LoveYourBrain Community Retreat FAQ’S

We are so excited that you are interested in learning about LoveYourBrain’s Retreat program! This program is designed for adults with brain injury and caregivers who are interested in participating in an interactive group setting focused on our core pillars of community, mindfulness, movement, and nutrition to promote personal growth and healing. Read below to discover if our program is a good fit for you…

Eligibility

• Adults (18+) with TBI (including concussion) and other types of acquired brain injury (e.g., stroke, anoxia, and tumor) at least two years post injury

• Caregivers or support people (siblings, spouses, partners, supportive friends)

• Able to follow directions and communicate verbally

• Able to walk or use assistive devices for safe mobility

• Able to participate in an overnight, interactive group setting for all five days of the Retreat (must stay onsite)

• Encouraged to have participated in another LYB program previously (Mindset, Yoga, Training) 

• Given our peer-support model, siblings, spouses, and other family members rather than parents, are best suited to attend as caregivers. 

• Any member of the individual with a brain injury’s family and/or social network who helps them with activities of daily living (e.g., driving, cooking, organizing, hygiene, socializing, hobbies, etc).

Retreat Site Details

• All participants sleep in shared accommodations on a bottom bunk-bed. 3-6 people share a sleeping space.

• We are unable to provide private rooms, sleeping outside of the designated space, or camping.

• Accommodations vary by location and are either cabin style (Maine) or lodge style (Colorado and Arizona).

• Cabins have 1-2 shared restrooms with multiple sinks and private showers.

• Lodge rooms have either a private bathroom or multiple shared bathrooms on each floor.

• Cabins and rooms are equipped with beds, storage, and electrical outlets. 

• All participants are responsible for their own bedding and bath towels (sleeping bag and/or blankets, sheets, pillow, mattress padding, if needed). LYB is unable to provide any linens.

• While we do our best to minimize sound, light, and movement throughout the night, it is inevitable in shared accommodations. We recommend bringing an eye mask and/or ear plugs to support rest! 

Yes! You will have the opportunity to share allergies and dietary needs/restrictions in the health form. This information will be passed on to the kitchen staff so that we try to take into account dietary needs/preferences to the best of our ability.

Wi-Fi is available in the main camp areas. Cell service varies by location and service provider, and may be limited in areas throughout the site.

There are up to 38 people living with brain injury and/or caregivers plus 10-12 staff and volunteers on the Retreat support team.

Breaks and rest time are built into the daily schedule. All scheduled offerings during the Retreat are optional and we encourage and trust you to make choices that best support your needs!

LoveYourBrain provides only one shuttle from the local airport to the Retreat location and one shuttle from the Retreat site back to the local airport on Friday.

Health & Safety

We care deeply about creating a supportive and nourishing space for everyone in attendance at a LYB Retreat. With that in mind, we ask all participants to follow the guidelines below with care and consideration for themselves and others:

Vaccination: While we do not require vaccination to attend, we strongly encourage all participants to be fully vaccinated and up to date on boosters. Doing so helps protect the collective wellbeing of our group, especially those who may be more vulnerable.

Symptom Awareness: We take a symptoms-based approach to health. If you're feeling unwell for any reason—whether or not you've tested positive—we kindly ask that you stay home to rest and recover. We encourage everyone to self-monitor for symptoms before and during the Retreat and to prioritize your health and the health of those around you.

Air Travel: If you're flying to the retreat, we strongly encourage wearing a mask while traveling to help reduce potential exposure.

Positive Test Result During Retreat: In the event that someone tests positive for COVID-19 during the retreat, we will ask them to leave the retreat site as soon as possible, at their own expense. We know this could be disappointing, and we’ll do our best to support anyone in this situation with kindness and compassion.

These guidelines are offered in the spirit of community care. Thank you for helping us keep the Retreat space as safe and welcoming as possible for everyone.

We have a volunteer medical professional on staff to administer and hold all medication for all participants (people with brain injury and caregivers) to create a universal, safe, and organized process for medication consumption.

General FAQ’s

We are working to expand to different locations and partnerships, allowing us the opportunity to open more spaces to new participants. Our numbers will vary depending on the location and focus of each retreat. We will create as many spaces for participants as possible, while maintaining a group size that allows for us to offer the most meaningful program possible.

Yes! It is our intention to expand our retreat program. We are interested in offering retreats at more locations, and with different focuses, to make these accessible to more people each year.

All participants will be asked to join us in fundraising together as a team. We offer support to make fundraising meaningful so that we can raise funds to support future Retreat opportunities for others. Your story is important, and fundraising provides an incredible opportunity to feel empowered to share your experience with your community. We’ll send more information on fundraising support once an individual is accepted into the Retreat program.

Please feel free to contact our Retreat program by emailing: retreats@loveyourbrain.com and we will do our best to connect with you within 2-4 business days. Thank you!