Third Stone Retreats

Family wellness intensive:

Did you dream of “family” and imagine it would feel different? Do you crave more authenticity and deeper connection with your family members? Perhaps you find yourselves misunderstanding each other, engaged in conflict, and unsure of how to find a path forward.

Maybe you just need a reset?

Third Stone Family Wellness Intensives are an excellent way to get back on the same page with the people you love the most. This is a chance to say the things that need to be said, and learn the best ways to say them.

On a Family Wellness Intensive, our goals are to:

Learn and practice emotional regulation skills to come back to yourself and reduce high-intensity conflict
Learn and practice emotional communication skills to better navigate conflict that does arise
Set concrete intentions and commitments to shape future family culture
Feel more equipped as a family to handle challenges as they arise
Diffuse anger and find more peace, grace, and connection within the family

Each intensive will follow a daily routine, primarily consisting of therapeutic interventions and intentional conversations. Our work will be accentuated by guided mindfulness practice, movement, outdoor time, healthy meals, and relaxation time.

These intensives are fully customizable, and can last anywhere from 2-6 days. I will join you and your family for the duration of our time together, whether it’s at your own home, at a dedicated retreat space, or even on a camping trip in the wilderness.

It’s up to you.

Cost: Starting at $1,000/day

Includes all food, transportation, navigation, gear rental, emergency support, and of course, therapeutic guiding and facilitation.

What clients have to say:

“I met Nick a few years ago when I first sought more extensive/alternative treatment for my mental health struggles, and I've had the pleasure of being able to work with him in therapy ever since then. I recently went on my first guided/therapeutic backpacking trip with Nick. I went into the experience super excited to check-out/explore the land out there, but of course also, having some internal challenges/life-struggles that I wanted to face and process (but on the surface still fearful/scared of the challenges/unknowns which that process presents).

For the whole planning/logistics of the trip, Nick was amazing, making sure I brought everything I needed while also providing gear/food that I didn’t have. The first day was definitely tough (more emotionally than physically), as being out in the canyons without my usual past coping mechanisms and having no access to technology to distract myself allowed me to feel a ton of emotion that I had avoided/suppressed previously. Regardless, I was able to feel a LOT that first day, and on my own, it would’ve probably been almost unbearable. I would’ve probably tried to keep avoiding and not “see it to the other side,” but Nick was able to hold space for me, allowing me to feel all that stuff, while also encouraging me to process and share what I felt with him in a very real and therapeutic way. After that first day/night in the canyons, although it certainly wasn't easy and I was unsure at first if the whole trip was a good idea, I'm extremely grateful that I went out there and stuck to it.

The second day was the physically more challenging day of the trip, but after that first emotional night, things only got better (mentally at least) and being in those canyons, seeing the raw beauty and power which that land holds, was just truly captivating in a way that words can’t describe (especially if you’re a native east coaster like me).

Additionally, although Nick and I were having some in-depth/intentional conversations throughout the whole trip, it rarely felt like where were doing “therapeutic work” (but it was certainly therapeutic/helpful), rather, it just felt like I was talking/hiking with a very good friend of mine, who also thankfully has an abundance of wisdom/life experience. The experience I got from just being there was priceless, and also, Nick encouraged me to take what I got from that experience and build on that momentum even after I was back in my “normal” life back home. I didn’t realize how much I needed that trip before I went, and after getting back home into my typical routine, I’ve finally been able to take the steps/work on limiting/stopping other vices that I knew I wanted to change, but simply could not see or could not take steps to change without some additional support. As someone who had/has a lot of internal struggles, and having already exhausted almost every mainstream psychological treatments/therapy, medications, and psychiatric procedures with little to no relief, the experience Nick helped provide me was infinitely more helpful/impactful than any of those other psychological treatments I’ve done previously (At a fraction of the cost as well).

Nick won’t sell you a false promise or “a quick fix” to anything that you're dealing with, instead, he’ll meet you where you’re at, and when you’re ready, he’ll encourage you to face what you're dealing with as he supports you along the journey, showing you another way of living that I myself and others like me have found which certainly isn’t comfortable or easy, but is real, genuine, and natural, and is 100% worth every struggle in the end. I could never express in words how grateful I am to be able to work with Nick, and the therapy/experience that Nick provides has influenced me in so many different ways, and has genuinely led me to feel some relief and true peace/contentment.”

What clients have to say:

"This experience was uncomfortable in the best way. Fasting and solitude in nature quieted the noise and brought me back to myself. I left with clarity, gratitude, and a deeper connection to something bigger than me."

"Sitting in the woods alone with no food for three days could go a lot of different ways, but Nick and Deer were a highly professional duo that curated a wonderful experience for me. Given their expertise with thriving in nature, the trip was incredibly smooth logistically. They ensured that everybody was prepared with gear, water, etc., which allowed for me to really focus on the personal growth aspect of the trip instead of worrying about my safety. Before, during, and after, Nick and Deer constructed a wonderfully open and free space to share experiences, past traumas, difficult feelings and goals. I felt welcomed and accepted by not only them but by the other people embarking on the solo due to the open-minded vibe and atmosphere Nick and Deer brought us all into. My experience was overwhelmingly positive, and even months later I still carry lasting effects with me that I picked up while out in the wilderness. Can’t recommend enough!"

