The Pattern Work Retreat
Meet the part of you that's still running the old pattern. Work with it directly — one-to-one, or in a circle of twelve.
7 days of somatic parts work with Sunni Dawson. In Akumal, Mexico, or the Sacred Valley in Peru — or privately, wherever you are in the world.
Most of what you've been fighting is branches. We go for the root they're all growing from.
POWERFUL, SAFELY HELD RETREATS · AKUMAL, MEXICO · SACRED VALLEY, PERU · WORLDWIDE
You're not one fixed self. You're a system of parts.
The one that overachieves so nobody's disappointed. The one that goes quiet to stay safe. The one still negotiating with someone who isn't even in your life any more.
Each of them took a job once, and did it well.
That's the part nobody tells you. A pattern isn't a flaw. It's a part of you doing a job — keeping you liked, keeping you useful, keeping you small enough not to be a target.
It took that job on a long time ago. Nobody has ever told it that it can stop.
And you can't talk a part out of a job it still thinks you need. You have to show it you're safe without it.
So that's what we do. We find the part doing the job, ask what it's been protecting all this time, and work out what it needs in order to stand down.
Then it gets a new job.
That last step is the integration — the half most approaches leave you to manage on your own. It's also why you go home with a practice rather than a memory.
What Parts Work Actually Is
An hour of therapy a fortnight is enough to understand a pattern. 7 unbroken days is long enough to be free of one.
Some of that is simply time. A nervous system doesn't reorganise itself in fifty minutes, and then go back to work.
But the bigger part is the room.
In a circle of people doing the same work, your pattern turns up on its own. In how you introduce yourself. Who you defer to. Whether you take the last chair — and whether you apologise for taking it.
We're not hunting for it from memory. It's already in the room, live, where we can work with it.
That's the thing a weekly session can never do, however good it is.
Why 7 Days, and Why Eleven Other People
An Arc, Not an Itinerary
There's no hour-by-hour schedule, because the work doesn't keep to one. But the week has a shape, and it's the same shape every time.
Day one — arriving, and naming it. Your opening reading, one-to-one, so you know what you're actually working with before anything begins. Then grounding, time out in the nature we've landed in, good food and a long sleep. Nothing deep happens on a body that's still braced.
The first night — the opening fire. You say out loud what you've come to leave. Everyone else hears it, and then they carry it with you all week.
Day two — we begin. The pattern work starts. We find the part still doing the old job, and start talking to it directly rather than about it.
The middle days — the deep part. Pattern work daily, with somatic release alongside it, because the pattern doesn't only live in what you think. It lives in your shoulders, your jaw, your breath. And proper rest in between, every day — not as a reward, but because it's what makes the next session possible.
The last day — integration. The closing fire: what you're taking home, and what genuinely stays here. Then your closing reading, one-to-one — what moved, what it means, and what you'll actually do on the first ordinary Tuesday when the old pattern comes looking for you.
Afterwards. Two integration calls once you're home, so the week doesn't evaporate somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico.
"What made this special was that there was space to land, we did prior preparation, time for integration and connect again with the group. It was an amazing experience."
— Merel, from Amsterdam
What the 7 Days Hold
Wherever it's held, every retreat holds all of this.
An opening reading, one-to-one with me. Before anything else begins, we sit down together and look at what you're really here for — not what you wrote on the form, and often not what you thought you were coming for. That sets your focus for the week.
An opening fire ceremony. What you came to leave, said out loud, to the fire.
Daily deep-dive pattern work. The heart of it. Finding the part still doing the old job, and working with it directly rather than around it.
Psychic and channelled guidance. Where it's useful, and where you want it.
Somatic release and body work. Because the pattern doesn't only live in what you think.
Yoga, movement, meditation and water therapy. Daily, and gentle.
A closing integration fire ceremony. What you're taking home, and what genuinely stays here.
A closing reading, one-to-one. What moved, what it means, and what to do with it once you're home.
Two integration calls with me after you leave. So the week doesn't stay behind at the airport.
And depending on where we are and what the group needs: temazcal, water therapy, sound healing, breathwork, cacao, and support from local traditions wherever we're held by them.
