Moving Through Freeze: A Somatic Attunement Retreat
with Mandy Hackman & Amie Anderson
March 14 & 15, 2026
Register before Feb 20 for EARLY BIRD rate
Registration closes on March 6
Join body mechanics and mobility coach Mandy Hackman and psychotherapist and educator Amie Anderson for a weekend-long Somatic Attunement Retreat devoted to gently emerging from the deep freeze of winter. This retreat is designed for those who feel stuck, overwhelmed, indecisive, disconnected, or are simply longing to feel more alive and at home in their bodies. Through the lens of Somatic Experiencing and movement-based somatic exploration, we will slow down enough to listen to the nervous system’s language of safety, protection, and connection. Together, we will create a spacious, supportive environment to explore how freeze shows up in our bodies, relationships, and choices– not as something to fix or override, but as an intelligent survival response worthy of compassion and curiosity.
Across the weekend, participants will be invited into gentle movement, guided somatic practices, creative expression, and reflective dialogue that support thawing at a pace the body can trust. We will explore how agency can be reclaimed not through force, but through attunement– by learning to sense subtle shifts, expand capacity for choice, and reconnect with our innate rhythms of expansion and rest. Art, playfulness, conceptual exploration, and shared inquiry will offer multiple doorways into understanding our personal patterns while honoring the uniqueness of each nervous system. As nature moves from winter into spring, we will mirror this cycle within ourselves, allowing space for softness, warmth, and new possibilities to emerge organically. This retreat is an invitation to remember the wisdom held in your body, to meet yourself with kindness, and to step forward with renewed resilience, clarity, and connection.
Schedule
9:30 – Doors open & Arrival time
10:00 – Orientation and opening circle
10:30 – Movement
11:00 – Thematic dialogue & reconnection to presence
12:00- Activity & discussion
1:00 Lunch*
2:00 Movement & Orientation to afternoon activity
3:00 Resourcing Playground & dyad work
3:40 Closing circle & group sharing
4pm End*
*Day 2 will end at 3pm with an earlier lunch period
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Option to stay overnight at WildHeart before or after – come early or stay late. Reach out to us at [email protected] to confirm your stay.
Who is it for?
This retreat is for anyone who feels stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or is longing to feel more at home in their body. It is especially supportive for those who notice patterns of freeze, shutdown, indecision, or chronic tension, and who want to explore change gently rather than through pressure or fixing. This gathering is well-suited to creatives, caretakers, managers, helpers, and healers seeking personal restoration and embodied insight. Whether you are new to somatic work or already familiar with nervous system–informed practices, this space welcomes you exactly as you are.
Testimonials
“Amie has a remarkable gift for creating spaces where vulnerability feels not only safe but welcomed. Her warm, grounding presence immediately puts people at ease. It’s been a gift to witness her group work with such genuine kindness and attentiveness that participants naturally open up, trusting in the compassionate container she so skillfully holds.” -Amanda P.
“I have enjoyed having Amie as a colleague. Her attention to development, neurodiversity, gender, sexuality, and body liberation has expanded my clinical thinking. Her care for clients is evident in therapy and community work.” -Tatianna K.
“I’ve worked with Amie, an outstanding therapist. She brings insight, compassion, and professionalism, connecting with clients of all ages. She advocates for her community and continuously evolves in her practice.” – Eddie S.
“Amie’s background in early childhood education and family systems informs her clinical work. She is fun, creative, and puts clients at ease, skillfully navigating complex family dynamics and supporting healing, including somatic approaches.” -Tracy P.
“Amie has a wealth of expertise that is made all the more valuable by her enormous capacity for empathy.” – Hannah F.
“Amie’s vast knowledge and strong clinical values are the foundation of her grounded, in-the-moment approach to therapy. She is at once purposeful and playful, making for a joyful and profound therapeutic experience.” -Juno V.
“I had the pleasure of taking Applied Anatomy for Circus from Mandy, and it has had a significant impact on how I cue, coach, and explain movement to my flexibility and contortion students. Mandy is able to delve into scientific detail, and jump right back out to demonstrate a movement or think of an example for application. As a teacher, Mandy is encouraging, transparent, thoughtful, funny, and grounded. I love learning from her, and I highly recommend her work.” – Janelle P.
“Mandy is an amazing movement instructor. I am disabled but she gave me so much confidence and made me feel so much more empowered than I ever have. She is amazing and adaptable to every issue I have!” – Savanna S.
“I began working with Mandy after years of work as a dancer had done a lot of damage–not just physically, but psychologically. I had worked through a lot of fear and shame on my own, but I wanted to really begin working in a way that felt good to me–not just noodling, not just a random HIIT workout every once in a while, but with a consistent, targeted practice that made sense for me. I gave Mandy a lot of complex information about my injuries and insecurities, and in no time she had clearly and succinctly coached me through my concerns, and came up with a circuit customized to my goals. She provided me with a combination of care, attention, and challenges that make so much sense for me. I already feel 10x stronger in my body and clearer about how I want to move forward as I age, as my creative practice shifts and grows, and as my gender and social presentation morph, too. I feel seen and supported and ready for more.” – Lichen, dancer/performance artist
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need prior experience with somatic work to attend?
No. This retreat is designed to be accessible to both newcomers and those familiar with somatic or nervous-system informed practices. All experiences are guided gently, with choice, pacing, and consent at the center.
Is this retreat a form of therapy?
No. This retreat is an educational and experiential offering grounded in somatic and nervous-system informed principles, but it is not psychotherapy or a substitute for mental health treatment. While emotional or personal material may arise, participants are responsible for their own emotional care and are encouraged to engage at the level that feels supportive and resourced for them.