Tanzania Wilderness Adventure:

I am thrilled to partner with Damiani Benard Kaji at Kaji Adventure Safaris in Tanzania to offer a unique international experience. Damian and I met in 2017 when he guided me to te summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and we have been friends and colleagues ever since. He offers custom wilderness adventures in Tanzania, from a trek up Kilimanjro, to a safari in the Serengetti, to the cool blue waters of Zanzibar. He and I have partnered to create therapeutic and non-therapeutic guided trips to these world-class destinations. If you'd like to deepen your therapeutic work on top of the highest mountain in Africa or at a campsite in the savannah, this is for you. And if you simply just want to travel to one of the most amazing countries on Earth, Damian and I can guide you there.

Please view the the Kaji Advetnure website here: https://kajiadventuresafaris.com/

High Desert Medicine Journey:

You are invited on a 5-day group intensive to seek awareness and truth while being held by two experienced facilitators and Mother Nature herself. Let it be a rite of passage into the unknown.

A journey like this is an immersive experience designed for those wishing to explore their inner landscapes, mark an important transition, answer big questions, improve their external relationships, and connect to that which lies beyond our typical modes of perception.

We base ourselves on land located an hour west of Durango, Colorado. This wilderness is home to a cabin where we will share healthy meals and seek shelter if need be, but most of our work will occur outdoors. Participants will camp, wander, dream, and journey amidst the juniper and under the stars.

Your guides will help you set intentions through journaling group council prior to our gathering. This work is informed by Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, or sometimes known as parts work, and is held by a facilitator certified in the IFS model. Parts work is a powerful entry to our inner world by way of relating to the many parts that make up who we are.

This will be an experience unlike any you have undertaken before. It is more than just a “trip.” Our rich preparation will create a living scaffold for meaningful change, supporting you in meeting yourself with presence and compassion as you cross the threshold into your journey.

We will walk beside you as you descend and as you return, holding the thread of connection as insight is woven back into daily life. Drawing from meditation, somatic experiencing, movement, and plant medicine, we will hold a ceremonial container that honors both protection and mystery. Here, under the sky and in relation with the unseen, a fresh perspective unfolds in rhythm with nature and a deeper wisdom is remembered, one that has always known the way.

Cost: $2,600 per participant.

Included in this price are two group preparation calls and one group integration call. We will offer prep work, assignments, and guided support before and after our journeying. All food and lodging is of course also included. We are offering a sliding scale to those in need of financial assistance - please let us know if cost is an issue and we can discuss options.

Join us and cross this threshold of discovery. Who knows? It might just change your life.

Rite of Passage Wilderness Solo:

What does it actually mean to “know yourself?”

We throw this term around often, but we so rarely get to spend unfiltered and undistracted time alone.

Across cultures, our ancestors have spent intentional time alone in the wilderness in order to gain clarity, seek a vision, come of age, or cross a threshold. We have almost lost this sacred art of becoming, and here in front of you is an opportunity to reclaim it.

Though solitude may inspire fear in modern minds, the chance to court the unknown might also be your calling song to the sacred. Do you long to touch what your ancestors knew to be an act of great importance? Are you hungry to gain intimacy with your physical body and the body of nature? Is something ready to die or be born but requires something "big" to do so?

Are you ready to invite deeper purpose into your life?

Join me and a co-guide for an opportunity to undertake a “wilderness solo,” with encouraged fasting. This 6-day, 5-night, offering in the beautiful mountains near Durango, CO is a potent contemporary adaptation of an ancient ceremony that exists in many forms in nature-based cultures around the world. It is not for the faint of heart, but for those that feel the call, it can be utterly transformative.

We will cohere as a group in the months leading up to our journey over video calls, deepening our intentions and preparing our psyches. We will spend a day together landing in the wilds before separating for a 72 hour solo and fast. The final two days of our time together will be spent integrating our experiences in a group space. All safety measures and precautions will be taken.

And who knows? You just might find that you are never truly alone…

Come see for yourself.

Cost: $2,000 per participant.

Includes 6 days of group facilitation, 2 prep calls and 1 integration call, food and group gear, permits, navigation, and emergency response plan.

Sliding scale and “bring a friend” discounts offered.

Individual backpacking quest:

One of my absolute favorite things to do as a therapist is to get outside with my clients. Perhaps you want to deepen the work of our sessions in a more intentional space. Or maybe you just want to go backpacking and have some deep conversations along the way. Whatever you are looking for - let’s design it together and get into the backcountry.

Third Stone Quests are 100% custom therapeutic backpacking trips. We will work together to plan a journey that aligns with your dreams, goals, and therapeutic work. Trips are offered year-round in a variety of environments, including the mountains, the desert, and even on the river. From anywhere from 2 to 6 days, we will hike, paddle, and camp together in the wilderness. No phones, no electronics, no streets, no cars - just the sounds of the trees and stars.

These trips are ideal for current clients who wish to deepen their healing or who just want a guided break from modern society. Because each trip is unique and customized, prices vary. New clients are welcome too!

Cost: Starting at $1,000/day

Includes all food, transportation, navigation, gear rental, emergency support, and of course, therapeutic guiding and facilitation.