DOORWAYS TO INTIMACY:
Transform Conflict into Connection in your Relationship
3-Day Immersive Couples Retreat with David Bedrick & Lisa Blair
June 12-14, 2026 | Amsterdam Area
ABOUT THE EVENT:
WHEN: June 12th, 13th & 14th, 2026 - 10am to 5:30pm
LOCATION: Within 1 hour of Amsterdam, To Be Announced
“Lisa and David truly are the perfect teaching duo.”
—Chloe
Join us for a 3-day weekend retreat exclusively for couples.
An unshaming space of sacred community.
With care and compassion, you’ll explore the past stories, inner critics, and shadow parts of yourselves that cause conflict, pain, and distance. You’ll become freer to express your authentic selves with each other and learn how to transform pain points in your relationship into your Unique Dance of Beauty, Love, and Intimacy.
Here's the Truth about your Relationship
You're not broken. Your partner isn't the problem. But you are stuck in a pattern that keeps repeating—the same trigger, the same hurt, the same distance. Maybe it shows up as:
The fight about household responsibilities that's really about feeling unseen
The withdrawal after sex that's actually about shame you've carried for years
The criticism you hear when they're just trying to connectThe way you shut down when what you really want is to be held.
You've tried communicating better. You've read the books. You might have even done couples therapy.
But something underneath keeps pulling you back into the same painful dance.
That "something underneath" has a name: unresolved trauma, internalized shame, cultural conditioning, and shadow parts of yourself that are desperate to be seen.
When you reach across to touch your partner or to communicate, your words bend and tear before they reach their ears and heart. Between you live shadows that you have yet to explore—your fire that lives in your cool and calm, the vulnerability that lives in your toughness, the brilliance that you hide behind your feigned humility, and the pain that lives underneath your smiles.
And when you learn to work WITH these forces instead of against them—everything changes.
What If Your Worst Fights Were Actually Invitations?
In this 3-day retreat, you won't learn another communication technique or conflict-resolution strategy.
Instead, you'll discover something far more powerful: How to transform the very thing that creates distance between you into the doorway to profound intimacy.
The criticism you're afraid to voice? It's protecting a tender need.
The rage that seems "irrational"? It's carrying wisdom about your boundaries.
The shutdown that frustrates your partner? It's a younger part of you crying out for safety.
When you learn to unwrap these moments together—with compassion, curiosity, and the right tools—you don't just "fix" your relationship. You discover a depth of connection you didn't know was possible.
Here's What Will Happen Over 3 Days
DAY ONE: EARLY STORIES & THE ROLES YOU PLAY
Friday, June 12 | 10am-5:30pm
You'll discover:
Why you keep having the "same fight"
How you and your partner unconsciously play out different roles in each other's early stories— rescuing each other, providing parenting you didn't have, reenacting the hurtful aspects of those stories
Live demonstration: David and Lisa work with a couple to reveal the hidden story beneath a recurring conflict
By the end of Day One, you'll understand the origin story of your relationship patterns, the kind of support each of you actually needs, and how to disrupt the earlier patterns. This will create more understanding, compassion, and freedom to be your true selves.
DAY TWO: INNER CRITICS & INTERNALIZED OPPRESSION
Saturday, June 13 | 10am-5:30pm
You'll explore:
How your inner critic twists what you say and distorts what you hear
The cultural programming that colonizes your relationship (gender roles, productivity shame, body shame, etc.)
How internalized oppression interrupts a couple’s intimacy
Live demonstration: Watch a couple learn to distinguish between "what was said" and "what they heard through their critic."
By the end of Day Two, you'll be able to catch your critic in real-time and speak/listen with radical clarity.
DAY THREE: SHADOW SELVES & THE POWER YOU'VE BEEN HIDING
Sunday, June 14 | 10am-5:30pm
You'll uncover:
Your shadow selves (your anger, your sexuality, your power, your vulnerability.) While these parts foster distrust and painful conflict, they are also a key to new powers, gifts and emotional intelligence.
How these shadows create "mixed messages" that confuse your partner
The practice of conscious embodiment: discover and learn to embody your shadow selves. When consciously embodied, they allow you to renew and enliven your relationship dance, making it one filled with the profound intimacy you were meant to have with each other.
Live demonstration: A couple discovers how their shadows were actually trying to bring MORE aliveness into their relationship
By the end of Day Three, you'll have a new “dance” together. You’ll discover how each of you would be if you lived and loved more freely, passionately, authentically, and powerfully.
The "Open Seat" Experience
(The Secret Ingredient That Makes This Unlike Any Other Couples Workshop)
Each day, David and Lisa will invite a couple to the center of the room for live facilitation.
