Winter Grief Retreat
Gather virtually around this cozy community fire during the darkest months of the year.
Limited spots available.
Grief touches every human life. It is a universal experience, yet it often feels deeply personal, isolating, and overwhelming.
In many cultures, grief is understood as a natural process that must be expressed and witnessed within a community to foster healing. When grief is suppressed, it creates emotional barriers that weigh us down, making it difficult to fully engage with life and those around us.
However, when grief is given space to breathe and move, it can become a transformative force. It allows us to reconnect with ourselves, with others, and with the world, lightening the emotional load and creating a sense of clarity and renewal.
Grief takes many forms, all of which are valid. This retreat holds space for a variety of grief experiences, including:
• The death of a loved one (human or pet)
• The end of a relationship or friendship
• Changes in health, identity, or life roles
• Career transitions, job loss, or retirement
• Moving away from a home or community
• Collective grief for societal or global challenges
• Anticipatory grief, such as caregiving or facing uncertain futures
Whatever your grief may look like, this space is here to honor your unique journey and provide a caring container to hold it together.
As Piro Hiroko Ishizaka reminds us, “Since the causes of grief are universal even though they feel private, perhaps grief must exist in the community sphere.”
Francis Weller echoes this sentiment, saying, “We are invited to step into the unknown and undefined dimensions of our life. Grief takes us into a terrain where we must develop other senses, other ways of knowing.”
This retreat offers a compassionate, communal space where grief is not only allowed but honored as a sacred part of life’s cycles. Together, we step outside of ordinary reality, embracing the depth of our emotions and finding strength through connection and expression.
What makes a grief retreat special is the commitment to meeting regularly over a specific period of time, creating opportunities for intimacy to grow and relationships to build as we get to know one another through our grief. Each grief retreat is unique, shaped by the individuals who come together to create the circle of community. The design of the retreat unfolds naturally, reflecting the needs and contributions of its participants. However, all grief retreats share common threads, weaving somatic practices and storytelling into each meeting to support healing and connection.
A community container to practice releasing grief in the presence of caring witnesses.
This retreat is for heart-centered humans who:
-
✺
Are struggling to find emotional energy for work, relationships, or self-care amidst the weight of their grief.
-
✺
Feel a pull to build a relationship with their grief, seeking to understand and get along with it rather than “move on” from it.
-
✺
Wish to honor their grief as a natural and sacred part of life’s cycle, rather than something to suppress or hide.
-
✺
Crave a space to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with themselves in the midst of life’s demands.
-
✺
Feel a longing for connection and community with others who are experiencing grief.
-
✺
Are ready to open up to deeper parts of themselves, exploring vulnerability and transformation.
What people are saying about the experience:
I'd been experiencing deep grief for months and had talked to friends about it but always in the context of our busy lives. I didn't realize how much I needed to slow down and honor it until I attended a grief circle. Grief is very personal and it can be very vulnerable to talk about it. Mallory's guidance and readings made me feel at ease as I opened up and let myself be fully seen. Grief can also be lonely, and the opportunity to share without judgement gave me such a profound sense of community and support. I had the most restorative sleep since I could remember that night and woke up feeling lighter. I'd recommend this experience to anyone who's loved or lost anything or anyone. You are not alone.
—Cait
This was such a supportive and enjoyable experience. Mallory was such a great guide and gentle energy. Grief is so complex and vulnerable, and she provided a few rules to help everyone support each other, but there were no expectations set. It was nice how everyone chimed in when they felt called to. Grief is very entangled with nature, and how much change occurs. Before the experience, I had been in a place of stuffing my grief down, saying that it didn’t deserve to have the room that others grief did, that it was shameful, or my fault. The circle gave me a safe space to let my grief breath, and internally relate it to others grief. I left feeling less alone, and more a part of. I definitely recommend this experience.
—Melissa
Meet the Facilitator
Mallory is a human-centered designer, death doula, and grief educator who founded Edge of Skin, a practice centered on end-of-life care and supporting people through life’s transitions. She is dedicated to creating a more equitable world by making human connection and compassionate care more accessible.