All your meals and somewhere good to sleep, surrounded by nature, are included. Flights and airport transfers aren't included — though I'm happy to arrange your transfer for you, at cost. Just ask on the call.
There's real space in these days. Long afternoons, proper sleep, time outside with nothing much to do. None of that is a reward for getting through the rest. It's what lets the rest land.
The work is the same in both. What changes is who's in the room with you.
One-to-one.
5 to 7 days, fully private. Every session is yours — no group work, nothing shared, no waiting. I come to you, wherever you are, or you come to me in Mexico or Peru. The whole week is built around what you bring, and reshaped as it moves.
All of it is pointed at you. Nothing waits its turn, so we can follow what opens as far as it wants to go.
It's the deepest work I do.
"A week with Sunni unlocked parts of me I had buried deeply. In the end I found my new purpose in life." — Steven, from Texas
Small group.
If you've got people who already trust each other — friends, a team, a group you lead — we can hold the whole container just for you, at a time and a place that suits.
Numbers, dates and cost all get worked out on the call.
7 days, capped at twelve. Akumal, Mexico, or the Sacred Valley in Peru — or elsewhere in the world for the right group.
You still do your own work. You just do it inside a circle rather than alone — and the parts of you that only show up around other people finally do.
A circle also brings what a private week can't: ceremony held together, and other people's breakthroughs landing in your own body.
"It was life changing, and it was very familial. You have your individual journey and you're also with your tribe." — Dess, from Texas
Not sure which one you want? That's exactly what the free chat is for.
Why twelve
A retreat with thirty people on a shared schedule is efficient. It isn't always effective.
This one stays small on purpose. Nobody does their deepest work with an audience — and at twelve there's still room for real one-to-one time with me during the week, rather than a facilitator at the front of a room.
Or bring your own group.
Alone With Me, or a Circle of Twelve
This Is For You If…
You've done the therapy, the reading, the workshops. You're ready for something that goes further.
You can name your pattern in one sentence, and you still can't get free of it.
You're done circling the deep work — you want to actually do it.
You've been looking for depth and you keep finding surface.
You'd rather be properly seen by one person than gently managed in a crowd.
You want to be held safely while you do something that costs you something.
And it's not for you if what you're really after is rest, a beautiful week, or a light reset. Those are good things to want. This just isn't them.
It's not a wellness holiday and it's not group therapy. It's an intensive.
Not sure? That's exactly what the free chat is for. We'll both check it's the right fit before you commit.
I'm Sunni. I came to this the long way round — law first, then everything else — and I've spent the last five years doing this work here, on the Mexican Caribbean coast and deep in the Peruvian Amazon.
I'm kind. I'm also not going to help you talk around the thing.
Small group, Akumal, Mexico — from $3,333 USD per person. 7 days. Accommodation and all meals included. Capped at twelve, so you get real one-to-one time with me during the week.
Small group, elsewhere in the world — from $3,888 USD per person. Accommodation and meals included. The final figure depends on the location and where we stay, and is confirmed before you pay anything.
One-to-one intensive — from $6,777 USD. 5 to 7 days, fully private. I travel worldwide; travel and accommodation are quoted for your location on your free chat and agreed before your deposit.
Flights and airport transfers aren't included — though I'm happy to arrange your transfer for you, at cost.
Payment plans are available. We'll work one out on the call if that helps.
The Investment, Plainly
"The work that was done was decades of therapy in days. The entire retreat I knew I was being held. There was a lot of protection and intentionality. I healed in community. And the 1 on 1 sessions with Sunni was so powerful."
— Renee, from Washington DC
"I rediscovered parts of myself. I've noticed a huge change in me, even months after. I am a changed person. I'm different, in the best way possible."
— Giselle Zermeno, Mexico
"Strongly recommend you guys and the space you hold, it was beautiful, trustworthy and truly magical. I have friends for a life time now from all over the world. The space that was held was very safe and gentle."
— Jen, from the US
"Everything was perfect. It felt like family. You see yourself in everybody... It felt safe and comfortable. Sunni knew exactly what I needed when I needed it. Wow! She made it feel like home & safe."
— Paola, from Texas
More from people who've been →
I've held ceremony and deep process work for years, including in the Peruvian Amazon — the kind of container where things surface that people have carried for decades, and where the skill is in holding it, not in causing it.
