Retreats : Writing Retreats | Well Being Retreats | @  The Passing Place

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The Passing Place is delighted to offer a series of unique residential 3-day writing retreats from this November and on the stunning Isle of Skye.

The retreats will specialise in the art of writing Non-Fiction and biography and will be run by Paul Rees, author of six internationally published books to date and a full-time journalist of nearly 30 years’ experience and expertise. Each retreat will be open to one individual writer, allowing Paul full scope to provide an intensive, entirely one-on-one coaching and instruction programme.

Each course will encompass workshops on such essentials as how to develop your ideas and writing style, interviewing and research techniques, and best practice for planning, structuring and ultimately selling your book. Accommodation for each course will be full- or half-board at The Passing Place, located in one of the most beautiful parts of the island.

Course Details

Each 3-day retreat will be structured as follows:

Day One
Introduction
The art of non-fiction versus fiction writing
Developing and interrogating your ideas
Techniques for research and interviewing
Day Two
How to plan and structure your book
Selling your idea: finding an agent, writing a proposal and getting published
Day Three
One to one coaching on your own writing and ideas before lunch and afternoon departure
Daily walks around the local area and including out to the magnificent Fairy Pools, Glenbrittle Forest and Talisker Bay will be included in the schedule.

Course Dates

Courses (each open to one person) will run on the following dates:

Monday 19 November (Arrival) to Thursday 22 November (afternoon departure)
Monday 10 December (Arrival) to Thursday 13 December (afternoon departure)
Monday 21 January 2019 (Arrival) to Thursday 24 January 2019 (afternoon departure)
Monday 11 February (Arrival) to Thursday 14 February (afternoon departure)

Writers will be accommodated at The Passing Place’s luxury B&B annex for three nights and can choose from either full- (continental breakfast, light lunch and evening meal) or half-board (continental breakfast, light lunch) options.
Prices
Including 3-nights’ accommodation and the full retreat programme:
Full Board: £600.00
Half Board: £540.00
* Payment is on booking

 

About Paul Rees
Paul has worked as a full-time writer and journalist, specialising in music, sport and travel, since 1991.
He was the Editor of the rock weekly Kerrang! from 1999-2002 and Editor-in-Chief of the esteemed music monthly Q for ten years from 2002-2012. He has interviewed everybody from Paul McCartney, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen to Adele, Noel Gallagher and Ozzy Osbourne. His work has also been published in a range of national and international publications and including the Sunday Times Culture and Magazine, the Guardian, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Sunday Express, Classic Rock, When Saturday Comes, Trail, Outdoor Fitness, Lonely Planet and Country Walking.

Paul is an internationally published author. His first book, Robert Plant: A Life, a biography of the legendary Led Zeppelin singer, was published in 16 countries worldwide by HarperCollins in 2013. His second, The Three Degrees: the Men Who Changed British Football Forever was long-listed for the William Sports Book of the Year award in 2014. He has had four other Non-Fiction books published and is currently at work on two major biographies that will be published worldwide by Little, Brown in, respectively, 2019 and 2020.

Paul lectured in journalism and magazine craft to BA Hons students at Lincoln University from 2014-2016 and has addressed both the Cambridge University Debating Society and Oxford University Media Society.

Here at The Passing Place we are delighted to offer a range of therapeutic Hypnotherapy and Mindfulness sessions all set within a relaxing, enlightening and positive setting overlooking a sea loch on the beautiful Isle of Skye.

I am a clinical hypnotherapist helping people overcome many psychological, emotional and physical issues – including: anxiety and stress related disorders, insomnia and sleep disorders, depression, grief recovery, phobias and self-esteem issues – using hypnosis as a tool.
What is Hypnotherapy?

Hypnosis is a natural state of trance similar to that achieved in meditation. Very ordinarily, we can go into trance many times a day, for instance, daydreaming or being miles away. ‘Losing’ part of your car journey to work or simply reading a book are examples of natural hypnosis. In a therapeutic setting and with the help of a trained therapist this is a very powerful tool which enables us to access subconscious patterns of thought and behaviour. Hypnotherapy works with the subconscious mind which controls both our bodies and minds – and all without the aid of swinging watches or whirling machines.

By working on a subconscious level, hypnosis can literally help the parts that other approaches cannot reach and assist people to make significant changes to their lives in a relatively short period of time.

I can offer the following one-to-one sessions using the above techniques and all within the privacy of your own room at The Passing Place:

Relaxation Session: 60 mins – £45
Anxiety & Stress-Buster Session: 60 mins – £45
Sleep Disorders (Insomnia) Session: 60 mins – £45

Each of these sessions will include:

A brief questionnaire to find out a little bit about you and to help us achieve the best outcome from the session
An explanation of how our brains work and why we suffer the way we do and what we can do to help ourselves overcome these feelings in the future.
A guide to positive visualisation (this is a powerful tool and can help us achieve our goals and crucially how we want things to be. It is how our brains work – if we don’t see it, we don’t do it. Mo Farrah would have visualised winning those gold medals so many times before he achieved his record-breaking goal).
And finally trance work: relax in a chair, pop your feet up listening to tranquil music, while I talk to you in a quiet voice using relaxing, positive language. What could be nicer?

At the end of each of these sessions you will be provided with a Free CD or MP3 to take away with you along with the choice to sign up to further sessions via Skype.
Mindfulness Session: 30 mins – £30

A massage for the mind focusing on the right now, being in the moment, appreciating and being grateful for all that we have.

About Me

My journey with hypnotherapy began like most people when I needed help myself. It changed my life to such a degree that I decided to train to become a hypnotherapist myself, so that I could help others who are suffering, overcome obstacles or focus on that goal.

I received my training and diploma in Solution Focused Hypnotherapy with the Clifton Practice Hypnotherapy Centre, receiving a Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy (DHP) and the Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (HPD). Both are nationally recognised and independently assessed diplomas.

I am a member of the National Council of Hypnotherapists and the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy, both of which require me to keep up to date with both training and supervision and to abide by their codes and ethics.