: Irons & Ironing Boards, Fans, Bath Mats & Extra Towels, etc
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Bottomless Coffee & Tea served daily in their Dining Room.
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Three healthy, expertly prepared meals per day with most menus adapted to many common allergies such as gluten & lactose intolerance.
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Wooded walking trails on property, with many hiking trails very close by.
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Two large open fields, perfect for yoga or yard games – Weather permitting.
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Full-size tennis court
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A meditation Labyrinth.
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A lending library
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A Gift Shop & Necessities Store


Retreat Particulars
The retreat will take place near the charming town of Chester, Connecticut - merely a 12 mile drive away from Long Island Sound.
The retreat takes place over 6 days starting at 7pm on the Saturday evening of September 20th, 2025 when we will meet for dinner, welcome everyone, make introductions and outline the program for the week. We will complete our week on Friday, September 26th, 2025 after breakfast, when you are free to depart at your convenience.
The cost of the retreat is $3,695 (USD) based on single room occupancy. The retreat cost includes the retreat guidance with Susan McConnell and Staff, 6 nights private ensuite accommodation and 3 delicious meals a day plus teas/coffees and refreshments during the morning and afternoon breaks. Each day locally sourced foods will be available for breakfast, lunch and a delicious evening meal. All meals include gluten free and vegetarian options.
This retreat is limited to 32 participants. If you are interested in participating, please register your interest. You will then be seamlessly directed to a registration form for completion. Only applicants who complete a full registration form will be considered for this retreat. Once your registration is approved we will advise you formally and it is only at this point that we will request a $1,000 (USD) non-refundable deposit to secure your place.
Any travel costs to the retreat location in Chester, Connecticut, is the sole responsibility of the participant.
IMPORTANT: Please read our FAQS page on this website for further guidelines and information on Covid, the arrangements we have in place in the unlikely event the retreat is cancelled due to Covid or in the unlikely event the retreat leader is not in a position to attend. The FAQS page also provides further general information which you may find useful when planning your trip. If after reading the FAQS page you have any further information, please feel free to email us at contact@souliology.com.
Recommended reading
You can purchase these books from the IFS-I Store and/or Amazon US, as well as many independently owned bookstores for the older books.


Retreat Schedule: -
Six Day Retreat Schedule – This is a broad outline of what the schedule for the week will look like but it is subject to change at Susan’s discretion.
Saturday September 20th – Friday September 26th, 2025.
Saturday - 20th
6.30pm
7.30pm – 9pm
Dinner
Opening Session
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
7.30am – 9am
9am – 12pm
12.30pm
3pm – 6pm
6.30pm
Breakfast
Morning Session
Light Lunch
Afternoon Session
Dinner
Thursday Night
Friday – 26th
8am – 9am
10am
Breakfast
Check out.
7pm – 9pm – Dinner with closing event. Please ensure to stay until the end so you don’t miss it.
Please note, your room will be available for check-in from 3pm on Saturday, September 20th and you need to vacate your room by 10am Friday September 26th. We will serve teas/coffees and refreshments during our morning and afternoon breaks which will usually be at 10.30am and
4.30pm daily except on the day off.
Your Investment: -
Total Retreat Cost: - $3,695 per participant (based on single room occupancy)
The retreat cost includes the 6-day retreat itself with Susan McConnell, 6 nights private ensuite accommodation in a beautiful retreat centre in Chester and 3 delicious meals a day to include a full breakfast, a light lunch and a delicious evening meal throughout the retreat schedule. Our retreat location can also cater for a variety of dietary requirements such as vegetarian, gluten free and lactose intolerance. You can indicate your dietary requirements and preferences on the registration form.
Retreat Payment Schedule:
We are delighted to offer flexibility with our payment options. You have two choices: you can make full payment now of $3,695 (USD) or you can opt for our convenient payment plan. The payment plan breaks down the retreat cost into 3 convenient payments as follows:
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Payment 1: $1,000 (USD) non-refundable and non-transferable deposit – (Due on acceptance onto the retreat).
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Payment 2: $1,500 (USD) per person due by the 21st March, 2025. (This amount will be refundable until 20th June 2025 should you decide to cancel.
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Payment 3: The remaining balance depending on your room occupancy type must be paid by the 20th June, 2025.
Please note: There is no refund of fees over and above your non-refundable deposit for withdrawal for any reason after 20th June 2025. If you register for the retreat after the specified payment deadlines outlined above, the existing payment schedule will no longer apply. Your payment schedule will either be adjusted to align with the existing payment plan, provided the payment deadlines allow, or you will be required to pay for the retreat in full.
Scholarship Places:
There are some limited cost reduction/scholarship places reserved for Global Majority or LGBTQ+ applicants. Scholarship places are offered at $3,250 (USD) and you can also avail of the flexible payment terms if you are offered a scholarship place - $1,000 (USD) non-refundable deposit, $1,000 (USD) payment 2 and $1,250 (USD) payment 3. Please outline on the registration form if you are applying for a scholarship place. All scholarship applications will be treated on a first come first served basis subject to eligibility. Although we will do our best to accommodate all requests, this may not be possible as we have a limited number of these places available.
Partners/Companions: If you wish to attend the retreat with a companion and share accommodation, we offer a reduced fee for both attendees. The total cost for two people to attend the full retreat, enjoy the set retreat meals and share room accommodation at the retreat venue is $7,100.
Additionally, you are welcome to bring a companion who can stay at the retreat venue with you in shared accommodation, enjoy the set retreat meals but not attend the retreat itself. This option incurs a supplementary cost of $1,300 for your companion. Please ensure to indicate your preference during the registration process.
Please note:
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Any companion accompanying you must be an adult over 18 years of age.
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Children are not allowed to join you in shared accommodation during the retreat.
Possible additional charges -:
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An additional $100 (USD) per person late fee for payments received after 21st March, 2025 and 20th June, 2025.
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An additional $50 (USD) administrative fee for room or occupancy category changes.
30 IFS-CE credits are available for this Somatic IFS Retreat which can be used towards IFS certification or recertification.

How to get there…..and more!
Please download the attached information document which includes details about -
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Getting to the retreat location in Chester, Connecticut, USA
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Interesting places to visit while in Chester.
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What to bring
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Where you will be staying for the retreat week
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The Weather
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OUR COVID-19 Policy