If you choose to be that couple, you'll:
Bring your most painful, stuck issue
Receive David and Lisa's full attention and expertise
Experience a breakthrough in real-time, held by the group's compassionate presence
If you witness from the group, you'll:
See the exact techniques and questions that unlock intimacy
Recognize your own patterns reflected in another couple's work
Learn the art of "relational mindfulness"—a relational state of being that does not seek to get rid of the issues at hand but instead slows things down in a way that reveals the root of those difficulties, allowing a deep intimacy to be discovered and practiced. David and Lisa will help you unfold these pain points together and explore the unique wisdom, beauty, intelligence, and power that is longing to express itself in your relationship.
Past participants say the "Open Seat" sessions are the most profound learning of the weekend—whether they're in the center or holding space.
What You'll Walk Away With
After three days, you will be able to:
✔️ Stop mid-fight and shift from blame to curiosity
✔️ Hear your partner's pain without making it about you
✔️ Express your needs without shame or apology
✔️ Create safety in moments that used to create distance
✔️ Transform triggers into opportunities for deeper connection
✔️ Build greater trust and have conversations together that truly nourish you and reveal the deep love you share
✔️ Create intimacy where injury or misunderstanding used to live
More than techniques, you’ll gain:
Permission to be fully yourself in your relationship
Proof that your "worst" parts hold your greatest gifts
A new nervous system response to conflict—one rooted in curiosity, not defense
The lived experience of what TRUE intimacy feels like (not just the idea of it)
Who This Is For (And Who It's Not For)
This retreat is for you if:
➡️ Your wellness, happiness, and fulfillment are strongly related to your relationship
➡️ You are fed by conversations that leave you feeling alive rather than depleted, frustrated, or alone.
➡️ You have the same conflict over and over. Scar tissue and resentment are building.
➡️ You're willing to look at your own patterns, not just blame your partner
➡️ You sense there's a deeper intimacy available—you just don't know how to access it
➡️ You yearn to express yourself authentically and fully in your relationship.
This retreat is NOT for you if:
✖️ You're looking for a quick fix or communication "hacks"
✖️ One partner is dragging the other here against their will
✖️ You're in an actively abusive relationship (individual therapy is needed first)
✖️ You want to sit back and be entertained rather than do the inner work
This workshop is for couples. All couples welcome: Gay, straight, queer, trans, non-binary, poly, neurodivergent, interracial, interfaith—we celebrate ALL forms of committed partnership.
We foster a loving and unshaming space for all.
Meet Your Guides: David Bedrick & Lisa Blair
Why This Teaching Partnership Is Unlike Any You've Experienced
Most relationship "experts" teach from theory. Or they've been divorced three times. Or they present a polished facade of perfection that makes you feel inadequate.
David and Lisa teach from 20+ years of lived marriage—with all its mess, beauty, conflict, and deepening.
They don't pretend to have it "figured out." They show you their own process in real-time. You'll watch them navigate disagreement, catch their own critics, and model what it looks like to stay open when everything in you wants to shut down.
It's the modeling—not just the teaching—that changes you.
David Bedrick, JD, Dipl. PW
Author of 4 books including The Unshaming Way (North Atlantic Books, 2024)
35 years of clinical experience working with couples and individuals
Founder of the Santa Fe Institute for Shame-based Studies
Certified Process Work Diplomate trained under Drs. Arnold and Amy Mindell
Grew up in a violent, gaslighting family—his life's work is unshaming
Writes for Psychology Today
Co-host of In Two Deep podcast with Lisa
David's superpower: He can see the shame and self-criticism underneath your anger, and he'll help you find the fierce self-love that's been buried there.
Lisa Blair, PhD, MA, Dipl. PW
Leading Expert in emotional intimacy in romantic partnership, online intimacy, and AI and human connection
International Women's Consultant specializing in emotional intimacy, high sensitivity, and women’s empowerment
16 years of clinical experience working with women and couples
Certified Process Work Diplomate trained under Drs. Arnold and Amy Mindell
Published scholar in academic journals and books about love, intimacy, and relationships. Her peer-reviewed research has been published in the International Handbook of Love (2nd ed.), World Futures, and the Journal of Consciousness Studies
Co-host of In Two Deep podcast with David
Publisher at Belly Song Press
Lisa's superpower: She creates such exquisite safety that you'll share things you've never said out loud—and feel RELIEF, not shame, when you do.
Together, they bring:
➡️ 50+ years of combined clinical experience
➡️ A living example of shadow work, conflict transformation, and mature love
➡️ Deep roots in Process Work, depth psychology, and somatic practices
➡️ A teaching style that's intimate, irreverent, and deeply human
What Past Participants Say:
“I feel so touched and inspired by how real you both are with the group and with each other. No one’s ever modeled that to me before. I’m so grateful. It’s such a gift for you to show your relationship to us all. I’ve never seen anything like it. Thank you.”
—Anne-Marie, Workshop Participant
"David and Lisa are the real deal—their wisdom will leave you speechless, touched, and fully yourself. Whatever you've learned about relationships, conflict, or growth pales in comparison to the lived wisdom they offer. They don't pretend to be a 'perfect' couple; they are authentic, walking their talk and sharing from the heart. You'll feel seen, recognized, and accepted—exactly as you are, today." — Daniella, Workshop Participant
"Their work is medicine for my soul."
