For over twenty years, our life-enhancing retreats for people with cancer have been at the heart of our work. Smith Center retreats offer a respite from everyday life with a cancer diagnosis and an opportunity to be fully immersed in healing. Our retreats are designed to empower participants to make life-affirming changes by offering tools, knowledge, and support in a safe and caring community of others facing a cancer diagnosis.

“I feel wiser, stronger, with more tools for my own inner healing. I am less scared” -Retreat Participant

SAVE THE DATE:

We are excited to share that our next 3-day in-person retreat will be held at Priestfield in West Virginia from April 16-18th. The application will be available in January. To be notified when the application is available, please email retreats@smithcenter.org. 

Life-Enhancing Three-Day Retreats for People with Cancer

The goal of all Smith Center retreats is to empower participants to make life-affirming changes by providing tools and knowledge in a safe and caring community of others facing a cancer diagnosis.

Our three-day retreats are based on our renowned weeklong model, which we have been offering for over 25 years. They offer an opportunity for those who can’t spare significant time away from work, family or other obligations but who wish to become fully immersed in their healing.

What is a Retreat like?

Smith Center retreats offer a place to explore the issues and choices that people with life-threatening illness encounter. We aim to provide a nurturing environment and experiential healing options paired with the highest quality small-group support program.

Our Three-Day Retreats offer:

● A respite from the stresses of daily life with a cancer diagnosis in a nurturing
environment for mind, body, and spirit
● An opportunity to learn about and personally explore choices in healing
● Gentle, therapeutic yoga and meditation
● Delicious, whole foods, health-supportive meals and valuable information about the
connection between diet and good health
● Group sessions with a licensed psychotherapist
● A creativity session offering another pathway to greater self-understanding in the face of
cancer
● Skills and tools for your continuing journey

Cancer retreats provide a non-medical, educational, hands-on experience for patients. They are not a cancer therapy or treatment program.

Who should attend?

Our retreats are for adults with any type of cancer at any stage in the cancer journey, including remission. Over the years we have observed that Smith Center retreats are most beneficial for those who seek to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and who are receptive to the work of personal transformation. Participants must be under the care of a physician, able to care for themselves and participate in the daily program, and well enough to devote two-and-a-half concentrated days to the program.

Who staffs the retreats?

Smith Center retreats are staffed by highly skilled professionals including a licensed psychotherapist, a yoga master, an oncology nursing specialist, a health-supportive chef, an art therapist, wellness educators, and bodyworkers. There is a one-to-one participant to staff ratio.

For more information
Email: retreats@smithcenter.org
Call: 202.483.8600

“It means so much to be able to stop for a moment and be heard as an individual instead of a patient. To be heard as someone who’s going through a difficult life challenge instead of a victim.” -Retreat Participant