The venue was set in a wonderful location above the village of Phoenicia, set on 300+ acres of forested land with a river running through the central valley of the facilities. It was a perfect "natural and peaceful" setting for an HSP retreat. The rooms were very comfortable and quiet-- the only minor complaints came from a few people who were a little unhappy about the all-vegetarian organic fare-- still, most attendees seemed quite happy with the event, and it seems likely that future HSP Gatherings will be hosted here.The Gathering was attended by about 30 HSPs, including several members of the Boston/New England HSP group. Other attendees came from as far away as Canada, Texas and Washington state.
We enjoyed a mixture of HSP-related workshops, as well as lots of private time to either connect with our fellow HSPs, or go for solitary hikes on the grounds. We also had non-workshop "group" activities including Creativity Night, Music and Dance Night and Art Night. One day was set aside to be completely "self-planned" time, and attendees split into smaller groups and participated in a variety of activities, from excursions to nearby Woodstock, NY to a day-long hike in the surrounding hills-- which, by the way, were starting to show brilliant fall colors of of turning leaves.
Everybody takes something different with them, when they attend an HSP Gathering Retreat. And everybody has different expectations, when they arrive. One of the most common threads at ALL Gatherings is that many people arrive with a certain degree of anxiety... at the thought of spending four days with strangers, worry about fitting in, worry about being "too weird." With very few exceptions (this was my 7th HSP Gathering) people come away from the event feeling a sense of fellowship and "connection" they had not previously known.
As I said, pre-event expectations vary. Most people who come to a Gathering for the first time are "all about the workshops." People who've attended Gatherings before tend to be more oriented towards the fellowship aspect of the events... some even choosing to miss some of the workshops, so they can hang out with old friends and renew friendships... or make new friends. I personally used part of my "free day" to spend time with an old friend (who'd been to previous Gatherings, but wasn't attending this one) who was driving through and spent a couple of hours in Phoenicia.
(Photos: Top photo is of the main building at Menla, where we had our meals, and where some attendees stayed in upstairs rooms; middle photo is of the Yoga Studio where we had our workshops and other activities; bottom photo just shows a "typical view" of one of the many small roads running through the retreat)It's hard to choose a "favorite part" of an HSP Gathering, and no two are ever quite alike. At the New York event, my favorite part was probably the completely unplanned invitation we had to go watch the stars. As it turned out, one of the neighbors of the retreat center owns the largest portable telescope in New York state, and he brought it up to the retreat center and set up in a space far from ambient light-- and we spent several hours getting to look at stars and constellations, while our "host" expertly explained what we were looking at.
The workshops offered were interesting, but fewer than at a typical Gathering: One of the presenters had to leave unexpectedly on a family emergency, leaving a "space" for the co-creation of a spur-of-the-moment "What would YOU like to talk about?" session.
One favorite part of these events is that much dialogue takes place using the "Conversation Café" format, where one person at a time has the "talking stick." This is a particularly "HSP friendly" format, since many HSPs are introverted, soft spoken and somewhat timid when addressing a group. Knowing that none of the other group members will interrupt proves very helpful in helping people "find their voice."
Two workshops were taught by Gathering Creator/Organizer Jacquelyn Strickland: The first was on using the Conversation Café method to help HSPs develop deeper dialogue. The second was on the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Inventory, always a favorite with HSPs... and often eye-opening for many who have "self-typed," without really understanding the deeper meaning of what they were doing.Gathering attendee Sarah O'Doherty taught a very interesting workshop on using Energy Medicine for HSP self-care and wellness. I was reminded how true it is (and how important it is to PAY ATTENTION!) that when we meet people, we sometimes feel "good vibes," and sometimes we feel "bad vibes." This is not "all in our heads;" in fact, we're often getting very real messages about how compatible (or not) our energy is with someone else's. The workshop included tips and guidance on how to "clear" unwanted energy, and energising ourselves for the day ahead.
Elaine Aron did not attend the event in person, but participated via a Sunday afternoon teleconference. She presented her most recent work and research on "HSPs and self-esteem," followed by a Q&A session.
As a piece of "good news," it was announced that a 2009 HSP Gathering would return to Estes Park, CO, for the second time; at the beginning of the NY event, the only scheduled 2009 Retreat was planned for the UK.
If you have ever considered attending one of these events, I highly recommend it!