Is this retreat physically demanding?
No. Movement practices are gentle, adaptable, and invitational. All bodies, abilities, and levels of mobility are welcome.
What will a typical day look like?
Each day will include a blend of gentle movement, guided somatic practices, creative exploration, reflective dialogue, and rest. The pace is intentionally spacious, allowing time for integration, grounding, and personal reflection. There will be offerings each day that encourage playfulness alongside contemplation.
Who typically attends a retreat like this?
Participants may include therapists, helpers, creatives, and individuals seeking deeper self-connection, healing, or restoration. Many arrive feeling stuck, burned out, or disconnected, and leave with greater clarity, softness, and embodied choice.
What if I tend to freeze, dissociate, or feel overwhelmed in group settings?
You are very welcome here. The retreat is designed with nervous-system sensitivity in mind, offering options for participation, rest, and regulation. You will never be required to share, move, or engage beyond what feels safe and supportive for your body.
What should I bring?
Comfortable clothing for movement, a journal, water bottle, and anything that helps you feel grounded (such as layers for warmth, a cushion, a camping chair, or meaningful object). A more detailed packing list will be provided closer to the retreat. Participants are expected to bring their own lunch.
What if strong emotions come up?
Emotional experiences are welcomed with care and respect. Facilitators will offer grounding and regulation support, and participants are always invited to tend to themselves in whatever way feels safest, including taking a moment to themselves in the separated loft space.
What if I have a specific accessibility need or request?
Please share with us! We will do our best to create a container that serves everyone who wants to participate.
Will lunch be provided?
Participants are invited to bring a bagged lunch. Microwaves will be available, as well as water boilers and tea.
What is the space like?
Our retreat will take place in the Barn at WildHeart, a beautiful movement studio and event space with windows on all sides looking out into the trees of the Hudson Valley. The Barn is a ground floor space, and is accessible with mobility aids and for those who do not use stairs. Bio breaks and lunch will take place in the Nest, which is a community space with a kitchen and bathroom up a small, unpaved hill from the Barn. To get a sense of the space and WildHeart’s other programming, please peruse their website here.
About Amie & Mandy
Amie Anderson, LMSW, MSEd is a psychotherapist and educator whose work is rooted in attachment, nervous system awareness, and relational healing. She began her career in early childhood education and brings a deep understanding of development, play, and connection into her clinical work.
Her approach is collaborative and experiential, grounded in curiosity, warmth, and gentle reflection. She integrates art, play, and present-moment awareness to support clients in moving through patterns of freeze, guardedness, and people-pleasing, and toward greater agency, embodiment, and connection. Her trauma-informed work is shaped by Somatic Experiencing training and guided by each person’s innate capacity to grow and heal.
As a body liberation activist, Amie offers trainings for healthcare professionals on HAES-informed care and anti-fat bias, and is committed to creating spaces that welcome those who experience body-based oppression.
Amie holds dual Master’s degrees in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Sarah Lawrence College, and a Master’s in Social Work from New York University. She lives in Beacon, New York with her partner, toddler, three cats, and two apple trees.
Mandy Hackman’s somatics journey started with dancing. As she moved through the demands on her body required by a career in dance and circus arts, she noticed her joints and nervous system needed more attentiveness, curiosity and support. She began studying with anatomy and kinesiology teachers through an embodied and somatic lens, first becoming a Pilates teacher and personal trainer, and then studying somatic repatterning under Mary Ann Foster, author or “Therapeutic Kinesiology,”applying a deep understanding of body mechanics to help circus artists and movers with injury and performance goals. Along the way, she started using that knowledge for other folks with high support needs- including chronic joint or neurological conditions, altered body mechanics from injury or surgery, neurodivergence, and/or for whom traditional strength and mobility training wasn’t quite enough.
Mandy’s experience of being a professional mover along with a strongly held value that movement is for all bodies, led to her founding her posture and mobility training service, All Our Bodies, in 2017. Mandy has taught applied kinesiology and injury prevention across the US, including as a professor of Anatomy for Dancers at Metro State University in Denver, a presenter at the American Circus Educators Conference on body inclusivity in circus. She has led workshops in anatomy and movement efficiency throughout the US and Mexico. Mandy’s work draws from her depth and history in a variety of somatic practices, including studies with Irene Dowd, Peggy Gould, Misty Lynn Cauthen, and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, all of whom continue to inform her work today. Currently, you can also find Mandy coaching circus in Boston as a senior coach at Esh Circus Arts, curriculum development lead at Commonwealth Circus Center, and in the circus minor program at Boston Conservatory. She is a founding member of Circus 617 and produces movement work in the Boston area.
Retreat Location
This workshop will take place in The Barn, with access to The Nest for lunch and use of restrooms. If you’re coming to WildHeart for the first time, please visit our Directions page for arrival info.
Program Costs
$425 Regular Fee
$350 Early Bird (register before February 20th)
$200–350 Sliding Scale (3 spots)
Registration closes on March 6
If you cannot afford the full fee and the sliding scale spots are filled, please email [email protected] to be added to the waitlist.
Refund policy
No refunds, no transfers
Covid policy
As an act of community care, we ask that all participants assess themselves for communicable illnesses prior to attending the event. If you are experiencing symptoms of a contagious illness, we ask that you respect the space by staying home. Mask wearing is welcome but not required.
BIPOC spots
We are offering 2 free spots for BIPOC folx. Please select BIPOC Spot from the Pricing drop down to use one.
