Cindy Gale

Held by Earth and Each Other - a Retreat for Highly Sensitive People
2026-08-21 09:00 - 2026-08-23 17:00 UTC | St Katherines, Parmoor, Frieth, RG9 6NN, St Katherines, Parmoor, Frieth, Oxfordshire, RG9 6NN, United Kingdom
Non-residential tickets are still available. All residential options are sold out.

A very special 3 day retreat for HSPs August 21st to 23rd 2026.

You will leave this retreat with a stronger sense of belonging, clarity, and connection. Not because anything about you needs fixing, but because you’ll rediscover the inner resources and collective strength that were always there.
You’ll feel less alone, more grounded, and deeply nourished — ready to move through the world with more steadiness and hope. Surrounded by others who understand what it means to move through the world with a sensitive heart, you’ll discover that community itself is a source of strength.
This retreat is for you if …
You one of the 20 – 30% of people who are highly sensitive.
Yes — it’s a real trait, validated by scientific research. Highly Sensitive People (HSPs) process more deeply, notice subtleties others miss, and often feel more attuned to both beauty and suffering.
This retreat is for HSPs who:- Value depth, gentleness, and authenticity over small talk or surface-level positivity- Long for meaningful connection with others who ‘get it’- Carry grief, anxiety, or overwhelm about the state of the world- Want to feel resourced, grounded, and inspired again.
You can take the HSP test here
What will I experience?
Over three gentle, spacious days together, you’ll be held in a sanctuary designed especially for HSPs.

Heartfelt sharing where your voice is heard and your feelings are welcomed.
Meditations, body scans, and mindfulness to soothe your nervous system
Mindful walks and experiential practices in nature
Guest facilitators including Lorna Bode, a wonderful creative arts guide, Barbara Allen-Williams a hugely expereinced HSP mentor and authorof The Little Book of HSP Wisdom, Andy Shipley, a visually impared nature connection guide, and Dr Andrew May, a leading HSP researcher – all offering fresh insight and inspiration
The weekend will follow the framework of Joanna Macy’s the Work That Reconnects and we will join for the sacred ritual of The Council of All Beings

The Council of All Beings
In this sacred gathering, we step beyond our human selves and listen with the whole of our being. Through imagination, reverence, and quiet communion with the living world, we allow other voices to speak through us — the trees, the rivers, the winds, the creatures with whom we share this home. Grief and gratitude mingle here, as we give voice to what has been silenced and open our hearts to the wisdom that surrounds us.
Before entering the Council, we’ll spend time in gentle, creative exploration — letting the natural world inspire images, textures, and symbols that arise from our intuition and play. Then, together, we’ll cross into sacred space to speak for the Earth and remember our belonging within the great web of life.
This ritual was created by Joanna Macy and John Seed. We’ll also weave throughout the three days other practices from The Work That Reconnects transformative lineage — helping us rediscover the strength that comes from connection: to ourselves, to one another, and to the living Earth.
Through creativity, imagination, and ceremony, we deepen our sense of belonging to Earth and each other.
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Nourishment in every sense – wholesome vegetarian and vegan meals, unhurried time, solitude as well as connection.
This is not about fixing yourself. It’s about remembering.

Remembering that your sensitivity connects you with life.
Remembering that you are not alone with your deep feelings.
Remembering that you carry within you the capacity for strength, imagination and love.

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The Retreat House
The retreat is at St. Katharine’s, Parmoor, a welcoming, long-established sanctuary where people from all walks of life, from all faiths or none, can come to enjoy peace and tranquillity. Guests often leave feeling refreshed both physically and spiritually.
The house is set beside the beautiful village of Frieth, in the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Only 20 minutes by train from London Marylebone to High Wycombe station or 50 minutes to Marlow via Maidenhead on the Queen Elizabeth Line.
Arrive before lunch at 12 noon on Friday 21st August
Depart after lunch by 3pm on Sunday 23rd August
Prices
Super Early Bird prices are available until 19th Feb 2026.
All the information and tickets are available on the retreat website.
Payment plans are available starting at £100 deposit for the Super Early Bird price.
Please email Cindy & Priyal at bookings@highlysensitiveretreats.com for details.
A small number of bursary places (50% reduction) are available for people of the global majority who would otherwise find the cost a barrier. This is part of our commitment to inclusivity and decolonising practice. If this would make it possible for you to join us, please fill out Bursary application form on the website.
See the retreat website for more details.