"Lisa offers us an inspiring, intimate invitation to deepen our loving for one another. She is an astutely skilled listener, tracking what emerges in awareness in an organic way with effortless, sensitive flow. She hones in on what is present with enveloping compassion, loving curiosity, and brilliant insight. We are often surprised and deeply touched by what we share and discover together."
— M.M. & K.G., Private Clients
"David and Lisa's work is medicine for my soul! Getting to see them teach together is totally game-changing! The alchemy between them is so beautiful to experience and puts everything I'm learning into a potent, palpable context. It feels like pieces of a puzzle coming together in my subconscious, and I am feeling grateful and excited. Thank you both!"
— Kori, Workshop Participant
THE DETAILS:
Dates: Friday-Sunday, June 12-14, 2026
Time: 10:00am - 5:30pm each day
Location: Private venue within 1 hour of Amsterdam (exact address provided upon registration)
Group Size: Maximum 10 couples (intimate, personalized attention)
Investment & Registration
PRICING:
EARLY BIRD: $820 USD per couple (approx. €757) Available until April 18th at 10pm CEST
Regular Price: $970 USD per couple (€895) After April 18th
What's Included:
Full 3-day immersive experience
All workshop materials
Group container held by David & Lisa
Opportunity for "Open Seat" live facilitation
What's Not Included:
Lunch (we'll provide options for nearby restaurants and you're welcome to bring food)
PAYMENT PLANS AVAILABLE
We believe every committed couple should have access to this work. Payment plans available—email us to arrange. info@davidbedrick.com
BONUS: INTEGRATION SUPPORT
Your transformation doesn't end when the weekend does. All participants receive:
One post-retreat Q&A session with David and Lisa (via Zoom) Value: $297 | Included FREE with registration
Discounted 6-month access to Relationship Supplement class taught David and Lisa Value: $210 | $100 with registration (50% off)
Registration Closes May 2nd
Registration deadline: May 2nd at 5pm CEST
No walk-ins accepted | Payment required to reserve your spot
Frequently Asked Questions
“What if we've never done this kind of work before?"
You don't need any prior experience with workshops, therapy, or personal development. David and Lisa will guide you every step of the way. In fact, beginners often have the biggest breakthroughs because they come with open curiosity.
"What if one of us is more hesitant than the other?"
Totally normal. One partner often feels more resistance—that resistance itself is valuable information. We invite both of you to come with whatever you're feeling: excitement, skepticism, fear, hope. All of it is welcome. The hesitant partner often becomes the most transformed.
"Will we have to share our private issues in front of the group?"
You choose your level of participation. The "Open Seat" is completely voluntary. You can learn profoundly just by witnessing. That said, many couples find that being in the center—held by the compassionate attention of the group—is one of the most healing experiences of their lives.
"What if our issues feel too big/shameful/unique?"
David's life work is unshaming. There is nothing you could bring that would be too much. In 50+ years of combined clinical experience, they've worked with it all: infidelity, sexual shame, addiction, trauma, cross-cultural conflicts, neurodivergence, gender identity, power struggles, you name it. Your "unique" pain is often the key to universal healing.
"Is this therapy?"
No, this is an educational workshop. However, the experiential nature and live demonstrations create therapeutic shifts. Think of it as: education that heals.
"What's your cancellation policy?"
Full refund if you cancel by April 30th. 50% refund if you cancel between May 1-15. No refunds after May 15th (but you can transfer your spot to another couple). Life happens—we want you to feel safe registering.
"We're not married—is this still for us?"
Absolutely. This retreat is for ANY committed partnership: dating, engaged, married, long-term partnership, common-law, etc. The only requirement is mutual commitment to the relationship and to growth.
"Can we bring our kids/come without our partner?"
This retreat is exclusively for couples—no kids, no solo participants. We need everyone fully present. Hire a sitter, call in favors from family, make it happen. Your relationship deserves this undivided attention.
A Personal Note From David & Lisa
"We created this retreat because we know firsthand how lonely it can feel when you love someone deeply but can't seem to reach them. In our 20+ years together, we've had screaming fights, silent standoffs, and moments where we questioned everything. We've also had breakthroughs so profound they brought us to our knees with gratitude. The difference wasn't that we "fixed" ourselves or became perfect partners. The difference was learning to see our conflicts as invitations—to meet parts of ourselves and each other we'd been too afraid to touch. When you do this work, something miraculous happens: the very thing that was tearing you apart becomes the thread that weaves you closer together.
We can't wait to witness your transformation.
With love,
David & Lisa"
Space is limited. Early bird pricing ends April 18th. Registration closes May 2nd.
Questions? We get it. This is a significant investment of time, money, and emotional energy. Email us at [info@davidbedrick.com] and we'll help you discern if this retreat is right for you.
This is a shame-free, radically inclusive space. All gender identities, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, body sizes, abilities, and relationship structures are welcomed and celebrated.