The Time To Heal Retreat
A Letter to Survivors
Dear Survivor,
If I could share with you one simple thing, it would be this.
I see you.
As a survivor myself, I understand what it means to walk this path. And I also understand what it means to be given the gift of healing.
This is why we built the Time to Heal Retreat.
We offer this retreat free of charge because I believe it is the first step in helping someone remember that they are worthy.
There are no expectations of you. Not financially, nor in any other way.
This retreat is a gift.
And if I could place one meaning behind that gift, it would be this:
You are worthy.
You are worthy of love.
You are worthy of respect.
You are worthy of healing.
Healing is possible.
I want you to believe in hope again.
Our retreat is a place where you can come and finally exhale.
You are never expected to share your story. But I can share this with you… being in a room full of survivors carries a kind of understanding that only we can truly know.
So many of us have carried this alone. Sometimes for years. Sometimes for decades.
And even with the people we love, sometimes there are parts of this experience that are difficult to explain unless someone has walked the path too.
At the retreat, some women feel ready to go deep. Some do not.
Both are okay.
Both are welcome.
Through experiences designed to support healing in different ways, we create opportunities to reconnect with parts of ourselves we may have tucked away long ago in order to survive.
Somatic Breathwork invites us inward.
Our day at the equine ranch helps us understand ourselves through reflection and relationship, in ways words sometimes cannot reach.
Our EFT sessions offer space to release and soften.
Our brain science class helps us understand what happened in our minds and bodies during trauma, because understanding can sometimes loosen shame and open the door to self compassion.
Our sleep classes remind us what rest can feel like again.
Our sound bath creates space to slow down and experience the grounding effects of sound and vibration.
Our Indigenous-led drumming circle invites us into rhythm, connection, and shared experience.
Our 100 Hits to Empowerment experience creates space to reconnect with strength, voice, and energy that may have been quieted for too long.
Our mindful stretch sessions create opportunities to reconnect with our bodies through movement that feels safe, gentle, and supportive.
Our healing through art sessions create opportunities to explore emotions, meaning, and healing through creativity and self expression.
We move.
We breathe.
We create.
We heal through connection, and through moments of remembering ourselves.
We are survivor led and survivor supported.
I built this retreat with you in mind.
I carry each of you in my heart.
I understand the pain you carry.
But I also know this:
Healing is possible.
Not because the past disappears.
But because healing allows us to come home to ourselves.
Our support staff, and our leadership who hold this space understand this path personally.
This is a place where you can be understood without having to speak.
Without having to explain.
This is a place where we see your strength.
We see what it has taken for you to get here.
And we stand beside you as you continue forward.
I write this letter with love.
With understanding.
And with hope for every one of you.
If this speaks to something inside of you, I encourage you to join our waitlist.
Because maybe…
it is your time to heal.
— Crystal Wood
Director of Programs
U Grow Girl
What Time to Heal Looks Like
Time to Heal is a free five day, four night retreat created specifically for women who survived child sexual abuse.
This retreat was created by survivors and held by a team of survivor support staff alongside experienced facilitators, creating a space where women can feel seen, supported, and understood.
There is no urgency here.
No expectation to share.
No pressure to participate beyond what feels safe and within your capacity.
Healing is personal and non linear.
This retreat is not therapy, crisis intervention, or a treatment program.
Our role is not to push healing forward.
Our role is to create a safe, supportive environment where healing can become possible.
All lodging, meals, and retreat programming are fully funded.
Participants are responsible only for their travel to and from the retreat.
Where does the retreat take place?
Time to Heal takes place near Armstrong, British Columbia at a private retreat location surrounded by nature.
To protect the privacy and safety of participants, the exact location is only shared with accepted participants before arrival.
Although U Grow Girl was founded on our family farm, the retreat itself is held at a separate private retreat location.
What does the retreat include?
Time to Heal is a free five day, four night retreat created specifically for women who survived child sexual abuse.
This retreat was created by survivors and held by a team of survivor support staff alongside experienced facilitators who deeply understand the complexity, courage, and hope involved in healing.
Each retreat is intentionally small and intimate.
Only seven survivors are invited to attend each retreat so that space can remain personal, supportive, and allow for meaningful connection.
Each participant has their own private bedroom and their own space to rest, reflect, and recharge throughout the week.
Over five days together, participants experience a combination of:
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connection with fellow survivors
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brain science and psychoeducation
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somatic breathwork classes
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equine assisted therapy
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EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
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Indigenous-led drumming circle
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sound bath journey
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art experiences
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somatic movement
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sleep and nervous system education
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empowerment experiences
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quiet time in nature
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time for rest, reflection, and connection
Participation is always by choice.
You are invited to engage in the ways that feel supportive and relevant to your own journey.
There is no expectation to share personal stories or disclose trauma details.
Our role is not to push healing forward.
Our role is to create a supportive environment where healing can become possible
After the Retreat
Healing does not end when the retreat concludes.
After returning home, participants are invited to remain connected through post retreat support and community opportunities.
Our intention is not dependence.
It is connection.
We want survivors to feel supported as they return to their lives while continuing to take their next steps toward healing.
Is Time to Heal Right for You?
Time to Heal is designed for adult women who survived child sexual abuse.
To participate, individuals must:
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be 18 years of age or older
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survived sexual abuse before the age of 18
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feel that a shared, in person retreat environment feels supportive for them at this point in their healing
Readiness looks different for everyone.
There is no expectation to share personal stories or disclose trauma details in order to participate.
Eligibility is assessed with care to ensure the retreat feels supportive for both participants and the group as a whole.
If you are unsure whether this retreat is the right fit for you, we welcome you to join the waitlist and connect with us.
Joining the Waitlist
Joining the waitlist is simply a way of raising your hand and letting us know you may want this opportunity one day.
Retreat invitations are generally offered in the order people join the waitlist, with some spaces reserved for local community residents based on funding requirements.
Joining the waitlist does not commit you to attending.
When your invitation comes, you are always welcome to say:
Not yet.
If the timing does not feel right, you can pass and remain on the waitlist for a future retreat.
There is no pressure.
No obligation.
Only an invitation.
You may arrive at this page with certainty, curiosity, or hesitation.
You may return to it many times before deciding whether to take a next step.
All of that is welcome.
Sometimes healing begins by simply allowing yourself to keep the door open.
We see you.
And we believe healing is possible.
“Taking the first steps toward healing required more courage than I thought I had."
”If survivors aren't given the opportunity to heal as a gift, chances are they will never take it. I'm living proof of that."
Crystal Wood
Survivor
Director of Time To Heal Retreat & Co-Founder, U Grow Girl.