Day retreat · Friday, February 19, 2027
Leaving survival mode
For those recovering from burnout
A nervous system that has been on high alert for months or years does not switch off simply by decision. Not even when the cause is gone: the scanning continues, sleep does not fully recover, and rest feels more like emptiness than relaxation.
This day is not about recovering faster. It is about practicing what a system needs to truly settle — slowly, embodied, and without the need to perform.
€225 per participant · incl. lunch and workbook · Utrecht region · max. 15 participants
The invitation
The body knows before the mind does.
Your nervous system knows the difference between safety and threat. Always. Before your mind realizes it, your body has already heard the tone of a voice, registered the tension in a room, received the signal. This knowledge does not reside in a part of the brain you can access by thinking about it. It sits in an older, deeper sensory system that has been doing its work uninterrupted for five hundred million years.
But many people live for years — sometimes decades — without real contact with that system. Not out of ignorance. Out of habit. The mind has taken over. The body has become a part that must work, perform, keep going. No longer a guide, but a thing you maintain like you maintain a car.
What happens then is that the alert mode stays on, even when there is nothing left to guard against. The system has learned that vigilance is necessary, and it doesn't unlearn that just because the calendar gets emptier. Recovery, therefore, rarely follows a straight line: there are weeks when it seems to work and days when everything is back. That is not a relapse in the sense of failure — it is how a nervous system settles.
This day adds nothing to that. There is no practice to achieve something, and there is nothing that must succeed. What we do is create conditions in which a system is allowed to settle itself: a calm rhythm, a small group, and time in which nothing is asked of you. What happens then, happens naturally or not at all.
It took me three years myself. After selling my company, the inner wall of my carotid artery tore, and what followed taught me above all that forcing things doesn't help. That story is here.
The way of working is the same for all three day retreats: exploring what the nervous system registers, tuning in to each other in a small group, and sharing what arises. That is the foundation of Transformational Presence, the methodology we work with throughout the day.
What you will explore this day
Four entry points, one movement.
That movement goes one way: from tension to rest. Not faster than the system can handle — four movements that present themselves during the day, at the pace they require.
-
01
Recognizing your nervous system
In what state do you actually spend your days? Before you understand anything, your body has already registered it — and that state can be learned to be noticed.
-
02
From tension to recovery
The tension you once felt, and the brake you had forgotten to use. What happens when a system notices there is suddenly more space.
-
03
What stands in the way of rest
For many people, lying still is not restful but uncomfortable. That is not a lack of will — it is what happens when a system has learned that alertness is necessary.
-
04
Back to ordinary life
Resuming is the hardest part of recovery: the calendar filling up again, the expectations returning. How do you notice in time that things are going too fast, and what do you do then?
There will be no schedule and no exercise program that you have to maintain afterwards. What you take with you is not a technique but a memory: how it felt when your system truly settled for once. That is enough to recognize it later.
For whom
Fifteen people who are coming back.
Not all at the same stage, and not all in the same way. What they share is that the acute phase is over and the system hasn't caught up yet.
This day is for
- Those recovering from burnout who notice that rest does not yet come naturally.
- Those working again, partially or fully, and feeling the old patterns returning.
- Those who have been exhausted for a long time and want to learn to notice when things are going too fast.
- Those who have recovered and do not want to experience it again.
And not for
- Those still in the middle of a burnout. In that case, it starts with a GP or practitioner, not with a group day.
- Those under treatment for trauma, depression, or anxiety — please consult your practitioner first, and feel free to call to look at it together.
- Those looking for a day to unwind; this is not wellness and it requires attention.
- Those who prefer not to work in a group. That is not an objection, but then individual coaching would be more appropriate.
Unsure where you stand? Then give me a call. It's not an application and it commits you to nothing — often ten minutes is enough to know if this is the right moment, or if something else is needed first.
The rhythm of the day
What happens that day.
A fixed form with a calm pace. Nothing is mandatory — and skipping a part here is not a failure but exactly the skill you are practicing.
-
09:00
Arrival, tea, and silence
No introductory round, no handouts. You arrive, get tea, find a spot, exhale. No one asks what you do.
-
09:30
Landing — where are you now
A quiet introduction to the work and to each other. A first exercise to notice the state in which you arrived, without having to do anything with it.
-
10:30
Morning — exploring the nervous system
How does your nervous system actually work, and in what way can you relax your state of being with small exercises? In pairs and in silence, with guided exercises and plenty of space to slow down.
