Honoring Your Loss: A Retreat for Bereaved Mothers

November 12-16, 2025 | Whispertree Retreat center

Boonville (Mendocino County), Northern California
 

At the heart of our organization is the Honoring Your Loss retreat, first held in 2014. Since then, we’ve hosted over 20 powerful gatherings for hundreds of bereaved mothers—each one a testament to the healing that becomes possible when grief is met with care, compassion, and community. This year marks our 11th time returning to Whisper Tree, a place we hold sacred. The land itself seems to know sorrow and invites deep restoration.

Honoring your loss means just that: creating space to truly honor your baby or babies, your grief, your story—something our culture rarely makes room for. Here, your pain is understood without explanation. You can speak freely about your babies without worrying about making anyone uncomfortable. And in that shared understanding, there is space for more—moments of peace, of lightness, even of laughter—because you no longer have to carry the weight of grief alone or prove the depth of your loss.

This November, we invite you to join us in Northern California for a soul-nourishing retreat designed for bereaved mothers who long to feel less alone in their grief.

You’ll be part of a small, supportive circle held in a cozy natural setting—with private or shared accommodations and all meals, workshops, and materials included.

  • Ceremonies to honor your baby/ies

  • Shared stories and community

  • Gentle movement and somatic healing

  • Evening art-making and ritual

  • Quiet trails and nourishing meals

This is a high-touch, immersive retreat for those early in grief—or those who feel they haven’t had the space to truly honor it.

Spots are limited to 10 participants. We hope you’ll consider joining us.

Over the course of our days together, you will:

  • Be nourished with delicious, lovingly prepared meals each day

  • Spend unhurried time outside in nature, surrounded by beauty and quiet

  • Move, breathe, and rest through gentle, body-based practices like yoga and sound healing

  • Share authentic connection and heartfelt conversation with other bereaved mothers who understand

  • Laugh, cry, stretch out, let go

  • Relax and receive—no roles to play, no mask to wear

  • Take space away from everyday life to just be

  • Remember what it feels like to be held, supported, and fully human

Community Circle in the beautifully restored Barn

What to Expect During the Week:

Each day will gently unfold with opportunities for sharing, slowing down, and tending to your grief in community. You’ll be invited to follow what feels right for you—whether that’s speaking your baby’s name aloud, sitting quietly in reflection, or simply being surrounded by others who understand. This retreat is not about doing more—it’s about making space for what’s been carried alone for too long.

Throughout the week, you’ll have access to a variety of optional offerings, including:

  • Story-sharing circles where you can speak your truth, hear others’, and feel the power of being witnessed in a space where nothing needs to be explained

  • Rituals and ceremonies to honor your baby or babies and give form to your love and longing

  • Small group gatherings for heartfelt conversation and connection with other bereaved mothers

  • Creative practices like art-making and journaling to explore memory, emotion, and meaning

  • Nature-based experiences to reconnect with the earth, your body, and the present moment

  • Gentle movement and somatic support to soften, soothe, and bring breath back into your body

  • Nourishing meals and communal spaces where stories can be shared over tea, around a table, or in quiet companionship

  • Unstructured time to rest, walk, write, cry, breathe—whatever your heart needs

Everything is offered with choice and spaciousness. There is no expectation, no pressure—only permission to grieve, remember, connect, and heal, in your own time and in your own way.

A tender display of baby keepsakes and memorabilia—a sacred altar of love, memory, and light—honoring each baby’s presence and inviting us to share their stories throughout our time together.

At the retreat, you’ll have the opportunity to bring and share meaningful items—photos, keepsakes, or special mementos—that honor your baby and your story. These treasures will be part of a shared altar, a sacred space where each baby is lovingly acknowledged and remembered. You’ll also be invited to take part in guided art sessions where you can create your own keepsakes—tender expressions of your love and a way to carry this experience home with you.

Your Sanctuary for the Week

Comfortable, Private, and Beautifully Designed Spaces to Rest and Restore

Whether you prefer sleeping under the stars or curling up indoors, we offer a range of thoughtfully curated accommodations to suit different comfort levels—all with a sense of peace, privacy, and beauty.

From luxury platform tents where you can fall asleep to the sounds of nature, to private rooms with ensuite bathrooms in a stunning home on the property, to remodeled barn rooms with charm and comfort—every space is a private sanctuary just for you.

Some rooms include private bathrooms, while others share a bathhouse or shared bath, and all are:

✨ Aesthetically beautiful – designed with natural textures, clean lines, and calming colors
🧺 Fresh and modern – with high-quality linens, cozy touches, and thoughtful details
🌿 Comfortable and clean – each space carefully prepared for rest, reflection, and deep sleep

No matter which option you choose, you’ll have a quiet place to land at the end of each day—a space that invites you to exhale, settle, and feel held.

There are 10 total spaces available for this retreat. Register early to reserve your spot.

For questions, email Betsy Winter

FAQ

Our goal is to offer unconditional support for all parents who have experience losses on the journey to parenthood, no matter what their age, situation, or stage of their grief journey.

If you have other questions that have not been answered here please email us.

  • Yes. We have had women who are pregnant attend the previous retreats. Pregnancy after loss can be filled with anxiety, and we hope that you can connect with others at the retreat who have walked this part of the journey and can share their experiences with you.

  • Yes. Although the majority of the people attending the retreat have experienced the death of a child during or shortly after pregnancy, we know that grief of a young child is similarly heartbreaking.

  • Yes. We know that if you have terminated a pregnancy, it was the hardest, most painful decision of your life. You are grieving the death of your baby.

  • No. We have had people attend the retreat whose loss was as recent as 3 weeks and as long ago as 35 years.

  • No. The pain from the pregnancy and infant loss never goes away. If it has been a long time since your loss but you feel like it's the right moment to dedicate special time to your healing, please join us.

  • Our goal is to create a space for people of all faiths to process their grief. We do not bring a specific religion into the retreat curriculum, however all participates are free to include their belief system in their own experience. There will be elements of spirituality available in connecting with your self and your loss experience, but it is up to each participant on how they do this.

  • Unfortunately, this is an adults-only retreat.

  • Unfortunately, at this time the retreats are currently for women only.

  • If you have any special requests, please write them in the "Additional Comments" section of the registration page. We will try our hardest to meet your expectations but cannot make any guarantees.