I work trauma-informed, and I speak to every guest personally before a deposit is taken.
I'd rather lose a booking than put someone in a room that isn't right for them. That conversation is also why the room is safe for everyone else in it.
From the People Who've Done It
Nobody Arrives Without a Conversation First
The next small group is in March 2027, in Akumal, on the Riviera Maya — about twenty-five minutes north of Tulum, an hour and a quarter from Cancún airport. Twelve places.
Dates and locations go to my list before they go public, and past retreats have filled from it first. So that's the place to be if you want first choice. Hear about retreats first →
Or don't wait for it.
Private retreats run whenever suits you. 5 to 7 days, one-to-one with me, anywhere in the world. Or bring your own people and take the whole container — your group, your dates, your place.
Tell me roughly when and where you're thinking, and we'll build it around that.
When This Runs
Frequently asked questions
What's included?
Accommodation, all your meals, every session, and all ceremony and group elements. Flights and airport transfers aren't included, though I'm happy to arrange your transfer at cost. For retreats outside Akumal the final figure depends on the location, and it's confirmed with you before you pay anything.
How do you decide who's a fit?
On the call, and honestly. I'll ask what you're working with, what support you already have around you, and what you're hoping this does. If it's not the right time, or the right thing, I'll say so. I'd rather lose a booking than put someone in a room that isn't right for them.
Will I actually get a rest?
Yes — and not as a separate thing bolted either side of the work. Day one is yoga, warm water and a long sleep. After that the deep work and the slow hours run together: a session that costs you something, then hours outside with nothing to do. You'll go home rested, and you'll go home different. That's rather the point of doing it this way.
Is this therapy?
No. This is trauma-informed coaching and intuitive guidance, not clinical psychotherapy. If you're currently in treatment for a mental health condition, we'll talk it through on your free chat first to make sure it's the right fit alongside that care.
Can I add plant medicine?
No. Plant medicine work is held in its own separate container, never folded into a Pattern Work Retreat. If ceremony work is calling you, it has its own page. See the plant medicine retreats →
Where in the world do you travel?
Worldwide, for both one-to-one intensives and group retreats. Travel is quoted for your location on your free chat and agreed before your deposit, so there are no surprises later.
Can I book a private retreat for my own group?
Yes, and it's one of my favourite ways to work. If you've got a circle of people who already trust each other, we can hold the whole container just for you, at a time and a place that suits. Numbers, dates and cost all get worked out on the call.
How do I get there?
For Akumal, fly into Cancún. Akumal is about an hour and a quarter south, and Tulum is twenty-five minutes further on. Transfers aren't included, but I can book yours at cost — most people find that easier than sorting it out after a long flight. Tell me your flight times and I'll take care of it.
Deposit and cancellation?
Your deposit is non-refundable — it goes straight to booking accommodation on your behalf. All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable to a future retreat. You can transfer your place to someone else instead, subject to my approval, their suitability for the retreat, completing the required intake steps, and the timing of the request.
Should I get travel insurance?
Yes — strongly recommended, given the policy above. Look for cover that includes trip cancellation, medical emergencies, flight issues or delays, and personal or family emergencies.
What should I bring, and how do I prepare?
A journal and pen, comfortable clothes, a swimsuit, and whatever helps you sleep well. Some people share a room, so bring a reading light if that's you. A full packing list, tailored to your location, comes with your deposit.
What happens after I leave?
Two integration calls with me, built into both formats. The week is designed to keep working once you're home, which is the whole reason the last day is integration rather than ceremony.
Start With a Conversation
Fifteen minutes, free, no pitch.
We'll work out together whether this is right for you, and I'll tell you honestly if it isn't.
Next small group: Akumal, near Tulum, Mexico, March 2027. Private retreats — one-on-one, or your own group — run whenever suits you.
Hear About Retreats First
Dates go to this list before they go anywhere else. A few emails a year, no funnel.
By submitting this form, you agree to our Privacy Policy.
Get in touch
Powerful, safely held retreats.
hola@retreatswithsunni.com
+52 951 5915914
© 2026 Retreats with Sunni. Also from Sunni: sunnidawson.com for coaching and psychic medium sessions, hearttopaw.com for animal communication.