-
12:30
Lunch in silence
Simple and mindful. The silence is not a rule — it is a gift. Finally a lunch where no one wants anything from you.
-
13:30
Afternoon — settling together
A nervous system settles faster in the company of calm systems than on your own. That is co-regulation, and it is the reason this happens in a group and not at home on the couch.
-
15:30
Break with tea
Walking, sitting, letting it sink in. Nothing is required.
-
16:00
Back to Monday
How do you notice in time that things are going too fast, and what do you do then? Practical exploration in a circle, for those who wish — you don't have to share anything you don't want to share.
-
17:00
Closing
A brief moment to let the day land, and then farewell. You go home with your workbook and with a memory in your body of how it felt when things settled for a moment. The weekend lies ahead — that is no coincidence.
Practical
What you need to know.
Date
Friday, February 19, 2027
09:00 – 17:00
Location
Utrecht region
exact location and travel time will be confirmed
Group
Maximum 15 participants — small enough to not have to be anyone
Guidance
Steven Stephania, together with an experienced co-facilitator
Investment
€225 per participant
Including lunch and workbook
If it doesn't work out
Recovery doesn't go according to plan. If you're not up to it on the day itself, let us know — you can move to a subsequent retreat, without cost and without explanation. You can also cancel free of charge up to four weeks in advance.
Reimbursement
If a reintegration process is underway, a day like this is sometimes reimbursed by the employer or the occupational health service. The invoice can be in the name of the organization; feel free to ask for a description you can present.
Before you sign up
What people usually want to know.
Can this be too much for me?
It can, and that's why the day is built so that you can always step out. You may skip an exercise, go for a walk, or watch in silence without participating. No one asks why. The pace is calm and nothing builds up to a climax. If you notice you're doubting beforehand: give me a call, and we'll look at it together.
What if I don't feel well on the day itself?
Then let us know and you can move to a subsequent retreat, without cost and without explanation. Recovery doesn't go according to plan; I know that, and it shouldn't cause any hassle.
Who else will be there?
A maximum of fifteen people who are coming back after a period of exhaustion — some are working again, others not yet. There is no introductory round where you tell what you do, precisely because that is the hardest question for many people at this moment.
I'm not working yet, or only partially. Does that fit?
Yes. This day is not about performing or about returning to who you were, and there is no level you have to reach. Whether you are entirely at home or back to working a few days — what counts is that the acute phase is over and your system hasn't caught up yet.
Is this therapy?
No. A retreat is not a therapeutic treatment, it does not replace one, and it does not anticipate one. If you are on a waiting list or under treatment, this day is not an alternative for that. It is a day of exploration in a group, with guidance that carefully frames what we do and do not do.
What if I have trauma in my history?
Working with the nervous system can activate unprocessed experiences. For people with traumatic events in their history, a group retreat is not always the right starting point, and the work here is not trauma treatment. If you are under treatment, consult your practitioner beforehand. If you're unsure: feel free to call. It's not an application and it commits you to nothing — sometimes individual work or therapeutic guidance is more appropriate first.
Can I get this reimbursed?
Sometimes. If a reintegration process is underway, an employer or occupational health service regularly reimburses a day like this. The invoice can be in the name of the organization; feel free to ask for a short description of the goal, duration, and investment that you can present. A health insurer will not reimburse it — this is not healthcare.
What should I bring?
Comfortable clothing in which you can sit and lie down well, and a warmer layer — February can be cold and sitting still cools you down. Possibly a notebook. We take care of the rest. A week beforehand, you will receive a practical email with the exact location, parking, and travel time.
Is your question not listed? Feel free to call or email — that commits you to nothing. And if it turns out that individual work is a better fit at this moment, I will say so.
Sign up
Friday, February 19, 2027.
Fill in the form and you will receive a personal message within three working days with a confirmation and a payment link. Your spot is only final after payment — and until that moment you are not committed to anything. If you're not up to it on the day itself, you can move to a subsequent retreat free of charge.
€225 per participant · incl. lunch and workbook · max. 15 participants
Not ready yet? No rush.
- All retreats — the dates for autumn 2027 will be announced later
- A conversation first — thirty minutes, free of charge, and it commits you to nothing
- Prefer individual — personal coaching in a trajectory of ten sessions, at your own pace