Annette Knopp & Wanda Brothers

December 5

December 12, 2026
Boundaries, Being and Belonging

What if true belonging begins not with reaching outward, but with reconnecting to your Essential Being?

In this immersive retreat, Annette and Wanda guide you through an experiential journey that weaves Buddhist meditation, somatic inquiry, trauma resolution, attachment theory, and cutting-edge neurobiology into a cohesive pathway toward embodied presence.

Through guided inquiry and embodied exploration, you’ll befriend your direct felt experience – transforming inner conflict into clarity and uncovering the essential nature beneath conditioned patterns and protective strategies.

You’ll discover the paradox at the heart of authentic relating: while your Essential Being is naturally open and unbounded, clear boundaries allow our true nature to express itself skillfully in relationships and in the world.

What makes this retreat unique is our integration of ancient contemplative practices with modern understandings of nervous system regulation and attachment – creating a learning environment where insight becomes embodied and sustainable.

What You’ll Experience:

Reconnect with Your Essential Being – Move beyond conditioned patterns to access the basic okayness and innate wisdom that exists beneath your protective strategies and learned identities.

Understand Your Nervous System and Relational Safety – Learn how polyvagal theory and interoception create the foundation for safety, transforming how you show up in relationships.

Heal Attachment Patterns and Establish Healthy Boundaries – Discover how your implicit sense of self was formed and receive repair messages specific to your attachment style, while learning to set boundaries that honor both connection and autonomy.

Transform Shame into Self-Acceptance – Explore power dynamics and learn embodied practices to shift from shame to acceptance, separating your essential self from conditioned behaviors.

 

Navigate the Full Spectrum of Your Emotions – Develop a conscious relationship with all emotions – from anger and fear to joy and gratitude – learning to work with rather than against your felt experience.

Integrate Shadow and Reclaim Your Wholeness – Recognize and embrace disowned parts of yourself, discovering how belonging to self makes authentic belonging with others possible.

Make Transformation Sustainable – Cultivate practices and perspectives that support ongoing flourishing, so the insights from this retreat continue to deepen into a more meaningful and connected life.

Annette Knopp is the author of Mystic Nomad: A Woman’s Wild Journey to True Connection. As a meditation teacher, somatic educator, and nature mystic she has been mentoring clients in their unique journeys of awakening and healing for over two decades. She co-founded the Blue Spirit Retreat Center in Costa Rica with her husband Stephan, where they have welcomed practitioners from around the world since 2009.

Annette’s teachings draw from Indo-Tibetan meditation traditions, spiritual inquiry, earth-based wisdom practices of the Peruvian Andes, and modern Western approaches to psycho-spiritual integration and trauma resolution. She is an ordained Wisdom Keeper in the Order of Universal Interfaith, a certified Dynamic Attachment Repair (DARe) practitioner and yoga teacher (RYT). She also facilitates embodied parts work (IRF) and Sacred Theatre, and applies polyvagal theory to support global human rights activists in preventing burnout. Her work bridges ancient wisdom and contemporary healing in service of human dignity, wholeness, and living in wakeful, embodied connection.

 

Wanda Brothers, MA, LMFT, is a Somatic Experiencing™ practitioner and Certified Dynamic Attachment Repair (DARe) clinician with over 23 years of clinical experience. For nearly two decades, she has specialized in integrating neuroscience, physiology, and attachment theory to help clients resolve trauma, restore nervous system regulation, and heal relational wounds.

In addition to her private practice, Wanda is a seasoned educator, speaker, and clinical supervisor. She serves as Professor of Somatic Psychology in the Master’s program at the Integrative Psychology Institute and is a former professor at Point Loma Nazarene University. Known for translating complex theory into clear, practical application, she teaches through dynamic, experiential exercises that help students embody and apply core somatic principles with confidence.

Wanda is also the creator of the Educational Trauma and Resiliency Program, a four-module training that equips educators in underserved schools with practical tools grounded in trauma, attachment, and nervous system science. Across clinical, academic, and community settings, her work emphasizes experiential learning and the transformative power of working with the body to cultivate resilience, regulation, and connection.

 

How to Book

All-inclusive rates listed include*
– Seven-night stay and program tuition.
– Three daily buffet-style meals (gourmet ovo-lacto vegetarian and vegan cuisine, plus local fish being served three times during your stay)
– Access to the Blue Spirit amenities and Wifi access.
*Taxes included

Please proceed to online booking by clicking below and choose the accommodation according to your taste and budget.

CANCELLATION POLICY FOR ROOM BOOKINGS
– For a cancellation made 60 days prior to your arrival, you will receive a refund less a 4.5% Processing Fee and $200 Penalty Fee.
– No refund or credit will be offered for cancellations made within 60 days of the start of the program, no-shows or early departures.
– For any incidentals or unforeseen circumstances we strongly suggest Traveler’s Insurance.

CANCELLATION POLICY FOR ARENTALS
Please note, Blue Spirit is renting these housing options to be offered specifically for this retreat. Therefore we are unable to process any refunds or credit due to cancellations. Please note that any payments are final. For ease of convenience, we strongly suggest renting a golf car, ATV, or a car.

IMPORTANT
If you are staying for consecutive weeks it is important that you notify us to avoid switching rooms. Please use the “Special Requests” box during checkout.

 

More Information

DETOX CLEANSE PROGRAM

While you’re here, add the Blue Spirit Detox Cleanse Program to your week (additional charge). For further information please visit the following page.

GETTING HERE & TRANSPORT
We are remote, yet easily accessible. The closest airport is Liberia International Airport (LIR). Learn more about the area where we are located here.
For all services, you will need to make advanced reservations.

TRAVEL INSURANCE
We highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance, which insures you against unforeseen sickness, injury, job loss, inclement weather, and more. We suggest you learn more in the following Official Statement about the Medical Travel Insurance and requirements the country may impose.

Sample Daily Schedule

7:00–9:00 a.m. Breakfast
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. Morning Workshop
12:00–1:30 p.m. Lunch
2:00–4:00 p.m. Afternoon Workshop
6:00–7:30 p.m. Dinner
8:00–10:00 p.m. Evening Program (Week 2 on Some Evenings)