The Shared Heart New Year's Couples Week

Imagine your relationship expressing the true depths of your love and commitment. At The Shared Heart New Year's Couples Week, Barry and Joyce Vissell guide couples through a three-day retreat at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA, offering a rare chance to begin a new year by turning toward each other with more honesty, tenderness and care.

Whether you are in love and wish to rise even higher, or are moving through a season of crisis and need healing at a deeper level, this couples retreat meets you where you are. We all carry some degree of negative programming from the past. Here, there are loving and effective ways to transform those patterns into a positive, vibrant celebration of your connection.

Barry Vissell is a psychiatrist, and Joyce Vissell is a master's level nurse/psychotherapist. Together they co-founded the Shared Heart Foundation, write a syndicated column for 80 periodicals worldwide, and have authored numerous books. The workshop welcomes couples of all genders and sexual orientations.

What to Expect

The weekend offers a collection of tools for deeper appreciation and communication. You and your partner take part in guided exercises, receive therapeutic coaching from the Vissells, and connect with the support of other couples, with time set aside for sharing after each practice.

Themes include:

- Healthy communication of feelings
- Understanding and respecting each other's differences
- Navigating conflict resolution
- Healing past hurts
- Exploring sexual wellness
- Connecting with the inner child and inner parent
- Taking responsibility and developing a true inner connection

Participants are encouraged to explore how these practices might apply to their lives together, both during the retreat and beyond. You leave with practical tools for appreciation and communication that you can carry into daily life.

For those who want to read ahead, the organizer recommends To Really Love a Man and To Really Love a Woman, both by Joyce and Barry Vissell. More information is available at www.SharedHeart.org.

Venue & Logistics

The retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, set along the dramatic coastline. Registration options include a workshop with an on-site stay, a workshop with an off-site stay, or an individual day pass. Scholarships are available through Esalen's application process.

Esalen has posted a travel advisory regarding Highway 1 road closures north and south of the campus. Please review the current advisory on Esalen's website before planning your journey, as access conditions may affect how and when you can arrive.