As a seeker of truth, a curator of perspectives, and a dreamer, Mallory brings a deep passion for investigation, discovery, and the sharing of collective wisdom to all her work.
She is a certified Grief Educator and Death Doula and most recently, she completed a course in Rights of Passage Facilitation. With over six years of experience as a facilitator, Mallory has led dozens of workshops, creating spaces where people can feel seen, supported, and connected.
Gathering times and dates
The retreat includes a live Zoom meeting twice a month 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM EST
December 20th, 2024
January 8th, 2025
January 22nd, 2025
February 5th, 2025
February 19th, 2025
March 5th, 2025
March 19th, 2025
One Time Payment
$280
‘Name Your Price’ suggested price of $320.*
*The Name Your Price option is an opportunity presented at checkout to provide an additional payment above the actual cost of the retreat to support community members who are experiencing financial barriers. This is an opportunity to not only participate in the retreat but also support your fellow community members while you're at it. Lovely!
NOTAFLOF: No one will be turned away from Winter Grief Retreat for lack of funds. If pricing serves as a barrier to you, please use the code 15OFF for a 15% discount or email me mallory@edgeofskin.com for assistance.
Frequently asked questions
-
Each time we meet during the retreat, you will be invited into somatic practices, storytelling, and reflective activities designed to help you connect with your grief and honor it as a part of your journey. Each session will include opportunities to share, listen, and explore practices that support healing and connection.
-
While participation in the retreat is an important part of the group dynamic, but it doesn’t mean you need to share every detail or participate in a way that feels overwhelming. Vulnerability and honesty—at your own comfort level and capacity—help create a caring and trusting environment for everyone.
If you’re feeling hesitant or anxious about participating, it’s okay to express those feelings to the group. Simply being open about your experience, even if it’s just naming your discomfort, can foster connection.
-
This retreat is for anyone navigating grief, whether it is recent or has been with you for years. Grief doesn’t follow a timeline, and this space is designed to support you wherever you are in your journey.
If your grief is very recent, it can sometimes feel raw and overwhelming, which may make it difficult to participate in a group.
Please take a moment to check in with yourself and your emotional capacity to participate in a group setting. If you feel ready to explore your grief gently and be supported by a caring community, this retreat can provide a nurturing space for you.
-
This is a confidential, peer-support space and there will not be a recording of each meeting.
I am asking that all individuals who want to participate commit to attending as many meetings as possible (barring illness, emergencies, etc). This is why the dates are given in advance. Because we will only meet twice a month, commitment is vital to the health of the group. This way, everyone can be confident that we are going to show up for each other, regardless of what's happening in our lives.
-
I understand that group settings can feel intimidating, especially when you are opening yourself up so vulnerably. Yet, community has a unique way of helping us find the beauty in our shared humanity. It reminds us, on a deep and embodied level, that we are truly not alone in our experiences.
You are never required to participate beyond your capacity. One of the benefits of meeting virtually is having control over how you engage with the space—whether that means keeping your camera off, muting your audio, or simply listening in.
At the same time, even small moments of engagement, like naming an emotion or sharing a thought, can help foster a sense of connection and belonging. This retreat is a compassionate space to show up exactly as you are, in whatever way feels most comfortable for you.
-
This retreat isn’t about ‘moving on’ from grief but about learning to honor it and integrate it into your life. Grief changes us, but it also offers the opportunity to rebuild and grow around our loss.
As Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler remind us: “The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.”
-
This retreat is designed to meet you exactly where you are, whether you’re brand new to these practices or have explored them before. All guidance and activities will be gently introduced, allowing you to participate in a way that feels natural and comfortable for you.
TLDR; no prior experience needed.
-
The group will have a maximum capacity of 30 participants to ensure a balance between creating a vibrant, supportive community and maintaining a space where everyone feels witnessed.
While 30 participants may feel larger, the structure of the retreat is designed to allow for meaningful engagement. Through smaller breakout sessions, opportunities for individual reflection, and intentional facilitation, you’ll still experience a sense of connection and intimacy within the group.