What will we be doing all day?

 

Lots of things!  Lots and lots of things!

Wake up around 7 or 7:30 am in a welcoming community atmosphere.  Get ready for brekky, and have a morning chatter over coffee.  Coffee is definitely required, just saying.  Oh wait.  Maybe it's coffee first, chatter second.

We’ll start each day with a Kathy-inspired group discussion, all about the theme of the day.  DID-specific, of course.  There is always, always a lot to talk about.  Bring your questions and your notebooks.

We may start our day with some of our designated activities.  We're looking at some equine-therapy activities, a ranch tour, and maybe a zip line day. The DDCF forum group is voting on our extra activities -- more info about that later.   Talk about activities that will provide a plethora of discussion themes! 

Our DID theme of the day will lead to a variety of specially designed DID system activities.  Many will be indoor of course.  However, for those who prefer to be more active, and assuming the weather will be beautiful, we will apply these challenges to our creative outdoor adventure activities too. Sometimes, we just gotta enjoy that gorgeous East Texas country landscape.

All that sunshine and a little physical activity will build up your appetite for casual lunches with friends to chat about your dissociative life experiences and create lasting friendships.  Laughter is required over lunchtime!

The afternoon brings us to arts and crafts, maybe some music or creative writing, ongoing serious discussions, and also allowing for some down time to those who require seclusion to recharge.  We'll have a designated Art Building so you can work on your art with less distractions around you.

At P4 24, and we're in TEXAS, so of course, we are considering some horse-inspired activities!   And with a dozen  canoes available for us, it will be quick and easy to have a paddle right there in our private lake.  Anyone wanna fish? There's an aerial park nearby.  A few brave souls may go ziplining!   The Zip Line was a big hit in North Carolina.  Will you be brave enough to try that again?

The Clay Board will be with us again in Texas -- a hugely popular but intense activity we presented in Montana and North Carolina.  Sign-up sheets for turns to work with the clay will be available on day-1.  Pick your preferred times, and find your brave.  Having the courage to address some of your issues at the Clay Board will be greatly beneficial.

We’ll gather together again for our evening dinner, followed by another group discussion about the topic of the day, and/or talk about how you managed your DID-specific challenges.  What did you learn?  Where did you struggle?  How did your insiders help or participate with the challenge?

And of course, we'll spend some hours working on our now infamous DID-skits.  We started doing these in Chicago 2021, and they've just expanded ever since.  Even the Small Group Intensives have skit time.  The skits can be about any topic related to DID.  We explored topics such as not knowing about a dissociative system, being newly diagnosed, being overwhelmed by internal child parts, system chaos, system take-overs, hearing a difficult memory, etc. Putting the inside world issues outside in skit format has an amazing impact.  Seeing it externally helps things feel more real.

That's a lot to happen in a day, and it's going to be a lot to process, but also, that makes for a whole lot to learn and experience.  Your insiders will get lots of turns to participate.

If you're tired, you may call your day to an end after our last group chat, or if you're still going strong, join other attendees with fun evening activities such as campfires, music, games, and casual conversation.  OH, and don't forget those huge outdoor patios, the rocking chairs, watching sunsets over the lake, and those amazing starry nights.

At some point, crash in your cozy room.  We've got both fancier rooms and budget bunk-style rooms. Either way, create your own personal space to reflect on your day.  Try to get a good night's rest, because we'll be hitting it strong again the next day!

 

 

If you prefer a more structured agenda, here is a  flexible  daily schedule.

 

ALL times are approximate. The atmosphere at this retreat will be casual, calm, peaceful and relaxed and if you've spent any time with Kathy, you'll already know that strict schedules aren't her thing!

7 or 7:30 am   Personal waking time

8 am   Morning Breakfast

9 am   Morning Group Discussion, led by Kathy

11:30 am   Selection from a list of active activities for the day:  hiking, walking the grounds, yard games, lake  exploration, doing designated outdoor system activities, DID-designed system challenges, etc.

12:30 pm   Lunch

2 pm   Afternoon group check-in, quick group chat.

2:30 pm   Selection from a list of quieter activities for the day:   art projects, writing exercises, music, skits and role plays, designated system activities, DID-designed system challenges, etc.

4:30 pm   Personal Time

6 pm   Dinner

7:30 pm   Evening group discussion

8:30 or 9 pm and onwards...   Free time for community chats, board games, puzzles, personal time, campfire chats,  relaxation, etc.