WHAT OTHERS SAY
Charlotte Del Signore, Career Coach
“The HSP retreat was a beautiful mix of connection, reflection, and nourishment. From heartfelt sharing circles to yoga nidra under the trees, I left feeling more grounded, seen, and held by the care and thoughtfulness that Cindy and Priyal bring to every detail.”
James Drewett, Specialist Teacher in FE College
“One of the most special days of my life — a peaceful refuge in nature where I felt completely understood and accepted. Every element, from the poetry to the forest walk and nourishing Ayurvedic lunch, helped me feel restored, validated, and inspired about being an HSP.”
Kate Carling
“The yoga nidra session in a quiet wildlife garden was unlike any rest I’ve known. With Priyal’s gentle guidance, I could fully let go — my body softened, my mind quietened, and I felt completely safe. Two weeks later, I’m still feeling calmer and more grounded.”
Sarah-Jane McArdle, Carer & mum of 3
“One of the most restorative experiences I’ve ever had. The calm, nurturing space Cindy and Priyal created allowed me to truly slow down and reconnect with myself. I left feeling lighter, grounded, and reminded that as HSPs, we don’t have to do this alone.”
Annabelle Roblin-Sserwanja, Climate Policy & Sustainability Professional
“The retreat is a true haven for HSPs. It felt like a bubble where I could truly be myself without fear of judgement and have authentic, open-hearted conversations with others in an atmosphere of genuine care and respect, supported by thoughtful and gentle facilitation by Cindy and Priyal. The activities nourished my body, mind and spirit. I left feeling restored, energised and affirmed, with newfound confidence in my own path.”
You don’t have to navigate this world alone.
See the website for more details and to book.
WHO WE ARE
Cindy Gale is an internationally renowned depth psychotherapist who has spent over fifteen years working exclusively with Highly Sensitive People (HSPs). A Certified Transactional Analyst with an MSc in Psychotherapy and an MBA, she is a speaker and teaches about the HSP trait in counselling and psychotherapy training colleges and universities. She also coordinates the therapeutic team for the Climate Psychology Alliance.
Cindy is a facilitator of The Work That Reconnects, having trained with root teacher Joanna Macy. Her work is grounded in reverence for and communion with the natural world and a deep understanding of our ecological and relational selves. Cindy also trained as an End of Life Doula and is a trustee of Heal Rewilding.
Mentored for many years by Malidoma Patrice Somé, the West African teacher, author, and elder known for bridging Indigenous wisdom with Western psychology and spirituality, Cindy weaves ancient animist and ancestral wisdom into modern therapeutic and community practice.Deeply engaged in decolonisation work, Cindy brings a reflective focus to the role of white people in co-liberation and collective healing. She believes that as the world grows harder, the antidote lies in one another—reclaiming belonging through true community.
Priyal Shah’s life has been a journey of turning sensitivity into strength. Raised in the UK within a Jain family guided by ahimsa — non-violence in thought, word, and action — he learned early that gentleness could be a radical act. That understanding became the thread through years of seeking: from Hinduism and Buddhism to Tantra and Taoism, each path revealing new ways to live with awareness and compassion in a turbulent world.
Now known as an HSP Yogi and Yoga Ācārya (spiritual teacher), Priyal’s work bridges ancient wisdom with modern sensitivity research. Trained in Hatha (Sivananda), Tantric, and Kundalini Yoga, as well as Yoga Nidra and Yoga philosophy, he has studied with Dr Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Mantak Chia, and been mentored by elders in yogic and ecological-spiritual lineages who model humility, justice, and service.
Through his HSP themed workshops Radical Rest and B.A.L.A.N.C.E., Priyal helps Highly Sensitive People find steadiness and belonging — restoring harmony in body, awareness, lifestyle, attention, nervous system, connection, and energy.
As a facilitator of The Work That Reconnects, he uses sensitivity as a compass for collective healing. Priyal has co-led Co-Liberation workshops with Molly Young Brown, co-author of Coming Back to Life: The Updated Guide to The Work That Reconnects, and Mutima Imani, addressing race and equality as gateways to empathy and shared liberation.
Rooted in Sangha — community and interdependence — Priyal’s work amplifies the voices of the Global South and Global Majority, weaving spiritual practice with social awakening. His teaching invites people to slow down, feel deeply, and remember: gentleness is not retreat — it’s revolution.
GUEST FACILITATORS
Barbara Allen-Williams
Barbara facilitates the empowerment of individual HSPs as a mentor 1-1, plus groups and workshops nationally and internationally, and has co-hosted a number of 4-day HSP Gathering Retreats with Jacquelyn Strickland in Europe and USA. She is a founding member of International Consultants in High Sensitivity. She is the author of The Little Book of HSP Wisdom.
Lorna Bode
Lorna is a ceramic artist and educator. She has discovered clay to be a wonderful medium through which we can express our creativity. Lorna is leading our mask making for The Council of All Beings.
Dr. Andrew May
Andrew is a researcher in sensory processing sensitivity, a human geneticist by training with expertise in lab-based, bioinformatic and psychological research, particularly in an African context. He is interested in human development and behaviour, from genetic, psychological and evolutionary perspectives.
Andy Shipley
Andy is a visually impared nature connection guide.He is leading a session on gratitude and nature connection, with the help of his support dog Dodger . Andy’s work focuses on integrating the practice of inclusion into the blood-stream of our social, economic and natural ecosystems.

Details and booking here HSP 3 Day Retreat
